Table of Contents
In this series of papers we have taken a brief look at Elementary Quṭbism, highlighting its main concepts. We began by proving that Quṭbism exists as an ideology and as a sect.
The basis of the teachings of Quṭbism is a distorted interpretation of the Kalimah, “Lā ilāha ilallāha” first propounded by Sayyid Quṭb. This distorted interpretation is the basis of making al-Ḥākimiyyah the principle requirement of worship, namely, adhering to the Islamic Sharīʿah in all affairs and judging to the Sharīʿah in all affairs. As such, any deviation from this ideal (and this ideal, in fact, has never existed since the earliest periods of Islamic history) renders whole societies and nation states as systems of pre-Islamic Jāhiliyyah.
Built upon this is the takfīr of societies and nation states – even if the people speak with the Kalimah and perform the ritual acts of worship – and this in turn creates the revolutionary figureheads who promote the ideas of conflict, civil strife, rebellion – all in the name of establishing “Social Justice”.
This is the core of Classical Quṭbism.
In our next course, “Intermediate Quṭbism”, we will move on to look at concepts and teachings which are subsidiary to the core teachings discussed in this series and which exist in order to facilitate the objectives of Quṭbism.
It is vital here that we remind ourselves of the great and everlasting wisdom contained in the narrations of al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī we quoted right at the beginning of our course:
Al-Hasan al-Baṣrī (d.110) said:[1]
Verily, al-Hajjāj is the punishment of Allāh. So do not repel the punishment of Allāh with your own hands. But you must submit and show humility, for Allāh the Most High stated, “And indeed We seized them with punishment, but they humbled not themselves to their Lord, nor did they invoke (Allâh) with submission to Him.” (23:76).
Ibn Saʿd relates in his Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā (7/163-165):
A group of Muslims came to al-Hasan al-Baṣrī seeking a verdict to rebel against al-Ḥajjāj [a tyrannical and despotic ruler]. So they said, “O Abu Sa’eed! What do you say about fighting this oppressor who has unlawfully spilt blood and unlawfully taken wealth and did this and that?”
So al-Hasan said, “I hold that he should not be fought. If this is a punishment from Allāh, then you will not be able to remove it with your swords. If this is a trial from Allāh, then be patient until Allāh’s judgement comes, and He is the best of judges.”
So they left al-Hasan, disagreed with him and rebelled against al-Ḥajjāj, so al-Ḥajjāj killed them all. Al-Hasan used to say, “If the people had patience when they are being tested by their unjust ruler, it will not be long before Allāh will give them a way out. However, they always rush for their swords, so they are left with their swords. By Allāh! Not even for a single day did they bring about any good.”
So we say: Never did the Quṭbis of Syria, or those of Egypt or those of Algeria show submission and humility – rather they persisted in that arrogance of claiming that they can change the decree of Allāh with their own hands, without recourse to the Methodology of the Prophets. So they took to their Quṭbism and so they were left to rely upon their Quṭbism – and it availed them nothing.
Their Quṭbism did not prevent the 40,000 from being massacred in the towns of Haleb, Hims and Hamā in Syria in 1981 at the hands of their tyrannical ruler – alas, if only they had shown patience and shown humility and adopted the methodology of the Prophets in the reformation of society.
And the Quṭbis of Algeria, they too rushed to their Quṭbism and their ‘Ẓilāl’ and so they were left to rely upon their Quṭbism and their ‘Zilāl’ which brought nothing but calamity after calamity and massacre after massacre.
You should know – O seeker of the truth – that this is an everlasting legacy: whoever chooses a methodology other than that of the Messengers, then he will be left to himself and his methodology. And what good has been brought by these groups and parties who are at variance with the Messengers and choose other than their way?? Not even for a single day have they brought about any good! Rather, they have brought but tribulation after tribulation upon Islām and the Muslims.
The rejection of the scholars against them is but defence of society and protection of innocent men, women and children, their livelihood and their welfare – not a defence of any iniquities of those who have been given authority over us.
Rather, the trodden path with respect to them is that we consider them to be a trial and a punishment, and hence we will remain as if in a trial and under punishment – showing patience – and not being a hasty people - the while we submit to our Lord, showing humility to him and invoking him with humbleness until He delivers us – following, in all of that, the methodology of the Prophets (عليهم السلام), and that of Imām Mālik (رحمه الله), in the rectification of our souls and the society around us.
We ask Allāh that He protects Islām and the Muslims from these concepts of Bidʿah and Quṭbiyyah that have plagued the Muslim Ummah and have been the cause of great civil strife, the slaughtering of innocent civilians and the destruction of once-stable societies. Just as we ask Allāh the Most High, that he grants this Ummah and all its callers and preachers success in adhering to the true methodology of the Prophets in calling to Allāh – which is but purification and rectification of their beliefs from the quagmires of Shirk, Innovations and Superstitions and cultivation upon the purified religion – in agreement with the well-known saying of Imām Malik, “The latter part of this Ummah will not be rectified except by what rectified its earlier part.” Āmīn.
Abū ʿIyaaḍ
16 Jumādā al-Ākhirah 1421 / 14th September 2000