A Critical Review of Sayyid Qutb’s View on Civilized and Non-Civilized Societies

Among Sayyid Qutb's views, his stance on civilization has received scant attention. This paper attempts to answer the question regarding his attitude towards civilized and non-civilized societies and the criticism levelled at his views. According to the findings of this study, Sayyid Qutb posits that a true civilized society is only achievable in the Islamic society. This Islamic society is characterized with certain characteristics such as the rule of God and monotheistic thoughts, the value of humanity, the centrality of family, and the establishment of a divine caliphate by humans. He argues that societies lacking these features are ignorant and non-civilized. This view is of paramount importance in terms of portraying an ideal and utopian society; however, serious criticisms have been levelled at it is, which are primarily concerned with its dual zero-sum attitude towards civilized and non-civilized society and its contribution to the spread of extremist ideas and movements.