Wikipedia — 2024
Hassan Ahmed Abd al-Rahman Muhammed al-Banna (Arabic: حسن أحمد عبد الرحمن محمد البنا; 14 October 1906 – 12 February 1949), known as Hassan al-Banna (Arabic: حسن البنا), was an Egyptian schoolteacher and Imam, best known for founding the Muslim Brotherhood.[8] His Ikhwani movement is one of the largest and most influential of the global Islamic fundamentalist movements.[8][3]
Al-Banna's writings marked a turning-point in Islamic intellectual history by presenting a modern ideology based on Islam.[9] Al-Banna considered Islam to be a comprehensive system of life, with the Quran and Sunna as the only acceptable constitution.[10] He called for Islamization of the state, the economy, and society.[9] He declared that establishing a just society required development of institutions and progressive taxation, and elaborated an Islamic fiscal theory where zakat would be reserved for social expenditure in order to reduce inequality.[10][9] Al-Banna's ideology involved criticism of Western materialism, British imperialism, and the traditionalism of the Egyptian ulema.[11] He appealed to Egyptian and pan-Arab patriotism but rejected Arab nationalism and regarded all Muslims as members of a single nation-community.[10][9][11]
Following the abolition of the Caliphate in 1924, al-Banna called on Muslims to prepare for armed struggle against colonial rule; he warned Muslims against the "widespread belief" that "jihad of the heart" was more important than "jihad of the sword".[12] He allowed the formation of a secret military wing within the Muslim Brotherhood, which took part in the Arab-Israeli conflict.[11] Al-Banna generally encouraged Egyptians to abandon Western customs; and argued that the state should enforce Islamic public morality through censorship and application of hudud corporal punishment.[9] Nonetheless, his thought was open to Western ideas and some of his writings quote European authors instead of Islamic sources.[9]
Al-Banna was assassinated by the Egyptian secret police in 1949.[10] His son-in-law Said Ramadan emerged as a major leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1950s.
Muslim Brothers and the Palestine conflict
Among the Muslim Brothers' most notable accomplishments during these early years was its involvement in the19361939 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 Arab nationalists, held political rallies, and distributed propaganda. Although the Arab revolt in Palestine 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, hisAl-Manarmagazine also perished with him. Sometime in 1939, Hassan al-Banna resurrectedAl-Manarto further promote the revolutionary ideology pioneered by the Muslim Brotherhood and claim Rashid Rida's legacy.[15]
Hassan al-Banna in two of his writings,Peace In IslamandOur Message, criticises the ultra-nationalism of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy as being a "reprehensible idea" within which was "not the slightest good"[27]and which gave power to "chosen tyrants".[28]