Abstract
This article intends to point out some chief characteristics of Sayyid Qutb’s (1906–1966) understanding of nature as a living being. Although Qutb has been considered as “one of the most influential ideologues of radical Islamism”, this article highlights for the first time a neglected dimension of his thought. When we study his Qur’anic exegeses with a critical mind and ecological reading, we discover that Qutb, especially when interpreting early chapters of the Qur’an, provides us with a vivid and meaningful understanding of the natural world. To do justice to this subject, the following questions are addressed in the case of Qutb:
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What is the universe or nature?
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Does the universe have any meaning?
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What is the meaning of the aesthetic dimension of the universe?
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Why should the universe be an orderly whole?
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Does nature have any intrinsic value independent of man?
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What is man’s place in the universe?
Answering these questions in a systematic way, we argue that to consider him just as “the most influential ideologue of radical Islamism” is incomplete and misleading. When we approach his corpus of work, especially his masterpiece In the Shade of the Qur’an with an ecological reading, we see that he has very important insights to provide understanding of the natural world as a living and meaningful being. This new reading of Qutb presents new dimensions and raises our perception of nature within a Qur’anic context.
…they have hearts with which they cannot understand, and eyes with which they fail to see, and ears with which they fail to hear. (al-A’raf 7:179)
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Notes
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Foreign Affairs journal review comment regarding Calvert’s (2013) biography of Sayyid Qutb.
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Özdemir, İ. (2016). Sayyid Qutb’s Understanding of the Universe as a Living and Meaningful World. In: Kamali, M., Bakar, O., Batchelor, DF., Hashim, R. (eds) Islamic Perspectives on Science and Technology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-778-9_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-778-9_7
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