Hassan al-Banna
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Dar al-Ulum | |
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Tariqa | Shadhiliyya (Hasafi branch)[7][8] |
Senior posting | |
Influenced by
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Influenced
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Founder and 1st General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood | |
In office 22 March 1928 – 12 February 1949 | |
Preceded by | (Position established) |
Succeeded by | Hassan al-Hudaybi |
Hassan Ahmed Abdel Rahman Muhammed al-Banna (
Al-Banna's writings marked a turning-point in Islamic intellectual history by presenting a modern ideology based on
The Muslim Brotherhood advocated
Al-Banna was assassinated by the Egyptian secret police in 1949.[12] His son-in-law Said Ramadan emerged as a major leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1950s.
Early life
Hassan al-Banna was born on 14 October 1906 in
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His father, Sheikh Ahmed Abd al-Rahman al-Banna al-Sa'ati, was a
In addition to his early exposure to Hanbali
Al-Banna was first exposed to
Education
In Mahmudiyya, al-Banna studied in the village mosque with Sheikh Zahran. The two developed a close relationship that influenced al-Banna's early intellectual and religious development. In addition to the mosque school, al-Banna received private instruction from his father. He also studied in Cairo for four years; he attended Dar al-‘Ulum, an Egyptian institution that educated prospective teachers in modern subjects. The school was not very traditional and al-Banna enrolled against his father's wishes, as a break from typical Islamic conservatism. Building upon his father's scholarly connections, al-Banna became associated with the Islamic Society for Nobility of Islamic Morals and the
Hasan Al-Banna headed to Cairo in 1923 to enroll as a student in Dar al-Ulum college. His student life would be a significant experience for his ideological formation. In the face of an urban social life vastly different from his rural upbringing, Al-Banna "noticed a defection of the educated youth from what he considered to be the Islamic way of life." Al-Banna also had disdain for Egypt's liberal political class. It was during this time that he became exposed to the works of the Salafi scholar Rashid Rida. He was a regular visitor of the Salafiyya book store, at that time directed by Muhibb al-Din al-Khatib; and often attended the lectures of Rashid Rida. For Al-Banna, Rida's works provided him theological guidance to rectify the faults he was witnessing in Egypt.[17][18]
Muslim Brotherhood
Al-Banna learned of the abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1924, while he was still a student. This event influenced him greatly; although the caliphate had no power, he viewed its end as a "calamity". He later called the events a "declaration of war against all shapes of Islam".[19]
After completing his studies at a Dar al-‘Ulum in 1927, al-Banna became a primary school teacher in
Hassan al-Banna became acquainted with many important thinkers in Cairo, and had also established personal correspondence with Rashid Rida. Here, Al-Banna developed an ideological framework which synthesised the worldview of past Islamic revivalists in Rashid Rida's interpretation. One of the most important revivalist ideas advocated by Rida was the formation of an Islamic state that would govern by the Sharia and return to a society modelled during the time of Muhammad and his companions. This idea of a revolutionary struggle based on Islamic principles would guide Hassan al-Banna's later life and manifest in the formation of the Muslim Brotherhood.[17]
Following the ideas of
“be soldiers in the call to Islam, and in that is the life for the country and the honour for the Umma... We are brothers in the service of Islam.. Hence we are the “Muslim Brothers”.”
At first, the Muslim Brotherhood was only one of many small Islamic associations that existed at the time. Similar to the organizations that al-Banna had himself joined at a young age, these organizations aimed to promote personal piety and engaged in pure charitable activities. By the late 1930s, the Muslim Brotherhood had established branches in every Egyptian province.
