Hassan Ahmed Abdel 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, one of the largest and most influential Islamic revivalist organizations.[10]
Al-Banna's writings marked a turning-point in Islamic intellectual history by presenting a modern ideology based on Islam.[11] Al-Banna considered Islam to be a comprehensive system of life, with the Qur'an and Sunnah as the only acceptable constitution.[12] He called for Islamization of the state, the economy, and society.[11] 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.[12][11] Al-Banna's ideology involved criticism of Western materialism, British imperialism, and the traditionalism of the Egyptian ulema.[13] He appealed to Egyptian and pan-Arab patriotism but rejected Arab nationalism and regarded all Muslims as members of a single nation-community.[12][11][13]
The Muslim Brotherhood advocated gradualist moral reform and had no plans for a violent takeover of power.[14] The "Jihad of the spirit"―self-initiated productive work aimed at bettering the conditions of the Islamic community―was a significant part of their ideology.[11] Under Al-Banna's leadership, the organization embarked on a wide-ranging campaign of social engagement; they especially emphasized public health improvements.[13] 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".[14] He allowed the formation of a secret military wing within the Muslim Brotherhood, which took part in the Arab-Israeli conflict.[13] 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.[11] Nonetheless, his thought was open to Western ideas and some of his writings quote European authors instead of Islamic sources.[11]
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.
^R. Halverson, Jeffrey (2010). Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 49, 62. ISBN978-0-230-10279-8.
^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. ISBN978-1-85168-147-1.{{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"
^Kramer, Gudrun (2010). Makers of the Muslim World: Hassan al Banna. Oneworld Publications, 10 Bloomsbury Road, London WC1B 3SR, England: One World Publishers. p. 1. ISBN978-1-85168-430-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
^R. Halverson, Jeffrey (2010). Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 62, 65. ISBN978-0-230-10279-8.
^Mchugo, John (2013). A CONCISE HISTORY OF THE ARABS. The New Press, New York, 2013: The New Press. p. 136. ISBN978-1-59558-950-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
^Kramer, Gudrun (2010). Makers of the Muslim World: Hassan al Banna. Oneworld Publications, 10 Bloomsbury Road, London WC1B 3SR, England: One World Publishers. pp. 14–16, 23, 30. ISBN978-1-85168-430-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
^ abcdefgOlivier 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. ISBN9780195305135. Archived from the original on 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2017-01-31.