Ignorance or sovereignty: the de-territorialization of Jihad in Sayyid Qutb’s theo-political vision

ABSTRACT The burgeoning interest and research in the ideology of the Islamist thinker Sayyid Qutb (d. 1966), since the attacks of 11 September, have been driven by one of the two goals: to demonstrate the crucial role of Qutb’s verdict upon all modern societies as ungodly (jahili) in shaping the worldview of militant Islamists, or, more specifically, to explore the extent of Qutb’s influence in shaping the takfiri rhetoric of late 20th century jihadists. Yet one aspect of Qutb’s verdict against modern societies that might explain the continuing appeal of his ideology to jihadists has received less attention in the literature: how the arguments Qutb employs in formulating this condemnation of modern societies as ungodly leads to a de-territorialization of jihad that explains his refusal to accept the traditional division of the world into ‘land of Islam’ and ‘land of disbelief.’ To drive this argument home, the article revisits Qutb’s theo-political vision of Islam and explores his conception of divine sovereignty (hakimiyya) as a counter-term to jahiliyya to explicate the implications of that vision for his view of jihad. I argue that Qutb’s call for the restoration and submission to divine authority encompasses both a transnational and a national concept of jihad.