Hassan al-Banna

Sheikh
Hassan Ahmed Abd al-Rahman Muhammed al-Banna
حسن أحمد عبد الرحمن محمد البنا
Personal
Born(1906-10-14)14 October 1906
Mahmoudiyah, Beheira, Khedivate of Egypt
Died12 February 1949(1949-02-12) (aged 42)
Cairo, Kingdom of Egypt
Cause of deathGunshot wounds
ReligionIslam
NationalityEgyptian
JurisprudenceIndependent (Salafi)[1][2][3][4]
CreedAthari[5][6]
MovementIkhwani[3]
Political partyMuslim Brotherhood
Muslim leader
Influenced by
Influenced
Founder and 1st General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood
In office
22 March 1928 – 12 February 1949
Preceded by(Position established)
Succeeded byHassan al-Hudaybi

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 Sunnah 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.

  1. ^ "Who is Shaikh Hassan Al-Banna? – Religion of Islam". 2020-07-17. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
  2. ^ "Hasan al-Banna and the Muslim Brotherhood", The Islamists, Afro-Middle East Centre, pp. 31–50, 2017-08-09, doi:10.2307/j.ctvgc6143.7, retrieved 2024-07-12
  3. ^ a b c Bari, Johurul (1995). Re-emergence of the Muslim Brothers in Egypt. New Delhi: Lancers Books. p. 15. ISBN 978-81-7095-052-3.
  4. ^ "A history of the modern Islamic movement that is Salafism | Aeon Essays". Aeon. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
  5. ^ R. Halverson, Jeffrey (2010). Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 49, 62. ISBN 978-0-230-10279-8.
  6. ^ C. Martin, R. Woodward, Richard, Mark (2010). Defenders of Reason in Islam: Mu'tazilism from Medieval School to Modern Symbol. 185 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 7AR, England: One World Publications. p. 218. ISBN 978-1-85168-147-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Introduction to Princeton Readings in Islamist Thought: Texts and Contexts from Al-Banna to Bin Laden, pg. 26. Part of the Princeton Studies in Muslim Politics series. Eds. Roxanne Leslie Euben and Muhammad Qasim Zaman. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2006. ISBN 9780691135885
  8. ^ a b "Hasan al-Banna – Islamic Studies – Oxford Bibliographies – obo". Archived from the original on 2017-01-01. Retrieved 2017-01-08.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Olivier Carré; Liv Tønnessen (2009). "Bannā, Ḥasan al-". In John L. Esposito (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World. Translated by Elizabeth Keller. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195305135. Archived from the original on 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2017-01-31.
  10. ^ a b c d John L. Esposito, ed. (2014). "Banna, Hasan al-". The Oxford Dictionary of Islam. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195125580.
  11. ^ a b c Patrick S. O'Donnell (2010). "al-Banna', Hasan (1906–49)". In Oliver Leaman (ed.). The Biographical Encyclopaedia of Islamic Philosophy. Continuum. ISBN 9780199754731. Archived from the original on 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2017-01-31.
  12. ^ Kadri, Sadakat (2012). Heaven on Earth: A Journey Through Shari'a Law from the Deserts of Ancient Arabia ... Macmillan. p. 160. ISBN 9780099523277.