Power and empowerment in the discourses of ‘modern’ Arab Islamists

This article examines the conceptualization of power (al-quwa) and empowerment (tamkin) in the political and religious thought of four prominent modern Arab Islamist thinkers: Muhammad Abu Zahra, Muhammad al-Bahi, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, and Sayyid Qutb. Through a comparative analysis of their Arabic writings, the study investigates the origins, dimensions, purposes, and normative regulation of power within an Islamic framework. It argues that contemporary Islamist thought conceives power as a divinely rooted and indispensable condition for the moral, political, and material advancement of individuals, states, and the Muslim umma. Power is understood holistically, encompassing spiritual, ethical, political, economic, and military dimensions, while its legitimate exercise is anchored in Islamic law (sharia) and moral responsibility. The article further develops the concept of empowerment as the construction and consolidation of power across individual, national, and transnational levels. Despite their shared emphasis on faith, collective strength, and the centrality of power to Islamic social and political life, the thinkers examined diverge significantly in their understandings of its legitimate purposes and methods. Whereas Qutb advances a transformative and confrontational conception of power, Abu Zahra, al-Bahi, and al-Qaradawi emphasize reform, social order, justice, and peaceful coexistence. These differences reveal competing approaches to the relationship between Islamic principles, political authority, and the pursuit of collective empowerment.