Muhammad Qutb facts for kids

Muhammad Qutb (born April 26, 1919 – died April 4, 2014) was an important Islamic scholar. He was the younger brother of Sayyid Qutb, another well-known Egyptian thinker. After his brother passed away, Muhammad Qutb moved to Saudi Arabia. There, he continued to share and explain his brother's ideas.

Early Life and Education

Muhammad Qutb was born in a village called Musha in Upper Egypt. This was near the city of Asyut. He was the second oldest of five children. His older brother, Sayyid, was 13 years older than him.

When Muhammad's father died in 1933, his mother moved the family. They went to live in Helwan, which is close to Cairo.

Muhammad Qutb studied English literature at Cairo University. He finished his studies there in 1940. Later, he also earned special degrees in psychology and education.

Moving to Saudi Arabia

In 1965, Muhammad Qutb was arrested in Egypt. This happened a few days before his brother, Sayyid, was also arrested. After his brother's death in 1966, Muhammad Qutb was allowed to leave Egypt. He, along with other members of the Muslim Brotherhood, found a new home in Saudi Arabia.

Once in Saudi Arabia, Muhammad Qutb became a professor. He taught Islamic Studies at universities like Umm al-Qura University in Mecca and King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah. He also helped to publish and edit his brother Sayyid's books.

Some very influential people attended his lectures. For example, Osama bin Laden was one of his students at King Abdulaziz University. Muhammad Qutb's teachings were widely respected.

Spreading Ideas and Writings

Muhammad Qutb worked to make his brother's ideas easier for more people to understand. He tried to bridge gaps between his brother's followers and other more traditional Muslims. For instance, he explained that his brother's strong statements about the Muslim world returning to jahiliyya (a state of ignorance like before Islam) should not always be taken literally. He said that Saudi Arabia, which gave him refuge, was not jahiliyya.

He also wrote many books himself. His writings are very popular in the Arab world. One of his most famous books is Jahiliyya in the Twentieth Century. Another popular work is Islam: the Misunderstood Religion. This book further explains his brother's ideas.

Muhammad Qutb passed away in a hospital in Mecca on April 4, 2014. He was 94 years old.

Influence on Muslim Thought

Muhammad Qutb's teaching had a big impact on Muslim thinking in the 20th century. This was especially true in Saudi Arabia after he moved there in 1972. Besides his university classes, he also held private study groups. He shared his lectures using cassette tapes, printed pamphlets, and later, the internet. This helped his ideas reach many people beyond just university students.

One of his well-known students was Safar al-Hawali. This student's important academic work was greatly influenced by Muhammad Qutb's teachings. Muhammad Qutb also played a key role in the Sahwa movement, which was an important Islamic awakening. People involved in this movement often quoted his writings.

Because Muhammad Qutb had the rights to his late brother Sayyid Qutb's works, he decided which of his brother's books would be published. He also made sure that the published versions fit with Sayyid Qutb's religious ideas.

Books by Muhammad Qutb

Muhammad Qutb wrote 36 books. Here are some of them:

Essays

• Shubuhāt Hawla al-Islām (also known as Islam: The Misunderstood Religion)
• Dirāsāt fī al-nafs al-insānīyah (Studies in human psychology)
• Hal nahnu Muslimūn (Are we Muslims?)
• al-Insān bayna al-māddīyah wa-al-Islām. (Man between the Material World and Islam)
• al-Sahwah al-Islāmīyah (The Islamic Resurgence)
• Jahiliyat al-qarn al-`ishrin (Jahiliyya of the Twentieth Century)
• The Concept of Islam and Our Understanding of It
• The Future is for Islam
• Islam and the Crisis of the Modern World
• Waqena Al -moaser
• Qabasāt min al-Rasūl
• Riḥlah ilá al-Ḥijāz
• al-Taṭawwur wa-al-thabāt fī ḥayāt al-bashrīyah (about religion and science)
• Maḥmūd al-Badawī : ʻāshiq al-qiṣṣah al-qaṣīrah (a book about Egyptian writer Mahmud al-Badawi)
• al-Fann wa-al-basāṭah : qirāʼah fi al-qiṣṣah al-qaṣīrah ʻinda Tharwat Abāẓah (a study of the works of Egyptian writer Tharwat Abaza)
• Muḥammad Jubrīl wa-ʻālamuhu al-qaṣaṣī (a study of the works of Egyptian writer Muhammad Jibril)
• al-Ruʼá wa-al-aḥlām : qirāʼah fī nuṣūṣ riwāʼīyah (literary criticism on Arab novels)
• al-Sard fī muwājahat al-wāqiʻ : fuṣūl min al-qiṣ̣ṣah al-Suʻūdīyah (literary criticism on Saudi literature)

Novels

• al-Sayyid alladhī raḥal
• al-Khurūj ilá al-nabʻ
• al-Ṭaraf al-ākhar min al-bayt

Short stories

• al-Banāt wa-al-qamar
• Ṣadaʼ al-qulūb

Poetry

• Daftar al-alwān