The view of Hassan al-Banna on parliamentary elections

The questioner : Our Shaykh, Hassan al-Banna (may Allah have mercy on him), does not approve of parliament. This is found in the collection of letters. It is in the collection of letters.

The Shaykh : Listen, by Allah, my brothers. Please, go ahead.

The questioner : Hassan al-Banna ran for office in one of the constituencies in Egypt. He ran in 1944, and King Farouk did not approve of it. This is found in the letters.

The Shaykh : There is no harm in this; it is a benefit. But what is your opinion on what was reported? Is this correct?

The questioner: And that is...

The Shaykh : Ah, listen.

The questioner : Hassan al-Banna (may Allah have mercy on him) does not approve, meaning the principle of parliaments. This is found in the collection of letters. I will bring it; the book is with me, and I have the page number.

The Shaykh : I mean, Abu Muhammad, we have a statement from Hassan al-Banna, and we have an action.
The student : The statement takes precedence over the action.
Another student: And the apparent takes precedence over...
Another student: In their case, it is the opposite; the action takes precedence over the statement.
Another student: No, in another statement of his.

The Shaykh: Go ahead.
The student : He has a statement found in the newspaper of the Muslim Brotherhood in the issues.

The Shaykh : It was in the past.
The student : It contained an opening article by Hassan al-Banna calling for elections, calling for running for office, and calling... When it was published, when the Muslim Brotherhood held elections here for the first time and won, they issued a special bulletin and included in the first bulletins the word of Hassan al-Banna from the first newspaper.

The Shaykh : The word is...
The student : Yes, they also revived it, the word of Hassan al-Banna. Hassan al-Banna, on the contrary, Hassan al-Banna understood, and they also mentioned this in several issues of the bulletins that were published. He understood the issue of the people of consultation and decision (ahl al-hall wa al-'aqd) for the shura, meaning he expanded it to the heads of tribes and the notables of the people, and so on. So he has this view, yes, this is present in his thought.
The student : I am one of the brothers; he told me what our brother Abu 'Abd al-Rahman said, meaning that he also forbade Hassan al-Banna. Hassan al-Banna forbade elections; he has a statement forbidding them, but I will ask him where he said that?

The Shaykh : It is not far-fetched that his opinion changed due to politics.
The student : Speaking of your statement earlier about Shaykh al-Banna, that he had Shi'ah in his gathering. He was one of the active members of the committee for rapprochement between the schools of thought, between the Shi'ah and the Sunnah. Al-Banna himself, yes.
Another student: He met with a group of Shi'ah and called for this.
Another student: There is a specific photo of him with this same committee.
Another student: AndThe Shaykh : Muhammad Mahb al-Din al-Khatib in al-Fath fought this call with a very strange fight at that time, and he was targeting Hassan al-Banna. Yes, he was. He used to write to Hassan al-Banna. He was a man of a wonderful horizon. Mahb al-Din al-Khatib used to write to Hassan al-Banna on matters that aligned with the Salafi methodology. I wish that some of our Salafi brothers in this time would attract and display; they display the true Islam. We, as if, Shaykh, we feel or do not feel that the street is theirs whether we will it or not. They are the ones who move the street. And when it is said "Islam," "the Islamic street," "Islamic rule," and "the Islamic awakening," they are the ones who lead, and we are as if we are hiding behind them and walking in their shadow through their masses and their media, and so on. So I do not know; the talk now is of sorrows and griefs.

The Shaykh : May Allah reward you. But here, I think this is a natural matter, because this, my brother, is their field; this is their specialization. While our field is bending over the yellow papers.
The student : Media, Shaykh. Why do we not pay attention to it?

The Shaykh : How?
The student : It would be if we had media, and if you had an opening article in it, by Allah, the whole earth would be delighted.

The Shaykh : May Allah reward you. The problem is the lack of free time and the lack of a sufficient number to establish this magazine.
The student : Shaykh, the idea is good, meaning if...

The Shaykh : Without a doubt.
The student : I mean, you could write an opening article.

The Shaykh : No, I cannot, but I say it is a good idea.
The student : An opening article, Shaykh.
Another student: He means even if it is just an opening article, Shaykh.
Another student: Only for the first issue.

The Shaykh : The mind has frozen on the hadith.
The student : By Allah, Shaykh, what Allah willed, what has frozen it?

The Shaykh : Now we are ending the session.
The student : Oh Shaykh, if you please. We ask two questions.

The Shaykh : We end the session with the supplication of closing the gathering: "Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika, ashhadu an la ilaha illa anta, astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk." And we hope that you depart as guided ones.