Hassan al-Banna's "On Jihad," Part 4

A Study of Hassan al-Banna's "On Jihad"
Part 4

Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna published his treatise "On Jihad" in the late 1930s.  In his book on the group, Brynjar Lia notes that the treatise eventually "became a required part of the Muslim Brothers' curriculum."  This translation comes from Wendell's 1977 collection, Five Tracts of Hasan Al-Banna (1906-1949), and is the only one available that has not been sanitized for Western audiences.

Unlike the Western approach to textual-based argumentation, Al-Banna's entire argument begins with sacred verses, using the traditional, time-honored hierarchy that organizes hallowed works with Quranic verses first, then ahadith (here called "Prophetic Traditions"), and completes his "supporting" materials section with commentary from respected scholars, ulema.

Having completed a "portion" of the Quranic verses "in which mention is made of jihad and its virtue set plainly forth." Al-Banna moves on to the ahadith.  There are 31 used in the essay, and expect for a few etymological and exclamatory comments, Al-Banna offers very little substantive commentary.

  Next will come some noble Prophetic Traditions on this matter.
   

A Sampling of Prophetic Traditions on Jihad

  (1) On the authority of Abu Hurayra (May God be pleased with him;), who said: "I heard the Prophet (May God bless and save him!) say: "By Him who has my soul within His Hand, if it were not for some men of the believers who are not pleased to remain behind me - even when I can find nothing on which to mount them - I would not be absent from an-' military expeditions in God's way. And by Him who has my soul in His Hand, I would like to be slain in God's way, then live again, then be slain, then live again, then be slain, then live again, then be slain.'" Transmitted by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.

  (2) On the authority of Abu Hurayra (May God be pleased with him!): "The Apostle of God (May God bless and save him!) said: 'By Him who has my soul within His Hand, no one is vulnerated in God's way - and God knows best who is vulnerated in His way - but that he comes on the Day of Resurrection, the color being the color of blood, and the scent being the scent of musk.'"
  "vulnerate" = "wound," and "he is vulnerated" = "he is wounded"

  (3) On the authority of Anas (May God be pleased with him!), who said: "My paternal uncle Anas b. al-Nadr was absent from the Battle of Badr, and he said: 'O Apostle of God, I was absent from the first battle in which you fought the polytheists. If God calls me to witness a battle with the polytheists, He shall surely see what I can do!' And when the Day of Uhud arrived, and the Muslims were put to flight, he said: 'My God, I ask pardon of Thee for what these (meaning his companions) have done, and I absolve myself before Thee of what those (meaning the polytheists) have done.' Then he pressed forward, was accosted by Sa'd b. Mu'adh, and said: “O Sa'd b. Mu'adh, Paradise and the Lord of Al-Nadr! I smell its scent from below Uhud!' Sa'd said: 'O Apostle of God, I was unable to do what he did.'" Anas said: "We found him with some eighty-odd sword cuts, or spear-thrusts, or wounds made by arrows, and we found that he had been killed and that the polytheists had mutilated him. No one recognized him but his sister, and that by his fingers." Anas said: "We used to think, or suppose, that this verse came down concerning him and his likes: 'Of the believers are men who were sincere in their covenant with God…'up to the end of the verse"[Q.33:23]. Transmitted by Al-Bukhari.

  (4) On the authority of Umm Haritha ibn Suraqa; namely, that she went to the Prophet (May'God bless and save him!), and said: " O Prophet of God, will you not tell me of Haritha?" - now a stray (or unidentified) arrow had struck him before the Day of Badr - "For if he is in Paradise, I will bear [his loss] patiently. But if he is not there, I shall give myself over to weeping for him." He said: "O mother of Haritha, there are Paradises within Paradise, and your son has attained the most exalted Firdaws." Published by Al-Bukhari.
    "a stray (or unidentified) arrow" = one whose shooter is unknown. "I shall give myself over to weeping for him"  = I shall weep bitterly.

Just see. Brother, how Paradise made them forget their cares and misfortunes, and enabled them to support adversities.

Al-Banna's last comment has a contemporary analog in jihadi media, where the death masks of dead jihadis are usually pictured with smiles on their faces, with the occasional halo.