Synopsis of Milestones

8/11/2019 Synopsis of Milestones

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Sayyid Qutb'sMilestones

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sayyid Qutb'sMilestones,

But Couldn't Be Bothered to Find Out

Eler Swenson

!ast "#dated$ %&(&))*

1. Introduction

2. Qutb and the Muslim Community

3. Qutb and Shari'ah Law, the Islamic Vanguard and Slaery

!. Qutb on Se", #omen and the $amily

%. Qutb on &olitics' &rogressie Islam, (ationalism, )emocracy, Socialism

*. Qutb on &olitics' +acial -uality and $reedom

. Qutb and non/Muslims' 0he #est. Qutb and non/Muslims' Christians, ews and $reedom o +eligion

4. Qutb and &eaceul Co/"istance with non/Muslims

15. Qutb and the $uture

11. 6ddendum

+-.O

Who is Sayyid Qutb, and what's so s#e/ial about his boo0Milestones, a0a

Signposts1

Qutb 7145*/14**8 was an gy9tian goernment bureaucrat, author, literary critic and

inally an Islamic 9olitical leader, but is most amous as an Islamist theoretician. :e

grew u9 in ;ritish/occu9ied gy9t and was im9risoned and e"ecuted in (asser


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htt9'AAwww.youngmuslims.caAonlineBlibraryAboo=sAmilestonesAinde"B2.as9

htt9'AAen.wi=i9edia.orgAwi=iAMa2alimBi/l/0ari-

Some accolades orMilestonesand Qutb


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$6Q, then is an attem9t to ma=eMilestoneseasier to understand by brea=ing it down 9oint/by/

9oint and clariying it. Such 9oints include the -uestions'

#as Qutb an anti/#estern anatic as some o the -uotes in the irst 6nswer indicateF Gr has

the #est Dchosen to dubD Qutb and the Islamic religious reial in general Das undamentalist, as

anatic, as anti/#estern, as anachronistic, as what not, when nothing could be arther rom the

truthDF ?!@6re ollowers o Qutb in reality merely 9ious and 9roud Muslims who demand res9ectand sensitiity or their religion and 9eo9le, but are willing to gie the same to others in returnF

#hen does Qutb thin= iolence is necessaryF Is he Dcareul to em9hasiHe that ?Eihad@ does

not necessarily mean the use o iolence...DF 7D6 $resh loo= at Sayyid Qutbod,D i.e. Shari'ahlaw,Islam does not e"ist, so today


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erything.

!ahiliyyahis eerywhere'

The whole world is steeped in Jahiliyyah... ?9.15/11@

Jahiliyyahis evil and corrupt, whether it be of the ancient ormodern variety. ?9.132@

%e must ... free ourselves from the clutches of jahilisociety,

jahiliconcepts, jahilitraditions and jahilileadership.. ?9.21@

(o com9romise with it is tolerable'%e will not change our own values and concepts either more or

less to ma&e a bargain with this jahilisociety. 'ever$ ?9.21@

6 lie/and/let/lie co/e"istence with it is unthin=able'Islam cannot accept or agree to a situation which is half#Islam

and half#Jahiliyyah... The mixing and co#existence of the truthand falsehood is impossible. ?9.135@

But i4 3uslis #ray, 4ast, give als, go on 2a77, #ro/lai that there is no 8od

but 8od and 3uhaad is his #ro#het, how /an they be ignorant #agans

9i:e:Jahili;1

6nyone who does not obey traditional Shari'ah, or D>od


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In deiating rom the model or Muslims // the original DCom9anions o the &ro9het.D

If Islam is again to play the role of the leader of man&ind, then

it is necessary that the Muslim community be restored to its

original form. ?9.4@

nli=e Muslims o today, the com9anions isolated themseles rom the!ahiliyyahlearning andculture o non/Muslims and loo=ed to the Qurree=, +oman, &ersian,

Christian or ewish logic, art, 9oetry, etc., // i.e. anything other than the Qur


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Shari'ahis also a part of that universal law which governs the

entire universe, including the physical and biological aspects of

man. ach word of God, whether it is an in/unction or a

prohibition, a promise or an admonition, a rule or guidance, is a

part of the universal law and is as accurate and true as any of

the laws &nown as the 0laws of nature0... ?9.@

and thus can no more be denied than the laws o graity or nuclear 9hysics.

