In a June 30, 2013 article in the London-based Saudi daily Al-Hayat, Prince Mamdouh bin 'Abd Al-'Aziz Aal Sa'ud, a half-brother of the Saudi king, attacked the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) movement worldwide and especially in Saudi Arabia, and criticized several Saudi sheikhs who are associated with the MB and with political Islam, namely Salman Al-'Odeh, Muhammad Al-'Arifi, Nasir Al-'Umar and 'Aidh Al-Qarni. Calling these leaders by the epithet "Khawarij," he claimed that they presume to speak in the name of Islam when they are not well-versed in it, and that they mislead the Saudi people into thinking that they are sincere people and reformers when, in fact, their only objective is to seize power in the kingdom. Aal Saud invited the Saudi MB to participate in a debate in which their ideology will be pitted against that of the Saudi regime, "in search of the truth," and the loser of the debate would adopt the ideology of the victor.
The following are translated excerpts from the article:
Prince Mamdouh bin 'Abd Al-'Aziz Aal Sa'ud
The MB "Object[s] In Advance To The Truthful Words Of Allah And The Prophet"
"From the time I [first] became aware of what is stated in the Qur'an and the Sunna and until this very day, I never encountered a greater deception and hoodwinking – not only of the common people but of the elite – than this [act of] pulling the wool over the eyes of most people [and] causing them to view the MB [as a movement of] reformists and decent people. Far be it from me to pose as a judge or theoretician… but I have lived enough years to understand [and express an opinion], in an attempt to do some good…
"I am convinced that many members of this group [the MB], who object in advance to the truthful words of Allah and his Messenger... are uninterested in the truth, but only in what conforms to their whims… as stated in the Quran [23:71]: 'And if the truth had been in accordance with their desires, verily, the heavens and the earth, and whosoever is therein, would have been corrupted! Nay, We have brought them their reminder, but they turn away from their reminder...'
"Over 20 years ago, Satan ensnared in his net the hearts, minds and tongues of the [MB] members, who appeared in our midst and established themselves in the years 1405-1415 [i.e., 1984-1994]. [This group] attempted to overturn everything that Allah had bestowed upon our country and its inhabitants, who were living in pleasant unity, harmony and agreement and in total loyalty to Allah and his Messenger. [The MB did] this only in order to plan how to impose the rule of the Qutubiyyin,[1] the Surouriyyin[2] and the MB over the country and its people. This became quite clear in recent years, when a group appeared in our midst upon whom Satan and his helpers conferred the name "Al-Sahwa" ("Awakening")[3] – as though we and our country had been slumbering and [deaf] to the words of Allah and his Messenger – when, [in fact], this group was nothing but Khawarij.
"In this way, [the MB] defrauded the people. My father and your father, my grandfather and your grandfather and my mother and your mother were mostly following the straight path, but, unfortunately, [this group managed] to draw many people to it, [and this] for two principal reasons. First, that Muslims tend to instinctively follow anyone who purports [to speak] in the name of religion. Second, that the state and its clerics allowed [the movement to operate], because they thought well of it. This is similar [to the hadith about the second] Caliph 'Omar [bin Al-Khattab]… who thought [well] of [Malik] Al-Ashtar, drew him close, and appointed him to educate the [young] generation, [and following his death] this Al-Ashtar started a fitna [war] against [the fourth Caliph,] 'Ali [bin Abu Talib], and the latter killed him."
The MB Is "Interested Only In Opposing The Rulers Under The Pretext Of [Seeking] Freedom and Justice!"
"In all honesty, [take] everything that the so-called Al-Sahwa [movement] has said, from [the time of its establishment] more than 30 years ago until today, and put it to the test of Allah's verses and the Sunna of his Messenger. By Allah, any decent and knowledgeable man will not pronounce them anything but Khawarij!… Cite me a single case of opposition to a ruler in the course of history that produced something good or put an end to something evil. By Allah, [this occurred] in very few cases… that were outwardly interpreted as opposition [to the ruler] but [in fact] were not."
