What do you know about these figures: Muhammad Rashid Rida, Muhammad Abdu, Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, al-Mawdudi, Sayyid Qutb, and Hasan al-Banna?
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The questioner : A question about certain figures?
The Shaykh : About what exactly?
The questioner : Contemporary figures.
The Shaykh : Fine.
The questioner : Yes, he says there are some figures about which opinions differ, so we ask you, may your excellence mention briefly what you know about these figures: Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, Muhammad Abdu, Muhammad Rashid Rida, al-Mawdudi, Sayyid Qutb, and Hasan al-Banna?
The Shaykh : ... Finally, regarding these figures, in my view, it is Muhammad Rashid Rida (may Allah have mercy on him), because I believe he had a long reach and a wide scope in spreading the Salafi da'wah in general, and in drawing the attention of all Muslims, and especially the students of knowledge among them, to caring for the Prophetic hadith on one hand, and to attempting to purify and cleanse it on the other hand. His magazine, which he published monthly and which was called al-Manar, we find its effects today even in some countries far from us, such as India, Pakistan, Java, Sumatra, and the like. In addition to that, he was Salafi in methodology and creed, and yet he engaged in some politics, or perhaps it is more accurate to say he became entangled in it, where he engaged and dealt in politics against the Ikhwan government when the Arab nationalists worked to try to get rid of and gain independence from the Ottoman state, until he became one of the people who were sentenced to death. Perhaps this was one of his illusions and mistakes, may Allah have mercy on him. Although he differed from the other people in his creed and in his service to Islam, I believe that anyone who cooperates with people who do not share in what is most precious to him in terms of creed will be defeated in his effort. This is what happened to the man in this political aspect. Had it not been for that, he would have been at the top of the preachers and reformers on the methodology of the righteous Salaf, had it not been for a slight deviation regarding some of the unseen hadiths, where he was perhaps influenced by his teacher Muhammad Abdu, who used to doubt the authenticity of the hadiths of the Mahdi, and even the hadiths of 'Isa (peace be upon him), so he did not believe in something called the descent of 'Isa (peace be upon him) or the emergence of the Mahdi at the end of time. Also, in the beginning of his affair, in terms of jurisprudence, he had leniency, or rather we should say laxity, in imitating the disbelievers, so he did not see anything wrong with a Muslim wearing the clothes of the disbelievers, or wearing the brenita or the hat. But I noticed in the last issues of the magazine that he returned from some of that, so he began to issue rulings on the necessity of preserving our customs and traditions and not imitating our enemies. This is what the philosophy of clothing requires, as known among Western scholars. Had it not been for these, meaning these small things, he would have been a man, meaning rare like him in this time. As for Muhammad Abdu, he is undoubtedly an Azhar scholar, not Salafi in creed and methodology, but he was influenced by 'ilm al-kalam, and his book on tawhid is the greatest proof of that. But he ... in terms of, if the expression is correct, shaking the Azhar from its stagnation and its standing on taqlid of the madhahib, he introduced ijtihad and insight into religion and not stagnating on taqlid, so he has a virtue in this renewal. In addition to that, he also had a very large participation in the political aspects for the benefit of the Islamic world, and he was the first student, and al-Afghani was in this aspect. But I do not believe that the efforts of al-Afghani and Muhammad Abdu in the way of reforming the conditions of Muslims in the political aspect, undoubtedly, failed, and all the efforts that all Islamic preachers undertake in any land of the world will fail unless they are based on what I call purification and education, meaning on the basis of establishing the fundamental base for the establishment of the Islamic society and the Islamic state. And that will never be achieved except by scientific and educational reform together. Therefore, there is no doubt that al-Afghani, his student Muhammad Abdu, and consequently Sayyid Rashid Rida revived the feeling of Islamic isolation in the Islamic society and stirred what was dormant in the souls, but they did not reach, and cannot reach, what they were paving the way for merely with enthusiasm and stirring the souls without attempting to reform these souls and reform the hearts with the correct knowledge and the correct education, knowing that the correct education and spreading the correct knowledge requires a long time and the cooperation of hundreds of individuals from the sincere scholars of the Islamic da'wah until this movement bears its fruits...
