Sayyid Qutb

Abstract

Sayyid Qutb’s influence upon radical Islamic movements during the second half of the twentieth century is undeniable and has long been recognized. Recent interest in the rise of radical Islam has led to a number of publications on him, including a biography by James Calvert and several pieces that analyze certain aspects of his ideology and writings. James Toth’s new text, which presents a general biography of Qutb, seeks to combine these functions by emphasizing the trajectory of his literary career along with offering a topical analysis of the major themes found within his writings. At the same time, Toth provides a fresh and comprehensive evaluation of the career and impact of this famous Islamist ideologue. The book is divided into two main sections, the first of which describes Qutb’s life story from his childhood in Upper Egypt through his secular writing career, increasing radicalization, involvement with the Muslim Brotherhood, prison years, and eventual execution by the Egyptian government in 1966. The second section, which provides a detailed analysis of his ideology, draws heavily from his writings and is arranged thematically. In it, Toth touches on such important topics as Qutb’s interpretation of Islam, his view of it as a revitalization movement, his vision for an Islamic society and economic system, and his understanding of the Islamic state and history. The book also includes a lengthy appendix, with special sections that provide short biographiess on prior Islamic writers who influenced Qutb’s thinking as well as summaries of his views on women/family, dhimmīs (non-Muslims living in a Muslim society), and apologetics. It concludes with a detailed collection of notes as well as a comprehensive bibliography and index. Rather than presenting Qutb’s move toward radicalism as a sharp departure from his prior values and beliefs, Toth seeks to ground his convictions within the context of his childhood in a small Upper Egyptian village and to identify consistent themes that reoccurred throughout his career. During his approximately fifteen years as a literary critic, Qutb focused on poetry and associated himself with the Diwan school of literary criticism led by his mentor Abbas al-‘Aqqad. This school emphasized modernity, individualism, and secularism, three principles that he would reject later on during the radical phase of his career. Yet he was always a person of strong convictions, one who had an abiding religious orientation, an interest in pedagogy, and a some ...