Shar‘i attitude towards the books of Sayyid Qutb– take or leave them?.

Can we learn from the many books of Sayyid Qutb despite the fact that
some scholars have warned against them?
Praise be to Allah.
Ustaadh Sayyid Qutb is not a scholar and he is not known for any
contribution in hadeeth,fiqh or tafseer. Rather hewas a literary man
who loved Islam, defended it and promoted it, and he died for its sake
– as it appears to us – and we ask Allah to cause him to be among the
martyrs.
He wrote various books, in which he got somethings right and made some
mistakes. With regard to the scholars who fell into errors with regard
to 'aqeedah (belief), hadeeth or fiqh, we do not think that any of the
scholars have said that itis haraam to learn from them altogether or
to refrain from quoting them altogether. This is despite the fact that
some of them promoted their beliefs and their fiqhi madhhabs. This is
aan example of the fair-mindedness of Ahl as-Sunnah towards those who
differ from them.
Ustaadh Sayyid Qutb is not excluded from this fair-mindedness of Ahl
as-Sunnah. Hence we seethe leaders of Ahl as-Sunnah in our own time
quoting from those parts of his books that are in accordance with the
beliefs and methodology of Ahl as-Sunnah. For example:
1.
Shaykh Muhammad Naasir ad-Deen al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on
him) quoted nearly three pages from him in the introduction to his
book Mukhtasar al-'Aluw, starting with the words: "The great ustaadh
Sayyid Qutb (may Allah have mercy on him)…" Merely quoting from himis
not regarded as praising him; rather the praise comes in the words
with which Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him) spoke of
him: "ustaadh", "great", "mayAllah have mercy on him".
2.
Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allah preserve him) narrated four
quotations from him in his book at-Tahqeeqaat al-Mardiyyah
fi'l-Mabaahith al-Faradiyyah, pp. 21-24.
Secondly:
Our scholars learned fair-mindedness from the teachings of Islam and
they taught that to others, preaching the importance of this attitude.
It is only fair to say that we should not shun the writings of Sayyid
Qutb altogether; however it is also a religious duty to highlight the
mistakes that he made so that others who read his words will not be
confused by those mistakes. But this is not limited only to Sayyid
Qutb; rather it also applies to anyone who follows the path of Ahl
as-Sunnah. Our scholars warned against following anyone in matters
that he got wrong. The scholars of the Standing Committee have issued
many fatwaswarning against the mistakes of some who belong to Ahl
as-Sunnah,stating that they made mistakes in the way theyunderstood
some Islamicbeliefs.
But what is very strange is what we see on the part of some of those
who belong to Ahl as-Sunnah, who widely quote the criticisms made by
some leading scholars of the writings of Sayyid Qutb, whilst ignoring
what those scholars and imams said about the mistakes of their own
shaykhs! So they accept what the scholars say about some people but
not others. Whoever wants to see an example of following whims and
desires, this is a perfect example.
There follow some comments by the scholars about the writings of
Sayyid Qutb; they all have one thing in common, which is that we may
accept what is sound and correct and we should reject what is unsound
and incorrect; this is not only applicable to the books of Sayyid
Qutb.
1.
Shaykh Muhammad Naasir ad-Deen al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The man wrote a book called al-'Adaalah al-Ijtimaa'iyyah (Social
Justice) which is worthless, but his book Ma'aalim 'ala at-Tareeq
(Milestones) contains some very valuable ideas.
Tape no. 784, from Silsilat al-Huda wa'n-Noor.
On the same tape, Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
I believe that the man is not a scholar, but he spoke words of truth –
especially when he was in prison – that sound as if they were
inspired. End quote.
He also said:
The man is not a scholar but he wrote some words that shine with
guidance and reflect knowledge, such as the phrase "manhaj hayaat (a
way of life)". I believe this concept was adopted by many of our
Salafi brothers, that "Laailaaha ill-Allah is a way of life". This is
what I have to say about him. End quote.
2.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him)
was asked:
Sayyid Qutb is a man who produced some ideas that spread widely in the
Muslim world, but people differed concerning him; some glorified him
and some criticised him very harshly. We would like our shaykh to
explain this matter to us and clarify it. What should the Muslim's
attitude be towards this man, because Sayyid Qutb has had an impact on
the Muslim world and he hasleft a legacy of books and writings, and we
would like you to give ussome clarification.
He replied:
I do not think that there should be any argument or dispute among the
Muslim youth concerning any specific man, whether it is Sayyid Qutb or
someone other than Sayyid Qutb. Rather the dispute should be about the
Islamic ruling. For example, we should examine a statement made by
Sayyid Qutb or by someone else, and say: is this opinion correct or
incorrect? We should examine it and if it is correct we should accept
it, and if it is incorrect we should reject it. But for the youth to
argue and dispute about accepting or rejecting a specific person, this
is wrong and it is a grave mistake.
Sayyid Qutb is not infallible; scholars who are superior to him are
not infallible, and neither are scholars whoare inferior to him. The
opinions of any person may be accepted or rejected, except that of the
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him and upon
his family): his words must be accepted in all cases.
Hence I tell the youth that their arguments and disagreements should
not be focused on a specific person, no matter who he is, because if
their disputes are like that, they may end up rejecting something that
is sound and correct that was said by this person, or they may end up
supporting something that is unsound and incorrect that was said by
this person. This is a very serious danger, because if a man blindly
supports one person andblindly goes against another, he may attribute
to the one whom he opposes wordsthat he never said, or he may
misinterpret what he said, and so on, or he may deny what he said or
try to find a way to interpret his unsound statements in a way that
makes them sound good.
So I say: we should not speak about people and we should not blindly
follow people. Sayyid Qutb has passed on and Allah will judge him,
andthis is true of other scholars.
As for what is sound and correct, it must be accepted whether it comes
from Sayyid Qutb or from anyone else. Andwhat is unsound and incorrect
must be rejected, whether it comes from Sayyid Qutb or anyone else. We
must beware of any unsound and incorrect ideas that are written or
heard, no matter who they come from.
This is my advice to my brothers. The discussion and dispute, and the
matter of accepting or rejecting, should not revolve around any
specific person.
With regard to Sayyid Qutb, my opinion concerning his legacy is that
it is like the legacy of anyone else; it contains both sound
andunsound elements, because no one is infallible. But his legacy is
not like that of, for example, Shaykh Muhammad Naasir ad-Deen
al-Albaani; the difference between them is like that between heaven
and earth. The legacy of the former consists of general, educated,
literary works; he did not have the deeper knowledge that Shaykh
al-Albaani had.
Hence I think that what is sound should be accepted from anyone and
what is unsound should be rejected from anyone. We should not –and
indeed it is not permissible for us – to focus disputes and arguments
on individuals, and to be divided or united on the basis of
individuals.
And Allah knows best. - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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