Hassan al-Banna

Hasan al-Banna and the Ways and Means of Da'wah

Source: Cassette "Ma'naa Qawl ul-Hizbiyyeen"

Article ID : NDV020001

And likewise these same words are mentioned by Yoosuf al-Qaradaawee in his book 'as-Sahwah al-Islaamiyyah' (p.17): "And of the most important matters and the most clear, at this point is: Do we begin from the peak (the top) or do we begin from the foundation... Is it permissible for there to be many movements working for Islam each of them working in the arena, or is one united, complete movement necessary [and so on] to the end of what can be possibly said at this point..."

So these words which Yoosuf al-Qaradaawee mentioned - he mentioned something similar to it at the end of his book quoting from his imaam, Hasan al-Banna, and he is the imaam of this crooked path/way which makes permissible for itself every single way or means for the sake of actualising what they call the "the benefit of the da'wah" but [in reality] it is nothing but the "benefits of dejected hizbiyyah (party-spirit)"

Hasan al-Banna says: "We believe that consensus (ijmaa') upon a single matter in the branches (furoo') of the religion is an impossible request. In fact, it opposes and denies the [very] nature of the religion and indeed, Allaah wants for this religion, that it remains and exists for all times and that it traverses the eras, and it [the religion], due to this, is easy, flexible, simple and nice. Their is no rigidity in it and nor severity".

So this final understanding, which is his saying: "Allaah wants for this religion, that it remains" then there is no doubt that is affirmed and explained clearly in the Book of Allaah the Blessed and Exalted, and as for his saying: "and exists for all times and that it traverses the eras and it [the religion], due to this, is easy, flexible, simple and nice. There is no rigidity in it and nor severity" then this is agreed upon - but Hasan al-Banna's adaptation of this and that of his followers, and that of the groups who make the claim of 'reformation of the da'wah' indicates that all the affairs of the religion that are not agreed upon unanimously, then they can subject to ijtihaad [personal jurisprudence] and change - to the extent to which they deem is a benefit for the da'wah. And sometimes there is a matter which is not from the branches (furoo') of the religion, rather it is of the fundamentals ('usool) of the religion and sometimes it may even be the foundation of all foundations, and that is Tawheed - but they imagine or fancy that there is difference in this matter which is unanimously agreed upon - they imagine that there is difference. And then - and refuge is from Allaah - they use this corrupt thought in opposing this matter which is unanimously agreed upon. And amongst the examples of that..."

Hasan al-Banna

"...And amongst the examples of that is what Hasan al-Banna was upon - as he mentions about himself in his mudhakkiraat and as his students mention about him in their mudhakkiraat such as Abbaas as-Seesee in his book 'Fee Qaafilat il-Ikhwaan il-Muslimeen' - that he never used to abandon visiting the places in which others besides Allaah the Blessed and Exalted would be called upon - such as the grave of Sayyida Zainab and Tusooqi and Sinjar and others - that he never used to abandon visiting these places, even for one week and that he used to come and arrive at these places before dhuhr and he would stay there till the approach of maghrib, then he would leave and hold circles of dhikr and sometimes he would stand and give a speech to the ikhwaan and would order them to purify their hearts from grudges and jealousies towards one another and from all other Muslims and he would order them to look at the mistakes of the Jews, the Zionists and the enemies of Allaah - and he would never utter, with a single word - something that was related to the greatest form of Shirk, and the basis of the Shirk of all the world - he would come to those places with an open and warm heart and he would see this [greatest Shirk] with his eyes and hear it with his ears - such as from those who would seek succour [istigaathah] from other than Allaah and he saw what would be placed before him of the hair from the body of a muwahhid, or from the skin of a muwahhid or from the head and the actions of the greatest Shirk that would be performed with them - and he would come with a open chest and would leave with an open chest and he did not utter a single word and this is so that he does not say anything that would prevent the people from him or make the people flee from him.

So he desired to unite these many thousands of people, to gather together from them however many he desired - so that by them he could bring about what he deemed the greatest matter and that is - as he claimed in another place - the matter of imaamah (leadership) and the matter of rule (hukm) as he, Hasan al-Banna said: "You know, O brothers, that there is no imaam in the present day and it is necessary for us to forget everything and abandon everything for freeing the Islamic lands" and he means freeing them from the rulers "and that we strive to establish an Islamic governments since without that there is no organisation or striving or anything."

