The Comparative study of the intellectual foundations of Islamic civilization in thought of Ayatollah Khamenei and Sayyid Qutb

 Sayyid Qutb as one of the prominent Egyptian thinkers and Ayatollah Khamenei as one of the most influential Shiite scholars in the present age are among the thinkers who have a special emphasis on the approach of civilization and have paid special attention to Islamic civilization. The main question of this research is about the intellectual foundations of Islamic civilization in the thought of the Ayatollah Khamenei and Seyyed Qutb and the commonalities and differences between them. In the present study, the method of qualitative content analysis has been used and to collect data, documentary and library methods have been used to extract and present the most important intellectual foundations of modern Islamic civilization from the perspective of Ayatollah Khamenei and Seyyed Qutb based on their works. The researchs findings showed that although Seyyed Qutb and Ayatollah Khamenei have common concerns and seek to create a strong Islamic civilization, but in their foundations there are obvious differences with each other. Ontologically, these two ideas are based on monotheism and believe that Islamic civilization is two-dimensional and includes the material and spiritual realms. In the foundations of epistemology, they agree on the possibility and necessity of knowledge, but they have different views in terms of sources and methods of knowledge. In terms of what anthropology is, the high position of man in the system of existence and its existential end are similar, but there is a serious difference regarding the human will. In Sayyid Qutb’s theory, the human will is interpreted under the monotheism of actions and the continuity of the divine habit, while Ayatollah Khamenei believes that the main role in education depends on the will and decision of man himself. In the teleological discussion of both theories, the pursuit of happiness and the attainment of happiness in this world and the hereafter is understood. Both ultimately believe that the ultimate goal of Islamic civilization is to achieve happiness. Both ontologically believe in the duality (material and spiritual) of the system of existence and consider the spiritual aspect more important than the material aspect. What is clear is the complete separation of the views of Seyyed Qutb and Ayatollah Khamenei in teleology and the creation of the utopia. The utopia of Sayyid Qutb is the first Islamic society and the era of the caliphate, but the utopia of Ayatollah Khamenei comes into being in the end times and with a view to the future.