La hukm illa li-llah: Difference between revisions

'''Lā ḥukm illā li-Allāh''' ((Arabic: {{ia|لا حُكمَ إلّا لِلّٰه}}, lit: ruling is for none but Allah) was a slogan chanted by the [[Kharijites]] (Khawarij) in protest against [[Arbitration (Battle of Siffin)|arbitration]] during the [[Battle of Siffin]]. Through this slogan, they primarily expressed their opposition to human arbitrations and rulings, rejecting the arbitration of [[Abu Musa al-Ash'ari]] and [['Amr 'As]], who were respectively appointed by [[Imam 'Ali]] and [[Mu'awiya]] as arbiters. They asserted that ruling or arbitration belongs solely to Allah, and that no one else has the right to rule.

Imam 'Ali stated that this was a true word intended to convey falsehood. He believed it was necessary to have rulers, whether just or unjust, to administer society.

Some researchers believe that the formation of this deviant interpretation of the slogan "ruling is for none but Allah" stemmed from the Kharijites’ misunderstanding of Imamate and politics, as well as their lack of sophistication.

== Meaning ==

"La hukm illa li Allah" was the [[Kharijite]] slogan in opposition to [[Imam 'Ali]].<ref>Nawbakhtī, ''Firaq al-Shīʿa'', p. 6; Ashʿarī, ''Kitāb al-maqālāt wa al-firaq'', p. 5.</ref> Due to their use of this slogan, they came to be known as "muhakkima".<ref>Shūshtarī, ''Iḥqāq al-ḥaqq'', vol. 32, p. 523.</ref> The term "hukm" in this slogan is interpreted as arbitration (tahkim), meaning that none but [[God]] can be an arbiter.<ref>Farāhīdī, ''Kitāb al-ʿayn'', vol. 3, p. 67; Azharī, ''Tahdhīb al-lugha'', vol. 4, p. 70- 71.</ref> The slogan is derived from the [[Quran|Quranic]] phrase "Inn al-hukm illa li Allah" (Sovereignty belongs only to Allah), which appears in several [[verse|verses]] of the Quran.<ref>Qur'ān 6: 57; 12: 40, 67.</ref> In the Kharijite interpretation, this phrase was understood as a rejection of any rule or arbitration by anyone other than God.<ref>Makārim Shīrāzī, ''Payām-i Imām Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a)'', vol. 2, p. 432.</ref>

== Initial Uses ==

The first use of the slogan "la hukm illa li Allah" came from those who objected to the initial acceptance of [[arbitration]] during the [[Battle of Siffin]], when the Levantine army was on the verge of defeat. However, due to [['Amr 'As|'Amr 'As's]] tricks, they raised copies of the [[Quran]] on spears and demanded arbitration by the Quran.<ref>Ṭabarī, ''Tārīkh al-umam'', vol. 5, p. 48.</ref> Imam 'Ali was compelled to accept arbitration due to the insistence and even threats from some members of his army, and he communicated this to [[Mu'awiya]] in a letter.<ref>Minqarī. ''Waqʿat Ṣiffīn'', p. 493- 494.</ref> Ultimately, an agreement was reached, specifying the two arbiters and conditions of arbitration.<ref>Ṭabarī, ''Tārīkh al-umam'', vol. 5, p. 53- 54.</ref>

When [[al-Ash'ath b. Qays al-Kindi]] read the text of the initial agreement to various tribes, objections were raised regarding the slogan "ruling is for none but Allah". Two young men from the 'Anza tribe chanted the slogan, attacked Mu'awiya’s army, and were killed near Mu'awiya’s tent. Some believe that these two youths were the first to use the slogan "la hukm illa li Allah".<ref>Dīnawarī, ''al-Akhbār al-ṭiwāl'', p. 196. Minqarī. ''Waqʿat Ṣiffīn'', p. 512.</ref> Following this event, al-Ash'ath approached the Murad tribe and read the agreement to them as well. In response, al-Salih b. Shaqiq, a prominent figure in the tribe, chanted the slogan "la hukm illa li Allah".<ref>Dīnawarī, ''al-Akhbār al-ṭiwāl'', p. 197.</ref> A similar incident occurred with the Banu Rasib tribe.<ref>Minqarī. ''Waqʿat Ṣiffīn'', p. 513.</ref>

