# Theology of Osama bin Laden, The

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-18 — 1 clipping.*

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> First off, I want to apologize for being absent from the list during this
>  very crucial time. I am apparently the only Middle East Historian teaching
>  in the Mississippi State Capital. During the Gulf War I was interviewed
>  frequently by newspapers and radio, leading eventually to my being invited
>  to speak at the Arnold's Weapon Center in Tennessee. I felt I needed to be
>  prepared in case similar inquiries were made in the present situation.
> 
>  Elianna has raised a question which is not only on our minds, but in the
>  minds of my students, indeed in the minds of all Americans and those
>  possessing any kind of humanity the world over--what kind of people would
> do
>  this kind of thing? As you are all aware the primary suspect currently is
>  Osama Bin Laden, and even if he is not directly responsible for this
>  horrendous act, it seems apparent that it was committed by those closely
>  related to him and his theology. I think I should take sometime therefore,
>  and explain precisely what that theology is and where it comes from.
> 
>  Among the Sunnis, the more militant forms of Islam are mostly inspired by
>  the writings of two men, Mawdudi and Sayyid Qutb who are responsible for
>  turning the religion of Islam into the political ideology which I would
> call
>  Islamism.
> 
>  Mawdudi was originally an Indian journalist before partition who had
> adopted
>  a fairly rigid form of Islam. He had initially opposed the formation of
> the
>  state of Pakistan since he knew its founders intended to make it an
> entirely
>  secular state, despite the fact it was to be founded on the basis of an
>  Islamic identity. However, when partition occurred he did immigrate to
>  Pakistan and then devoted his energies to turning it into a truly Islamic
>  republic according to his definition.
> 
>  I first read a book by Mawdudi years ago entitled *The Finality of
>  Prophethood.* It was designed to be a refutation of Ahmadi and Bahá'í
> claims
>  to having prophets after Muhammad. But beyond that this book was basically
> a
>  Muslim version of *The Late Great Planet Earth.* The most chilling part of
>  it was his description of what would happen when the 'true' Mahdi appeared
>  along with Jesus Christ. They would lead Muslims in an apocalyptic battle
>  against Jews and Christians at, you guessed it, the Plain of Armageddon.
> 
>  The second important thinker, and the one who probably had an even greater
>  impact on Osama Bin Laden would be the Sayyid Qutb. Sayyid Qutb was an
>  Egyptian who early in his career might have been described as a Muslim
>  modernists, one who believed that Islam and Western secular ideals could
> be
>  reconciled. He discarded that idea after coming to study in this country
>  between 1948-50. He was treated in America like any other black man and
> that
>  treatment completely soured him on the West. He came back to Egypt and
>  embraced a much more rigid and militaristic form of Islam.
> 
>  The form of Islam promoted by men like Mawdudi and Sayyid Qutb, and
> embraced
>  by the Taliban and the current government in the Sudan differs from other
>  forms of Sunni Islam in the following ways:
> 
>  1) They believe the gate of ijtihad (interpretation) remains open unlike
>  most Sunnis who believe it was closed in the 9th century.
> 
>  2) The believe in something called *takfir wa hijr.* This means they hold
> it
>  impermissible for a Muslim to live in a country not governed by Islamic
> law
>  without seeking to overthrow and make it Islamic. Otherwise they should
>  immigrate to a place which is truly Muslim.
> 
>  3) They hold that any nominally Muslim government which does not abide by
>  the shariah (Islamic law) is therefore really apostate. Such a government
>  should be overthrown and its leaders killed. For this reason, hitherto,
> most
>  of the violence of Islamist groups was aimed at other Muslims.
>  This position, I might add, is basically the same one held by the
> Kharijites
>  in early Islam. The Kharijites were the faction responsible for
>  assassinating the Imam Ali and have been considered dangerous heretics by
>  both Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims alike.
> 
>  4) They insist in regarding Christians and Jews as infidels rather than
>  people of the book, and therefore are willing to withdraw their protection
>  and even persecute them. This is the reason why there has been so much
>  violence against Christians in both the Sudan and in Egypt.
> 
>  I hope this information will help you in that worthy goal, Bill mentioned
> of
>  defending the true tenets of Islam and combating the prejudice against
>  Muslims in our country and elsewhere.
>
> — *Theology of Osama bin Laden, The (Used by permission of the curator)*