Sayyid Quṭb

Sayyid Quṭb (born Oct. 9, 1906, near Asyūṭ, Egypt—died Aug. 29, 1966, Cairo) was an Egyptian writer who was one of the foremost figures in modern Sunni Islamic revivalism. He was from a family of impoverished rural notables. For most of his early life, he was a schoolteacher. Originally an ardent secularist, he came, over time, to adopt many Islamist views. Following a brief period of studying in the United States (1948–50), he became convinced...