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Sayyid Qutb and the Muslim

Brotherhood 

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Sayyid Qutb

قطب

 

 سيد

9 October 1906 –  29 August 1966

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Biographical references

1912-1918  Primary education

1919  Pause in education

1920  Cairo1929  Teachers College

1939  Ministry of Education

1948-1950 U.S.A.1952 Enrolls in the Muslim Brotherhood 

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Bibliographical references:

‘Social Justice in Islam’ (1949)‘The Struggle between Islam and Capitalism’ (1951)

‘World Peace and Islam’ (1951)

‘In the Shade of the Qur’an’ (1952-1965)

His most important work is:

‘Signposts on the Road’ (1964)

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• „The American is primitive in his artistic taste‟  

• „The American‟s intoxicating “Jazz” music doesnot reach its full completion until the music is

accompanied by singing‟  

• „The American girl is well acquainted with herbody‟s seductive capacity…and does not hide it‟  

• „…numb to faith in religion, faith in art, faith in

 spiritual values altogether‟  

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The Muslim Brotherhood

لمموخو ن

est. 1928

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Hassan al-Banna

ل هح

 

14 October 1906  –  12 February 1949

 Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood

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• He was placed in charge of the weekly ‘ Al-Ikhwan

al-Muslimin’  and later of the Section for the

Propagation of the Call and Publishing.• He was drawn to the Brotherhood because he

shared the same views of a true Islamic vision and

intent to make the vision reality.• He was a moralist trying to understand the reasons

of the current situation and urge to a greater

awareness of ethical norms.

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1952

•

Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918-1970) overthrewthe pro-Western government.

• Apparently Nasser was drawn to Qutb and

they had for the time being a good workrelationship.

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The Liberation Rally

Political party formed after the ban on any other parties and

was intended to mobilize the popular support for the newregime.

Their requests were:

 Unconditional withdrawal of the British from the Canal zone;

 Self-determination for Sudan;

 Establishment of a socialist wlefare state;

 Pan-Arabism;

 Instalation of a Constitution guaranteiing civic liberties.

It dissolved after the clash with the Muslim Brotherhood in

Cairo, 1954.

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1954-55

• The Brotherhood was banned and Qutb was

arrested along with other important figures butwere soon released.

•  Nasser’s attempted assassination in October. 

• He was arrested again and sentenced to 15 years

of labour.

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Signposts along the Road (1964)

This is his most important work that he wrote during his

imprisonment time.

One very important notion in this work is that of

Jahilyyiaa. It is best described as the state of ignorance

of the guidance of God, a state in which also the pre-Islamic Arabs found themselves.

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…another critical factor was the method …they

[n.b. the first generation] did not study the

Qur‟an  for the purpose of obtaining informationor refinement, or for taste or pleasure…to

increase knowledge for its own sake or to address

outstanding issues. Instead they studied to learnwhat God commands,…to immediately put such

instruction into practice…This understanding-

that knowledge is for action- opened vistas of

delight an perception… 

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 Humanity today is standing at the brink of an

abyss…because humanity is bankrupt in the realm

of „values‟…  Humanity must have newleadership!... Islam alone possesses such values… 

 Islam is unable to perform this role…unless it is

actualized in society or in a community… 

 How should the process of reviving Islam begin?

There must be vanguard committed to this

undertaking, to stay the course and navigate a

vast sea of jahiliyya that has taken root in everregion on earth.

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 It is clear that the entire world today exists in a

 state o jahiliyya…it ascribes to men  Allah‟s  sovereignty and makes some men masters of the

others…by way of arrogating to humankind the

right to establish ideas and values, laws and statues, systems and conventions that are entirely

detached from the heedless of the way of life

 prescribed by God.

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 Everything around us is jahilyya: people‟s ideas,

their beliefs, their habits, their traditions, the sources of their culture, their art, their literature,

rules and laws. Even all that we have come to

consider Islamic culture…are all products of jahiliyya.

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1954-1966

• In May he was released from prison after 11

years.

•  He became adviser of a Brotherhood’s group. 

• In August 65’ he was again arrested. 

• 12 April He was convicted;

•

21 April He was sentenced to death;• 29 April Qutb was killed.