Shari'ahis so wonderul it achiees the DresultsD o heaen 7though not absolutely 9erectly8

right here on earth.

... when harmony between human life and the universe ensues, its

results are not postponed for the next life but are operative

even in this world. 1owever, they will reach their perfection in

the 1ereafter. ?9.41@

0he Shari'ahis not Eust a legal code but eerything legislated by >od, rom DbelieD to

Dadministration and EusticeD to D9rinci9les o art and science.D 79.158

So i4 la/0 o4Shari'ahis the /ause o4 the deise o4 true +sla and the 3usli

/ounity, how does Qutb #ro#ose to reestablishShari'ah1

#ell, o course, through 9reaching to 9ersuade 9eo9le o the Shari'ah'snecessity, but

the abolition of man#made laws cannot be achieved only through

preaching. Those who have usurped the authority of God and are

oppressing God"s creatures are not going to give up their power

merely through preaching. ?9.%4@

So in addition Dthe moementD is needed.If through 0preaching0 beliefs and ideas are confronted, through

0the movement0 material obstacles are tac&led. 2oremost among

these [material obstacles is that political power which rests on

a complex yet interrelated ideological, racial, class, social and

economic support ... 2or the achievement of the freedom of man on

earth ## of all man&ind throughout the earth ## it is necessary

that these two methods should wor& side by side. This is a very

important point and cannot be overemphasi3ed. ?9.%4@

Material obstacles is also described as Dthe 9olitical system o the state, the socio/economic

system based on races and classes, and behind all these, the military 9ower o the goernment.D

79.*38 Later on he e"9ands the list o the Dmany 9ractical obstacles in establishing >od


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This movement uses ... physical power and Jihaadfor abolishing

the organi3ations and authorities of the jahilisystem which

prevents people from reforming their ideas and beliefs but forces

them to obey their erroneous ways [i.e. what they want to do and

ma&e them serve human lords instead of the (lmighty 4ord. ?9.%%@

0There is no compulsion in religion50 but when the abovementioned obstacles and practical difficulties

i.e. the 9olitical system o the state, the socio/economic system and behind all these, the military

9ower o the goernment 7not to mention Dthe whole human enironmentD8are put in [Islam"s way, it has no recourse but to remove them

by force so that when it is addressed to peoples" hearts and

minds they are free to accept or re/ect it with an open mind.

?9.*3, 2@

Who will do this 4or/e4ul reoving o4 the 6organi>ations and authorities o4 theJahilisyste ::: the whole huan environent61

0he Islamic anguard or whomMilestonesis written.

1ow is it possible to start the tas& of reviving Islam6 It is

necessary that there should be a vanguard which sets out ... and

&eeps wal&ing on the path, marching through the vast ocean of

Jahiliyyahwhich has encompassed the entire world. ?9.12@

The Islamic society is born out of a [vanguard movement ... the

origin of this movement [is the faith of a single individual ...

(s soon as this single individual believes in this faith, the

Islamic community comes into existence +potentially. %hen the

number of 7elievers reaches three, then this faith tells them,

0'ow you are a community, a distinct Islamic community, distinct

from that Jahilisociety ...

