The Brotherhood: America's Next Great Enemy by Erick Stakelbeck Page B
Authors: Erick Stakelbeck
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conduct suicide attacks that murder and maim Israeli women and children.
Every last modern-day jihadist—whether Palestinian, Pakistani, or Parisian—owes a depraved debt, in some form or fashion, to the Muslim Brotherhood. The virtual death cult festering today across the Islamic world can clearly be traced back to the teachings of al-Banna, Sayyid Qutb, and their Brotherhood acolytes. But the Ikhwan didn’t create it all out of thin air. The Muslim glorification of martyrdom is as old as Islam itself and comes directly from the Koran and hadiths. A few examples:
• “Let those who fight in the Cause of Allah sell the life of this world for the hereafter. To him who fights in the Cause of Allah, whether he is slain or gets victory—soon shall We give him a great reward.” (Qur’an: 4:74)
• “If you are slain, or die, in Allah’s Cause [as a martyr], pardon from Allah and mercy are far better than all they could amass.” (Qur’an: 3:156)
• “Think not of those who are slain in Allah’s Cause as dead. Nay, they live, finding their provision from their Lord. Jubilant in the bounty provided by Allah: and with regard to those left behind, who have not yet joined them, the Martyrs glory in the fact that on them is no fear, nor have they cause to grieve. Allah will not waste the reward of the believers.” (Qur’an: 3:169)
• “The Prophet said, ‘Nobody who dies and finds Paradise would wish to come back to this life even if he were given the whole world and whatever is in it, except the martyr who, on seeing the superiority of martyrdom, would like to come back to get killed again in Allah’s Cause.’” (Bukhari: V4B52N53)
• “I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, ‘Allah guarantees that He will admit the Muslim fighter into Paradise if he is killed, otherwise He will return him to his home safely with rewards and booty.’” (Bukhari: V4B52N46)
That is but a very small taste of what generation after generation of Muslims have ingested for some 1,400 years from their holy books. Hassan al-Banna’s genius was to take the “Art of Death” message taught throughout Islam’s core texts and package it into an easily digestible, modern form that would resonate with contemporary Islamists enraged by Western imperialism and the re-birth of Israel. Not surprisingly, al-Banna’s emphasis on the glories of martyrdom had a powerful and immediate impact on his followers, as Küentzel recounts:
These notions struck a deep chord, at least with the “troops of God,” as the Muslim Brothers liked to be known. Whenever their cohorts marched in close formation through the streets of Cairo, their voices rang out with this song: “We are afraid not of death but we desire it.... How wonderful death is.... Let us die in redemption for Muslims” followed by the chorus; “jihad is our course of action.... And death in the cause of God our most precious wish.” 15
Contrary to his grandson Tariq Ramadan’s silver-tongued spin, violent jihad and “death for the sake of Allah,” as alluded to in the Brotherhood’s founding motto, were the foremost pillars of Hassan al-Banna’s worldview. The MB architect expounded further on his Art of Death teachings in a long essay called “On Jihad.” It contained al-Banna’s most authoritative comments on the topic, and he made his stance abundantly clear throughout, beginning with the title of the preface: “All Muslims Must Make Jihad.”
Jihad is an obligation from Allah on every Muslim and cannot be ignored nor evaded. Allah has ascribed great importance to jihad and has made the reward of the martyrs and the fighters in His way a splendid one. Only those who have acted similarly and who have modelled themselves upon the martyrs in their performance of jihad can join them in this reward. Furthermore, Allah has specifically honoured the Mujahideen with certain exceptional qualities, both spiritual and practical, to benefit them in this world and the next.
Every last modern-day jihadist—whether Palestinian, Pakistani, or Parisian—owes a depraved debt, in some form or fashion, to the Muslim Brotherhood. The virtual death cult festering today across the Islamic world can clearly be traced back to the teachings of al-Banna, Sayyid Qutb, and their Brotherhood acolytes. But the Ikhwan didn’t create it all out of thin air. The Muslim glorification of martyrdom is as old as Islam itself and comes directly from the Koran and hadiths. A few examples:
• “Let those who fight in the Cause of Allah sell the life of this world for the hereafter. To him who fights in the Cause of Allah, whether he is slain or gets victory—soon shall We give him a great reward.” (Qur’an: 4:74)
• “If you are slain, or die, in Allah’s Cause [as a martyr], pardon from Allah and mercy are far better than all they could amass.” (Qur’an: 3:156)
• “Think not of those who are slain in Allah’s Cause as dead. Nay, they live, finding their provision from their Lord. Jubilant in the bounty provided by Allah: and with regard to those left behind, who have not yet joined them, the Martyrs glory in the fact that on them is no fear, nor have they cause to grieve. Allah will not waste the reward of the believers.” (Qur’an: 3:169)
• “The Prophet said, ‘Nobody who dies and finds Paradise would wish to come back to this life even if he were given the whole world and whatever is in it, except the martyr who, on seeing the superiority of martyrdom, would like to come back to get killed again in Allah’s Cause.’” (Bukhari: V4B52N53)
• “I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, ‘Allah guarantees that He will admit the Muslim fighter into Paradise if he is killed, otherwise He will return him to his home safely with rewards and booty.’” (Bukhari: V4B52N46)
That is but a very small taste of what generation after generation of Muslims have ingested for some 1,400 years from their holy books. Hassan al-Banna’s genius was to take the “Art of Death” message taught throughout Islam’s core texts and package it into an easily digestible, modern form that would resonate with contemporary Islamists enraged by Western imperialism and the re-birth of Israel. Not surprisingly, al-Banna’s emphasis on the glories of martyrdom had a powerful and immediate impact on his followers, as Küentzel recounts:
These notions struck a deep chord, at least with the “troops of God,” as the Muslim Brothers liked to be known. Whenever their cohorts marched in close formation through the streets of Cairo, their voices rang out with this song: “We are afraid not of death but we desire it.... How wonderful death is.... Let us die in redemption for Muslims” followed by the chorus; “jihad is our course of action.... And death in the cause of God our most precious wish.” 15
Contrary to his grandson Tariq Ramadan’s silver-tongued spin, violent jihad and “death for the sake of Allah,” as alluded to in the Brotherhood’s founding motto, were the foremost pillars of Hassan al-Banna’s worldview. The MB architect expounded further on his Art of Death teachings in a long essay called “On Jihad.” It contained al-Banna’s most authoritative comments on the topic, and he made his stance abundantly clear throughout, beginning with the title of the preface: “All Muslims Must Make Jihad.”
Jihad is an obligation from Allah on every Muslim and cannot be ignored nor evaded. Allah has ascribed great importance to jihad and has made the reward of the martyrs and the fighters in His way a splendid one. Only those who have acted similarly and who have modelled themselves upon the martyrs in their performance of jihad can join them in this reward. Furthermore, Allah has specifically honoured the Mujahideen with certain exceptional qualities, both spiritual and practical, to benefit them in this world and the next.
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