Society of the Muslim Brothers

📅 5/22/1991 Authored in 1991 by Muslim Brotherhood board member Mohammed Akram Adlouni, the document outlines a necessary step to implement 'the settlement of the dawa': a shift from an elite movement to a popular one. While some of the group's core activities and aims needed to remain secret, Akram believed that creating a stable presence required the Brotherhood to open up to the outside, particularly towards Muslim communities in North America.

👉 It is worth noting that this document is widely viewed by scholars as Akram's personal utopian aspirations.

📅 1990 This book argues that many contemporary Islamic movements suffer from a “disorder of priorities,” elevating secondary issues above foundational principles. It calls for fiqh al-awlawiyyāt (the jurisprudence of priorities), which ranks obligations by their true weight in Sharia—favoring quality of faith over numbers, deep understanding over rote learning, and communal benefit over individual piety—and promotes a balanced wasatiyyah approach grounded in gradual reform, responsible political participation, and sensitivity to contemporary realities.

The Modern Shift

• Thinking > Rote Learning. The movement needs "Innovators" (Mujtahids), not just followers. Schools must teach critical thinking, not just repetition.

• Freedom > Sharia Implementation. This is nuanced: He argues you cannot implement Sharia without first securing political freedom. Therefore, fighting for democracy and liberty is the priority step before fighting for the penal code.

• The West > The East. He identifies the Muslim diaspora in the West as a strategic priority. If Islam can be presented properly there, it will have a global impact.

• Goals > Texts. When ruling on new issues, jurists should prioritize the higher objectives of Sharia (protecting life, dignity, justice) rather than being trapped by the literal reading of a single text.

👉 Qaradawi is a master simplifier. He strips away the density of complex jurisprudential concepts—such as Maqasid (objectives) and Maslahah (public interest)—and translates them into actionable bullet points for activists. In doing so, he democratizes Islamic law, taking it out of the seminaries and placing it into the hands of organizers and students, reminding them that 'before being anything else, the Islamic Movement is work: persistent, industrious work, not just words to be said, speeches to be delivered, or books to be written.

Dewey 297.197

📅 12/1/1982 

Immediately after 9/11, authorities raided the home of Youssef Nada (founder of Al-Taqwa Bank) and discovered a 14-page Arabic document dated December 1, 1982.

Known as “The Project,” it was published in 2005 by Swiss journalist Sylvain Besson. Unlike standard rhetoric, the text outlines a flexible, long-term strategy for cultural invasion, advocating tactics ranging from infiltration and propaganda to political legitimacy and Jihad.

The text outlines 12 "Points of Departure"—guiding principles for operations in the West. Key points include:

1.  Scientific Planning: Move beyond emotion. Use data, modern technology, and "observation centers" to gather intelligence on Western societies.

2. Flexibility: Master the "art of the possible." Do not rigidly oppose Western regimes if it endangers the movement; instead, work within the system to gain influence without provoking backlash.

3. Self-Criticism: Maintain a culture of "permanent evaluation" and self-correction to avoid the arrogance of assuming the movement is always right.

👉 While Nada dismissed it as an unofficial “thought experiment,” scholars like Lorenzo Vidino view it as a genuine reflection of 1980s hardliner thinking, though not necessarily a current operational manual.

📅 1980s Transcript of an audiotape found during Elbarasse search. The tape features a talk entitled "Ikhwan in America" given by the Chief Masul of the US Muslim Brotherhood's, Zeid Noman. The talk took place in Missouri in the early 1980s. "What the movement should be," said al Noman, "is to become a movement for the residents." Al Noman referred to this new phase as "the settlement of the dawa." The transition from MSA to ISNA—organizations that the Brotherhood indirectly controlled—must, therefore, be seen in light of this change in the American Brotherhood's strategy.

👉 This transcript reads like the diary of a covert organization during its formative years. It provides the why behind the infrastructure of mosques, schools, and lobbies that exists today.

📅 1970s  Fathi Yakan argues that being a Muslim is not merely an inherited identity or the performance of rituals, but a dynamic, holistic commitment to personal and societal transformation. The book is divided into two core sections. The first outlines the essential characteristics—in belief, worship, morality, and self-discipline—that an individual must embody to be a true believer. The second emphasizes the obligation to participate in the broader Islamic movement, urging Muslims to dedicate their lives to revitalizing the Muslim community (Ummah) and establishing an Islamic system of life and governance.

The 5-Point Training Checklist

Yakan organizes this training checklist into five distinct spheres of life. Within Islamic activist circles, it serves as a curriculum; members are often tested on their mastery of these traits before advancing within the organizational hierarchy.

1. Belief is not passive; if you believe, you must act.

2. Worship: Rituals must be performed with deep spiritual intensity rather than as mere routine. Yakan—like Qutb and Al-Banna—places immense emphasis on the Night Prayer as the essential "fuel" for the activist. The logic is strict: if one lacks the discipline to wake for prayer, one cannot be relied upon to serve the movement.

3. Character: The believer must embody distinct virtues—such as sensitivity, empathy, humility, truthfulness, and patience.

4. Family: One must choose a partner based solely on their religious commitment, not wealth or beauty, because the spouse must support the husband/ wife in their activism (Da'wah).

5. Self-Mastery: One must conquer one's physical desires and material attachments, and demonstrate the ability to follow orders and maintain a schedule.

👉 If Milestones is a manifesto for revolution, this writing is a staff handbook for an organization. It is arguably one of the most widely read training manuals for the Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoots.

Dewey 297.72

📅 1964 Milestones by Sayyid Qutb presents his vision for an Islamic revival by portraying contemporary societies—even many nominally Muslim ones—as living in a state of jahiliyya (ignorance). The book emphasizes the need for a total reordering of life and society around Sharia, a modern reinterpretation of jihad as a revolutionary struggle to remove human sovereignty, and the central role of a small, committed group of Muslims to lead this transformative project.

👉 Written during ten years of imprisonment (1954–1964), Milestones is a reaction to secular dictatorship and Western colonization. It resonates with the oppressed, a message ultimately amplified by Qutb's execution in 1966, which cemented his status as a martyr. The book rejects grey areas, strictly dividing the world into 'Islam' and 'Jahiliyyah.' This binary worldview contributes to the fostering of extremism.

Dewey 297