As for Sayyid Qutb and Hasan al-Banna (may Allah have mercy on him), I do not see much benefit in lengthening the speech about them, for I have three tapes, about three hours, in speaking about them, with all fairness and justice. But briefly, I say that Hasan al-Banna undoubtedly has his praiseworthy efforts in gathering the youth on Islam, even if the Islam was, meaning, not clear in the minds of these youths, though it became clear later. And this is one of the positions that the Muslim Brotherhood has not taken until today. Yes, likewise Sayyid Qutb, for he has, meaning, his virtue in stirring these souls and bringing them to Islam, but it became clear to him later that the path taken by the Muslim Brotherhood is not the best method by which the best goal that every Muslim on this earth aims for is realized, which is the realization of the Islamic society and the establishment of the Islamic government.
Recently, ... the third issue of "al-Muslimun", which was recently published in Saudi Arabia, a report by Sayyid Qutb (may Allah have mercy on him) was published, and he was in prison, meaning he became one of the Salafis, so he calls to what we have been calling to for about fifty years, to knowledge and acting upon it, and he explicitly states that it is a mistake for Islamic groups to engage in political news and demanding Islamic governments to establish the rule of Allah on earth. He considers this a mistake because this rule will not be established except as one of their preachers said: "Establish the state of Islam in your hearts, and it will be established for you in your land". And it is regrettable that to this day we find in the Muslim Brotherhood a very large number who oppose the Salafi da'wah, first due to their ignorance of it, and second due to their fanaticism for their group. Although, and praise be to Allah, there are many individuals who have become clear to them the reality of the Salafi da'wah, and they are walking with it slowly, as mentioned by Sayyid Qutb (may Allah have mercy on him) in the aforementioned report.
So Hasan al-Banna has, meaning, a praiseworthy effort in gathering the Muslims on the Islam we mentioned, and Sayyid Qutb later joined them and helped in that. But what I see, and I still demand, is that the duty of the Muslim Brotherhood in all lands of the world is to complete the line that Hasan al-Banna began to follow. Hasan al-Banna called to the fact that their da'wah is based on the Book and the Sunnah, but it is necessary, as they say today, to put the dots on the letters. Where are the Book and the Sunnah? In the ranks of the Muslim Brotherhood, you do not see any trace of them except a trace they quoted from others, and they are the Salafis and their like!
- Recording now - .
I do not wish to expand my answer to this question beyond what has already been said, for two reasons. The first reason is that I refer for the details to the tapes previously mentioned. The second reason is that I do not want to speak in a way that might be exploited again, as that speech was exploited despite its clarity, objectivity, and fairness. They tore it apart and took excerpts from it, then published false refutations of it in the magazine ... This was not enough; afterwards, one of their prominent figures here, Dr. Abdullah 'Azzam, who showed us great respect and used to attend our sessions and meetings and take notes of the main points he heard from us—this person, knowing for certain that I do not declare Sayyid Qutb a disbeliever, but rather I appreciate and respect him, which is explicitly stated in the discussion between us on this matter—was nevertheless pushed by his associates, as he later told me, to write a refutation of Al-Albani regarding his declaration of Sayyid Qutb as a disbeliever in the same magazine, in three articles in three consecutive issues. He knew that I do not declare him a disbeliever, but only say that he has words in which, or under which, the claim of the unity of existence is implied, and nothing more. They said, "This means he declares Sayyid Qutb a disbeliever." And I am the one who expressed satisfaction with him, or mercy for him, in some of my writings, among which I mention the introduction to *Mukhtasar al-'Uluw* (*A Summary of the Oneness of Allah*). Therefore, I limit myself to the previous answer, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And may He reward you as well.
