Sayyid Quṭb in Iran: Translating the Islamist Ideologue in the Islamic Republic

Abstract

Abstract:Although many studies have explored the dissemination of Sayyid Quṭb’s thought and the impact of his works on the formation of Islamist ideology in the Sunni world, little attention has been paid to the influence of Quṭb on the Islamic revolution in Iran. This article argues that Sayyid Quṭb was an influential figure among the Iranian revolutionaries and his ideas played an instrumental role in shaping the discourse of Islamism in pre-revolutionary Iran and the Islamic Republic. The article starts by exploring the personal and ideological connections between Sayyid Quṭb and pre-revolutionary Iranian Islamists. Next, it examines how these connections led to an extensive translation movement that popularized Quṭb’s ideas in Iran. With this translation movement, all of Quṭb’s major works were rendered into Persian by prominent Islamists of the time, such as Iran’s future supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. These works are still in print in the Islamic Republic of Iran today. Finally, the article discusses the legacy of Quṭb in contemporary Iran, where his writings are being reinterpreted in the light of contemporary political developments, such as the rise of Salafi jihadism. Toward this end, a conference on Sayyid Quṭb held in Tehran in 2015 attended by many prominent scholars and intellectuals. This conference is not only a good indicator of Quṭb’s continued importance in Iran but it also provides a view of the changes and continuities in the perception of Quṭb in Iranian intellectual circles.