A Moderate View on Sayyid Qutb.

The questioner : These two books, one of which is titled "Sayyid Qutb’s Criticisms of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah," relied on the sixth edition in 1964, a year before Sayyid Qutb died.

The Shaykh : May Allah guide him, may Allah guide him, my brother. What benefit is there in this book?

The questioner : My intention is for you to look into them. In the book on his beliefs and thought, and these two books, of course, this meeting was brief and the books were at home, so I did not... until the brothers came to me at the mosque and said to me, "The meeting is now with..."The Shaykh : The books are at home, but I gave a copy of each to Shaykh Ali Hasan. Oh Shaykh, he means that there are many doctrinal errors in them and such, because he wants you to... because his intention is to warn people from this, especially since when he explains "La ilaha illa Allah," he says that "La ilaha illa Allah" means that the polytheists do not dispute this, but rather the messages came to address the issue of lordship, not worship. Especially this message, even in "La ilaha illa Allah," meaning that some people say he is the best to speak on this, and that he was sharp on "La ilaha illa Allah," and that the oneness of worship is something people agree on, that the polytheists and such, and that the issue is in the oneness of lordship, and he repeated this many times.

The Shaykh : On the contrary, what is the issue? Did you read Sayyid Qutb’s words?The questioner : Yes, I read them. I did not read them in his book *The Shadows*; I read them in the book...The Shaykh : Rabi' quoting from him, quoting the text almost three or four times, speaking of this in different phrases. Perhaps we can mention some of them, oh Shaykh. His phrase was, he said, "So the issue of worship was not a point of disagreement, but rather the issue of lordship was what the messages faced, and it is what the final message faces," to the end of his words. And he repeated this often. Then he also refuted him...The Shaykh : Abdullah al-Duwaish, in his statement that it is permissible if the Islamic government is established and such, that it legislates law, meaning, did you see how? They make laws and such to organize life, then the laws and taking money from people because it is the property of the community, meaning there is a type of talk like that of the socialists. The important things, oh Shaykh, and the most important is his talk about Moses when he says to the hot-tempered youth, and a lot of talk like this. Also, his denial of the interpretation of the attribute of speech for Allah, that it is the will, and that it is directing the will. Also, his statement in the Qur'an that it is of the making of Allah, for example, when Allah the Exalted said in Surat "Sad," "Sad," he said this is a letter from the making of Allah. And in Surat al-Imran, meaning, proceed on the path that...

The Shaykh : And why do you tire yourself and burden your memory with memorizing these texts that are not from the speech of the Prophethood and the Message?

The questioner : There is no doubt that we...

The Shaykh : Why? Why don't you say no?

The questioner : Just so that I have now read this, and because I want to put this to you, I tried to...

The Shaykh : Why are you putting this to me?

The questioner : First, so that people are warned from these books, and Allah considers them, meaning if you speak of this, they consider them the books of their Imam the Reformer...

The Shaykh : I ask you a question: Are those who consider these books references of guidance Salafis?

The questioner : By Allah...

The Shaykh : By Allah, you are not going to answer any question, why?

The questioner : By Allah, O Shaykh...

The Shaykh : What is this? Heh...

The questioner : Some of them are not Salafis, like the Muslim Brotherhood and such, and some of them are from some of the other parties, oh Shaykh, and some of them are those who say they are Salafi and say precisely, "We are from the people of the Sunnah and the community," and do not say Salafi, they say, "We are from the people of the Sunnah and the community."

Another questioner : You did not answer the question.The Shaykh

The Shaykh : There is no use.

The questioner : If we say to them, even you, oh Shaykh, when you speak about an issue...The Shaykh : If... If Abu Tala'ah could not agree with a Salafi like him, how is he supposed to agree with the others? Tell me so we can see.

The questioner : Oh Shaykh, if I say they are Salafis, they...

The Shaykh : There is no power or strength except with Allah. I asked you just now, are they Salafis or not? I am telling you, if you cannot agree with me, how can you agree with the others who are opponents in the call? How?

The questioner : By Allah, oh Shaykh, we do not know. We benefit from you and learn from you.

The Shaykh : And how is the learning?