These three individuals increase to ten, the ten to a hundred,

the hundred to a thousand, and the thousand increase to twelve

thousand?9.151/3@

;ecause

Jahiliyyahis all around him, and its residual influences in his

mind and in the minds of those around him, ... every individual

of this society must move$

0o se9arate themseles rom insidious!ahiliyyahagainst which

... the struggle goes on and the Jihaadcontinues until the -ay

of 8esurrection. ?9.151/3@

Will the vanguard 4or/e others to a//e#t theShari'ah1


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Qutb is ambiguous on this 9oint. Gn the one hand Qutb calls or waiting and delaying the

legislation o the Shari'ahuntil 9eo9le are DreadyD and hae acce9ted Islam.

The course prescribed by God for this religion is ... first,

belief ought to be imprinted on hearts and rule over consciences

## that belief which demands that people should not bow before

anyone except God or derive laws from any other source. Then,when such a group of people is ready and also gains practical

control of society, various laws will be legislated according to

the practical needs of that society. ?9.3%@

Gn the other hand Qutb also indicates that some things can


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and the fear of God"s anger too& the place of police and

punishments. ?9.4, 35@

But isn't it true that Qutb e#hasi>ed the 6#ra/ti/al6 nature o4 +sla and the

i#ortan/e o4 theShari'ahserving the needs o4 the 3usli /ounity1

6ccording to one o Qutb


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but also human affairs, and %ho implements a uniform law

according to 1is will ?9.4@

... that uniorm law being the Shari'ah.

:ow can 9eo9le legislate DaccordingD to their DneedsD and at the same time be Dinca9able o

ma=ing laws or a ?harmonious@ system o lieDF

0he conusion may stem rom what D9racticalD means. Most #esterners will assume it means

9ragmatic as o99osed to doctrinaire // using what wor=s and throwing out what doesn


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Ironically, at the same time Qutb attac=s!ahiliyyahas 9er9etuating Dthe slaery o one man oer

another,D he enthuses about the use o 6rican slaes in the early Islamic world as a sort o

beneolent raising u9 o the 9oor 6ricans.

%hen Islam entered the central part of (frica, it clothed na&ed

human beings, sociali3ed them, brought them out of the deep

recesses of isolation, and taught them the /oy of wor& forexploring +sic material resources. ?9.15%@

:e doesn


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that is, 0-o you &now better, or God60 and, 0God &nows and you do

not &now.0

The good of man&ind is inherent in the -ivine 4aws sent down by

God to the *rophet ... If at any time men thin& that their good

is in going against what God has legislated, then first of all,

they are deluded in their thin&ing ...


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prefers to become a hostess or a stewardess in a hotel or ship or

air company, thus spending her ability for material productivity

rather than in the training of human beings, because material

production is considered to be more important, more valuable and

more honorable than the development of human character, then such

a civili3ation is 0bac&ward0 from the human point of view, or

0Jahili0 in the Islamic terminology. ?9.4@


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Q"-B O O!+-+CS$

.O8.ESS+=E +S!A3, A-+OA!+S3,


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6n o9inion that has not withstood the test o timeN ?4@

:e also 9resents as eidence that Christian and ewish societies are lost to!ahiliyyah9agan

ignorance the act that they Dhae established assemblies o men which hae absolute 9ower to

legislate laws.D 79.28 6s Qutb, his Muslim ;rethren and their =indred 9ublications all suered

rom su99ression at the hands o (asser


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1uman values and human morals are not something mysterious and

undefinable, nor are they 0progressive0 and changeable, having no

roots and stability, as is claimed by the exponent of the

materialistic interpretation of history of 0scientific

socialism.0 They are the values and the morals which develop

those characteristics in a human being which distinguish him from

the animals and which emphasi3e those aspects of his personality

which raise him above the animals... ?9.4*@

OK, Qutb is disdain4ul o4 Western&style so/ialis or #luralist liberal deo/ra/y,

but how about soe 0ind o4 non&Western +slai/


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whole world, and compounding the essences of all the human

capabilities, ideas and wisdom of that period... ?9.!4@

Thus they [the early Muslims all came together on an e:ual

footing in the relationship of love, with their minds set upon a

single goal5 thus they used their best abilities, developed the

:ualities of their race to the fullest. ?9.%5@

;ut i Contem9orary anti/racists may assume e-uality is 9art o inclusieness, Qutb does not. :e

was angered by 6merican whites who thought him racially inerior, that doesnod 7i.e. re9lacing non/Islamic
http://gemsofislamism.tripod.com/milestones_qutb.html#footnote_10%23footnote_10http://gemsofislamism.tripod.com/milestones_qutb.html#footnote_10%23footnote_10


