A Word of Truth About Sayyid Qutb
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The questioner : With your saying, O Shaykh, may Allah reward you, we see many writers or students of knowledge who were influenced, even by the methodology of the hadith scholars, or who have, for example, a model in the science of hadith or in the science of certain matters, who were influenced by his methodology.
The Shaykh : And what is his methodology, and does he have a methodology?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And he
The questioner : And it is being influenced by the writings of Abu al-A'la al-Mawdudi in his words in many of the words, such as his book "Social Justice" and his book "Artistic Imagery in the Qur'an."
The Shaykh : This is a literary style, not a scientific style.
The questioner : There is a methodology, especially in declaring people disbelievers, regarding the ignorance of the Ummah and declaring them disbelievers, and especially in the book "Social Justice," and the author of the book "Al-I'lam" by al-Zarkashi mentioned about him...
The Shaykh : By al-Zarkali.
The questioner : Al-Zarkali, yes, he mentioned this about him, and that he adopted this methodology of making the entire Ummah ignorant, making everyone around him ignorant. So many of the youth now have been influenced by this methodology, and they have become calling to his books and calling to his opinions and to everything he wrote. So what is your opinion, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Our opinion is that the man is not a scholar, and the matter ends there. What do you want, meaning, more than this? If you are hoping that we will declare him a disbeliever, I am not one of those who declare people disbelievers, and you are not either.
The questioner : Allah is my witness, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : I am telling you, I am witnessing with you, but what do you want then? It is sufficient for the fair, unbiased Muslim to give every right its due, and as Allah the Exalted said:[Hud 11:85]
The man is a writer and an enthusiast for the Islam that he understands, but the man, first of all, is not a scholar, and his writings, "Social Justice," are among his earliest compositions, and when he composed them, he was purely a literary man and not a scholar. But the truth is that in prison he developed a lot and wrote some writings as if they were by a Salafi pen, though they are not from him. But I believe that prison educates some souls and awakens some consciences, so he wrote words. It is sufficient that he is the one who says: "La ilaha illa Allah is a way of life," "La ilaha illa Allah is a way of life." But if he does not distinguish between tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship) and tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship), this does not mean that he does not understand tawhid al-rububiyyah and tawhid al-uluhiyyah and that he makes them one thing, but it means that he is not a jurist and not a scholar, and that he is unable to express the legal meanings that came in the Book and the Sunnah, because he was not a scholar.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And beware of that.
The questioner : Do you not see, with this influence in these matters that he wrote, that someone should respond to him, for example?
The Shaykh : Yes, respond to him, but with calmness and not with enthusiasm.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Respond to him, and this is obligatory. Responding to the one who errs is not limited to one person or a few people. Everyone who errs in guiding Islam with innovative and modern concepts that have no basis in the Book, nor in the Sunnah, nor in our righteous Salaf and the four Imams who are followed, this is one who should be responded to. But this does not mean that we should be hostile to him, and that we forget that he has some good deeds. It is sufficient that he is a Muslim man and an Islamic writer according to our concept of Islam, as I said first, and that I said if in the path of his calling to Islam, and those who killed him are the enemies of Islam. As for the fact that he was deviant in much or little from Islam, my belief, before this revolution against him, is that I was the one who cut ties with the Muslim Brotherhood here, claiming that I had declared Sayyid Qutb a disbeliever, and I was the one who pointed some people to the fact that he says in some of his writings in the same tafsir about the unity of existence. But at the same time, I do not deny that he was a Muslim and that he was zealous for Islam and for the Muslim youth, and that he wanted to establish Islam and the state of Islam. But the truth is, "Sa'd led the camels, and Sa'd was wrapped in them. It is not like this, O Sa'd, that you lead the camels." And peace be upon you.
The questioner : Do you warn against his books?
The Shaykh : One should warn against his books those who do not have a correct Islamic culture.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And you, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh : And what is his methodology, and does he have a methodology?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And he
The questioner : And it is being influenced by the writings of Abu al-A'la al-Mawdudi in his words in many of the words, such as his book "Social Justice" and his book "Artistic Imagery in the Qur'an."
The Shaykh : This is a literary style, not a scientific style.
The questioner : There is a methodology, especially in declaring people disbelievers, regarding the ignorance of the Ummah and declaring them disbelievers, and especially in the book "Social Justice," and the author of the book "Al-I'lam" by al-Zarkashi mentioned about him...
The Shaykh : By al-Zarkali.
The questioner : Al-Zarkali, yes, he mentioned this about him, and that he adopted this methodology of making the entire Ummah ignorant, making everyone around him ignorant. So many of the youth now have been influenced by this methodology, and they have become calling to his books and calling to his opinions and to everything he wrote. So what is your opinion, O Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Our opinion is that the man is not a scholar, and the matter ends there. What do you want, meaning, more than this? If you are hoping that we will declare him a disbeliever, I am not one of those who declare people disbelievers, and you are not either.
The questioner : Allah is my witness, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : I am telling you, I am witnessing with you, but what do you want then? It is sufficient for the fair, unbiased Muslim to give every right its due, and as Allah the Exalted said:
do not deprive the people of their due and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption.
ولا تبحسوا الناس أشيائهم و لا تعثوا في الأرض مفسدينThe man is a writer and an enthusiast for the Islam that he understands, but the man, first of all, is not a scholar, and his writings, "Social Justice," are among his earliest compositions, and when he composed them, he was purely a literary man and not a scholar. But the truth is that in prison he developed a lot and wrote some writings as if they were by a Salafi pen, though they are not from him. But I believe that prison educates some souls and awakens some consciences, so he wrote words. It is sufficient that he is the one who says: "La ilaha illa Allah is a way of life," "La ilaha illa Allah is a way of life." But if he does not distinguish between tawhid al-uluhiyyah (oneness of worship) and tawhid al-rububiyyah (oneness of lordship), this does not mean that he does not understand tawhid al-rububiyyah and tawhid al-uluhiyyah and that he makes them one thing, but it means that he is not a jurist and not a scholar, and that he is unable to express the legal meanings that came in the Book and the Sunnah, because he was not a scholar.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And beware of that.
The questioner : Do you not see, with this influence in these matters that he wrote, that someone should respond to him, for example?
The Shaykh : Yes, respond to him, but with calmness and not with enthusiasm.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Respond to him, and this is obligatory. Responding to the one who errs is not limited to one person or a few people. Everyone who errs in guiding Islam with innovative and modern concepts that have no basis in the Book, nor in the Sunnah, nor in our righteous Salaf and the four Imams who are followed, this is one who should be responded to. But this does not mean that we should be hostile to him, and that we forget that he has some good deeds. It is sufficient that he is a Muslim man and an Islamic writer according to our concept of Islam, as I said first, and that I said if in the path of his calling to Islam, and those who killed him are the enemies of Islam. As for the fact that he was deviant in much or little from Islam, my belief, before this revolution against him, is that I was the one who cut ties with the Muslim Brotherhood here, claiming that I had declared Sayyid Qutb a disbeliever, and I was the one who pointed some people to the fact that he says in some of his writings in the same tafsir about the unity of existence. But at the same time, I do not deny that he was a Muslim and that he was zealous for Islam and for the Muslim youth, and that he wanted to establish Islam and the state of Islam. But the truth is, "Sa'd led the camels, and Sa'd was wrapped in them. It is not like this, O Sa'd, that you lead the camels." And peace be upon you.
The questioner : Do you warn against his books?
The Shaykh : One should warn against his books those who do not have a correct Islamic culture.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And you, if Allah wills.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.