MILESTONES Sayyid Qutb INTS 4526 Winter 2017 Tina Covey Marisa Moody

Introduction Man-made individual or collective theories: all failures Jahiliyyah= usurping of God’s sovereignty Mankind needs new leadership harmonious with human nature Islam is the only system which possesses these values Islamic way of life is devoted to the worship of God alone An Islamic revival in a Muslim country is needed

Chapter 1 The Qur'an come down over 13 years, not all at once Reading the Qur’an was limited to 10 verses so actions were easily adopted A person embracing Islam during the time of the Prophet would immediately separate completely from Jahiliyyah The primary purpose of Islam is to change the practices of the Jahili system Sharia law is best because it comes from God

Chapter 2 Social justice comes when all society has been submitted to the laws of God Morality stems only from faith "La ilaha ilia Allah"— "There is no deity except Allah“ The spirit of submission is the 1st requirement of faith Islam is a practical religion— to order the practical affairs of life The Islamic concept is comprehensive, perfect, realistic and constructive, never remaining abstract theory

Chapter 3 Muhammad was the last of the noble Prophets Throughout history 1 message remained the same: there is One God who we should submit to Him alone, while the lordship of man be eliminated Islam has remained unique throughout history as the only Divine way of life which brings out the noblest human characteristics God's rule on earth can be established only through the Islamic system in the form of a Muslim community and follow only the Shari'ah of God.

Chapter 4 The methods of preaching and persuasion are used for reforming ideas and beliefs; the method of physical power and Jihaad are used for abolishing organizations and authorities of the Jahili system Islam wants to provide complete freedom to decide whether people will accept Islam or not, while forbidding the imposition of belief by force Anyone who serves someone other than God is outside God's religion Islam cannot be restricted within any geographic limits

Chapter 4 When the command for Jihaad came, non-believers were divided into 3 categories: Those with whom there was peace Those with whom the Muslims were at war The Dhimmies-- the non-Muslim peoples residing in a Muslim state for whose protection and rights the Muslim government was responsible Islamic Jihaad has no relationship to modern warfare, either in its causes or in the way in which it is conducted

Chapter 5 The Islamic declaration of faith provides the foundation for a complete system of life for the Muslim community in all its details A Jahili society is any which does not dedicate itself to submission to God alone All so-called 'Muslim' societies are also Jahili because they have relegated the legislative attribute of God to others and submit to this authority No individual or group can be truly Muslim until they wholly submit to God alone

Chapter 6 Man cannot understand all the laws of the universe Man is incapable of making laws for a system of life which can be in complete harmony with the universe Obedience to Shari'ah is necessary for the sake of harmony It is the duty and right of Islam to annihilate all other systems as obstacles which are in its path universal freedom so that it may address human reason and intuition with no opposition

Chapter 7 Islam is the only civilized society in the world. All other societies are Jahili. This ranges from societies who do not adhere to Islam to those who follow some aspects of Shari’ah Law. Only by following Shari’ah law in both public and private life can lead to a true civilized society.

Chapter 8 The Islamic society (the only perfect society) shall not be contaminated by the Jahili societies. In Islam the saying, that ‘Seek knowledge from the one who knows’, is not acceptable with respect to those sciences which relate to faith, religion, morals and values, customs and habits, and all those matters which concern human relationships. It is acceptable to learn hard sciences from Non-Muslims, but as far as the interpretation of human endeavor is concerned, whether this endeavor be individual or collective, should only be learned by devote Muslims.

Chapter 9 Islam is meant to be all encompassing of a devotee’s daily life. There is only one place on earth which can be called the home of Islam (Dar-ul-Islam), and it is that place where the Islamic state is established and the Shari’ah is the authority and Allah's limits are observed, and where all the Muslims administer the affairs of the state with mutual consultation. The rest of the world is the home of hostility (Dar-ul-Harb). A Muslim can have only two possible relations with Dar-ul- Harb: peace with a contractual agreement, or war.

Chapter 10 It is moral and important for Muslims to convert non-Muslims; however there is no compromise between the two societies. Muslims must be wary of concepts of Jahiliyyahh influencing them. Jahiliyyahh, to whatever period it belongs, is Jahiliyyahh; that is, deviation from the worship of One God and the way of life prescribed by Allah Almighty. Either Islam will remain, or Jahiliyyahh: Islam cannot accept or agree to a situation which is half-Islam and half-Jahiliyyahh.

Chapter 11 Islam is not just the only civilized society but the superior religion. The superiority through faith is not a mere single act of will nor a passing euphoria nor a momentary passion, but is a sense of superiority based on the permanent truth centered in the very nature of existence. This eternal truth is above the logic of force, the concept of environment, the terminology of society, and the customs of people, as indeed it is joined with the Living God who does not die.

Chapter 12 This final chapter pushes for Muslims to stay devote to their religion no matter what they face. In the scale of Allah Almighty, the true weight is the weight of faith; in Allah's market the only commodity in demand is the commodity of faith. The highest form of triumph is the victory of soul over matter, the victory of belief over pain, and the victory of faith over persecution. In the incident described above, the souls of the Believers were victorious over fear and pain, over the allurements of the earth and of life, and they gained such victory over torture which is an honor for all mankind for all times - and this is the true victory.

QUESTIONS What is the principle on which human life ought to be based: God's religion and its system of life, or some man-made system? Why is Sayyid Qutb so adamant about the separation of Islam societies and Jahili societies?