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Sayyid Qutb and Radical Islamism

The September 11 attacks changed the entire landscape of global politics. Governments

worldwide have become increasingly hostile to Islam and its followers. The president of the

United States of America himself has shown his displeasure with Muslims on multiple occasions.

Islam has become one of the most talked-about religions in the 21st century. The prejudices

against Muslims as a whole have reduced in the past few years, but there is still an underlying

fear in the west when it comes to Islam. However, it is necessary to distinguish between the

religion of Islam and radical Islamism. By the end of colonial rule in the Middle-East, there was

a significant amount of confusion in the East. While some leaders wanted their countries to be

part of the modern world, others wanted to back to the Islamic ways. Conflicts between these

two views gave rise to radical Islamism. Sayyid Qutb was one of the most influential thinkers of

Islamism in the 20th century, whose ideas played a vital role in the formation of radical Islamist

groups like Al-Qaeda.

Introduction to the religion of Islam

The word Islam means submission (to Allah) and is a monotheistic religion. Two

fundamental beliefs define a Muslim: belief in one God and belief in the finality of Muhammad

as a prophet. There are five pillars of Islam, and every Muslim is required to uphold these pillars.

These pillars are Shahada (faith in one God and his prophet Muhammad), Salah (prayer), Zakat

(tax to the poor), Sawm (fasting), and Hajj (pilgrimage). Muslims also have to have faith in only

one God. Violation of this article of faith is considered blasphemous, and the punishment is

death for Muslims. Other articles of faith include belief in angels, resurrection and the judgment

day, The prophets and their sunnah, and the will of God.
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The religion of Islam was introduced by Muhammad, who declared himself the last

prophet of Allah in Mecca in the year 610 C.E. At the time, the people of Arabia believed in a

polytheistic religion, and Ka’aba was house to many Idols. Mecca would receive pilgrims every

year, which resulted in bringing significant revenue to the leaders of Mecca. However, all that

changed after Muhammad declared his prophethood. Over the next few centuries, Islam gained a

significant following in the East. Muslim scholars and philosophers of the Islamic golden age

have contributed a lot to our understanding of physics, logic, mathematics, medicine, biology,

and many other fields of study. Today, Islam has become a subject of scrutiny everywhere in the

world due to the ideology of Islamism.

Radical Islamism

While Islam represents a set of beliefs, Islamism represents a fundamentalist political

ideology that came into being in the 20th century. Islamism advocates for a way of living that

includes all aspects of life, including religion, economy, and politics. Radical Islamism refers to

a revolutionary ideology of global jihadism[ CITATION Mus20 \l 1033 ]. One of the most prominent

radical Islamist groups is Al-Qaeda (responsible for the 9/11 attacks). The fundamental world-

view of this group is that Islam is under attack, and one of its characteristic features is its hatred

of the west and western doctrines of democracy and secularism [ CITATION Qui09 \l 1033 ]. Other

beliefs include the view that only Al-Qaeda is fighting the forces of evil, and if anyone doesn’t

support Al-Qaeda, they support the west. Because groups like these groups don’t have enough

men and resources, they often inspire the masses to join their cause[ CITATION Qui09 \l 1033 ].

Although there have been numerous thinkers who have influenced the ideology of radical

Islamism, the most prominent among them is Sayyid Qutb. Muhammad Qutb revised the ideas of

Sayyid Qutb and played a significant role in building Al-Qaeda[ CITATION Nis15 \l 1033 ].
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Muhammad Qutb was one of the teachers of Osama Bin Laden, who led the Al-Qaeda group and

orchestrated the 9/11 attacks.

Precursors to Radical Islamism

Sayyid Qutb is one of the many Islamist ideologues who have played a huge role in the

rise of Islamist terror groups. The Ideology of radical Islamism has its roots in the middle ages.

