Yusuf al-Qardawi is one of the most prominent of the contemporary figureheads of al-Ikhwan al-Muslimeen and he has written many times on the movements of Takfir. We see a couple of trends amongst todays Ikhwanis. Seeing that the ideologies of Takfir found in Qutb's books are harmful to their cause, a group amongst them (like al-Qaradawi) are trying to distance the Ikhwaan from these teachings. He is opposed by others, who try to downplay the issue of Takfir and argue that the books of Sayyid Qutb have been fundamental to the Ikhwaani movement, and that they have an important role to play. We'll leave them to argue about these issues, but here is a statement of al-Qaradawi taken from an article published on 4th May 2004 called (هل يكفّر "سيد قطب" مسلمي اليوم؟) in which he outlines the ideology of Takfir in the works of Sayyid Qutb.

He writes, after quoting a lengthy passage from Qutb's commentary az-Zilal (7/238-240) (في ظلال القرآن طبعة عيسى الحلبي الثانية), and he is essentially summarizing the main points from what he quoted from Qutb:

This (Qutb) is the man who makes it clear - rather [one who] screams - with what leaves no room for any doubt or other plausible consideration [in meaning] [except] that the lands used to be considered in the days gone by "an abode for Islaam" and that those peoples from the descendants of those Muslims, those whose ancestors used to Muslims in the days gone by, that they have not continued to remain Muslims, even if they think, in their belief, that they are practicising Islaam, because they have not testified that "None has the right to be worshipped except Allaah, alone" upon its true, real meaning, as he (Qutb) has defined. And he considered it troublesome what the Islamic movements were concerned about, that this new understanding had not become clear to them ... that those who think themselves to be Muslims today are Kuffar in reality. And he (Qutb) desired from these movements and their callers to openly proclaim a word of clarity (in this regard) and [that] they should not care about the "tuhmah (slanderous accusation)" of making Takfeer of the Muslims, for the reality (to Qutb) is that they are not Muslims!!

This was the way of thinking of Qutb, and this representation of this thinking is not coming from the "Madkhalis", but from prominent Ikhwani figureheads themselves.

The actual methodology of Qutb is summarized as follows:

• To make clear that all lands today are lands of kufr and not lands of Islaam, because there is no total, complete rule by Allaah's law.
• To make a clear distinction between the believers and the criminal non-believers, and he means by this the apostates who left Islaam, which are all the societies and all people.
• To openly pronounce this and not to care one bit if accused with making "takfir of the Muslims", because this pronouncement is an explanation of the meaning of the shahaadah!
• To then separate and isolate oneself from this Jaahiliyyah that surrounds everything.
• To then build a community (vanguard) of believers who will call to Islaam afresh.
• That this vanguard will plot a revolution to snatch power from the apostates and to stand up against this Jaahiliyyah.

There is no doubt to any sincere Muslim, that this is the deen of the Khawaarij, only it is more severe, more evil and more repugnant, and amazing is the state of a people willing to expend the greatest of efforts in trying to propagandize for this man's works and to defend him and his books in which there is nothing left, after you remove all the aspects of the aqidah of the Jahmiyyah, Mu'tazilah, Ash'ariyyah, Raafidah, except the madhhab of the Khawaarij and the manifestos of secular atheist Jews, such as Vladimir Lenin.