against the leadership of the third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan. The Kharijites believed that the leader of the Muslim community must be blameless and without sin. He must exceed all other Muslims in his piety and learning; otherwise he had no right to lead the community and must be removed from power by any means necessary. Ibn Taymiyyah was certainly no Kharijite, but he agreed that it was the obligation of every Muslim to ensure the purity of the community by purging it of all innovation (bida’) and heresy.