A decade later, the organization had 500,000 active members and as many sympathizers in Egypt alone.[citation needed] Its appeal was not limited only to Egypt; its popularity had grown in several other countries. The organization's growth was particularly pronounced after al-Banna relocated their headquarters to Cairo in 1932. The most important factor contributing to this dramatic expansion was the organizational and ideological leadership provided by al-Banna.[citation needed]
In Ismailia, al-Banna preached not only in the mosque, but also in the coffee houses; in those times, coffee houses were generally viewed as a morally suspect novelty. When some of his views on relatively minor points of Islamic practice led to strong disagreements with the local religious elite, he adopted the policy of avoiding religious controversies.[22][23]
Al-Banna was appalled by the many conspicuous signs of foreign military and economic domination in Ismailia: the British military camps, the public utilities, farms, food supply was owned by foreign interests by forces, and the luxurious residences of the foreign employees of the
Political activity
Al-Banna endeavored to bring about reforms through institution-building, relentless activism at the grassroots level and a reliance on mass communication. He built a complex mass movement that featured sophisticated governance structures; sections in charge of furthering the society's values among peasants, workers and professionals; units entrusted with key functions, including propagation of the message, liaison with the Islamic world and press and translation; and specialized committees for finances and legal affairs. Declaring Islam as the only comprehensive religious system that could solve the challenges of modernity and calling upon Muslims to reject Western ideologies, Al-Banna wrote:
"If the French Revolution decreed the rights of man and declared for freedom, equality and brotherhood, and if the Russian revolution brought closer the classes and social justice for the people, the great Islamic Revolution [had] decreed all that 1300 years before. It did not confine itself to philosophical theories but rather spread these principles through daily life, and added to them [the notions of] divinity of mankind, and the perfectibility of his virtues and [the fulfilment of] his spiritual tendencies".[24][25]
Al-Banna relied on pre-existing social networks―in particular those built around mosques, Islamic welfare associations and neighborhood groups―to anchor the Muslim Brotherhood into Egyptian society. This weaving of traditional ties into a distinctively modern structure was at the root of his success. Directly attached to the brotherhood, and feeding its expansion, were numerous businesses, clinics, and schools. In addition, members were affiliated with the movement through a series of cells, revealingly called usar ("families").[citation needed]
The material, social and psychological support provided by the Muslim Brotherhood were instrumental to the movement's ability to generate enormous loyalty among its members and to attract new recruits. The movement was built around services and an organizational structure intended to enable individuals to integrate into a distinctly Islamic setting that was shaped by the society's own principles.
Rooted in Islam, Al-Banna's message tackled issues including
Al-Banna warned his readers against the "widespread belief among many Muslims" that jihad of the heart was more important and demanding than jihad of the sword.[27] He called on Muslims to prepare for jihad against colonial powers:
Muslims ... are compelled to humble themselves before non-Muslims, and are ruled by unbelievers. Their lands have been trampled over, and their honor besmirched. Their adversaries are in charge of their affairs, and the rites of their religion have fallen into abeyance with their own domains ... Hence it has become an individual obligation, which there is no evading, on every Muslim to prepare his equipment, to make up his mind to engage in jihad, and to get ready for it until the opportunity is ripe and God decrees[28]
Muslim Brothers and the Palestine conflict
Among the Muslim Brothers' most notable accomplishments during these early years was its involvement in the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine. The Muslim Brothers launched a pro-Palestine campaign which contributed to making the Palestine issue a widespread Muslim concern. The Muslim Brothers carried out a fundraising campaign said to have relied upon donations from the rural and urban working classes, rather than wealthy Egyptians. In addition to their fundraising efforts, the Muslim Brothers also organized special prayers for Palestinian nationalists, held political rallies, and distributed propaganda. Although the Palestinian Revolt was ultimately suppressed through repression and military action, the Muslim Brothers' impressive mobilization efforts helped make the Palestinian question a pan-Arab concern in the Middle East.
When Rashid Rida died in August 1935, his Al-Manar magazine also perished with him. Sometime in 1939, Hassan al-Banna resurrected Al-Manar to further promote the revolutionary ideology pioneered by the Muslim Brotherhood and claim Rashid Rida's legacy.[17]
Hassan al-Banna in two of his writings, Peace In Islam and Our Message, criticises the ultra-nationalism of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy as being a "reprehensible idea" within which was "not the slightest good"[29] and which gave power to "chosen tyrants".[30]
Final days and assassination
Between 1948 and 1949, shortly after the society sent volunteers to fight against Israel in the
On 12 February 1949, al-Banna and his brother-in-law Abdul Karim Mansur were scheduled to negotiate with the government's representative, Minister Zaki Ali Pasha, at the Jama'iyyat al-Shubban al-Muslimeen headquarters in Cairo—but the minister never arrived. By 5 p.m., al-Banna and his brother-in-law had decided to leave. As they stood waiting for a taxi, they were shot by two men. Al-Banna eventually died from his wounds. King Farouk and his Iron Guard of Egypt were accused of being behind the assassination.[35] His father Ahmed retrieved his corpse from Qasr El Eyni Hospital to his house, then his coffin was carried by women with the police escort who prevented men from attending his funeral except for Makram Ebeid who was a government figure.[36]
Family
Al-Banna's daughter Wafa al-Banna was married to Said Ramadan, who became a major leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. Their two sons, Tariq Ramadan and Hani Ramadan, are Islamic scholars and educationists. Hassan al-Banna's younger brother, Gamal al-Banna, was a more liberal scholar and proponent of Islamic reform.[37]
Writings
Hassan al-Banna wrote more than 2000 articles and many books, which include an autobiographical novel entitled Mudhakkirât al-da'wa wa al-dâ'iya (Remembrances of Preaching and of a Preacher).[38]
See also
Notes
- ^ Shaimaa Fayed." :(2012)
- ISBN 978-0-230-10279-8.
