So, this process for Qutb, he wants to link to Islamic principles, and he says that this process of revival is essentially the concept of Jihad that is set forth in the Koran. And we're going to see how he rejects the kind of classical definitions of Jihad, that we talked about in the videos with Imam Abdullah and Tapley. He says, Qutb says, that Islam strives to abolish all those systems and governments which are based on the rule of man over men and the servitude of one human being over the other. So Qutb believes that Jihad is getting rid of governmental systems that are inhibiting what he believes should be the true practices of a society living under the rules of God only, not under man-made law. And he says, This movement, this social movement, a social revival movement, uses physical power and Jihad for abolishing the organization and authorities of the Jahili system, which forces them to obey their erroneous ways. Okay. So in this passage, he's advocating essentially the use of force to abolish organizations and authorities. And he's referring specifically here to the Nasser government and governments like it, that are oppressing Muslims in his view, because they are requiring Muslims to obey the erroneous ways that they have established to organize society by. Now, you're reading these passages for this week in The Milestone, so you can look at them in more detail. But, he's very defensive because as Abdullah and Tapley argued, the notions of Jihad were first of all, the first concept, and the one that was the core religious duty, was a personal one, not a political one, but a personal one, to strive, to lead a life in accordance with God's will, and work hard to make your life as consistent with those principles as possible. What he called the lesser Jihad was this call, you know, in the Koran, but to defend Muslim property and territory from encroachment by others. In some ways to fight a just war against oppressors. Those were the notions that the Jihad of a personal one, but then, the second Jihad, the lesser Jihad being to defend Muslims, to defend Islam against encroachment by others. Now, Qutb rejects that and he says, Islam is not a defensive movement in the narrow sense which today is technically called the defensive war. He sees that Jihad is something far different. He says that this idea that it's all about protecting territory is wrong. He argues that the soil of the homeland has in and of itself no weight or value. Rather, he says, "The defense is not the ultimate objective of the Islamic Movement of Jihad, but it's a means of establishing the divine authority, which then is to be carried out throughout the earth." So, he sees Jihad as this revival movement which is needed to crush the oppressive structures that are in the way. And these structures are there within the Muslim world. They're not being attacked. This isn't an invasion from outsiders. He's saying we have to rise up against the forces that are here internally that are oppressing us. And that is the true meaning of Jihad, which is to break down barriers to God's will. He said, if we insist on calling Islamic Jihad a defensive movement, then we must change the meaning of the word defense and mean by it the defense of man against those elements who would limit his freedom. A couple of important things to note here. And he says if Jihad is defensive, it's not about defense from incursion by outsiders, it's not about defense from invasion, but rather the defense of all men against anything that encroaches on their freedom. And Qutb uses the word freedom in a much different sense that we do. We think of freedom as liberty from the government, or from a church, or from any measures that will limit our ability to choose what we want to do. Qutb has a much different definition of freedom, much different concept of freedom. He believes that freedom is to live in a society where you are dictated by God's law, God's will. That man is only truly free when they are living under such a system, and that therefore Jihad defends man's freedom by getting rid of any structures that are in the way of living under such a society. So, True Jihad, he says, is when Islam has a right to remove all those obstacles which are in its path so that it may address human reason and intuition with no interference and opposition from political systems. And he calls for the people to rise up. He says, it's necessary that there should be a vanguard which sets out with this determination. And this vanguard should know the landmarks and the milestones of the road towards this goal, so that they may recognize the ultimate purpose of this long journey. And indeed he writes this book, The Milestone, for this vanguard. And the vanguard, of course Al-Qaeda, ultimately takes up the banner of this vanguard. They say they are the vanguard. They're going to implement Qutb's vision. You can see how these words were a grave threat to the Nasser regime. As Qutb was calling for Muslims based on a religious duty to rise up and overthrow this revolutionary government. Despite that, in 1964 at the request of the Iraqi president, Nasser released Qutb from jail. But he rejoined the brotherhood and started to engage in subversive activities. These were disclosed and six months later Qutb was arrested again. He was brought up on charges of conspiring to overthrow the government, and the only evidence submitted to his trial were passages from The Milestones such as the ones that we just read. Qutb was convicted and sentenced to death. But Nasser had quickly realized that he had made a grave error because Qutb's popularity and the residence of his message, and his mistreatment at the hands of the government had made him a popular figure and people came to the streets to protest his mistreatment. Nasser offered a leniency if there were an appeal. He offered to release Qutb from jail and give him a position of authority, but Qutb would have none of it. He said, the time has come for a Muslim to give his head in order to claim the birth of the Islamic movement. On August 29, 1966, Qutb was hung in his cell, and his body was never given back to his family for fear that his grave would become a shrine for the faithful. 45 years later, that same exact fate would befall another leader who took up Qutb's call to create a Muslim vanguard, to restore the glories of the past.
