This group is the followers of Abu Rashid Nafi' ibn al-Azraq (d. 65 AH). Nafi was the first to create divisions and splits among the Khawarij by inventing certain specific views. Az-Arqa played a greater role than others in transforming the Khawarij into a religious and theological group, rather than a purely political one.
At the same time, Az-Arqa were stronger and more influential than other Khawarij sects in terms of politics and military power, as well as the number of followers and troops. When Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr had revolted and had gained control over areas including parts of Iran, Nafi' moved from Basra to Ahvaz and captured Ahvaz, Fars, Kerman, and the surrounding areas. Under Nafi's leadership, they fought for a long time with the armies of Ibn al-Zubayr and the Umayyads until Ibn al-Zubayr sent one of his commanders, Muhallab ibn Abi Safra, with twenty thousand men from Basra to fight them. Muhallab fought against Azraqa for nineteen years, sometimes on the side of Ibn Zubair and sometimes on the side of Hajjaj, during the reign of Abdul Malik ibn Marwan. In one of the battles, he killed Nafi and then, by creating a division in the Azraqa army, he completely destroyed them.
Gradually, beliefs emerged in this group that sometimes tended towards harshness and extremism.
The main beliefs of this group are:
1- Azraqa considered its opponents to be polytheists and infidels, while the early Kharijites considered them to be only infidels.
2- The main Khawarij, i.e. those Kharijites who did not fight with Azraqa, are infidels and polytheists.
3- The children of the polytheists (opponents of Azraqa) are also polytheists.
4- It is permissible to kill the polytheists, i.e. the opponents of Azraqa and their women and children.
5- All polytheists, including children, will remain in the fire of hell forever.
6- Committing any sin, whether major or minor, leads to disbelief and polytheism.
7- God can choose someone as a prophet who was a disbeliever before prophethood or will become a disbeliever after prophethood.
8- Taqiyyah is not permissible in speech or action.