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goernment or Dseritude to other menD with Islamic goernment or >od


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Inter9retation, o course, is a matter o great interest in Islamist re9ublics li=e Iran 7and ormerly

Sudan8 where there has been considerable and sometimes iolent disagreement oer Eust what is

>od


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Muslims would su99ort the Muslim con-uerors and obey their laws e"tending Dinto all as9ects o

lieD 79.328, rather than ight bac=, is hard to ta=e seriously.

Aside 4ro that, what about the real&li4e organi>ation Qutb belonged to when he

was alive: 2ow was that run1

$or someone har9ing on the intolerability o Dsering human lordsD and the sel/eident nature o

Islamic legal inter9retation, you might thin= any Muslim organiHation Qutb belonged to would

be run by consensus. ;ut that organiHation, the Muslim ;rotherhood 7Al I#han al Muslimun8

was originally run organiHed more along military lines according to a glowing descri9tion o the

original written by a ellow undamentalist. 0here was an undis9uted leader, Shai=h :assan al

;anna, seated at D>eneral :ead-uarters,D where any decisions made by branches o the

brotherhood could be oerruled. Members were classiied by grades 7determined by

e"aminations8, and grou9ed into Dnuclei, cells, amilies and 9halan"es.D

6ll members had to ta=e a ;a


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The orientalists have painted a picture of Islam as a violent

movement which imposed its belief upon people by the sword. These

vicious orientalists &now very well this is not true ... ?9.%/*@

What does Qutb thin0 o4 the West1

QutbAat this vulgarity which you call

0emancipation of women50 at these unfair and cumbersome laws of

marriage and divorce, which are contrary to the demands of

practical life5 and at Islam, with its logic, beauty, humanity

and happiness ... these facts, when seen in the light of Islam

made the (merican people blush. Bet there are people ## exponent

of Islam ## who are defeated before this filth ... they searchfor resemblances to Islam among this rubbish heap of the %est ...

?9.134@

#estern society is o99ressie...

. . . . consider the 7ritish mpire. It is li&e the 8oman society

to which it is an heir. It is based on national greed, in which

the 7ritish nation has the leadership and exploits those colonies

annexed by the mpire. The same is true of other uropean

empires. The


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Materialism ... in the form of material production ... is given

the highest valueC in Cthe )nited


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Islamic concept and its explanation of the physical world, its

phenomena, its forces and its secrets. ?9.111@

Muslims reached their current state o bac=wardness Dby abandoning Islam, and not because they

are Muslims.D 79.13*8

:ow will Muslims ta=e the lead in science and technologyF ;y ollowing religious duty, whichtells Muslims DIslam a99ointed them as re9resentaties o >od and made them res9onsible or

learning all the sciences.D 79.1128 6nd by ollowing the Shari$ah, which will insure that

blessings fall on all man&ind, [and leads in an easy manner to

the &nowledge of the secrets of nature, its hidden forces and the

treasures concealed in the expanses of the universe. ?9.45@

;esides, we needn


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+s Qutb's hatred 4or Western /ivili>ation and devotion to +slai/ revival really

7ust an e5#ression o4 his loathing o4 Western o##ression and i#erialis

stated in ters ore dear to his heart && i:e: in religious vo/abulary1

(o, it


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explaining the purpose of man and his historical role in

philosophical terms ... is one of the tric&s played by world

?ewry, whose purpose is to eliminate all limitations, especially

the limitations imposed by faith and religion, so that ?ews may

penetrate into body politics of the whole world and then may be

free to perpetuate their evil designs. (t the top of the list of

these activities is usury, the aim of which is that all the

wealth of man&ind end up in the hands of ?ewish financial

institutions which run on interest. ?9.115/111@

In another boo= o his,Ma'ra#atuna ma'a al-%ahud7&ur battle ith the !es8, Qutb e"9ands on

his theory...

