Sayyid Qutb and the Muslim

Brotherhood

Sayyid Qutb

9 October 1906 29 August 1966

Biographical references
1912-1918 Primary education
1919 Pause in education
1920 Cairo
1929 Teachers College
1939 Ministry of Education
1948-1950 U.S.A.
1952 Enrolls in the Muslim Brotherhood

Bibliographical references:
SocialJusticeinIslam(1949)
TheStrugglebetweenIslamandCapitalism(1951)
WorldPeaceandIslam(1951)
IntheShadeoftheQuran(1952-1965)
His most important work is:
Signposts on the Road (1964)

 The American is primitive in his artistic taste

The Americans intoxicating Jazz music does
not reach its full completion until the music is
accompanied by singing
The American girl is well acquainted with her
bodys seductive capacityand does not hide it
numb to faith in religion, faith in art, faith in
spiritual values altogether

The Muslim Brotherhood

est. 1928

Hassan al-Banna

14 October 1906 12 February 1949

Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood

 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.

1952
Gamal Abdel Nasser (1918-1970) overthrew
the pro-Western government.
Apparently Nasser was drawn to Qutb and
they had for the time being a good work
relationship.

The Liberation Rally

Political party formed after the ban on any other parties and
was intended to mobilize the popular support for the new
regime.
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.

1954-55
The Brotherhood was banned and Qutb was
arrested along with other important figures but
were soon released.
NassersattemptedassassinationinOctober.
He was arrested again and sentenced to 15 years
of labour.

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 preIslamic Arabs found themselves.

another critical factor was the methodthey

[n.b. the first generation] did not study the
Quran for the purpose of obtaining information
or refinement, or for taste or pleasureto
increase knowledge for its own sake or to address
outstanding issues. Instead they studied to learn
what God commands,to immediately put such
instruction into practiceThis understandingthat knowledge is for action- opened vistas of
delight an perception

Humanity today is standing at the brink of an

abyssbecause humanity is bankrupt in the realm
of values Humanity must have new
leadership!... Islam alone possesses such values
Islam is unable to perform this roleunless 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 ever
region on earth.

It is clear that the entire world today exists in a

state o jahiliyyait ascribes to men Allahs
sovereignty and makes some men masters of the
othersby 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.

Everything around us is jahilyya: peoples 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 cultureare all products of
jahiliyya.

1954-1966
In May he was released from prison after 11
years.
HebecameadviserofaBrotherhoodsgroup.
In August 65hewasagainarrested.
12 April He was convicted;
21 April He was sentenced to death;
29 April Qutb was killed.