Many attribute the origin of anti-west ideology to Ibn-Tamiyyah, a controversial Sunni scholar

from the 13th century CE. Ibn-Tamiyyah rejected the social interpretations of the Quran of his

time and called for a radical purist view of Islam[ CITATION Mur04 \l 1033 ]. His Ideas are famous

among conservative Muslim factions like Wahabbis, Salafis, and Jihadists. Muhammad Ibn

Abdul-Wahab is another Islamist ideologue from the 18th century, who was a co-founder of

Saudi Arabia. Wahab encouraged Muslims to throw away the ideas of the west and return to a

purely Islamic way of life[ CITATION Mur04 \l 1033 ]. Wahabism has been supported by Saudi

Arabia both financially and politically, and strictly rejects modernity[ CITATION Mur04 \l 1033 ].

Another Important figure in Islamism was a contemporary of Sayyid Qutb named Mawdudi.

Mawdudi was a Pakistani journalist, historian, and politician who founded the Jamat-e-Islami

party in Pakistan. Mawdudi had experienced British Colonialism in the sub-continent and

rejected the political, economic, and cultural ideas of western modernity[ CITATION Mur04 \l

1033 ]. His work influenced Sayyid Qutb’s ideas of Islamism significantly.

The Islamism of Sayyid Qutb

Born in 1906 in Egypt, Sayyid Qutb is considered one of the most influential Muslim

thinkers of the 20th Century. His ideas have influenced Muslim revolutionaries all over the world.

Qutb had witnessed the westernization of the Middle East and heavily criticized his people for
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adapting the western way of life. Qutb also criticized the materialist culture of America and

feared they would spread in the Middle East as well. His visit to America reinforced his radical

ideas of Islamism and sought to bring an Islamic revolution that would change this way of life. It

was for this reason that Sayyid Qutb joined the Muslim Brotherhood in 1953. Some of the major

elements of his thought are extreme hatred of the West, the implementation of Shari’a rule in

society, the overthrow of secular governments through Jihad, and intense hatred of Jews and

Christians[ CITATION Zim04 \l 1033 ].

Jahiliyya

Traditionally, the word Jahiliyya meant the age of Ignorance and was used to refer to

Arabia before Islam. One of Sayyid Qutb’s contribution to Islamism is the reformation of the

concept of Jahiliyya. The characteristic features of Qutb’s concept of Jahiliyya are a disregard

for the truth, permission for everything, lies, and deceit, and self-gratification [ CITATION Cal13 \l

1033 ]. Qutb argues that all nations in the world were in a state of Jahiliyya. The concept had

important political and social implications that propelled Qutb’s Islamism. Since Egypt was in a

state of Jahiliyya, Muslims must bring a revolution to topple the western doctrine of secularism

and restore Shari’a law in the country. Qutb constructed this doctrine in two of his most

influential books: Milestones and Social Justice in Islam.

Qutb defines Jahiliyya as “Rule of humans on humans, rejection of God’s divinity,

rebellion against service to God, and the deification of humans.”[ CITATION She03 \l 1033 ] Qutb

proposes that sovereignty belongs to God, and therefore we must obey only his law, the Shari’a.

Replacing the law of God with laws made by humans is a rejection of God’s sovereignty and the

deification of humans. Jahiliyya, therefore, is a condition, not a period [ CITATION She03 \l 1033 ].
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For Qutb, obeying shari’a law is a form of worship, and denying it means denial of worshipping

God. Qutb believed only a revolution could bring an acceptable change in his society.

Jihad

Milestones is unarguably Qutb’s masterpiece. For some, it is equivalent to Lenin’s What

Is To Be Done?[ CITATION Zim04 \l 1033 ]. Qutb wrote the book during his imprisonment. The

book transformed Qutb from an Islamist to a radical Islamist. It gained significant influence

among revolutionary groups in the 1980s. In the book, Qutb proposes that the only cure for the

Jahiliyya all over the world was Jihad or holy war[ CITATION Zim04 \l 1033 ]. Although Qutb

explicitly declares Jihad on Muslims in the state of Jahiliyya, he also implies a similar treatment

of the west[ CITATION Zim04 \l 1033 ]. Qutb says that no one should be forced to accept Islam, but

Jihad must be fought against all societies in the world who are in a state of Jahiliyya. Qutb

argues that nations who do not accept Islam must pay Jizyah (a special tax for non-believers)

[ CITATION Zim04 \l 1033 ]. Qutb’s concept of Jihad provided an intellectual justification for all

radical Islamist groups ever since.