(t the beginning the enemies of the Muslim community did not

fight openly with arms but tried to fight the community in its

belief through intrigue, spreading ambiguities, creating

suspicions. They do li&ewise today. They have plotted and they go

on plotting against this nation. 1undreds and thousands haveinfiltrated the Muslim world, and they still do in the guise of

!rientalists. The pupils of the latter fill today the positions

of the intellectual life of the countries whose people call

themselves Muslim. Their aim is clearly shown by the *rotocols

[of the lders of Dion. The ?ews are behind materialism, animal

sexuality, the destruction of the family and the dissolution of

society. *rincipal among them are Marx, 2reud, -ur&heim and the

?ew ?ean#*aul


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Christians believe in the trinity o4 6Father, Son and 2oly S#irit,6 whi/h 3uslis

do not /onsider true onotheis be/ause it 6asso/iates others with 8od:6

But ews don't believe in a divine trinity, so why does Qutb /onsider the

#olytheist1

#hen Qutb tal=s about DothersD that Christians and ews are Dassociating with >od,D he means

religious oicials, not deities 7esus and the :oly S9irit8. ust as legislating and ollowing any

law not in the traditional Shari'ahis 9olytheism 7shir#8, so to is ollowing DlawsD legislated by

9riests and rabbis.

Sayth Qutb' ews and Christians

did not consider their priests or rabbis as divine, nor did they

worship them5 but they gave them the authority to ma&e laws,

obeying laws which were made by them [and not permitted by

God... ?9.2@

0his is not 9ermitted by >od because

it clear that obedience to laws and /udgments is a sort of

worship ?9.*5@

Gbedience to clerics then ma=es 9eo9le o the boo= 9olytheists. 6s eidence, Qutb -uotes a

hadith 7narratie8 by 0irmidhi where the &ro9het says'

0They [the *eople of the 7oo& have ta&en their rabbis andpriests as lords other than God0 (di reports; CI said, 0They do

not worship their priests.0 God"s Messenger replied, 0%hatever

their priests and rabbis call permissible, they accept as

permissible5 whatever they declare as forbidden, they consider as

forbidden, and thus they worship them.0 [


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In an Islamic system there is room for all &inds of people to

follow their own beliefs, [as long as they are obeying the laws

of the [Islamically#ruled country which are themselves based on

the -ivine authority. ?9.*1@

0he idea that Islam eer did use com9ulsion is 7he says8 sim9ly a lie concocted by #estern

scholars.

The orientalists have painted a picture of Islam as a violent

movement which imposed its belief upon people by the sword. These

vicious orientalists &now very well this is not true... ?9.%/*@

So under the Qutbian syste then Christians and ews would be able to /ontinue

#ra/ti/ing their religion1

#elllll ... again Qutb is ambiguous, not to say downright contradictory. Gn the one hand'

In an Islamic system there is room for all &inds of people to

follow their own beliefs, [as long as obeying the laws of the

[Islamically#ruled country which are themselves based on the

-ivine authority. ?9.*1@

6nd again'

when Islam releases people from this political pressure of ...

servitude to other men ... it gives them complete freedom to

accept or not to accept its beliefs.

