Muslim Brotherhood and Contempt of non-Muslims

In issue No. 54, October 1980, we find another fatwa that demonstrates the Brotherhood’s narcissistic, intransigent view of non-Muslims, on the one hand, and those who profess Islam, on the other.

The following question was asked by a reader as saying: “When some people convert to Islam, it is supposed that Islam should be reflected in their behavior and attitude. However, it is clear that some of them do not properly mirror Islamic ethics and manners. How would you judge them?

Sheikh al-Khteeb’s answer comes as follows:

Listen up my brother! Islam’s attitude towards those converts is that we accept their variable forms of behaviors on the basis that: “We judge according to the outer attitudes, while God judges according to the inner motives”. By the same token, we were not ordered to question the intentions of other people. This is a fact of life. Faith is the act of the heart; and what is settled in the inner selves is known only to God. However, Al-Salafu Al-Salih, our righteous fore-scholars (God have mercy on their souls), used to take heed of those who would enter into the fold of Islam. They used to gently and well-mannered observe their behaviors so that they could know how much faith was absorbed in their hearts and then translated into meritorious acts.  Those who met the criteria of faith such as professing the testimony of faith, adhering to ethical attitude and willingness to act upon Islamic teachings, would be declared as good, Islam-abiding Muslims. Otherwise, (he/she) would not be accepted as Muslim, especially if they came to deny a fundamental aspect or matter in the religion, mock an Islamic rule or rite or evince their real identity.  This does not necessarily mean that say to the one who gives us [a greeting of] peace “You are not a believer,” God forbid!  We just say that anyone who subscribes to Islam should be a good follower of that religion. Therefore, we should not lose sight of his/her actions by virtue of their association with us. You know that Islam is not short of people – thank God – but the bitter truth is that Islam is short of people who are truly loyal and devoted to it.[1]

Critique:

Both the question and the answer tend to deliberately overlook an important fact that is distilled into this question: Why do these people convert to Islam, and then not conform to the Islamic code of behavior? The answer lies in another question, that is: What actually motivated them to accept Islam? Was it religious conviction or some family and social circumstances related to an impulse to marry a Muslim or to divorce a non-Muslim wife? Had faith and conviction been the motivation, their Islam would have been successful, their actions would have been righteous and their behavior would have conformed to the teachings of Islam without any trouble. Similarly, if the vicissitudes of life are the causation, the contradiction will come out and the truth will be submerged in falsities.

Apart from deliberately ignoring the root causes and motives of the negligence, which shed light on the issue raised by the question, we can easily see that the answer depends on rather old statements that tend to point accusing fingers at the non-conformist co-religionists. The irony is that the sheikh recognizes that Islam is short of nobody. This is true, but he is preoccupied with the few individuals who might enter or leave Islam. Aptly, this leads to another serious matter: “Apostasy”.

[1]Issue No. 54 Al-Dawa Magazine, October 1980