So this is from the words of Hasan al-Banna also from the book 'Fee Qaafilatil-Ikhwaan al-Muslimeen', and this Hasan al-Banna used to superimpose this matter with another matter and that is the greatest of matters in the religion - which is Tawheed - in that he used to say, in his Usool ul-'Ishreen that these matters such as istigaathah (seeking aid, succour by other than Allaah) and other such matters of Shirk are: "Munkar (evil) which it is necessary to wage a war against it and we do not allow any chance for it - in order to prevent it outright [i.e. not leave any avenues towards it]...". So he used to affirm that this was one of the greatest of evils - at the least, he used to affirm that in writing and this topic, he would affirm this in writing so that he would polarise by this the naïve people from amongst those who would reject these matters, either by their fitrah or by their Salafiyyah [i.e. firm knowledge of what the Salaf were upon] or by their knowledge - so he desired that he would polarise them so that he could take advantage of and exploit them in his da'wah which he saw as establishing the rule of Islaam.

So when the likes of Hasan al-Banna used to make permissible for himself this matter with respect to the issue of Tawheed and that he used to change its position and would not begin with what all the Prophets began with and that is forbidding from Shirk and calling to Tawheed with its complete and comprehensive meaning - since the people in those places used to be in the mires of Shirk - and refuge is sought from Allaah and this man would come to them in the best of appearances, dressed in European clothes, with a fez and he would remove one half of his beard or three-quarters of it or even more and he would meet them with cheerfulness and with an open heart and he would advise them with cleansing their hearts and they would thank him for that - since there is none who would deny that he should be advised to cleanse and purify his heart and nor would others - by Allaah, not even the Jews, or the Christians, or the worshippers of the cow or the worshippers of Buddha - or who would become angry when they received that advice. And as for advising them to abandon the greatest form of Shirk and making them fearful of loving this Shirk and explaining the ruling of the one who committed it, in a very clear and explicit manner and with evidences from the Sharee'ah - then this to them, is unacceptable and it is not suitable for the expediency of their da'wah which makes their aim the establishment of the rule along with any justification for the [use of] any of the ways and means - and refuge is sought from Allaah.

So this is a sample that I have read in the books of these people that explains the meaning of their saying " the ways and means of da'wah are based upon ijtihaad". And when it is said to them: 'Fear Allaah, and worship Allaah, by what He has legislated in this matter of making da'wah to Allaah and follow the legislation of Allaah in doing that, since that is the usool of the Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah, as Shaikh ul-Islaam ibn Taimiyyah has mentioned in the end of his book Aqeedatil-Waasitiyyah after he mentions the usool of the Ahl us-Sunnah he said: 'Then they along with these usool, order the good and forbid from the evil in accordance with what the Sharee'ah necessitates" because the Sharee'ah came perfect and came with all the beneficial matters until the Hour is established and he did not say: "In accordance with what the view of the du'aat (callers to Allaah) necessitates", or "in accordance with what the intellects of the du'aat necessitate", and nor "in accordance with what the ijtihaad of so and so necessitates" but rather he said: 'in accordance with what the Sharee'ah necessitates".

So this then is one of the matters that is agreed upon unanimously with the Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa'ah. And these people when it is said to them: "Fear Allaah, and call to Allaah with what He has legislated", they say: "You are a simple naïve man, backward and opposing, not understanding and you desire from us that we do not use the microphone or the cassette or the car or other such matters in da'wah. So it is said in reply to them: "By Allaah there is no one on the face of this earth, a scholar or someone sensible, who says the likes of these words. And you know that with absolute certainty, but you are a despising people and you make permissible plotting and planning in your argumentation and you make permissible the use of deception and you make permissible - and refuge is from Allaah - lying and other such things that Allaah the Blessed and Exalted has forbidden. You make permissible all of that in the name of da'wah and in the name of reformation. And this matter which we have read to you is one of the gravest of matters. This man, from whom we have read his saying..."