Reconstructing Islamic Transformative Leadership: A Comparative Synthesis of Hassan Al-Banna, Maududi and Syed Qutb

Abstract

This study addresses underexplored leadership paradigms within twentieth-century Islamic revivalist thought through a comparative analysis of the models articulated by Hassan al-Banna, Abul A'la Maududi, and Sayyid Qutb. The objective is to identify their core leadership dimensions and synthesise them into an integrated theoretical framework. Using qualitative comparative textual analysis of foundational works, key leadership constructs were inductively extracted and thematically coded. The findings reveal three interrelated dimensions: moral-spiritual reform, institutional-structural governance, and consciousness-driven mobilisation. The study introduces the Integrated Islamic Transformative Leadership Framework (IITLF), a theologically anchored, non-Western contribution to leadership theory. It argues that sustainable transformative leadership requires normative equilibrium between ethical authority, governance architecture, and collective mobilisation. The framework offers a structured analytical foundation for future empirical research on Islamic leadership within contemporary governance and social movement contexts.