What is the scholarly assessment of Hassan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb?

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : May Allah reward you. We seek a moderate, balanced Islamic legal assessment of some of the past Islamic preachers about whom there has been much discussion, namely Hassan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb. Opinions have differed regarding them; some say Shaykh Nasir said this, and others say that. We seek the Islamic legal assessment that Your Eminence holds regarding Hassan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb?

The Shaykh : Yes, we start from the saying of Allah the Exalted: And we do not diminish the right of a caller to Allah, and we believe in him without excess and without falling short. As for Hassan al-Banna, I believe he had a good hand in gathering many Muslim youths who were lost behind following entertainment and Western customs, such as nightclubs and cinemas. He gathered them around a bloc, which is a partisan bloc that we do not approve of, because... but he did call them to follow the Book and the Sunnah and to hold fast to the Islam that he knew, so Allah benefited through him as much benefit as He willed, and his call spread throughout the lands of the Islamic world. This is what we testify to Allah regarding his call. We do not exaggerate in it as the partisans of his party exaggerate, for unfortunately, he was not knowledgeable of the Book and the Sunnah, and he was not a caller to the Book and the Sunnah according to the methodology of the righteous predecessors. And I said earlier that there is no sect or group on the face of the earth that denies holding fast to the Book and the Sunnah; rather, every group, however deeply rooted in misguidance, such as the Shi'ah and the Khawarij for example, says, "We are upon the Book and the Sunnah," let alone Hassan al-Banna and Sayyid Qutb and those who followed them; they also claim to hold fast to the Book and the Sunnah. But to this day, unfortunately, as a known party, the Muslim Brotherhood does not explicitly state that they are holding fast to the Book and the Sunnah and upon the methodology of the righteous predecessors, and that they are content with a general call to Islam by Book and Sunnah. Therefore, we have known through experience that the Muslim Brotherhood now follows the path of Hassan al-Banna in calling to Islam, and even if it is accompanied by the Book and the Sunnah, their call is general and contains no detail, even regarding creed. They do not explicitly declare holding fast to the creed of the righteous predecessors in detail. They may say it in a general word, but what we see in reality in many countries where the Muslim Brotherhood party is prevalent is that they are content with holding fast to Islam, each according to his school and his inclination. So the Brotherhood combines the Salafi and the Khalafi, meaning those who belong to the later generations, and they may even include in their ranks those who may be of the Shi'ah school. And I know from my personal experience that the Muslim Brotherhood, because their call is general and not detailed and not upon the methodology of the righteous predecessors, you will find the Muslim Brotherhood in one country are not like the Muslim Brotherhood in another country. They are Muslim Brotherhood members, but their jurisprudence and creed differ greatly. For example, I give a sensitive and very precise example, which is the book *Fiqh al-Sunnah* by Sayyid Sabiq. This book, in reality, I advise the Muslim youth who have not previously studied the jurisprudence followed in one of the four schools, as is the case with most youth today who do not study jurisprudence because they study the regular curriculum which does not study jurisprudence except for a little and very little. I advise these youth, if they want to understand jurisprudence, to understand it through the book *Fiqh al-Sunnah* by Sayyid Sabiq, because in reality it has opened a door for the rigid schools that do not know Islam except within the limits of the school they studied or lived upon or found their fathers and grandfathers upon. It has opened for them a path in holding fast to what is authentic in the Sunnah in jurisprudential issues. I advise the youth with this book, and even if I have observations on it, that is a natural matter. And for that reason, I wrote a part called *Tammam al-Mannah* in commentary on *Fiqh al-Sunnah*. My purpose with this book is to say that this book, in some countries in some Islamic lands, is studied as being close in approach and understanding and that it does not have fanaticism for one of the schools followed today. And in another country, it is rejected like spitting out a seed by a group of the Muslim Brotherhood, and its author is one of the heads of the Muslim Brotherhood and one of the students of Hassan al-Banna (may Allah have mercy on him, Blessed and Exalted is He). So they do not follow a methodology in adopting Islam in its entirety, but rather they make a general call to those who gather around them, and upon a principle that appeared to me to be summarized as: their call is based on gathering a bloc, then educating, and then no education, because they call people, as expressed in some Levantine countries, "Everyone is on his religion, and Allah will help him." And this may coincide with a deviant jurisprudence based on a hadith that has no basis, which is, as you know, And therefore they built upon that a phrase that has no basis, which is their saying, "Whoever follows a scholar will meet Allah in safety." And therefore we find, unfortunately, some of their prominent heads who have some of what they call comparative jurisprudence, but comparative jurisprudence, if it is not accompanied by preferring what agrees with the Book and the Sunnah and the authentic Sunnah, is worse than rigid school adherence. We find some of these who studied this comparative jurisprudence take from every