The Shaykh : About what exactly?
The questioner : Contemporary figures.
The Shaykh : Fine.
The questioner : Yes, he says there are some figures about which opinions differ, so we ask you, may your excellence mention briefly what you know about these figures: Jamal al-Din al-Afghani, Muhammad Abdu, Muhammad Rashid Rida, al-Mawdudi, Sayyid Qutb, and Hasan al-Banna?
The Shaykh : ... Finally, regarding these figures, in my view, it is Muhammad Rashid Rida (may Allah have mercy on him), because I believe he had a long reach and a wide scope in spreading the Salafi da'wah in general, and in drawing the attention of all Muslims, and especially the students of knowledge among them, to caring for the Prophetic hadith on one hand, and to attempting to purify and cleanse it on the other hand. His magazine, which he published monthly and which was called al-Manar, we find its effects today even in some countries far from us, such as India, Pakistan, Java, Sumatra, and the like. In addition to that, he was Salafi in methodology and creed, and yet he engaged in some politics, or perhaps it is more accurate to say he became entangled in it, where he engaged and dealt in politics against the Ikhwan government when the Arab nationalists worked to try to get rid of and gain independence from the Ottoman state, until he became one of the people who were sentenced to death. Perhaps this was one of his illusions and mistakes, may Allah have mercy on him. Although he differed from the other people in his creed and in his service to Islam, I believe that anyone who cooperates with people who do not share in what is most precious to him in terms of creed will be defeated in his effort. This is what happened to the man in this political aspect. Had it not been for that, he would have been at the top of the preachers and reformers on the methodology of the righteous Salaf, had it not been for a slight deviation regarding some of the unseen hadiths, where he was perhaps influenced by his teacher Muhammad Abdu, who used to doubt the authenticity of the hadiths of the Mahdi, and even the hadiths of 'Isa (peace be upon him), so he did not believe in something called the descent of 'Isa (peace be upon him) or the emergence of the Mahdi at the end of time. Also, in the beginning of his affair, in terms of jurisprudence, he had leniency, or rather we should say laxity, in imitating the disbelievers, so he did not see anything wrong with a Muslim wearing the clothes of the disbelievers, or wearing the brenita or the hat. But I noticed in the last issues of the magazine that he returned from some of that, so he began to issue rulings on the necessity of preserving our customs and traditions and not imitating our enemies. This is what the philosophy of clothing requires, as known among Western scholars. Had it not been for these, meaning these small things, he would have been a man, meaning rare like him in this time. As for Muhammad Abdu, he is undoubtedly an Azhar scholar, not Salafi in creed and methodology, but he was influenced by 'ilm al-kalam, and his book on tawhid is the greatest proof of that. But he ... in terms of, if the expression is correct, shaking the Azhar from its stagnation and its standing on taqlid of the madhahib, he introduced ijtihad and insight into religion and not stagnating on taqlid, so he has a virtue in this renewal. In addition to that, he also had a very large participation in the political aspects for the benefit of the Islamic world, and he was the first student, and al-Afghani was in this aspect. But I do not believe that the efforts of al-Afghani and Muhammad Abdu in the way of reforming the conditions of Muslims in the political aspect, undoubtedly, failed, and all the efforts that all Islamic preachers undertake in any land of the world will fail unless they are based on what I call purification and education, meaning on the basis of establishing the fundamental base for the establishment of the Islamic society and the Islamic state. And that will never be achieved except by scientific and educational reform together. Therefore, there is no doubt that al-Afghani, his student Muhammad Abdu, and consequently Sayyid Rashid Rida revived the feeling of Islamic isolation in the Islamic society and stirred what was dormant in the souls, but they did not reach, and cannot reach, what they were paving the way for merely with enthusiasm and stirring the souls without attempting to reform these souls and reform the hearts with the correct knowledge and the correct education, knowing that the correct education and spreading the correct knowledge requires a long time and the cooperation of hundreds of individuals from the sincere scholars of the Islamic da'wah until this movement bears its fruits...
