Is there a group called the Sarruriyyah that exists?

The questioner : Our Shaykh, is there a group called the Sarruriyyah that exists? And if it exists, if it exists...?

The Shaykh : By Allah, the fact that it exists appears to be the case, but what is its call? I do not know anything about it up to now that would allow me to speak about it as we speak about the Muslim Brotherhood, the Tahrir Party, the Tabligh group, and their like. Because these people, as it appears, mean by their methodology secrecy, and therefore the reality of their call has not yet become clear to us. It only appears from afar, and not with certainty, that they gather, not in detail but in general, between the correct call of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and the call of the Muslim Brotherhood in mobilizing people, gathering them, and focusing on establishing the Muslim state, not in the way that we adopt up to here. This is where my opinion ends. As for details, I have nothing except what concerns the person to whom they belong, which is Sarrur. This is Muhammad, what is it?

The questioner : Sarrur.

The Shaykh : Muhammad Zayn al-Abidin. Muhammad Zayn al-Abidin Sarrur. Yes, this is indeed the case. His origin is Syrian. And when I was in Syria, I did not know him. I got to know him, and he is a professor in Saudi Arabia. I do not know, by Allah, whether in al-Qasim or Hail, because I was given the opportunity to travel to Kuwait, to Qatar, and then I entered from there into Saudi Arabia and met this man. Before that, I did not know him. Then we sat with him for hours and continued our journey to Saudi Arabia. After that, he wrote to me while he was in Kuwait, asking for my permission to print the four treatises: "Al-Iman" (Faith) by Ibn Abi Shaybah, and "Al-Iman" (Faith) by whom? A second imam from the preservers of hadith, and "Kitab al-Ilm" (The Book of Knowledge) by Ibn Abi Khaythamah, and "Kitab al-Ilm" (The Book of Knowledge) by al-Khatib al-Baghdadi. Four treatises printed in the Islamic Office in the past. He said to my agent who was here in Amman, whose name I think is Muhammad al-Abdah, so... Amman. The bottom line is, we gave him permission to print the book, and the book was printed in Egypt. Muhammad al-Abdah visited me many times when he was residing here. Then I was surprised to find that they had issued the magazine "Al-Tabyan" ("Al-Tabyan").

The questioner : ...clarification.

The Shaykh : "Excuse me," "Al-Bayan" magazine. It has good articles, actually. Then after that, "Al-Sunnah" magazine appeared under the name of this Zayn al-Abidin. "Al-Sunnah" magazine. "Al-Bayan" magazine was printed under the name of Muhammad al-Abdah, and this is Zayn al-Abidin Sarrur. Then news came to me from some of those we trust that the two men had a disagreement, and therefore Sarrur separated from his partner and "Al-Sunnah" magazine appeared. I had looked at some issues of "Al-Sunnah" magazine. When I read what was in it and compared it with its title, I remembered a word by one of the critical scholars when he spoke about the tafsir (exegesis) "Mafatih al-Ghayb" (The Keys to the Unseen) by Fakhr al-Din al-Razi. He said about this tafsir: "It contains everything except tafsir." It contains everything except tafsir. When I saw "Al-Sunnah" magazine, "It contains everything except the Sunnah." Actually, but it contains political research and explanations of the current rulers. So, it is a creation that is indeed broad, and it has clarification, and it has explanation and information. I rarely looked at "Al-Sunnah" magazine, unlike "Al-Bayan," which is approximately what reaches me, because there was companionship between me and al-Abdah, who is also Syrian. Until a few months ago, a person called me by phone from London. It was Sarrur himself, greeting me, and I replied—peace be upon him—how are you, how are you, and so on. He said: I read or heard a tape of yours where you mentioned the thing I mentioned earlier, that I had a disagreement with al-Abdah and "Al-Sunnah" magazine appeared with this disagreement. I said to him: Yes, that is what reached me. He said: That is not correct. I said to him: Praise be to Allah, as long as it is not correct, praise be to Allah. That is what we want. He continued his speech and his criticism. He said: Also, I read in a tape of yours that you say that I am from the Muslim Brotherhood. I said: Yes, and this is my knowledge up to now, that you are from the Muslim Brotherhood. He said: No, I disavowed the Muslim Brotherhood twenty years ago. I said: May Allah reward you with good. But you should have clarified this to people so that they know this truth. And I am one of those people. So I now know, by your testimony, that you disavowed the Muslim Brotherhood because it appeared to you that their path is not a sound path. That is also what I want. So these are two points where you criticized me, and I accepted them. But I have observations in my heart about his magazine, which he called "Al-Sunnah," that make me feel what I mentioned earlier, that he has a line that resembles the line of the Muslim Brotherhood. After he finished directing observations or criticisms, I returned to advise him. I said to him: I see in your magazine that you often use the phrase "Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah" (the people of the Sunnah and the community). He said: Yes. I said: I do not see it appropriate for you to use this word as long as you say that you are with us on the Salafi call. Until it was mentioned to me that you remember the day you wrote an introduction to the explanation of "Al-'Aqidah al-Tahawiyyah" and responded to Abu Ghuddah, and Abu Ghuddah was responding to you, so I was defending you. I said: May Allah reward you with good. You are only defending the truth, if Allah wills. So you are still with us on the Salafi line. So I do not see it appropriate for you to use the word "Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah." He said: Why? I said: Because this word in the present age among the Muslim community means the Maturidiyyah (the Maturidi theological school) and the Asha'irah (the Ash'ari theological school), and it does not mean the Salafiyyah at all. And those who represent this concept are Al-Azhar al-Sharif. Al-Azhar al-Sharif today produces thousands of teachers who have invaded the Islamic world with their Azhari culture. They do not understand the word "Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah" except as the Maturidiyyah and the Asha'irah. He said: I am not convinced by this speech. I said: That is your right. But I return to advise you from the beginning. I said I see, but now I insist on you and advise you not to use this word, because we are obligated to speak to people according to their understanding. Today, the word "the Salafi call" is understood by the whole world, those who are pleased and those who are angry. But the word "Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah" has an old technical concept that I know, and those like me know it, and they know that it does not mean the people of hadith, it does not mean the Salaf al-Salih (the earliest generations) at all, but it means two schools of the scholars of kalam (theology). So I advise you, if you wish, accept it, and if you wish... I was pleased in the end that he agreed to this, but he broke his promise to me that he would publish it in the newspaper, excuse me, in the magazine, and he did not do this. I did not know this directly between me and the man. And the other things that I found in the magazine, and the people who belong to him, I have no connection with any of them, so that we can know the base or the principle around which they revolve.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.