Opposition to arbitration with the slogan "ruling is for none but Allah" was not limited to verbal objections. When al-Ash'ath met with the [[Banu Tamim tribe]], some members of the tribe attacked him while chanting "la hukm illa li Allah" and struck his horse.<ref>Ṭabarī, ''Tārīkh al-umam'', vol. 5, p. 49; Balādhurī, ''Ansāb al-ashrāf'', vol. 2, p. 336; Masʿūdī, ''Murūj al-dhahab'', vol. 2, p. 393.</ref> Al-Baladhuri, the author of ''Ansab al-ashraf'', believes that the slogan was first heard from this tribe.<ref>Balādhurī, ''Ansāb al-ashrāf'', vol. 2, p. 336.</ref> However, [[al-Ya'qubi]], a third-century AH historiographer, contends that the slogan was first chanted by an individual named 'Urwa b. Adiyya al-Tamimi prior to the meeting of the two arbiters.<ref>Yaʿqūbī, ''Tārīkh al-Yaʿqūbī'', vol. 2, p. 190.</ref>

== As a Kharijite Slogan ==

When the arbitration agreement was formed during the [[Battle of Siffin]] on Safar 17, [[37 AH]]/[[657]],<ref>Minqarī. ''Waqʿat Ṣiffīn'', p. 508.</ref> Imam 'Ali’s army returned to [[Kufa]]. However, a group of his soldiers, later known as the [[Kharijites]] (Khawarij), separated from his army, chanting the slogan "ruling is for none but Allah". They settled in Harura, near Kufa, and refused to return.<ref>Yaʿqūbī, ''Tārīkh al-Yaʿqūbī'', vol. 2, p. 191.</ref> They even threatened to denounce the Imam and fight against him if he did not revoke the [[arbitration]].<ref>Ṭabarī, ''Tārīkh al-umam'', vol. 5, p. 72; Ibn Miskawayh, ''Tajārub al-umam'', vol. 1, p. 555- 556.</ref>

Relying on the slogan, "la hukm illa li Allah" they asked to cancel people’s arbitration in matters of religion,<ref>Balādhurī, ''Ansāb al-ashrāf'', vol. 2, p. 360.</ref> breach the treaty with [[Mu'awiya]], and continue to fight against him.<ref>Jaʿfarīyān, ''Ḥayāt-i fikrī wa sīyāsī-yi Imāmān-i Shīʿa'', p. 100- 101.</ref> They claimed that they had [[Repentance|repented]] to God from the sin of having accepted arbitration at first. They believed that [[Imam 'Ali]] and other [[muslim|Muslims]] were sinful and [[unbeliever|unbelievers]], asking them to repent to God; otherwise, they would fight them.<ref>Ibn al-Ṭiqṭaqī, ''al-Fakhrī, p. 99.</ref> This was despite the fact that Imam 'Ali opposed arbitration at first and had to accept it with the coercion and threat of his companions, including those who later joined the Kharijites. However, after having accepted the arbitration, he did not agree to violate the treaty.<ref>Ṭabarī, ''Tārīkh al-umam'', vol. 5, p. 49.</ref> [[Ibn Kawwa']], a Kharijite leader, was initially a proponent of arbitration. He was among those who had opposed to [['Abd Allah b. 'Abbas]] as the arbiter of the Kufan army and imposed [[Abu Musa al-Ash'ari]] on the Imam,<ref>Minqarī. ''Waqʿat Ṣiffīn'', p. 502.</ref> but later, along with [[Shabath b. Rib'i al-Tamimi]], he was among the first to reject human arbitration by the slogan "ruling is for none but Allah".<ref>Dhahabī, ''Tārīkh al-Islām'', vol. 3, p. 554.</ref>