;ut in the ne"t breath adds'1owever this freedom does not mean that they can ma&e their

desires their gods, or that they can choose to remain in the

servitude of other human beings, ma&ing some men lords over

others. ?9.*1@

DSeritudeD 7as 9reiously e"9lained8 reers to the obedience o Christians and ews to their

religious leaders. 0hough these &eo9le o the ;oo= Ddid not consider their 9riests or rabbis as

diineD, they Dgae them the authority to ma=e laws, obeying laws which were made by them,

?and@ not 9ermitted by >odD 79.28 because Dto obey is to worshi9,D and Dthis religion has

come to annihilate such 9ractices ...D 79.*58

6s usual this raises all sorts o -uestions Qutb does not begin to answer. Setting aside the issue

o whether ews and Christians ollow their religious authorities any more slaishly than say the

Muslim ;rotherhood ollowed earless leader Shai=h :assan al ;annas, how e"actly can a

religion unction without rules, without someone to ma=e rulesF #ould non/Muslim religious

leaders be allowed to gie 6(J instruction or adiceF 6nd what might be in store or these

9riests and rabbis whose D9racticesD are in line or DannihilationDF )oubtless Christians and ews

will be wondering i the banning o any rules made by non/Muslim religious leaders isn


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Q"-B and EACEF"! CO&E+S-ACE with O&

3"S!+3S

2undreds o4 illions o4 3uslis live in /ountries where they are a inority:

2ow does Qutb thin0 3uslis should relate to non&3usli a7ority

/outnries li0e +ndia, the ":S:, Canada or /ountries in Euro#e && or 4or that

atter any /ountry no atter who's in the a7ority && where it's /lear ost

#eo#le do not want to live underShari'ahand don't thin0 it's divine law1

6 true Muslim not only has no loyalty to any country Dwhere the Islamic Shari'ahis not

enorced,D but must be 9re9ared to ight against such countries.

(ny place where the Islamic Shari'ahis not enforced and where

Islam is not dominant becomes the 1ome of 1ostility +DarulHarb

... ( Muslim will remain prepared to fight against it, whether it

be his birthplace or a place where his relatives reside or where

his property or any other material interest are located.

The homeland of the Muslim, in which he lives and [upon which he

depends, is not a piece of land5 the nationality of the Muslim,

by which he is identified, is not the nationality determined by a

government ... striving is purely for the sa&e of God, for the

success of 1is religion and 1is law .... ?9.12!/%@

What does Qutb thin0 o4 #ea/e1 Can 6+sla6 9i:e: Qutb's ideal +slai/

hoeland; live in #ea/e with non&3usli states1

:y9othetically 9erha9s.

It may happen that the enemies of Islam may consider it expedient

not to ta&e any action against Islam, if Islam leaves them alone

in their geographical boundaries to continue the lordship of some

men over others and does not extend its message and itsdeclaration of universal freedom within their domain. 7ut Islam

cannot agree to this unless they submit to its authority by

paying Ji!yah, which will be guarantee that they have opened

their doors for the preaching of Islam ... ?9.3@

;ut in reality, no.

6 situation where an Islamic and non/Islamic state lie in 9eaceul coe"istence and do not

threaten each other is a Dsu9ericial 9eace.D 0rue 9eace does not and cannot e"ist unless Dthe

obedience o all 9eo9leD is Dor >od alone.D
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It is immaterial whether the homeland of Islam ## in the true

Islamic sense, Dar ulIslam## is in a condition of peace or

whether it is threatened by its neighbors. %hen Islam strives for

peace, its ob/ective is not that superficial peace which re:uires

that only that part of the earth where the followers of Islam are

residing remain secure. The peace which Islam desires is that the

religion +i.e. the 4aw of the society be purified for God, that

the obedience of all people be for God alone, and that some

people should not be lords over others. ?9.*3@

&eace with non/Muslim society is uneasible because!ahiliyyahwon


30/36

There is no room to say that the basic aim of the Islamic

movement was 0defensive0 in the narrow sense which some people

ascribe to it today, defeated by the attac&s of the treacherous

!rientalists$ ?9.*4@

... Those who say that Islamic Jihaadwas merely for the defense

of the 0homeland of Islam0 diminish the greatness of the Islamic

way of life ... ?9.1@:e admits that Muslims were restrained rom ighting or a brie time Din Mecca and in the early

