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:
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... Read the rest on: Memri
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