Muhammad Surur

Muhammad Surur bin Nayif Zayn al-'Abidin (Arabic: محمد سرور بن نايف زين العابدين; 1938 – 11 November 2016) was a former member of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood. 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." 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). 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 Magicians Has Come'). This book posits the Iranian Revolution as a strategy for Shiite domination of the Middle East. His writings notably influenced Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq.