MEMRI
In a recent sermon, the General Guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, Muhammad Badi', set out his vision for his movement and for Egypt in the post-revolutionary era. Citing Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan Al-Bana, he stated that the movement has two goals. The immediate goal is to prepare the hearts and minds of its members, which involves "purifying the soul, amending behavior, and preparing the spirit, the mind and the body for a long struggle." The second, long-term, goal is to affect "a total reform of all domains of life," which will eventually result in establishment of an Islamic state governed according to Koranic law – first in Egypt and eventually in the entire world.
Badi' stressed that this long-term goal can only be achieved by gradual stages: by "reforming the individual, then restructuring the family, then building society and the government, then [establishing] the rightly guided Caliphate, and [finally achieving] mastership of the world." He also emphasized that this must be achieved through cooperation among all the forces and sectors in Egypt, and without any coercion: "All these purposes and goals... must be realized... through unity of ranks [not division], by persuasion, not coercion, and by love, not by force." Badi' warned against the "attempts to split up the united ranks [of the nation] and drive a wedge between young and old, men and women, Muslims and Christians, and [different religious] schools and groups," saying that the Egyptian nation will need all of its human resources in order to meet the challenges that lie ahead. Finally, he advised his followers not to follow their emotions but to manipulate the circumstances rationally and realistically: "Do not fight the ways of the world because they are overpowering. [Instead], try to overcome them, use them, change their course, and pit some of them against others."
The following are excerpts from the sermon, which was posted December 29, 2011 on the Muslim Brotherhood website ikhwanonline.com:
"Praise be to Allah, and Allah's prayer and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah and his Companions.
"A sensible man must set a goal and a great purpose for himself to achieve, so that he may gain happiness in whatever he aspires to do, in this world or in the next or in both... What applies to an individual also applies to a group, and indeed to the nation as a whole. A group or a nation becomes enlightened and serious once it sets a goal and a great purpose [for itself] and strives to achieve it in the easiest, shortest and most direct manner.
"Our generous Prophet set us the greatest of examples by never wavering in his determination to achieve his goal, no matter how tough it got or how much his enemies conspired against him, and no matter how connivers tried to tempt him... He said 'I swear in the name of Allah that, [even] if they [promise to] place the sun on my right and the moon on my left if I give up Islam, I will not desist from it until Allah makes it triumphant or else I die defending it.'
"The Muslim nation followed this example in [carrying out] its first mission, that is to say, in [spreading] the call to [worship] Allah – [a call] that guides the perplexed to their true Lord, educates the human race, elevates morals and conduct, promotes virtue and perseverance, [and teaches] to resist obstacles and to cleave to the truth.
"This [mission] was followed by a blessed migration [hijra] to a good land [Medina], where [the Prophet found] sincere helpers, and later by the establishment of a rightly-guided state based on truth and justice. Then came [the stage of] defending this great religion and spreading its message throughout the world...
"[Our] Long-Term Goal... Involves Changing and Transforming All the Exiting Conditions, So that the Islamic State and the Law of the Koran May Live Again"
"In our modern age, the Muslim Brotherhood launched its call [to Islam] in attempt to guide the nation and reawaken it, so as to bring it back to its [former] status and to its mission after a long period of backwardness and lethargy. At the Sixth [Muslim Brotherhood] Congress, [Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan] Al-Bana, defined two goals for [our] blessed organization: '... [One is] an immediate goal, which becomes evident and yields fruits as soon as a person joins the Brotherhood. It starts with purifying the soul, amending behavior, and preparing the spirit, the mind and the body for a long struggle... [The second goal is] a long-term goal, which requires utilizing opportunities, waiting for the right time, making preparations and planning in advance. It [entails] a total reform of all domains of life, in which all the nation's forces should participate, and [also] involves changing and transforming all the exiting conditions, so that the Islamic state and the law of the Koran may live again...'
"Al-Bana set out the stages and detailed the means by which this great goal [might be achieved], starting by reforming the individual, followed by building the family, the society and the government, and then the rightly guided Caliphate, and finally [achieving] mastership of the world – a mastership of guidance, instruction, truth and justice. [Al-Bana] explained that all these purposes and goals, having been defined and clarified, must be realized through earnest, persistent and gradual effort, through unity of ranks [not division], by persuasion, not coercion, and by love, not by force. [We] must be steadfast in [our] course, no matter obstacles, hardships, traps or conspiracies [we encounter].
"In the same message, [Al-Bana] said further: 'The formation of nations, education of peoples, realization of hopes, and struggle for principles require the nation attempting this, or the groups calling for this, to possess great spiritual strength, manifest in several qualities: a strong will immune to all weakness; steadfast loyalty resistant to all change and treachery, and [readiness for] noble sacrifice unhindered by greed or avarice. [Also], full knowledge and faith in the principles... which make one immune to error and to deviation from [the principles] and immune to bargaining about them or trading them for other [ideas].'"
"The Goal of the Revolution... [Is the Establishment of] a Parliament that Truly Represents the People... with the Participation of All the Political Forces and Social Sectors [in Egypt]"
"In our blessed revolutions in this Arab Spring, the rebelling people's resolve – [namely their adherence] to clearly defined, agreed upon goals which they refused to give up – was a major factor in the [successful] realization of their [wish] to eliminate the unjust regime, the oppressive rulers, and the entire system of corruption which lay heavily upon our country, causing it to decay and to regress [by] robbing its resources and blocking its progress. We came close to realizing [the even greater] purpose of setting up a just and rightly guided regime with all its institutions. Our enemies and opponents try, whether deliberately or not, to stop us or to preoccupy us with marginal struggles, using arguments that are dazzling but false, by which they rend the nation asunder and drown it in futile debates... So much so that [the country] is being dragged into various battles and confrontations, even to the [point of] spilling of pure, innocent blood. [The purpose] of all this is to stop the progress, abort the revolution, and detract us from our great purpose and defined goals. However, with Allah's grace and with the blessing of the [Muslim Brotherhood Shura] Council, we shall continue persistently on our path in order to achieve the goals of the nation.
"The goal of the revolution, for which it strives, is to crystallize the forces of our millions-strong nation into a parliament that truly represents the people, and which will launch the process of establishing the institutions of the rightly guided state and government – a state of liberty and equality and a government of truth and justice – with the participation of all the political forces and social sectors [in the country]. We advise ourselves, our brethren, and our associates in the country not become mired in marginal battles or futile polemics, and not to let our enemies lead us into torturous paths in order to sidetrack us from our great goals and noble purposes... We also warn against attempts... to split up the united ranks [of the nation] and drive a wedge between young and old, men and women, Muslims and Christians, and [different religious] schools and groups. We need all the potential and expertise of the nation, [both] the enthusiasm and strength of the young and the wisdom and experience of the old... [We must be] united by sincere love, dedication, trust and common purpose. Let us heed the words of our martyred leader [Hassan Al-Bana] in his address to the loyal members, both young and old: 'You must restrain the misguided wanderings of emotion with rational thinking, while [letting] the flame of emotion light up the radiance of reason. You should temper [your] imagination with the accuracy of truth and realty, while [letting] the light of imagination illuminate the facts. Do not completely turn away [from either one or the other]. [Also,] do not fight the ways of the world because they are overpowering. [Instead], try to overcome them, use them, change their course, and pit some of them against others...'"
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