"There's no doubt that Satan will cause some of his loyal [followers]… to attribute these statements of mine [to a desire] to protect my family [i.e., the Saudi royal family]. So be it! But is it legitimate or not [for me to say it]? That is the important criterion. How am I to understand the words of the Prophet, who said that the Khawarij were pious but [also called them] the most wicked of men…[?] Imam Ahmad wrote in his collection of hadiths: 'When the [severed] heads of the Al-Azariqa[4] were placed on the road to Damascus and [the Prophet's Companion] Abu 'Umama arrived and saw them, his eyes filled with tears and he said: "These are the dogs of hell. They are the worst of the slain who have been killed under the heavens, and those whom they killed are the best of the slain." When I [Imam Ahmad] asked him why his eyes had filled with tears, he said, "[It was] out of pity for them, because they were Muslims." We asked him: 'Do you call them 'dogs of hell' based on your own opinion, or did you hear this from the Prophet?"' He responded: "I am indeed blunt, but I heard this from the Prophet not once, not twice and not thrice…"'
"Whoever so desires is invited to search the [hadith collections of] Al-Bukhari and Muslim and all the correct hadiths, [and see what they say] about the path and characteristics [of the Khawarij], and let him then cite even a single word that does not apply to the Khawarij of the present age [i.e., the MB and the other streams of political Islam]. By Allah, the Khawarij of the time of the [fourth Caliph] 'Ali [bin Abu Talib] were more pious and God-fearing and more courageous [than the Khawarij of today]. By Allah, even if I hadn't belonged to the social stratum in which Allah has placed me, [that is,] if I had been a commoner rather than a member of the [royal] family, I would have not have listened to a single word [uttered by] these Shi'ites, the MB and the secularists, who are interested only in opposing the rulers under the pretext of [seeking] freedom and justice! Anyone who follows them will become convinced – should he live – of their deception, and [will see that] they are causing religion and the world to dissipiate and flounder, but by then it will be too late."
The MB Members Are "Faithful Disciples Of Global Freemasonry, The Daughter [Movement] Of Zionism. [Just] Read 'The Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion'"
"What is liberty? What is justice? Show me [that these values exist] in your MB masters in Egypt and in any [MB] general guide. By Allah, they are interested only in reining over this world and know nothing of the world to come. [They are engaged] only in inciting people against one another. They are the faithful disciples of global Freemasonry, [which is] the daughter [movement] of Zionism. [Just] read the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and read about the global Freemasons movement, and read the book Sir Al-Ma'bad by Thawrat Al-Khirbawi[5] – who is one of them – as well as the book Al-Jaysh Wal-Ikhwan by Mustafa Bakri,[6] who supports them to the hilt, and ask Sheikh Dr. Imam Saleh bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan.[7] [The MB members] know nothing of monotheism beyond what simple people know. In fact, [any] child amongst the children of monotheism [can teach] their senior officials – such as Salman Al-'Odeh, Muhammad Al-'Arifi and Nasir Al-'Umar, and their general guide 'Aidh 'Al-Qarni, among others – the meaning of genuine monotheism, not only in words but in deeds. From [the day] they took a prominent position in our country with their rotten ideas – which they sometimes clad in an Islamic [mantle] and sometimes in [whatever mantle] pleases people – they have not produced even a single Muslim religious scholar.
"Oh members of the Islamic faith, oh Saudi people, have you not noticed that the topic of the Khawarij is taboo for Salman Al-'Odeh and his band, and they never let [any word about it] pass their lips? If this is not the case, give me [an example of] a single word they have said against the Khawarij from the time they emerged [in Saudi Arabia] until today.
"By Allah, they flatter the Shi'ites in Iran and even Hizbullah… Despite the torrent of words, plans, writings, etc., [produced by] the great general guide Salman Al-'Odeh, we didn't hear a single word [from him] when the Shi'ites insulted the Prophet Mohammed and called his wife ['Aisha], the Mother of the Believers, an 'adulteress'… at the festival that took place three years ago in London and lasted over a week. A long while later, Al-Qarni published a number of stanzas in which he praised 'Aisha without cursing those who had cursed her... As for Al-'Arifi, Mursi praised him yesterday, saying: 'The Islamic preacher Al-'Arifi is currently receiving the general guide [of the Egyptian MB], Dr. Mohammed Badi', [who is visiting Saudi Arabia], and is renewing his oath of loyalty to [Badi'] amidst cries of 'Allah Akbar' and cheers by senior [MB] officials.'
