Sayyid Qutb on the Scale
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Sayyid Qutb: A man who appeared on the Islamic world with his thought, and people differed regarding him, some glorifying him and others criticizing him severely. We would like our Shaykh to clarify this matter for us comprehensively, and what the Muslim’s position should be toward this man; because Sayyid has an impact on the Islamic world, and he has works and writings, so we want a clarification from your eminence?
May Allah reward you! I do not see that there should be conflict and dispute among the Muslim youth over a specific man, whether Sayyid Qutb or anyone other than Sayyid Qutb. Rather, the conflict should be over the Shari'ah ruling.For example: We present a statement from the statements of Qutb or anyone other than Qutb,And we say: Is this statement true or false? Then we examine it; if it is true, we accept it, and if it is false, we reject it. As for the dispute and conflict being among the youth, with the taking and rejecting of a specific man, this is a mistake and a great error.
Sayyid Qutb is not infallible, and the scholars above him are not infallible, and the scholars below him are not infallible. Every person’s statement is taken and left except the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), whose statement must be accepted in all circumstances.
Therefore, I advise the youth not to make their disputes and conflicts revolve around a specific person, whoever he may be; because if the disputes are of this nature, the opponent might invalidate a truth that this person said, or perhaps support a falsehood that this person said. This is a great danger; because if a person becomes biased for one person and another becomes biased against him, the one who is biased against him will say about him what he did not say, or interpret his words, or something similar. And the other might deny what he said, or direct what he said toward falsehood.
So I say: We do not speak about individuals, and we do not become biased for individuals. Sayyid Qutb has moved from the abode of action to the abode of recompense, and Allah the Exalted is his accountant, as well as the other scholars of knowledge.
As for the truth, it must be accepted whether it comes from Sayyid Qutb or from anyone else, and falsehood must be rejected whether it is from Sayyid Qutb or from anyone else. And it is obligatory to warn against any falsehood that is written or heard, whether from this person or that person, from any human being.
This is my advice to our brothers, and it is not befitting for the discussion, dispute, and taking and rejecting to be about a specific person.
As for Sayyid Qutb, my opinion regarding his works is that he is like the others; there is truth and falsehood in them. No one is infallible. However, his works are not an example like the works of Shaykh Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani; between them is as between the sky and the earth. The works of the first man are expressions of general literary and cultural matters, and he does not have what Shaykh al-Albani has in terms of verification and knowledge.
Therefore, I see that truth is taken from every person, and falsehood is rejected from every person, and that it is not befitting for us, and indeed it is not permissible for us, to make the names of men the center of dispute, conflict, division, and unity.
May Allah reward you! I do not see that there should be conflict and dispute among the Muslim youth over a specific man, whether Sayyid Qutb or anyone other than Sayyid Qutb. Rather, the conflict should be over the Shari'ah ruling.For example: We present a statement from the statements of Qutb or anyone other than Qutb,And we say: Is this statement true or false? Then we examine it; if it is true, we accept it, and if it is false, we reject it. As for the dispute and conflict being among the youth, with the taking and rejecting of a specific man, this is a mistake and a great error.
Sayyid Qutb is not infallible, and the scholars above him are not infallible, and the scholars below him are not infallible. Every person’s statement is taken and left except the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), whose statement must be accepted in all circumstances.
Therefore, I advise the youth not to make their disputes and conflicts revolve around a specific person, whoever he may be; because if the disputes are of this nature, the opponent might invalidate a truth that this person said, or perhaps support a falsehood that this person said. This is a great danger; because if a person becomes biased for one person and another becomes biased against him, the one who is biased against him will say about him what he did not say, or interpret his words, or something similar. And the other might deny what he said, or direct what he said toward falsehood.
So I say: We do not speak about individuals, and we do not become biased for individuals. Sayyid Qutb has moved from the abode of action to the abode of recompense, and Allah the Exalted is his accountant, as well as the other scholars of knowledge.
As for the truth, it must be accepted whether it comes from Sayyid Qutb or from anyone else, and falsehood must be rejected whether it is from Sayyid Qutb or from anyone else. And it is obligatory to warn against any falsehood that is written or heard, whether from this person or that person, from any human being.
This is my advice to our brothers, and it is not befitting for the discussion, dispute, and taking and rejecting to be about a specific person.
As for Sayyid Qutb, my opinion regarding his works is that he is like the others; there is truth and falsehood in them. No one is infallible. However, his works are not an example like the works of Shaykh Muhammad Nasir al-Din al-Albani; between them is as between the sky and the earth. The works of the first man are expressions of general literary and cultural matters, and he does not have what Shaykh al-Albani has in terms of verification and knowledge.
Therefore, I see that truth is taken from every person, and falsehood is rejected from every person, and that it is not befitting for us, and indeed it is not permissible for us, to make the names of men the center of dispute, conflict, division, and unity.