Milestones

Sayyid Qutb, is undoubtedly one of the most controversial figures of the modern Islamic world. He was imprisoned numerous times by Egyptian authorities. But in 1965, he was arrested and charged with treason and attempt to overthrow the Egyptian government. It was believed that the content of this book, Milestones, that prompted the government to act. On August 19, 1966, Sayyid Qutb and two associates were handed a death sentence by a military tribunal. He was executed August 25, 1966.
Many scholars and commentators have written about Sayyid Qutb’s ideas, including the ones contained in this work. This translation, however, should be a welcomed addition providing scholars, students, and the public interested in modern political Islamic movements with direct access to one of the primary literature in the field.
About the Author:
Sayyid Qutb was born in 1906 in the village of Musha in the province of Asyut province of Upper Egypt. He received his primary education in a school in the local village where, by the age of ten, he had memorized the entire Qur’an. When he was thirteen years old, Qutb moved to Cairo to pursue a degree in education. In 1929 he was admitted to Cairo University. After graduation, he was hired by the college and he taught there for some time before joining the Ministry of Education as inspector of schools. In 1949, Qutb was sent to the United States for further training. In the U.S., he attended a number of institutions including Wilson Teachers' College in Washington, D.C., Colorado State College for Education in Greeley, and Stanford University. He also traveled to other cities in the U.S. and visited Europe on his way back to Egypt.