As for Sayyid Qutb and Hasan al-Banna (may Allah have mercy on him), I do not see much benefit in lengthening the speech about them, for I have three tapes, about three hours, in speaking about them, with all fairness and justice. But briefly, I say that Hasan al-Banna undoubtedly has his praiseworthy efforts in gathering the youth on Islam, even if the Islam was, meaning, not clear in the minds of these youths, though it became clear later. And this is one of the positions that the Muslim Brotherhood has not taken until today. Yes, likewise Sayyid Qutb, for he has, meaning, his virtue in stirring these souls and bringing them to Islam, but it became clear to him later that the path taken by the Muslim Brotherhood is not the best method by which the best goal that every Muslim on this earth aims for is realized, which is the realization of the Islamic society and the establishment of the Islamic government.
Recently, ... the third issue of "al-Muslimun", which was recently published in Saudi Arabia, a report by Sayyid Qutb (may Allah have mercy on him) was published, and he was in prison, meaning he became one of the Salafis, so he calls to what we have been calling to for about fifty years, to knowledge and acting upon it, and he explicitly states that it is a mistake for Islamic groups to engage in political news and demanding Islamic governments to establish the rule of Allah on earth. He considers this a mistake because this rule will not be established except as one of their preachers said: "Establish the state of Islam in your hearts, and it will be established for you in your land". And it is regrettable that to this day we find in the Muslim Brotherhood a very large number who oppose the Salafi da'wah, first due to their ignorance of it, and second due to their fanaticism for their group. Although, and praise be to Allah, there are many individuals who have become clear to them the reality of the Salafi da'wah, and they are walking with it slowly, as mentioned by Sayyid Qutb (may Allah have mercy on him) in the aforementioned report.
So Hasan al-Banna has, meaning, a praiseworthy effort in gathering the Muslims on the Islam we mentioned, and Sayyid Qutb later joined them and helped in that. But what I see, and I still demand, is that the duty of the Muslim Brotherhood in all lands of the world is to complete the line that Hasan al-Banna began to follow. Hasan al-Banna called to the fact that their da'wah is based on the Book and the Sunnah, but it is necessary, as they say today, to put the dots on the letters. Where are the Book and the Sunnah? In the ranks of the Muslim Brotherhood, you do not see any trace of them except a trace they quoted from others, and they are the Salafis and their like!
- Recording now - .
I do not wish to expand my answer to this question beyond what has already been said, for two reasons. The first reason is that I refer for the details to the tapes previously mentioned. The second reason is that I do not want to speak in a way that might be exploited again, as that speech was exploited despite its clarity, objectivity, and fairness. They tore it apart and took excerpts from it, then published false refutations of it in the magazine ... This was not enough; afterwards, one of their prominent figures here, Dr. Abdullah 'Azzam, who showed us great respect and used to attend our sessions and meetings and take notes of the main points he heard from us—this person, knowing for certain that I do not declare Sayyid Qutb a disbeliever, but rather I appreciate and respect him, which is explicitly stated in the discussion between us on this matter—was nevertheless pushed by his associates, as he later told me, to write a refutation of Al-Albani regarding his declaration of Sayyid Qutb as a disbeliever in the same magazine, in three articles in three consecutive issues. He knew that I do not declare him a disbeliever, but only say that he has words in which, or under which, the claim of the unity of existence is implied, and nothing more. They said, "This means he declares Sayyid Qutb a disbeliever." And I am the one who expressed satisfaction with him, or mercy for him, in some of my writings, among which I mention the introduction to *Mukhtasar al-'Uluw* (*A Summary of the Oneness of Allah*). Therefore, I limit myself to the previous answer, and praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And may He reward you as well.