The Book: The Muslim Brotherhood: A View from the Inside, and the discussion regarding al-Hasan al-Banna.

The questioner : Our Shaykh, there is a book titled The Muslim Brotherhood: A View from the Inside by Mahmoud Abd al-Halim. This Mahmoud Abd al-Halim is one of the students of Shaykh al-Banna and one of the prominent figures. He says, and he intends to praise:The Shaykh : al-Banna (may Allah have mercy on him), and so on, saying: "He had a weekly lesson on reviving the sciences of religion, and his passion for this book was intense."

The Shaykh : And he was?

The questioner : "His passion for this book was so intense that he considered it the great Islamic encyclopedia. He cared for this book with extreme care to the extent that he would write down every lesson he taught explaining this book, which he did not do with his other lessons. He said, 'I want to explain this book in a separate book.'" He mentioned something very great in his praise and eulogy of this book. The man's formation was a strange mixture. He would go to Yusuf al-Dujaywi, to Muhyi al-Din al-Khatib, and to Muhammad Farid Wajdi. That is, a mixture, where each of them had a specific thought, a specific methodology, and a specific approach.

The Shaykh : The reason he prepared his state was to position himself as an Islamic caller who would please everyone.

The questioner : Yes, that is correct.

The Shaykh : That is not a thing. His phrase is: "Our call is a Sufi Salafi call." From this strange mixture.

The questioner : His statement, "a Sufi reality," our Shaykh, has its existence among them, because they distinguish between the reality (haqiqah) and the Shari'ah. He did not say "a Sufi path," he said "a Sufi reality."

Another questioner : Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah.

Another questioner : This man believes in these Sufi paths and considers them part of Islam, as we heard when we read from the notes (mudhakkirat) a little while ago.

The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.

Another questioner : And the one who reads this book does not find that the man has any objection to the Sufi paths, except that he sometimes follows the way of Sa'id Hawwa, or Sa'id Hawwa followed him in this way, which is that he sees that there are in Sufism some exaggerations (shatihat) and things that should be refined. But when you look at his state, you find that he falls into great things and has not refined them, nor has he refined himself from them. So what are the things? Perhaps not fewer than the ones he sees as needing refinement and considers to be Sufi exaggerations are not fewer than what he sometimes falls into. So what refinement does the man intend? His words indicate that he believes in these paths and holds their beliefs, and that their symbols hold a high status with him. And as we heard, what did the scholars say about al-Badawi? They said, "I was a learned, virtuous, and pious man," and they described him with attributes that are not attributed to the people of creed and the imams of guidance. And what do the scholars know about al-Badawi? Al-Badawi, we all know, the students of knowledge, even the young ones, know that al-Badawi is a misguided man who misguides others, corrupts, and still now is worshipped after his death. People go to his mawlid, perhaps they go there to Tanta and celebrate his mawlid there, and there occur from the wrongs what is not counted in large numbers, what does not go to the Hajj of the House of Allah and the 'Umrah, very large numbers according to what people say. And this did not find a single word from Shaykh al-Banna in it denying what we can never say that the man does not believe in Sufism and those existing beliefs. He can never... We heard a little while ago that he mocks the creed of the Salafis and those who ask him about the Shari'ah rulings. He said, "I listed for him things," he mentioned many things and listed things also, saying, "And I listed many things," he said, "Yes, I want to ask about these..." He mocks, and this is a response to those who say that al-Banna's creed is Salafi, but he was not able to manifest it due to the existing conditions. He was forced to write in the notes that he venerates such-and-such a Shaykh and goes to him, and goes to the majlis (hadrah) and dances and drinks sherbets, and goes a whole day on foot to the grave, then returns from the grave at the end of the day and at the beginning of the day, and prays Jumu'ah there, traveling on foot.

Another questioner : He had days on which he would fast from speaking.

Another questioner : He read this from the book and we heard it with its letters.

Another questioner : If some of the brothers would bring out al-Banna's Sufism in the notes, that would be good, if the brother has started.

The Shaykh : No, that is fine, this may be, it may not be this.

Another questioner : Corrected.

The Shaykh : Yes, it is good what he does.