Sayyid Qutb was an Egyptian author, Islamist, and the leading intellectual of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood in the 1950s and 60s. He is best known in the Muslim world for his work on what he believed to be the social and political role of Islam, particularly in his books Social Justice and Ma'alim fi-l-Tariq . His extensive Quranic commentary Fi Zilal al-Qur'an has contributed significantly to modern perceptions of Islamic concepts such as jihad, jahiliyyah, and ummah. Islamists consider him to be a martyr because of his execution by Nasser's government.

Qutb is also known for his intense dislike of the United States, for his belief in antisemitic conspiracy theories, and for being "the man whose ideas would shape Al Qaeda." Today, his supporters are often identified as Qutbists.