The Shaykh’s mention of the dialogue that took place between him and Muhammad ibn Sarur, and the Shaykh’s advice to him to use the term Salafi instead of the people of the Sunnah and the community.

The Shaykh : My answer was that this is exactly what we seek. It was not due to a disagreement that arose between 'Abd al-Fattah and Sarur. Then he mentioned that many reports about us reach you, so do not believe them. I said, as for these, I do not advise a careful person to believe them, because we know the wisdom that says: "The defect in reports lies only in their narrators." Then I seized the opportunity and said, "I see you use the term 'Salafi' before this word. Mention something else to me." He wanted to make me understand that he is a Salafi. He said, "Do you remember the disagreement that broke out between you and 'Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah, and you wrote an introduction to the commentary of the Tahawiyyah?" I said to him, "Yes." He said, "I was the one who stood against Abu Ghuddah, responding to him and defending you." I said to him, "May Allah reward you with good. This is the creed of every Muslim." Then he said, "I was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood for twenty years, then it became clear to me that the group was not on the straight path, so I left them." I said, "This is a truth that you must make clear to the people, because I am one of those who did not know this truth. In fact, I feel in my heart that you have a Muslim Brotherhood inclination." — Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings. Welcome. — After this, I said to him, "I see you use the term 'the people of the Sunnah and the community.' I think that using it at the present time does not achieve the desired goal. You mean by 'the people of the Sunnah and the community' those who hold fast to the Book and the Sunnah." He said to me, "Why?" I said, "Because this term, in later usage, means two sects: the Asha'irah and the Maturidiyyah, and it does not mean the people of hadith at all. Therefore, I think you should replace 'the people of the Sunnah and the community' with 'Salafiyyah.'" He said, "I do not see that." I said, "There is no harm. I had started my conversation with him as a suggestion and an opinion. When I saw that he was not convinced, I said to him, 'In any case, I am now returning to advise you: if you are, as you say, Salafi in creed, inclination, and school of thought, I advise you now to leave this term and express your Salafi orientation with the very word 'Salafiyyah.'" I said this because I feel, even from Salman, that he does not use this term. He does not use it; he uses the one Sarur himself uses: 'the people of the Sunnah and the community.' In my opinion, this is one of the Muslim Brotherhood’s methods of attracting the masses with sweet, beautiful phrases. 'The people of the Sunnah and the community' does not repel others, unlike the term 'Salafiyyah.' 'Salafiyyah' is known, and praise be to Allah, even if after long efforts, to mean returning to the Book and the Sunnah and the methodology of the righteous predecessors. The Muslim Brotherhood as a whole do not see this orientation, at least in terms of da'wah. Otherwise, there are individuals among them who adopt it for themselves, but as for da'wah, they do not use it. You will find Salafi individuals in the ranks of the Muslim Brotherhood in many Islamic countries, but you will not find Salafi preachers among them, because the partisan aspect overcomes them. The partisan aspect, as I have learned during this long period of associating with them, reading their letters, and listening to their lectures, is based on two words: one they apply literally, and the other they speak only verbally, with no practical reality. These two words are: "masses" and "culture." Masses are achieved, but culture is not achieved. Therefore, we find them focusing on the masses. All of this is based on the fact that the group, because of their preoccupation with politics, wants to enter the parliaments. For parliaments to succeed, they require winning votes. Winning votes requires some degree of accommodation, tolerance, and politics, even at the expense of creed and religion. Here lies the difference between the Salafi da'wah, which does not recognize the meaning of such politics, and other da'wahs, or some of them, where they see it as politics to postpone the da'wah of truth to Allah—Allah knows when. After I discussed this with my brother Sarur, affirming that I am a sincere and trustworthy advisor to you, I told him to leave using the term 'the people of the Sunnah and the community' and use the term 'Salafiyyah' and 'the Salafi da'wah.' And you know the wisdom narrated from some of the righteous predecessors: . So people today, when you say 'the people of the Sunnah and the community,' do not understand your da'wah. You are the one who says, 'My da'wah is Salafi.' You must speak to the people. I was truly pleased when he surprised me by saying, contrary to his first position, that he would do this, if Allah wills.

The questioner : This is Sarur. He said this.

The Shaykh : This is Sarur, and I hope to see that in the magazine, because he promised me so. The point is that I distinguish between Sarur and some individuals like Salman and Safar. These are young men who grew up in the Salafi da'wah, and they are with us in creed and methodology. But perhaps something of the Muslim Brotherhood’s politics has mixed with them. I say this because, in truth, I have never met them at all, despite my frequent trips to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and 'Umrah. But it appears that at that time, they had not yet reached the prominence that has recently emerged from them.