- ISBN 978-1-85168-147-1.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ Ryan, Patrick J. "Fellow Travelers?." Commonweal 137.13 (2010): 23. "Not as intellectually acute as Afghani and 'Abduh, Hassan al-Banna nevertheless took his heritage from the same modernist school"
- ISBN 978-1-85168-430-4.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link - ISBN 978-0-230-10279-8.
- ISBN 978-1-59558-950-7.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link - ISBN 978-1-85168-430-4.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link - ^ ISBN 9780691135885
- ^ "Hasan al-Banna – Islamic Studies – Oxford Bibliographies – obo". Archived from the original on 2017-01-01. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
- ^ ISBN 9780195305135. Archivedfrom the original on 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2017-01-31.
- ^ ISBN 9780195125580.
- ^ ISBN 9780199754731. Archivedfrom the original on 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2017-01-31.
- ^ ISBN 9780099523277.
- ^ "من أعلام الدعوة والحركة الإسلامية المعاصرة":الشيخ المحدّث أحمد عبد الرحمن البنا الساعاتي بقية السلف وزينة الخلف[permanent dead link]، مجلة المجتمع الكويتية، 20 ديسمبر 2008م
- ^ al-Banna, Hassan (1982). Mudhakkirât al-da'wa wa al-dâ'iya [Memoirs of Hasan al Banna Shaheed]. Translated by Shaikh, M.N. (1st ed.). Karachi: International Islamic Publishers.
- ^ a b c "The Family Tree of Islamist Extremism". Encyclopedia Geopolitica. 2 March 2021. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021.
- ISBN 0-19-508437-3.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link - ISBN 9780820488431. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-19-932799-7.
- ISBN 978-0-87140-373-5.
- ^ a b Mitchell, 7.
- ^ Lia, 32–35.
- ISBN 0-19-508437-3.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link - ISBN 978-93-5489-525-8.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link - ^ Mura, 61–85.
- ISBN 9780099523277.
- ^ Al-Banna, Hasan, Five Tracts of Hasan Al-Banna, (1906–49): A Selection from the "Majmu'at Rasa'il al-Imam al-Shahid Hasan al-Banna", Translated by Charles Wendell. Berkeley, CA, 1978, pp.150, 155;
- ^ "Six Tracts of Hasan Al-Bana", page 70, Africaw for Publishing and Distribution, 2006
- ^ "Peace in Islam - Hassan Al-Banna | PDF | God in Islam | Muhammad".
- ISBN 1-55587-229-8)
- ^ Mitchell, Richard Paul, The Society of the Muslim Brothers, Oxford University Press, 1993, pp. 68–69
- ^ http://www.mideastweb.org/Middle-East-Encyclopedia/hassan_al-banna.htm Archived 2012-02-08 at the Wayback Machine suggests that al-Banna favoured assassination and therefore was assassinated by the government.
- ^ "The Roots of al-Qaeda". All Things Political Today. Archived from the original on 22 November 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
- ^ Zeinobia (27 February 2008). "Egyptian Chronicles: Egyptian X-files: Who Killed Hassan Al Bana ??". Archived from the original on 20 April 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
- ^ "Makram Ebeid Pacha & Hassan El-Banna: Egypt's golden age of national unity". ahram.org. 17 April 2013.
- ^ Caroline Fourest, Brother Tariq: The Doublespeak of Tariq Ramadan, Encounter Books (2008), p. 7
- ^ Brigitte Maréchal, The Muslim Brothers in Europe: Roots and Discourse, BRILL (2008), p. 89
References
- Gensicke, Klaus (2007). Der Mufti von Jerusalem und die Nationalsozialisten: Eine politische Biographie Amin el-Husseinis (in German). Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft. ISBN 978-3-534-20808-1.
- Lia, Brynjar (1998). The Society of the Muslim Brothers in Egypt: The Rise of an Islamic Mass Movement. Reading, UK: Garnet. ISBN 978-0-86372-220-2.
- Mallmann, Klaus-Michael & Cüppers, Martin (2006). Halbmond und Hakenkreuz: Das Dritte Reich, die Araber und Palästina. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft. ISBN 978-3-534-19729-3.
- Mitchell, Richard P. (1993), The Society of the Muslim Brothers, London: Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-508437-5
- Mura, Andrea (2012). "A genealogical inquiry into early Islamism: the discourse of Hasan al-Banna". Journal of Political Ideologies. 17 (1): 61–85. S2CID 144873457.
- Mura, Andrea (2015). The Symbolic Scenarios of Islamism: A Study in Islamic Political Thought. London: Routledge.
- Soage, Ana B. (2008). "Hasan al-Banna or the politicisation of Islam". Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions. 9 (1): 21–42. S2CID 144898080.
- ISBN 978-0-375-41486-2.
- Hasan Al-Banna at www.youngmuslims.ca
- Nazi Roots of Muslim Brotherhood at english.alarabiya.net