Muhammad Suroor [1938 – 2016]

Muhammad Suroor, the leader of the sect commonly known as ‘Surooriyyah’ which is a byproduct of the Ikhwanul Muslimeen Movement. Muhammad Suroor who was the first member of the Muslim Brotherhood to make an actual attempt to combine between the salafi call and the ikhwani call under one umbrella.

Muhammad Suroor was born and raised in Syria in the city of Hawraan. Syria at that time was being infiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood to the extent young school boys were being adopted by the movement whereby Muhammad Suroor at the age of fifteen joined the Muslim Brotherhood. Shortly after, Muhammad Suroor moved to Damascus to pursue his studies wherein he began to learn about the Salafi Call through what would reach him from the Daw’ah of Ash-Shaykh Albany rahimahullah. In the year 1969, the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria divided into two groups, one following the soofi tendencies of Hassan al-Banna and the other following the social agendas of Sayyid Qutb. Muhammad Suroor followed the group inclining more to the approach of Sayyid Qutb and as a result of this discord between them, Muhammad Suroor decided to move to Saudi Arabia in the city of Qaseem. The city of Qaseem at that time became a stronghold for the ikhwaanis and upon this Muhammad Suroor found an opportunity to teach in an institute there and to establish a charity organization through his supervision. As Muhammad Suroor got positioning in the community there, he began to secretly call to political movements which he originally learnt from the books of Sayyid Qutb. Therefore, in the year 1974, he was banned from Saudi Arabia for his troublesome and his rebellious teachings. As a result, he travelled to Kuwait where he teamed up with one of the old heads of the Ikhwanul Muslimoon by the name Sayyid Eid who was originally arrested along with Sayyid Qutb in Egypt. However, once again the Muslim Brotherhood movement divided there into multiple groups, each group attacking the other. At this stage Muhammad Suroor moved to Britain and established his movement ‘Surooriyyah’ there via publication of Islamic magazines which he would address therein topics of politics and sensitive issues.

During Muhammad Suroor stay in Britain, he began to give specific attention to al-Haakimiyyah [ i.e. the concept that the ruling is only for Allaah] and wherein he engaged much in singling it out in his topics of discussion. When the gulf crisis took place in the early nineties Muhammad Suroor got much involve through attacking the Saudi King Fahd and the major scholars who disagreed with his political views concerning the gulf crisis. As a result Muhammad Suroor authored a few treatise upon a build of hate for the Saudi dawah to the extent Muhammad Suroor began attacking the books of aqeedah describing that their were dry and pointless in face of dealing with modern day issues and that they lack attraction in winning the hearts of the youth. And went so far to attacking the scholars that they are actually slaves of the kuffar at the end of the day. With this Muhammad Suroor began displaying his takfeer tendencies under the disguise of showing jealousy for Islam.

Muhammad Suroor eventually left Britain to Jordan, then moved to Qatar wherein he was interviewed on a number of occasions through the press in he mentioned, “my growth was under the Muslim Brotherhood and it is hard for me to leave its tendencies”. In addition, he would express his political opinions through the media, inciting hate against Muslim governments today all under the banner that you can’t voice your opinion there, which is a common cry by the ikhwanis when they are prevented from causing chaos and fitnah under the name of religion.

Side Note: From those Muhammad Suroor influenced with some of his ideologies and had a heavy impact upon is Safar al-Hawali, Naasir Umar، Muhammad Saalih al-munajjid [i.e. founder of the website Islamqa] and Salman al-Awdah [founder of the website Islam today]. In fact, Salman al-Awdah admirably mentioned Muhammad Suroor was even his math teacher in secondary school.

Compiled by

AbdulFattaah Bin Uthman
Abu Fajr