Critique of Sayyid Quṭb's Approach to the Character-Bestowing Factors of the Qur an's Sūras

One of the significant discourses in knowledge about the Sūras of the Qur’an is their independent character; that is to say inwardly they are quite coherent and outwardly distinguished from other Sūras. Perhaps it can be said that Sayyid Quṭb is the first interpreter who has made considerable attempts and has been able to somehow bring into view the coherent and distinguished character of each Sūra. However, searching into his phrasings revealed that his attempts have had some weaknesses, too; as he has not specified of what type should the character-bestowing basis of the Sūra be. For this reason, he sometimes tries to organize the character of the Sūra on a topical basis, sometimes on a specific purpose, and sometimes on a specific method of expression. This multiplicity has caused him in some cases to be confused in specifying characters for the Sūra and fail to prove the readers with a definite result. It can be concluded from an overall analysis of Sayyid Quṭb’s thought and performance that the true factor in development of the specific character of the Sūras is their purpose and not their topic or style of expression; because when Sayyid Quṭb tries to organize the character of a Sūra on the basis of a topic, he mostly involves in speaking in general terms and fails to properly reveal the coherence of the Sūra. However, when he tries to form the character of the Sūra on the basis of a specific purpose, he most often manages to do so. The unique role of purpose in bestowing character to the Sūra is reinforced by some other evidences, too.