Today's episode delves into the life of Hassan al-Banna, born in Egypt in 1906. Influenced by Muhammad Rashid Rida, al-Banna founded an association at age 12 and later the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928. He advocated for Islam as both religion and state, opposing Western influences in Egypt. His movement grew rapidly, leading to confrontations with the government. Despite his denouncement of violence, the Brotherhood's armed branch conducted operations against British occupation and other targets. Al-Banna's influence peaked when he was named "man of the year" by Al-Musawar magazine in 1945. However, internal conflicts and external pressures led to his assassination in 1949, marking a significant moment in Egyptian history.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Hassan al-Banna was born in the village of Shamshirah, Egypt, on October 14, 1906.
2. His father, Sheikh Ahmad Abd al-Rahman al-Banna, was a marriage registrar, Mosque Imam, and watch repairman.
3. Hassan al-Banna made an association with his friends called "Banning the Prohibited" when he was 12 years old.
4. Al-Banna traveled to Damanhur to enter the Teachers Academy in 1919, when he was 13 years old.
5. Al-Banna graduated from the Teachers Academy and was appointed as a teacher in Ismailia elementary school in 1927.
6. Al-Banna started his Dawah (invitation to religion) in three cafes in Ismailia in 1927.
7. Al-Banna formed the Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan) with 6 persons in 1928.
8. The Ikhwan organization grew rapidly, with 50 branches by 1936 and 300 branches by 1948.
9. Al-Banna formed an armed branch of the Ikhwan, known as the "Private Branch."
10. The armed branch targeted British occupation forces and their interests in Egypt.
11. Al-Banna was appointed as the leader of the Ikhwan and his words were executed by its members.
12. The Egyptian government issued a decree to close the Ikhwan newspaper and confiscated its funds and assets in 1948.
13. Al-Banna was assassinated on February 12, 1949, by two masked men.
14. Al-Banna's death was officially recorded as a murder by "unknown perpetrators."
15. Gamal Abdel Nasser, the future president of Egypt, was a member of the Ikhwan's special armed branch.
16. Al-Banna's father received his dead body and was forbidden to make a funeral.
17. Al-Banna was buried in the family graveyard under high security.
18. World War I ended in late 1918, and the Islamic Caliphate was abolished by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1923.
19. The Palestinian revolt took place in 1948, and the Ikhwan's armed battalions joined the Arab armies to fight against the Zionists.
20. Al-Banna was 22 years old when he started his Dawah in Ismailia.