The Heresies of Sayyid Qutb in Light of the Statements of the Ulamaa (Part 1)

Source: Baraa'ah Ulamaa il-Ummah Min Tazkiyah Ahl il-Bid'ah (by Isaam bin Abdullah as-Sinaanee) SalafiPublications.Com

Prologue

And is was said to him that Shaikh Rabee’ al-Madhkhalee has written a refutation of Sayyid Qutb, so the Shaikh said: "Rebuttal of him is good."

[*] And unfortunately the Qutubi movement clothing itself as Salafiyyah, has not only gone to the extremes in Takfir but has also fallen into the extremes of Irjaa’ in that it seeks to defend, nay even promote, the books and writings of their leaders and mentors which contain statements of disbelief and apostasy (examples will be given in Part 2, inshaa’allaah). Shaikh Rabee’ bin Haadee said, commenting upon Imaam al-Albani’s description of the Qutubiyyah as "The Khawarij of the Era", that "it is more befitting that they be called Murji’ah of the Era before they are called Khawarij of the Era". Refer to al-Asalah (Vol. 24)

Source: During a lesson of Shaikh ‘Abdul - ‘Azeez ibn Baaz - hafizahullaah - in his house in Riyaadh 1413H, ‘Minhaajus-Sunnah tapes of ar-Riyaadh

3. Fatwaa of Shaikh ‘Abdul-Azeez Ibn Baz

A section of the book "Kutub wa Shakhsiyaat" (p.242) was read out to the Shaikh and in which Sayyid Qutb accuses of Mu’awiyah and Amr Ibn al-Aas of lying (kadhib), deception (ghish), treachery or trickery (khadee’ah), hypocrisy (nifaaq), and taking bribes (rishwah).

So he replied: "These are repugnant words!! These are repugnant words. Revilement of Mu’awiyah and of Amr Ibn al-Aas. All of this is repugnant and evil words. Mu’awiyah and Amr and whoever was with them made ijtihaad and erred[*], and those who perform ijtihaad and erred then may Allaah pardon us and them.

[*] Shaikh Salih al-Fawzaan in checking through this made the comment, "Being resolved that they erred is not clearly apparent, but if it was said, "They were mujtahidoon, if they were correct they have two rewards and if they erred they have one reward, yet their error is forgiven", it would have been much better and more just."

The questioner then said, "What about his statement that there is hypocrisy (nifaq) in them both, is that not takfir of them?"

Shaikh Ibn Baaz replied, "This is an error and a mistake which is not disbelief. For his revilement of some of the Companions or just one of them is evil (munkar) and sinfulness (fisq) and he deserves to be given exemplary punishment for it – we ask Allaah to pardon him – however, if he reviled most of them and declared them sinners then he would become an apostate, because they are the Carriers of the Revelation. When he reviles them then this means that he is reviling the legislation."

The questioner then said, "Should not these books in which these statements exist be forbidden?"

Shaikh Ibn Baaz replied, "It is necessary for them to be torn to pieces".

Then the Shaikh said, "Is this in a newspaper?"

The questioner said, "In a book, may Allaah be benevolent to you."

The Shaikh asked, "Whose book?"

The questioner said, "Sayyid Qutb…".

The Shaikh said, "These are repugnant words".

The questioner, continuing, "… in ‘Kutub wa Shakhsiyaat’"

Source: The cassette ‘Sharh Riyaad us-Saaliheen’ dated 18/7/1418H.

4. Fatwaa of Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Uthaimeen

Question: "What is your saying concerning a man who advises the Sunni youth to read the books of Sayyid Qutb, especially ‘Fee Dhilaal il-Qur’aan’ and ‘Ma’aalim Fit-Taareeq’, without warning about any of the errors and deviations present in these books?"

Answer: "My statement – may Allaah bless you – is that whoever gives sincerity of purpose to Allaah, His Messenger, and his brother Muslims, that he should encourage the people to read the books of those who have preceded us from the books of tafsir and other than tafsir. These books contain more blessings, are more beneficial and are much better than the books of the later ones. As for the tafsir of Sayyid Qutb – may Allaah have mercy upon him – then it contains great calamities, however we hope that Allaah pardons him. In it are great calamities, such as his tafsir of Istiwaa and his tafsir of "Qul Huwallaahu Ahad", and similarly, his description of one of the Messengers with something unbefitting."

Source: From the Cassette: Aqwaal ul-Ulamaa Fee Ibtaal Qawaa’id wa Maqaalaat Adnaan Ar’oor, and checked by Shaikh Ibn Uthaimeen himself on 24/4/1421H, with one slight revision who changed the phrase "Anaa Ra’yee…" to "Anaa Qawlee…".

5. Fatwaa of Shaikh Salih al-Fawzaan

Question: "[Adnaan Ar’oor] said, "Why is Imaam Ahmad not reproached for his takfir of the one who abandons prayer and yet Sayyid Qutb is reproached merely because some of these expressions occurred from him (i.e. his takfir of Muslim societies). So we say: This one performed takfir of the Muslim societies (i.e. Qutb), and yet Imaam Ahmad – may Allaah have mercy upon him – is not reproached despite his judgement of kufr against all these societies [meaning that the majority of them do not pray]."

So what is your comment upon this?"

