Adnan was born into a family of vegetable merchants and studied in a school that combined the official certificates of the Syrian Republic and Islamic sciences.
[3] With the goal of uniting all Islamist groups under one flag, he took the initiative to build good relations between the Muslim Brotherhood and a number of scholars, which ended with the formation of the Islamic Front in Syria.
[10] Prior to Adnan assumed the role of the Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, his predecessor was Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah, who was critical of the 1966 Syrian coup d'état which brought Salah Jadid to the Presidency.
Abu Ghuddah used his position to rally scholars, whom he encouraged to boycott the state and voice opposition to Jadid's violent policies.
The Syrian government responded by sentencing to death about 15 prisoners, already accused of being Iraqi agents, for belonging to the Islamic resistance movement.
Government attitudes in Syria hardened considerably during the uprising, and Assad would rely more on repression than on political tactics for the remainder of his rule, although an economic liberalization began in the 1990s.
This alliance would include a wide range of ideologies from communists to Iraqi branch of Ba'ath Party sympathisants to Adnan's Muslim Brotherhood remnants.
This pragmatism caused dissent both within the Muslim Brotherhood ranks (their military wing commander `Adnan `Uqla saw it as treason) as well as from Islamist forces abroad.
Notably the foundation of the National Alliance came after the Hama revolt, by the time the possibility for mobilizing opposition activities inside Syria was too late.
[23] After the Hama Massacre and the downfall of the National Alliance for the Liberation of Syria, Adnan would leave Muslim Brotherhood and be succeeded by Hassan Howeidi.