Yusuf Qardhaawi [b. 1926]

Dr Yusuf Qardhaawi, the infamous figure for the Muslim Brotherhood Movement whose role was being the intellectual leader and a political preacher for its agendas. Yusuf Qardhaawi was from the first of its members to make an attempt to modernize the movement by introducing verdicts in permitting cinema and singing and removing the hijaab for certain circumstances. Yusuf Qardhaawi was from the members of the movement who began targeting specifically the Da’wah of Ash-Shaykh Muhammad bin AbdulWahaab rahimahullah with criticism.

Yusuf Qardhaawi was born and raised in Egypt and was greatly influenced at a young age by Hassan al-Banna describing his lecture at his school as if it was words of revelations or prophecy. Hence, Yusuf Qardhaawi joined the Muslim Brotherhood Movement and became a key member in the movement. Yusuf Qardhaawi was imprisoned on a number of occasions for inciting violence and riots. He himself said,

“When I was released from prison, it came to me the news that Sayyid Qutb was given the death sentence, wherein I began to cry excessively.”

Eventually, in 1981 Yusuf Qardhaawi was expelled from Egypt and sought refuge in Qatar wherein he became promoted through the media there as a Islamic scholar for legal verdicts. His shows and public addresses would be broadcasted by the news channel ‘al-Jazeera’. With the publicity, Yusuf Qardhaawi became a reference point in support for a number of riots and revolutions in a number of Muslim countries which suffer till this day from such events of that was initially condoned by Yusuf Qardhaawi.

Yusuf Qardhaawi is known to western writers as having two tongues due to the number of contradictions found in his speech of praise and dispraise for the disbelievers.

At this stage, Yusuf Qardhaawi started to openly attack the Salafi Da’wah and accuse it of his own crimes, falsely alleging they are the extreme movement. Being Yusuf Qardhaawi studied in the university of Azhar, he adopted the belief of the Asha’ree in aqeedah which drove him even more to attack the salafis and label them as being against the scholars.

Yusuf Qardhaawi has become notorious for his lenient verdicts and even some more radical such as the fatwa that suicide bombing is permissible.

During the late nineties Yusuf Qardhaawi became more popular and had a large following with high hits through the media. Yusuf Qardhaawi started to call to unifying the religions and uttered his well-known statement that the People of the Book are our brothers and our differing between each other is only for the sake of land. Yusuf Qardhaawi called for the implementation of democracy in the muslim countries.

Also Yusuf Qardhaawi began to defame a number of the scholars including Shaykh Bin Baaz rahimahullah. Hence Ash-Shaykh Muqbil rahimahullah wrote a book titled ‘Silencing the Howling Dog as a response to Yusuf Qardhaawi’s critical statements.’

Yusuf Qardhaawi is currently wanted by the Egyptian government for playing a role in a past terrorist attack.

Compiled by

AbdulFattaah Bin Uthman
Abu Fajr