9eriod o their migration to Medina,D but that ollowing this DMuslims were 9ermitted to ight,

then they were commanded to ight against the aggressorsK and inally they were commanded to

ight against all the 9olytheists,D which as we hae seen includes Christians and ews. 79.*!8

+4 there are 4our stages o4Jihaad9H?I non&violent, HI 4ighting o#tional, HJI

de4ensive 4ighting andatory, and HI violently e5#ansionist;, /an 3uslis

/hoose whi/h o4 the 4our to use de#ending on the /ir/ustan/es1

(ot according to Qutb. DGnly the inal stages o the moement o ihaad are to be ollowed,

?where D9olytheistsD re9laces DaggressorsD as the enemy@K the initial or middle states are not

a99licable.D 79.*38

6nother time he 9oints out that limiting!ihaadto a deensie war ma=es no sense because ituided Cali9hs 7al-Khulafaa ashidun8 // 6bu ;a=r, mar 6li, or

Gthman // did. 0hey would neer hae rerained rom attac=ing and inading Dthe +oman and

&ersian 9owersD sim9ly because they were DsatisiedD that the D+oman and &ersian 9owersD had

no aggressie intensions and Dwere not going to attac= the 6rabian 9eninsula.D 79.*28 )oes this

mean Qutb considered India, uro9e, China and all countries surrounding Muslim land to be the

e-uialent o &ersia and the ;yHantine m9ire beore they were con-uered by Muslim armiesF Itcertainly sounds li=e it.

Q"-B and the F"-".E

What /an 6true6 3uslis loo0 4orward to 4ollowing Qutb's #ath 9a//ording toQutb;1

6 total way o lie...

The word religion includes more than belief5 0religion0actually means a way of life,C +p.A>

Its system extends into all aspects of life5 it discusses all

minor or ma/or affairs of man&ind5 it orders man"s life ?9.32@

... com9letely dierent rom what they are use to ...
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The change from this Jayiliyya, which has encompassed theearth, to Islam is vast and far#reaching5 the Islamic life is the

opposite of all modes of jahililife, whether ancient or modern.

?9.13!@

Islam cannot accept any mixing with Jayiliyya, either in itsconcept or in the modes of living which are derived from this

concept.?9.135@

... ree o relations with 7non/anguard8 9arents, siblings, children ...

... a Muslim has no relatives except those who share the belief

in God... ?9.114@

... and with much 9ain and suering.

#hile you might e"9ect Qutb to end his tract on an ins9irational note, 9roclaiming the glories o

the new world to come in order to encourage his readers to Eoin the Islamic anguard, he does

something ery dierent. In his concluding cha9ter, D0his is the +oad,D Qutb 9re9ares hisollowers or!ihaadwith some iidly gruesome imagery. :e reminds them not to orget the

story o the Ma=ers o the &it, where sadistic heathens burned belieers to death ...

... arrogant, mischievous, criminal and degraded people ... sat

by the pit of fire, watching how the 7elievers suffered and

writhed in pain. They sat there to en/oy the sight of how fire

consumes living beings and how the bodies of these noble souls

were reduced to cinders and ashes ... shouts of mad /oy would

escape their lips at the sight of blood and pieces of flesh.

?9.1%5@

or o other torturers who ...would catch a man, bury him halfway in a hole dug in the ground,

then saw his head until it split in two5 or would comb with iron

combs between his flesh and bones ... ?9.1%@

in their attem9t to ma=e a man renounce Islam.

[This example ... in which the 7elievers have no escape and the

unbelievers are not punished ... must not be forgotten$ ...

