User:Vector4F/Ma'alim fi-l-Tariq

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Ma'alim fi-l-Tariq is a book by Egyptian Islamist author Sayyid Qutb which lays out a comprehensive interpretation of Islam's role in human affairs. The title Ma'alim fi-l-Tariq translates into English as "Milestones Along the Way" or "Milestones Along the Road". The book is often referred to in English as simply "Milestones." The work was first published in 1964 after Qutb had spent a decade in prison under charges of political conspiracy. Ma'alim fi-l-Tariq is perhaps Qutb's most famous work and is considered by some Western scholars as a manifesto for radical Islamism.

The text deals with Qutb's analysis of Islam and his argument to establish an Islamic state and society (in both Egypt and throughout the world). The book seperates peoples and governments into two main groups: those supporting Islam and those ignorant of or in opposition to Islam (Jahiliyyah). Qutb argues that the eternal conflict between these two forces underlies human history and that Muslims are obligated to live and fight in the cause of Islam.

Less than a year after the publication of Ma'alim fi-l-Tariq, Qutb was brought to trial in Egypt under charges of conspiring against the state. Excerpts from Ma'alim fi-l-Tariq were used to incriminate Qutb and he was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. After Qutb's execution in 1966, the text and ideas in Ma'alim fi-l-Tariq were widely distributed across the Arab speaking world.