Muhammad Surur bin Nayif Zayn al-'Abidin (; 1938 – 11 November 2016) was a former member of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood. He is credited with establishing the Salafi Islamist movement known as Sururism (or Sururi), which combines "the organisational methods and political worldview of the

Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ('' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar, Imam and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928. Al-Banna's teachings s ...

with the theological puritanism of

Wahhabism Wahhabism is an exonym for a Salafi revivalist movement within Sunni Islam named after the 18th-century Hanbali scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. It was initially established in the central Arabian region of Najd and later spread to oth ...

." This movement is noted for advancing a politicized version of

in Saudi Arabia. Surur called for non-violent criticism of Muslim rulers but opposed efforts to overthrow regimes in Muslim countries, viewing such actions as fitna (civil strife and chaos). In 1984, he authored the widely read

anti-Shia Anti-Shi'ism, also known as Shiaphobia, is hatred of, prejudice against, discrimination against, persecution of, and violence against Shia Muslims because of their religious beliefs, traditions, and cultural heritage. The term was first used b ...

book ''Wa Ja'a Dawr al-

Majus ''Majūs'' () or ''Magūs'' () was originally a term meaning Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrians, specifically priests. It was a technical term for the magi, and like its synonym ''gabr'' (of uncertain etymology) originally had no pejorative implicatio ...

'' (). This book posits the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

as a strategy for Shiite domination of the Middle East. His writings influenced

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (; , "Father of Musab, of Zarqa"; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel Nazal al-Khalayleh (), was a Jordanian militant jihadist who ran a training camp in Afghanistan. He became known after going to Iraq a ...

, the leader of

Al-Qaeda in Iraq Al-Qaeda in Iraq (; AQI), was a Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist organization affiliated with al-Qaeda. It was founded on 17 October 2004, and was led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi until its disbandment on 15 October 2006 after he was killed in a targ ...

Life

He was born in the

Hawran The Hauran (; also spelled ''Hawran'' or ''Houran'') is a region that spans parts of southern Syria and northern Jordan. It is bound in the north by the Ghouta oasis, to the northeast by the al-Safa field, to the east and south by the Harrat ...

region. In the mid-1960s, while still affiliated with the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, Surur began to express criticism of the group, such as its acceptance of members from the

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

Brotherhood. These disagreements led to his relocation to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

in 1965. After being expelled from Saudi Arabia in 1974 on charges of subversive activity he moved to

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

. There, he established the Dar al-Arqam publishing house. In 1984, Suror settled in the United Kingdom, where he established the Center for Islamic Studies. In 2004, he relocated to

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

and then to Qatar where he resided until his death.

Influence

Surur admired

Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh Muḥammad ibn ʾIbrāhīm ibn ʿAbd al-Laṭīf ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn Abd al-Wahhāb Al Shaykh Al-Tamīmī (1890– 3 December 1969), was a Saudis, Saudi Arabian religious scholar who served as the first Grand Muf ...

and was himself initially admired by

Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, whose real name is Assem ibn Muhammad ibn Tahir al-Barqawi, is a Palestinian writer and Salafi Islamist scholar. Al-Maqdisi is known for popularizing several significant themes within radical Islam, including the theolo ...

—who later considered him to be too lenient towards the Muslim rulers. Surur has also influenced

Salman al-Ouda Salman bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Ouda (; born 14 December 1956) or Salman al-Ouda (, ''Salman al-Awdah''), known by his kunya as Abu Mu'ad (أبو معاذ) is a Saudi Islamic scholar. Al-Ouda is a member of the International Union for Muslim ...

. After the death of Muhammad Surur in

Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...

, Abdulrazzaq al-Mahdi sent condolences and commented on his influence.

Works

*''Wa Ja'a Dawr al-

'' (The Era of the Magians Has Come) *''Al-salafiyya bayna al-wula wal-ghula'' (Salafism between the Rulers and the Extremists)

References

External links

www.surour.net
- His website {{DEFAULTSORT:Surur, Muhammad 1938 births 2016 deaths Syrian Salafis Syrian writers Syrian expatriates in Saudi Arabia Syrian expatriates in Kuwait Syrian expatriates in the United Kingdom Syrian expatriates in Jordan Critics of Shia Islam Salafi Islamists Muslim Brotherhood of Syria politicians Atharis Wahhabis

Life

Influence

Works

See also

References

External links