7elievers ## the callers toward God ## should remain fully aware

that they can also meet this extreme end in the way of God, and

they have no say in it. ?9.1%%@

;elieers must be 9re9ared or a Dlie until death in 9oerty, diiculty, rustration, torment and

sacriice...D 79.1%8 and loo= orward to Dtraersing this road eer 9aed with s=ulls and limbs

and blood and sweat.D 79.1%8

What /an non&3uslis loo0 4orward to i4 Qutb's #ath is 4ollowed 9a//ording to

Qutb;1


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6lthough Qutb neer summariHes his ision by saying, D#e will not be satisied until the whole

world submits to the authority o true Islam 7as deined by me8, im9osed by orce and made u9

o laws 7a.=.a. the traditional Shari'ah8 oer anything and eerything you do,D the dots to ollow

are ew and close together'

>od


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cumbersome laws of marriage and divorce, ... these facts, when

seen in the light of Islam made the (merican people blush.?9.134@

... which will eliminate obstacles including irtually eerything non/Islamic ...

There are many practical obstacles in establishing God"s rule

on earth, such as the power of the state, the social system andtraditions and, in general, the whole human environment. Islam

uses force only to remove these obstacles so that there may not

remain any wall between Islam and individual human beings. ?9.2@

... and re-uire obedience to Shari'ahlaws, including the 9aying o tribute ta" and end to

ollowing o religious regulations o 9riests and rabbis.

nemies of Islam [must submit to [Islam"s authority by

paying Ji!yah?9.3@

freedom [to refuse to be a Muslim does not mean that [non#

Muslims can ma&e their desires their gods, or that they can

choose to remain in the servitude of other human beings, ma&ing

some men lords over others. ?9.*1@

0hose who do not conert to Islam should e"9ect the attitudes o Muslims they meet 7including

those running the goernment8 to ary rom distrust ...

0-o not as& the *eople of the 7oo& about anything. They will not

guide you.0 79.1138

... to hostility ... 7#estern ciiliHation has a Dcrusading s9iritD to attac= Islam8

... to im9lacable hatred 7or ews8.

The ?ews are behind materialism, animal sexuality, the

destruction of the family and the dissolution of society.

*rincipal among them are Marx, 2reud, -ur&heim and the ?ew ?ean#

*aul


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htt9'AAenglish.alEaHeera.netA(+Ae"eresA;;*%!$1/)%C/!)/;2%1/26*256!*1).htm

htt9'AAwww.derechos.orgAwiA2Aegy9t.html

#hat is certain is that lies o the Dauthorities o the!ahilisystemD will be in real danger. 0hese

9eo9le not only alsely declare themseles Muslims, but 9reent the masses o!ahiliMuslims

rom becoming true Muslims. 0he Darrogant, mischieous, criminal and degraded 9eo9leD o

Milestoneslast cha9ter, who saw o9en Muslims< heads beore burning them alie is undoubtedlya reerence to the!ahiliauthorities o gy9t who tortured Qutb and his Muslim ;rotherhood

brothers in 9rison. Many Muslims in gy9t 7and elsewhere8 hae already been slain by Islamists

or ar less.

A


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Oawahiri has 9raised Qutb in his writings. Oawahiri has been called DEihadod or Satan 79.118K good or eil 79.1%!8K a

wonderul world 7rule by 9erect law, harmony, 9eace, discoeries o nature8, or the eil

and corru9tion o eerything non/Muslim. 0here


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Virtually all (on/Muslims will ight Qutbism 7and not out o wic=ednessN8. eryew

#esterners thin= their ciiliHation has no redeeming alue. eryew 6mericans Dblush

with embarrassmentD at the ineriority o their society in com9arison with Islam. 0hey do

notsee themseles engaged in cons9iracy against Islam. 0he ast maEority will see

Qutbian 9romise o DreedomD as a limsy, nonsensical rationaliHation or aggression and

domination.

0his collision o Qutbist 9assion and e-ually determined!ahiliresistance, and the rustration o

Qubtists with!ahiliyya

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