ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the development of Qutb’s key ideas during the period 1939-1948, which marks the second phase of his distinction between Islam and jahiliyyah. This chapter will trace the key ideas that were discussed in the previous chapter and their development during 1939-1948. It will explore the shift in Qutb’s interest towards Islamic themes and the focus on the future of Egypt. It will also investigate Qutb’s ideas as he closely focuses on the Qur’an. The need for social reform, the ideas that mirror his moral concern and his awareness of the Egyptian problem will be outlined. His theory of society, which reflects his ideological position, will be analysed. The discussion will be based on his published works only within the period under discussion. Among these works are Naqd Kitab Mustaqbal al-Thaqafah fi Misr (Critique of the Book of the Future of Culture in Egypt, 1939), al-Taswir al-Fanni fi al-Qur’an (Artistic Portrayal in the Qur’an, 1945), Mashahid al-Qiyamah fi al-Qur’an (Scenes of the Resurrection in the Qur’an, 1947) and al-‘Adalah al-Ijtima‘iyyah fi al-Islam (Social Justice in Islam, 1949).