Answer: Imaam Ahmad is a scholar and a sage (erudite, sagacious) who knows the evidences and the manner of extracting proof from them and Sayyid Qutb is an ignoramus (jaahil) who has no knowledge or cognisance and neither does he have any evidences for what he says. Hence, equating between Imaam Ahmad and Sayyid Qutb is injustice (dhulm) [because Imaam Ahmad has many evidences from the Book and the Sunnah for the one who deliberately abandons the prayer whereas Sayyid does not have a single piece of evidence for his takfir of the Muslims in general. Rather the evidences are in opposition to what he says]."

Question: "Likewise he (Adnaan Ar’oor) says, "I do not know of anyone who has spoken about the affairs of Manhaj in the manner that Sayyid Qutb has spoken of them. And he is correct in the vast majority of what he has written." He (Ar’oor) was asked about this statement of his and he replied, "By the word minhaaj here I mean the issues of reform, elections and assassinations. And by "in his time" I mean the Fifties."

Answer: "He (Ar’oor) does not know because he is ignorant. As for us, then we know – and all praise is due to Allaah – that the scholars both prior to and after Sayyid Qutb, opposed him."

Source: From the Cassette: Aqwaal ul-Ulamaa Fee Ibtaal Qawaa’id wa Maqaalaat Adnaan Ar’oor. What is in square brackets was added by Shaikh Salih al-Fawzaan himself as a further clarification.

Note: This is only a small selection of the quotations from the Ulamaa which number around 25 or so. All of the above quotations are found in the cassette "Aqwaal ul-Ulamaa Fee Sayyid Qutb", published by Tasjeelaat Minhaaj us-Sunnah of Riyaadh.

Summary

Shaikh ul-Islaam Ibn Baaz (rahimahullaah) was asked, "The one who praises Ahl ul-Bid’ah, is he to be counted amongst them?" So he replied, "Yes, there is no doubt about this, the one who praises them is one who actually calls to them". [Cassette: Aqwaal ul-Ulamaa Fee Sayyid Qutb]

Shaikh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullaah) said, "It is obligatory to punish everyone who ascribes himself to them – the people of innovation – or who defends them, or who praises them, or who reveres their books, or who detests that they should be talked about, or who begins to make excuses for them by saying he does not understand what these words mean or by saying that this person also authored another book and what is similar to these types of excuses, which are not made except by an ignoramus or a hypocrite. Rather, it is obligatory to punish everyone who knows of their condition and did not assist in repelling their evil, for repelling their evil is one of the greatest of obligations." [Majmoo ul-Fataawaa (2/132)]

Shaikh ul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah also said: "And in the face of those who perform takfir in falsehood are a people who do not know the Aqeedah of Ahl us-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah as it truly should be known, or they know some of it but are ignorant of some of it. Yet whatever they do know of it, they do not always explain it to the people but conceal it. And they do not forbid the innovations that oppose the Book and the Sunnah, nor do they rebuke the People of Innovations and neither do they punish them. In fact, they may even criticise absolutely any talk of the Sunnah and the fundamental principles of the religion [i.e. Tawhid etc.]. Or they may accommodate everyone, with all their varying madhhabs… This approach has overcome many of the Murji’ah, some of the Jurists, Sufis and Philosophers. And both of these two approaches (i.e. that of the Takfiris and the Murji’ah and those with them) are deviant, and outside the [confines of the] Book and the Sunnah." [Majmu’ ul-Fatawa (16/427)]

Epilogue

So dear brother and sister for the sake of Allaah, flee from the books of Sayyid Qutb and flee from those who promote or recommend his books and flee also from those who defend and promote the books of Sayyid Qutb – fearing for your religion and your Aqeedah and your manhaj and the repugnant Irjaa that has overcome many of the Qutubiyyah.

And if a Qutubi Revivalist comes to you and says, "Shaikh al-Albani encouraged everyone to read a chapter in Milestones", then reply to such a one:

"O Qutubi! This is a very old saying, uttered when the true nature and extent of Qutb’s deviations and heresies were not known to Shaikh al-Albani (save the affair of Wahdat ul-Wujood). And then the Noble Shaikh Rabee’ bin Haadee exposed the affair of Sayyid Qutb, - giving sincerity of purpose to Allaah, His Messenger and the Muslims in all of that – and so when the affair became abundantly clear – and especially in more recent times - the Noble Imaam, al-Albani made the statement above to Shaikh Rabee’ "Everything with which you have refuted Sayyid Qutb is the truth (haqq) and is correct (sawab)… So may Allaah reward you with the best of reward, O brother Rabee’ for fulfilling the obligation of explaining and uncovering his ignorance and deviation from Islaam". And are you ignorant or merely pretending to be ignorant of the principle of al-Jarh wat-Ta’deel that the specific criticism takes precedence over the general praise!! And O Qutubi, would you like us to become blind-followers of men and abandon researching the proofs and evidences? And O Qutubi, has not your fraud become uncovered already in that Al-Karaabeesee and al-Muhaasibee were more superior and knowledgeable than Sayyid Qutb and they had works that contained "admonitions and lessons" more powerful and far reaching than the sentimental writings of Qutb, but alongside that Imaam Ahmad forbade them severely, with great harshness and reprimanded the one who tried to argue that they contain benefit?! So may Allaah restrain you O Qutubi, we are people of evidence and proof and implementers of the manhaj of the Salaf – by the permission and praise of Allaah and not merely blind-followers of individuals and personalities. Salaaman!!"