"In conclusion, oh [MB members in Saudi Arabia], come present your [ideology] to the nation in a clear fashion, and let us present ours to [the nation] as well… Choose any Salafi you want [to represent you]. We are ready for the duel... We want to [clarify] the truth. If [the truth] is on the side [of the MB], we will adopt [their views], and if it is against them, we will teach [the truth] to them and their supporters, who deviate from the true path, and the Islamic nation will arrive at the truth. Why aren't you interested in the truth?"
Endnotes:
[1] Those who espouse the ideology of Sayyid Qutb, a senior MB operative in Egypt who became the movement's most important ideologue following the assassination of its undisputed leader Hassan Al-Banna in 1949. He himself was executed in August 1966.
[2] Those who espouse the ideology of Muhammad Surour, a former Syrian MB leader who moved to Saudi Arabia during the 1960s and taught at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Al-Buraidah, where one of his most prominent students was Salman Al-'Odeh. In Saudi Arabia he became a Salafi-jihadi and encouraged young Muslims to embark on jihad in Afghanistan. From Saudi Arabia he moved to Kuwait and from there to London. Currently he resides in Jordan and disseminates Salafi-jihadi doctrine from there.
[3] The Saudi Al-Sahwa Al-Islamiyya (Islamic Awakening) movement was founded in the 1980s by a group of Saudi religious scholars including Salman Al-'Odeh in Al-Buraidah, 'Aidh Al-Qarni in Abha, Safar Al-Hawali in Jeddah, and Nasir Al-'Umar and Sa'd Al-Buraik in Riyadh. Its ideology combines Wahhabi Salafi Islam with the socio-political doctrine of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. The movement was also influenced by thinkers such as Muhammad Qutb (brother of Sayyid Qutb) and Muhammad Al-Rashid. As long as the movement did not oppose the Saudi regime, it enjoyed vast influence within Saudi society and particularly in schools and universities. In the early 1990s, the movement shook up the political system by promoting protest actions and demonstrations calling for reform and in particular the establishment of a Shura Council. The movement's activity was halted in 1995. Its many successors include Al-Qaeda.
[4] the Azariq were the followers of Nafi' bin Azraq, the most extreme of the Khwarij. Bin Azraq viewed anybody who remained loyal to the ruler instead of joining him as an infidel, and killed him. He did not even shrink from killing people in mosques.
[5] Thawrat Al-Khirbawi is a former senior MB official who also represented the movement in the Egyptian Lawyers Union. Since he left the MB, in 2002, he has often attacked its modes of operation. He writes in the Egyptian papers Al-Dustour and Roz Al-Yousuf, and has authored two books in which he criticized the MB: Qalb Al-Islam – Makhakim Taftish Al-Ikhwan ("The MB's Heart—The MB Inquisitorial Courts"), published in 2010, and Sirr Al-Ma'bad – Al-Asrar Al-Khafiya Li-Jama'at Al-Ikhwan Al-Muslimin (The Secret of the Temple – The Hidden Secrets of the Muslim Brotherhood Organization), published in 2012.
[6] Mustafa Bakri, a former independent member of the People's Assembly, is the editor-in-chief of the Egyptian weekly Al-'Usbu' and hosts the program "Muntaha Al-Saraha" on the Al-Hayat satellite channel. He has authored many books, the most recent of which is Al-Jaysh Wal-Ikhwan – Asrar Khilaf Al-Sitar ("The Army and the Muslim Brotherhood – Secrets behind the Scenes"), published in 2013.
[7] Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan, a renowned Saudi Muslim scholar, is a member of the Council of Senior Clerics in Mecca and of other prominent religious forums.
