The Qutbiyyah are claiming that Sayyid Qutb repented from his attacks upon the Sahaabah, which is an empty claim, devoid of evidences, and the reason why this claim is fraudulent and cannot be sustained is because Qutb's attacks upon the Companions Uthmaan, Mu'awiyah, Amr bin al-Aas and the Bani Umayyah were from an ideological conviction derived from the notion of "Social Justice", which came from his Marxist-Socialist-Communist background. So they have no proof unless they bring something that meets the guidelines of a proper repentance (see below).

To learn more about this ideological conviction of Sayyid Qutb, refer to the following articles:

• Salaah al-Khaalidee: Qutb Drank Heavily From the Western Materialist Philosophies Which Led Him To Doubt Islam for 15 Years - (see here)
• Readings in Elementary Communism: Karl Marx, Freidrich Engels, Sayyid Qutb, Capitalism, the State, Social Justice, Revolution and the Communist Manifesto - (see here)
• A Picture Paints (Characterizes) a Thousand Qutbis: Hasan al-Banna, Sayyid Qutb, Abu A'la Mawdudi, the Rafidah and the Iranian Revolution - (see here)
• Sayyid Qutb and the Revolution Organized in Egypt Against the Third Khalifah Uthman bin Affaan - (see here)

Requirements of a True Repentance

Qutb's response to Mahmood Shakir and his persistence upon his ideological conviction regarding those Companions proves that Qutb did not change, and he did not remove the malice in his heart. Further, if the Qutbiyyah are claiming he repented, then altering some words does not constitute repentance, rather a true repentance is characterized in:

• Immediate cessation of the act
• Feeling of remorse
• Resolve not to do it again
• And where it involves the right of others (i.e. Uthman, Mu'awiyah, Amr bin al-Aas), then their right has to be returned, and their honors exonerated, with a refutation of and recantation from one's transgression
• And verbally seeking forgiveness from Allaah, and repenting to Him.

That's a sign of a true repentance. We will give the Qutbiyyah three years from today's date, 29th January 2010 to provide us with this Sharee'ah repentance that is ascribed to Sayyid Qutb from his attacks against the Companions.

Part 2: Second Example of Change in Wording

In the 5th edition of "al-Adaalah al-Ijtimaa'iyyah fil-Islaam" (Social Justice in Islaam), Qutb said on page 187 of the 5th edition:

And the Companions used to see this deviation from the spirit of Islaam and they would summon each other to Madinah in order to rescue Islam and to rescue the khalifah (Uthmaan) from this tribulation. And the khalifah in his old age and his decrepitude (i.e. senility) was not in control of his affair with regards to Marwan. And it is difficult for us to cast aspersion upon the spirit of Islam through the person of Uthmaan, however it is difficult likewise that we excuse him from the error which was the error of an evil encounter [taking place] in his authority over the khilafah whilst he was an old, debilitated [man] surrounding by the evil entourage from [Bani] Umayyah

This is what he said in the 5th edition.

In the book "al-Adaalah al-Ijtimaa'iyyah" (1993CE/1413H, Dar ash-Shurooq), there is a small introduction (p. 5) by Sayyid Qutb, which is signed and dated March 1954CE, and in this edition there were some changes in wording. It should be noted that the last edition before Qutb's death was the 6th edition, and that is the one that has continued to be reprinted as further editions. We have with us the 13th edition at this point in time.

Qutb writes (p. 159-160) in this 13th edition:

And the Companions used to see these dealings [from Uthman] having dangerous consequences (outcomes) and they would summon each other to Madinah in order to rescue the traditions of Islaam, and to rescue the khalifah from the tribulation. And the khalifah in his old age was not in control of his affair with regards to Marwan. And it is difficult for us to cast aspersion upon the spirit of Islaam through the person of Uthmaan, however it is difficult likewise that we excuse him from the error in the causes of which (i.e. of that error) we look into Marwan's taking power over the ministry (of government) during the old age of Uthmaan.

What Qutb has done here is maintain his meaning and ideological conviction but lighten some of his words. This is what is going on in essence:

That pesky Mahmood Shakir with impure intentions and a desire to create fitnah is attacking my defense of Islam against the inexcusable errors of the likes of Uthmaan, Mu'awiyah, Marwan (bin al-Hakam) Amr bin al-Aas and those evil Bani Umayyah - he's written all those articles attacking me and my books (see here). So I'm going to remove those words such as "senile, decrepit" and "debilitated..." to avoid such criticism in the future, whilst maintaining my ideological conviction regarding Uthmaan and Mu'awiyah and Marwan and Bani Umayyah, continuing to express it. Because I see this as a defense of the spirit of Islam and a defense of Islam from its enemies (capitalist West), and this is in conformity with my fikr of presenting the notion of "Social Justice" (an alternative to using the word "Communism" or "Socialism") in Islam and thus, Islam's battle against "Capitalism" (the misuse of wealth for private monopoly and maintenance of class struggle). So ideologically, I ain't changing one bit, and I'm holding on to my position and perception, but I'll just be careful with my words so that those "fitnah-mongers" don't cause any more problems.

That is very accurately, what you have going on here in a nutshell - and we will publish Qutb's response to Mahmood Shakir in a separate article.

Mahmood Shakir's Amazingly Insightful Remark

These attacks from Qutb were from an ideological conviction and Mahmood Shakir could not have said it better in 1952 in his refutation of Qutb (see here) wherein he stated:

And I am not going to give an example of what the Orientalists, and those of the same sort as them, for they are as we already know (of them), and nor (will I give an example) of the people of deviation, misguidance and malice against the people of Islaam, such as the author of the book "al-Fitnah al-Kubraa" and his likes amongst the authors.

Rather, I will bring you the example from the speech of one of the sentimentalists towards the deen of their Lord, who proclaim defence of it and [proclaim] making jihaad in its path, [and show] that the quality of the idolatrous western civilization manifests itself, explosively - in the heart of the one who does not beware and take caution - with all of the malices of the twentieth century and with the most evil of resentments of this civilization that transgress the limits of Allaah. [those] which He prescribed upon His servants - Muslims and non-Muslims - that they should not transgress. [This transgression being against] four from the Companions of Allaah's Messenger (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam), they are Abu Sufyaan bin Harb, Mu'aawiyah bin Abi Sufyaan, Amr bin al-Aas and Hind bint Utbah bin Rabee'ah, the mother of Mu'aawiyah (radiallaahu anhum) - how one of the people [Qutb] has spoken about them?!

Mahmood Shakir is saying here that the hatred of the Orientalists and their likes, and the people of innovation, desires and misguidance is known towards the Islam and its people, and so there is no need to give examples of their hatred, but rather, that he will give an example of a sentimentalist towards Islam, who proclaims its defence, and in whom there is found the violent explosive expression of all of the malice and hatred of the idolatrous western civilization that transgress those limits of Allaah that He ordered not to be transgressed. And that this malice and hatred manifested itself against four of the Companions of Allaah's Messenger (alayhis salaam).

Summary

It is one thing to say Qutb was in error and lets move on, but it is entirely another thing to claim Qutb recanted from his attacks upon the Companions (with a proper Sharee'ah repentance), and all we have are empty claims with no explicit proof.