=== Disputation with Imam 'Ali ===

On various occasions, the Kharijites disputed with Imam 'Ali using this slogan. For instance, when [[Abu Musa al-Ash'ari]] was chosen as the [[Arbitration (Battle of Siffin)|arbiter]], two [[Kharijites]], Zar'a b. al-Burj al-Ta'i and Hurqus b. Zuhayr al-Sa'di, approached [[Imam 'Ali|the Imam]] and chanted "la hukm illa li Allah". They demanded that the Imam repent to God and quickly resume war against Mu'awiya. The Imam reminded them of the obligation to [[honor one's pledge and rejected their demands.<ref>Ṭabarī, ''Tārīkh al-umam'', vol. 5, p. 72; Ibn Miskawayh, ''Tajārub al-umam'', vol. 1, p. 555- 556; Shūshtarī, ''Iḥqāq al-ḥaqq'', vol. 32, p. 529.</ref>

On several occasions, the Kharijites troubled Imam 'Ali by chanting this slogan. For instance, as the Imam was on his way to the [[Mosque of Kufa]] to deliver a sermon, an individual near the mosque chanted "la hukm illa li Allah", and several others followed his lead.<ref>Ṭabarī, ''Tārīkh al-umam'', vol. 5, p. 73.</ref> Additionally, while the Imam was delivering a speech in the Mosque of Kufa, the Kharijites interrupted him multiple times by chanting the slogan.<ref>Nayshābūrī, ''Īḍāḥ'', p. 474.</ref> This behavior recurred on several other occasions as well.<ref>Ṭabarī, ''Tārīkh al-umam'', vol. 5, p. 73; Ibn Miskawayh, ''Tajārub al-umam'', vol. 1, p. 555- 556; Ibn Ḥayyūn. ''Daʿāim al-Islām'', vol. 1, p. 393.</ref>

== Changes in the Interpretation of the Slogan ==

The Kharijites, who initially restricted [[arbitration]] and judgment to God through the slogan "ruling is for none but Allah", later reinterpreted the slogan to mean that governance and rule also belong solely to God, and that neither 'Ali nor Mu'awiya had the right to govern. As a result, they advocated for a society without a government.<ref>Makārim Shīrāzī, ''Payām-i Imām Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a)'', vol. 2, p. 432.</ref>

In the book ''al-Insaf fi masa'il dam fiha al-khilaf'', [[Ayatollah Sobhani]] argues that the necessity of having a government requires no proof or argument, as its importance is emphasized in hadiths transmitted from the Prophet and the [[Infallible Imams]].<ref>Subḥānī, ''al-Inṣāf'', vol. 3, p. 433.</ref> In an attempt to preserve [[monotheism]] and divine sovereignty, the Kharijites mistakenly rejected any form of human sovereignty and rule, declaring that governance belongs only to God.<ref>Makārim Shīrāzī, ''Payām-i Imām Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a)'', vol. 2, p. 432.</ref> Other researchers suggest that the Kharijites, being Bedouins, lacked a proper understanding of [[Imamate]] and politics as something transcending any tribal ties, which led to their deviant interpretation of the slogan "ruling is for none but Allah".<ref>Jaʿfarīyān, ''Ḥayāt-i fikrī wa sīyāsī-yi Imāmān-i Shīʿa'', p. 100- 101.</ref>

=== Imam 'Ali’s Response ===

In response to the claim that he had appointed individuals as arbiters in matters of [[God|God’s]] religion, Imam 'Ali clarified that appointing people to arbitrate according to the [[Quran]] does not mean choosing them as arbiters in God’s religion.<ref>Yaʿqūbī, ''Tārīkh al-Yaʿqūbī'', vol. 2, p. 192.</ref> He further explained that this action was necessary because the Quran cannot speak for itself. During a debate with the [[Kharijites]], the Imam brought a copy of the Quran and addressed it, saying, "O Quran! Judge!" When the Kharijites responded that the Quran does not speak, the Imam replied, "Then how do you expect the Quran to arbitrate among people without human mediation?"<ref>Ibn Kathīr, ''al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya'', vol. 7, p. 279.</ref>

== Applications After the Battle of Nahrawan ==