school what they claim is easing for people and bringing them closer to the religion and not repelling them from it, even if it means legalizing what Allah has forbidden. We find, for example, some of them legalize musical instruments and do not forbid them, despite the existence of authentic hadiths regarding that, as you know. Then they make people doubt the authenticity of these hadiths, even though they are authentic. And they add to that a doubt they invented, which contradicts what all the jurists of the four Imams and their followers are upon. It is the saying of some of them in such a matter, meaning musical instruments and their prohibition, that some of them say there is no definitive text in the prohibition. He says, "Definitive, there is no definitive text in the prohibition," and he knows that the rulings of the Shari'ah, according to all Muslim scholars, do not require that there be a definitive text. Rather, these jurists, especially the later ones, distinguish in the science of their principles between texts, saying that a text may be definitive in establishment but not definitive in indication, and it may be definitive in indication but not definitive in establishment. So they are content in the rulings of the Shari'ah that the indication be probable in establishment, even if it is probable in certainty. And they mean by "probability" here, as is not hidden from those present, if Allah wills, the predominant probability. So we find that some of them condition in some of the rulings of the Shari'ah that they have legalized, despite the existence of some authentic hadiths, that he denies their indication because they are not definitive in establishment and not definitive in indication. His example, for instance, is the hadith narrated by al-Bukhari, as is well known, So he says that this hadith is not authentic with certainty, and he brings here the doubt he quotes from Imam Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) that this hadith is broken between Imam al-Bukhari and the two sheikhs, Hisham ibn 'Ammar. And there is absolutely no break in that, as is mentioned in other places. And one of the references we advise referring to in order to know the correct response to Ibn Hazm in this claim and others regarding this hadith is the book *Fath al-Bari* by Shaykh Ahmad ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani (may Allah have mercy on him). It has sufficed and satisfied in responding to this doubt. No doubt that this some person referred to has come across the words of al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar and his response to Ibn Hazm, and even came across the words of Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim and many of the scholars of hadith who were certain of the authenticity of this hadith. So he doubts the indication of this hadith and its establishment. He says that in terms of establishment, there is a doubt of certainty, and in terms of indication, he says the hadith forbids this group and does not forbid these musical instruments alone. The research in this issue for its specificity has another place, but I wanted to say that the Muslim Brotherhood, although their call is advisable for the youth to some extent, they do not follow in their call the path of calling upon the methodology of the righteous predecessors. This is how Hassan al-Banna (may Allah have mercy on him and forgive him) planned for them, and Sayyid Qutb also proceeded upon that. But I believe that Sayyid Qutb, in the last of his life and while he was in prison, showed a very great shift toward some of the Salafi principles, even if in his old books there are many scientific errors, whether related to some of the creeds or some of the rulings. But I say that in prison it appeared from him that he does not call to such a bloc and such a partisanship that is not based on what we call purification and education. And his words are recorded in his famous article "Why Did They Execute Me?" And I advise the Muslim Brotherhood to read this research from this man who realized that their plan, which they are still walking upon, does not achieve what they aim for, which is establishing the rule of Islam or realizing the Muslim state. Because that requires beneficial knowledge and righteous action, and beneficial knowledge is not achieved except by studying it and upon the methodology we mentioned earlier, which is returning to the Book and to the Sunnah and upon the methodology of the righteous predecessors (may Allah be pleased with them). And in conclusion, I say that all good is in following those who came before, and all evil is in the innovation of those who came after. And perhaps you will allow me now to refrain from speaking, for the time you wanted has ended. May Allah reward you with good, and my greetings to whoever hears my voice and to whoever conveys it, if Allah wills.

The questioner : And upon you be peace and the mercy of Allah. In conclusion.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : We thank you, Your Eminence, and the listeners here all wish to send peace upon you.

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

The questioner : And they were all attentive listeners, and we praise Allah for the presence of someone like Your Eminence, by whose knowledge we are enlightened, by whose mind and wisdom we are balanced, and we ask Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) to bless your life and to make Islam and Muslims benefit from you.

The Shaykh : May Allah bless you, Shaykh Abdullah, and may you be a source of good and blessing. I advise the brothers who attended your session to seize this opportunity to receive beneficial knowledge from you, if Allah wills, and you are sufficient and enough for them, if Allah wills.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh. Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh : Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.

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