Quranic Justification

Umma refers to the sum of all Muslims in the world. The Muslim Umma is required to

submit to the will of God, practice the tenets of Islam, and summon others to accept the religion.

According to Sura 21:105 of the Quran, God declares the Umma as leaders of the world. They

are given the job of guiding the rest of the world towards the right path. In Sura 13:11, God will

not change those who change themselves. Many advocates of change in Islam use this verse to

justify Jihad, including radical factions[ CITATION Had83 \l 1033 ]. Qutb repeatedly calls the

Muslims of his to learn the meaning of their place in the world and act accordingly. The
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implication is that they should become the leaders of the world through Jihad because only Jihad

can bring true change in a Jahil world.

Qutb’s view of Jews and Christians

Qutb’s interpretations of the Quran contain sections of the west. The west, in his writings,

is categorized into Jews and Christians. According to Sura 2:120, Jews and Christians will never

be satisfied until you follow their religion. In Sura 2:109, God declares that the people of the

book will never be satisfied until they turn you away from your religion. For Qutb, these are

signs from God against the schemes of Jews[ CITATION Had83 \l 1033 ] . For Muslims, these verses

had traditional and historical meaning, but for radicals like Qutb, they were permanent warnings

from God[ CITATION Had83 \l 1033 ]. Qutb had a special hatred towards Jews for many reasons.

First, he accused them of building their economic systems around usury [ CITATION Zim04 \l 1033 ] .

Second, he accused them of monopolizing essential medicines that result in the suffering of the

poor[ CITATION Zim04 \l 1033 ]. Third, Qutb accuses them of polluting the Islamic heritage of

Muslims. Other accusations included the promotion of pornography, prostitution, and the moral

corruption of the masses[ CITATION Zim04 \l 1033 ] . The radical Islamist groups inherited his

hatred of Jews and the west in general.

Concluding remarks

Radical Islamism had changed global politics significantly since the 9/11 attacks. For

these groups, The attacks represented a symbol of a strike against Jahiliyya. According to John

Calvert [CITATION Cal04 \n \t \l 1033 ] , Qutb may not have supported the attacks, but he would

have understood the symbolic importance of the attacks for radical Islamists. Qutb did not

support the current brand of violence of radical Islamism and would have been terrified to see the
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implications of his ideas[CITATION Cal13 \t \l 1033 ] . Nishino [CITATION Nis15 \n \t \l 1033 ] claims

that Muhammad Qutb was the link that connected Sayyid Qutb and Al-Qaeda. According to him,

the Islamist groups would have abandoned Qutb’s ideas, were it not for his brother’s revision of

his writings.

Understandably, the intentions of Sayyid Qutb were honest. He wanted to do something

about the dire state of the Muslim world and constructed a political myth in the hopes that the

Muslim world would come together. However, contrary to his intentions, radical factions

influenced by Muhammad Qutb adopted his ideas and declared a war that has been the cause of

sufferings all around the world. The ambiguity of his writings is partly responsible for their

radical implications.
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References

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Reflections / Réflexions Historiques, Vol. 30, No. 3, Islam and Modernity, 509-528.

Calvert, J. (2013). Sayyid Qutb and the origins of radical Islamism. New York: Oxford

University Press.

Haddad, Y. Y. (1983). The Qur'anic Justification for an Islamic Revolution: The View of Sayyid

Quṭb. Middle East Journal, Vol. 37, No. 1, 14-29.

Murr, V. (2004). The Power of Ideas: Sayyid Qutb and Islamism. Rockford College Summer

Research Project.

Musallam, A. A. (2020). The Posthumous Impact of Sayyid Qutb (1906–1966) on Ayman Al-

Zawahiri and Global Jihadists of Al-Qa‘eda. Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern

Studies Vol. 43, No.2, 1-13.

Nishino, M. (2015). Muhammad Qutb’s Islamist Thought: A Missing Link between Sayyid Qutb

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Shepard, W. E. (2003). Sayyid Qutb's Doctrine of "Jāhiliyya". International Journal of Middle

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