In terms of politics, his theoretical work on Islamic advocacy, social justice and education, has left a significant mark on the Muslim Brotherhood (which is still actively involved in Egyptian politics and has related organizations in many countries around the world).

In terms of lives lost and property destroyed, Qutb's greatest impact has been through Islamic insurgent/terror groups in Egypt [12] and elsewhere. His influence on Al Qaeda was felt through his brother, Muhammad Qutb, who moved to Saudi Arabia following his release from prison in Egypt and became a professor of Islamic Studies and edited, published and promoted his brother Sayyid's work. [24] One of Muhammad Qutb's students and an ardent follower was Ayman Zawahiri, who went on to be a member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad terror group [25] and then the mentor of Osama bin Laden. [13] Zawahiri paid homage to Qutb in his work Knights under the Prophet's Banner. [26]

Criticism of Qutb's ideas comes from several, sometimes opposite, directions.

Following the publication of Milestones and the aborted plot against the Nasser government, mainstream Muslims took issue with Qutb's contention that "physical power" and jihad had to be used to overthrow governments, and attack societies, "institutions and traditions" of the Muslim (but according to Qutb jahili) world. [2] The ulema of al-Azhar school took the unusual step following his death of putting Sayyid Qutb on their index of heresy, declaring him a "deviant" (munharif). [20]

Conservative/puritan Muslims went further, condemning Qutb's Islamist/reformist ideas -- such as social justice and redistributive economics, [3] [4] [5] banning of slavery, [6] [21] freedom of religion [22] -- as "western" and bid'ah or innovative (innovations to Islam being forbidden ipso facto). They have accused Qutb of amateur scholarship, overuse of ijtihad, and of lack of respect for Islamic traditions, for prophets and for early Muslims[7]

Reformist Muslims, on the other hand, questioned his understanding of sharia, i.e. that it is not only perfect and complete, but completely accessible to mortals and thus the solution to any of their problems [8] [23]

And finally, following the 9/11 attacks, Westerners looking for who and what may have inspired Al-Qaeda discovered Qutb and found many of his ideas not too Western, but too anti-Western. [9] Complaints here include that contrary to what Qutb preaches, neither the Jews nor the West are conspiring against Islam; that the West is neither "evil and corrupt" nor a "rubbish heap;" that an offensive jihad to establish Islamic rule (or "the sovereignty of God and His Lordship") "throughout the world," would not be liberation but aggression, and finally that Qutb's call for the destruction of jahili Muslim governments may have roused terrorist jihadis to attack Western countries, thinking that Western aid and military stands in the way of the destruction of those "jahili" governments.