✦ A Critical Review of the Extremist Ideology of Jama‘at al-Takfīr wa’l-Hijrah ✦
❖ Introduction
This article is based on the analysis of the ideology, historical background, and core beliefs of Egypt’s infamous group “Jama‘at al-Takfīr wa’l-Hijrah”. It is adapted from the encyclopedia “Al-Mawsū‘ah al-Muyassarah fī al-Adyān wa al-Madhāhib wa al-Aḥzāb al-Mu‘āṣirah” and was originally presented for Urdu readers in the quarterly journal “Āyqāẓ”.
❖ Background and Establishment of the Group
✔ Name: The group used the name “Jama‘at al-Muslimeen” for itself, whereas the media referred to it as “Jama‘at al-Takfīr wa’l-Hijrah”.
✔ Ideological Foundation: It is an extremist group that follows the Khawārij-style methodology of declaring people disbelievers (takfīr) based on sinful acts.
✔ Origin: The group formed in Egyptian prisons post-1965. The execution of Sayyid Qutb and his companions, coupled with the oppression carried out under Gamal Abdel Nasser, fueled the group’s radical beliefs.
✔ Start of Extremism: The oppression and hardships endured by Muslim prisoners in jails led to the birth of extremist thought, culminating in a growing tendency toward takfīr.
❖ Key Figures and Development of the Group
◈ Shaykh ‘Alī Ismā‘īl
✔ Background: A graduate of Al-Azhar University and brother of Shaykh ‘Abd al-Fattāḥ Ismā‘īl, a close associate of Sayyid Qutb.
✔ Role: He gave religious foundations to the group’s takfīri ideology but later repented and publicly disassociated himself from it.
◈ Shukrī Muṣṭafā (Abū Sa‘d)
✔ Born: 1942, Asyut Province, Egypt.
✔ Leadership: Took leadership after Shaykh ‘Alī Ismā‘īl’s repentance, reorganized the group, and appointed followers in various regions.
✔ Actions:
① Commanded followers to migrate (hijrah) from the jāhilī society.
② Established secret centers.
③ Made followers recognize him as “Amīr al-Mu’minīn” and “Imām”.
✔ Trial and Fate: In 1977, Egyptian authorities executed Shukrī Muṣṭafā and four other leaders. The group subsequently went underground and continued covert operations.
❖ Beliefs and Doctrines of Jama‘at al-Takfīr
◈ Takfīr (Excommunication)
✔ Anyone who commits a major sin (kabīrah) and does not repent is a disbeliever.
✔ Rulers who do not govern by “mā anzala Allāh” are absolute disbelievers.
✔ Scholars are labeled disbelievers for not excommunicating sinners.
✔ Anyone rejecting the group’s ideology is deemed a disbeliever.
◈ Hijrah (Separation)
✔ It is obligatory to separate from jāhilī society.
✔ One must live within the environment of “Jama‘at al-Muslimeen”.
✔ Contemporary society is considered jāhilī and corrupt.
◈ Conscious Separation
✔ During periods of weakness (istid‘āf), jihad is to be avoided, and group loyalty should be strengthened.
◈ Other Doctrines
✔ Consider taqlīd (following scholars) as shirk and reject the consensus of any Imam.
✔ Do not accept the sayings and actions of the Companions as religious evidence.
✔ Label general mosques as “Masjid Ḍirār”, prohibiting prayer there—except in Masjid al-Ḥarām, Masjid al-Nabawī, Masjid Qubā’, and Masjid al-Aqṣā.
✔ Promote illiteracy, labeling all educational institutions as ṭāghūtī (tyrannical).
✔ Consider their leader as the awaited Mahdī.
✔ Their ideological book is titled: “Dhikrayāt ma‘a Jama‘at al-Muslimeen – al-Takfīr wa’l-Hijrah”.
❖ Government Crackdown and the Group’s Decline
✔ Murder of the Minister of Religious Endowments: The group kidnapped and killed Egypt’s Minister of Religious Endowments, Shaykh Ḥusayn Dhahabī, prompting a strong government response.
✔ Executions: In 1978, Shukrī Muṣṭafā and key leaders were executed.
✔ Reform Efforts: Through the efforts of Salafi scholars in prisons, many individuals influenced by takfīri ideology repented, significantly weakening the group.
❖ Conclusion
“Jama‘at al-Takfīr wa’l-Hijrah” was an extremist group that promoted radical ideas of takfīr, separatism, and extremism. Their beliefs closely resembled those of the Khawārij. Under the guise of Islam, they nurtured a form of extremism that directly contradicted the true message of Islam rooted in balance, knowledge, and mercy.
