Muhammad Surur bin Nayif Zayn al-'Abidin (
Arabic: محمد سرور بن نايف زين العابدين; 1938 – 11 November 2016)[1] was a former member of the
Syrian Muslim Brotherhood.[2] 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 with the theological puritanism of
Wahhabism."[3] This movement is noted for its significant role in advancing a politicized version of
Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia. Surur called for non-violent criticism of Muslim rulers but opposed efforts to overthrow regimes in Muslim countries, viewing such actions sources of
fitna (civil strife and chaos).[4] In 1984, he authored the widely read
anti-Shia book Wa Ja'a Dawr al-
Majus (Arabic: وجاء دور المجوس,
lit. 'The Era of the Magians Has Come').[5] This book posits the
Iranian Revolution as a strategy for
Shiite domination of the Middle East.[6] His writings notably influenced
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of
Al-Qaeda in Iraq.[7]
Life
He was born in the
Hawran region.[8] 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 Brotherhood.[1] These disagreements contributed to his decision to relocate to
Saudi Arabia in 1965.[9] However, after being expelled from Saudi Arabia in 1974 due to reports labelling his activities as subversive,[10] he moved to
Kuwait. There, he established the Dar al-Arqam publishing house.[11] In 1984, Suror settled in the United Kingsom, where he established the Center for Islamic Studies.[12] His final relocation was to
Jordan in 2004.[13]
^
abHaykel, Bernard; Hegghammer, Thomas; Lacroix, Stéphane, eds. (31 Jan 2015). Saudi Arabia in Transition: Insights on Social, Political, Economic and Religious Change. Cambridge University Press. p. 171.
ISBN9781316194195.
^Moghadam, Assaf; Fishman, Brian, eds. (10 May 2011). Fault Lines in Global Jihad: Organizational, Strategic, and Ideological Fissures. Taylor & Francis. p. 187.
ISBN9781136710582.
^Joas Wagemakers (11 Jun 2012). A Quietist Jihadi: The Ideology and Influence of Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi. Cambridge University Press. pp. 34, 77.
ISBN9781139510899.
^Moghadam, Assaf; Fishman, Brian, eds. (10 May 2011). Fault Lines in Global Jihad: Organizational, Strategic, and Ideological Fissures. Taylor & Francis. pp. 187–8.
ISBN9781136710582.
^Khatib, Lina; Lust, Ellen, eds. (16 Apr 2014). Taking to the Streets: The Transformation of Arab Activism (illustrated, reprint ed.). JHU Press. p. 318.
ISBN9781421413112.
^Jerrold D. Green; Frederic M. Wehrey; Charles Wolf (2009). Understanding Iran. Rand Corporation. p. 121.
ISBN9780833045584.
^Stephane Lacroix; George Holoch (2011). Awakening Islam (illustrated ed.). Harvard University Press. p. 69.
ISBN9780674049642.
^John Calvert (22 Nov 2009). Sayyid Qutb and the Origins of Radical Islamism. Oxford University Press. p. 276.
ISBN9780199326877.
^Stephane Lacroix; George Holoch (2011). Awakening Islam (illustrated ed.). Harvard University Press. p. 70.
ISBN9780674049642.
^Stephane Lacroix; George Holoch (2011). Awakening Islam (illustrated ed.). Harvard University Press. p. 293.
ISBN9780674049642.
^Stephane Lacroix; George Holoch (2011). Awakening Islam (illustrated ed.). Harvard University Press. p. 154.
ISBN9780674049642.
^Haykel, Bernard; Hegghammer, Thomas; Lacroix, Stéphane, eds. (31 Jan 2015). Saudi Arabia in Transition: Insights on Social, Political, Economic and Religious Change. Cambridge University Press. pp. 171–2.
ISBN9781316194195.
^Joas Wagemakers (11 Jun 2012). A Quietist Jihadi: The Ideology and Influence of Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi. Cambridge University Press. pp. 77, 239.
ISBN9781139510899.
^Robert G. Rabil (26 Sep 2014). Salafism in Lebanon: From Apoliticism to Transnational Jihadism. Georgetown University Press. p. 55.
ISBN9781626161177.