Sayyid Qutb Essay Example
Sayyid Qutb
Word Count: 1697
Sayyid Qutb is an academic and writer who is said to be one of the most significant thinkers in modern and contemporary Arab Islamic resurgence.[1] His main impact on Islam is through his expression of the religion as a universal philosophy; a political and social force with the potential to provide solutions to all societal problems. Qutb believed that returning to a true Islamic state would provide social justice and cure societal malaise as “Islam stands against corruption, oppression and capitalism.”[2] His main beliefs, including the concept of jahiliyyah and his understanding of jihad are expressed through his two main publications: In the Shade of the Qu’ran and Milestones. Although these books are heavily criticised by many Orthodox Muslims and Salafi scholars, they are widely read and his ideology of “takfir” (excommunication) and directly opposing the authorities has been ingrained in the minds of a new generation of Muslim youth. In this sense it is clear to see that he has had a dramatic effect on the development and expression of Islam. Although many conservative Muslims and Islamic scholars believe he lacked respect for Islamic traditions and wrongly interpreted the Qu’ran, many other Muslims and modern Jihadists consider him a martyr. These Muslims advocate the survival of his legacy, believing his effect on the development and expression of Islam to be a positive one.
Sayyid Qutb was an Egyptian Muslim born in 1906 to deeply religious parents. Highly educated, Qutb was admitted into Dar al-Ulum, a Western-style university. Here Qutb met Hasan al-Banna, an Arab-Islamic leader he would later join in the Muslim brotherhood[3]. After his graduation Qutb was sent as an academic to America to study United States educational institutions. It was during this two year period that Qutb became convinced of the West’s moral and spiritual deficiency. Highly critical of the West he began to write books and articles expressing
Word Count: 1697
Sayyid Qutb is an academic and writer who is said to be one of the most significant thinkers in modern and contemporary Arab Islamic resurgence.[1] His main impact on Islam is through his expression of the religion as a universal philosophy; a political and social force with the potential to provide solutions to all societal problems. Qutb believed that returning to a true Islamic state would provide social justice and cure societal malaise as “Islam stands against corruption, oppression and capitalism.”[2] His main beliefs, including the concept of jahiliyyah and his understanding of jihad are expressed through his two main publications: In the Shade of the Qu’ran and Milestones. Although these books are heavily criticised by many Orthodox Muslims and Salafi scholars, they are widely read and his ideology of “takfir” (excommunication) and directly opposing the authorities has been ingrained in the minds of a new generation of Muslim youth. In this sense it is clear to see that he has had a dramatic effect on the development and expression of Islam. Although many conservative Muslims and Islamic scholars believe he lacked respect for Islamic traditions and wrongly interpreted the Qu’ran, many other Muslims and modern Jihadists consider him a martyr. These Muslims advocate the survival of his legacy, believing his effect on the development and expression of Islam to be a positive one.
Sayyid Qutb was an Egyptian Muslim born in 1906 to deeply religious parents. Highly educated, Qutb was admitted into Dar al-Ulum, a Western-style university. Here Qutb met Hasan al-Banna, an Arab-Islamic leader he would later join in the Muslim brotherhood[3]. After his graduation Qutb was sent as an academic to America to study United States educational institutions. It was during this two year period that Qutb became convinced of the West’s moral and spiritual deficiency. Highly critical of the West he began to write books and articles expressing