The questioner : By listening...

The Shaykh : So when a question is directed to you, gather your mind and think about the way to answer. If you have an answer, it is not necessary to answer. If you have an answer, you say, "In my opinion, so and so," and there will be a back-and-forth, and it will be useful. But we practically realize the saying of the poet, "She traveled east and I traveled west; how different are the east and the west." I advise you not to burden your young memory with memorizing what does not benefit you. It does not benefit you certainly. It does not benefit you certainly, and it may harm you, but not certainly. It may harm you. Do not memorize the words of so-and-so and so-and-so and so-and-so, from those whom you suspect are not on the straight path, because you are not religiously obligated to respond to everyone who errs. What do you think of this statement?

The questioner : Good words, oh Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Do you see a note on it?

The questioner : Good words, but the note on it is, if it is for warning, for example, is...

The Shaykh : Are you warning us now?

The questioner : No, but people, for example...

The Shaykh : I am asking you just now, are you warning us?

The questioner : No

The Shaykh : Why then?

The questioner : For clarification.

The Shaykh : Clarify why?

The questioner : For example, there is now, just a moment ago, I mentioned a phrase...

The Shaykh : Sharp, sharp. Clarify, I will tell you why?

The questioner : Meaning, how did you clarify? What did you clarify?

The Shaykh : You clarified.

The questioner : Meaning, oh Shaykh, I heard you say what, that in the issue of "La ilaha illa Allah," it is an issue of a way of life.

The Shaykh : And what is your opinion of this title?

The questioner : A way of life, correct.

The Shaykh : What you heard from me, what is your comment on it, on the occasion of your saying "Zay"?

The questioner : But I think, and Allah knows best, that people understand. They say, "I know your words are correct, oh Shaykh, there is no doubt in it."

The Shaykh : Leave it, leave it.

The questioner : What do people say, by Allah?The Shaykh : Al-Albani. Why do you say this is wrong, because some of them study this, they study the tafsir of Surat al-Ikhlas from Sayyid Qutb’s tafsir, and they say, "Why are you speaking like this? Sayyid Qutb is the best to speak on explaining 'La ilaha illa Allah.' I heard...The Shaykh : Al-Albani said so and so. They say this and they confuse things. I may know this, but the common people are many, oh Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Oh Shaykh, fear Allah in yourself. The words... We did not succeed with what you are narrating about people. What did Allah say regarding the Jews and the Christians? Do you see what is here? There is praise from Allah for the Christians. Can you say no? I will not answer, I will not answer. Let him learn, oh brother, the back-and-forth.

The questioner : The verse intended is the Christians who are humble to Allah, who wept out of fear of Allah, who believed. This is what I understand, perhaps I am wrong, but I want to learn.

The Shaykh : Okay, were the Christians about whom this verse was revealed monotheists? Were they on the religion of Isa, and between them and Isa were five hundred years and more?

The questioner : I do not know, but what I see and understand from the verse, and what I say...

The Shaykh : Never mind, oh brother, say what you have.

The questioner : That He praised those who believed in this, in the final message, in this.

The Shaykh : Correct. And the Jews?

Another questioner :

The questioner : Yes, this is what I understand.

The Shaykh : Never mind, oh brother, but did He equate the Jews and the Christians in general?

The questioner : No, the Jews are more astray.

The Shaykh : This is it. So here there is praise for the Christians in general.

The questioner : Relatively.

The Shaykh : Relatively. As for these, they believed. This is not our topic. We still believe that Allah the Mighty and Majestic raised us and taught us that there is a difference between the Christians as Christians and the Jews as Jews, regardless of whether there is a group among them who became Muslim or there is no group who became Muslim. So it is not permissible to take such a verse, "Here Allah praised the Christians," and leave the explicit word of Allah, . So I do not know, are you interested in those who take a verse from the Qur'an and distort it so that what becomes a proof for their misguidance? Let alone that they take the words of Al-Albani, and who is higher than Al-Albani and more knowledgeable than Al-Albani, so that they support what is their deviation and misguidance? Why are you, as they say about us in Syria, carrying this ladder sideways and walking? What is your concern with this group?