Abstract
Intellectual debates spanning sixty-five years among Islamists, Salafists, and Jihadists on the most effective way to reestablish an Islamic state provided the foundation for the strategies, methods, and theoretical framework for al-Qaeda's ideology. This master’s thesis focuses on the evolution in this thought by examining the ideas of Hassan al- Banna, Sayyid Qutb, Muhammad ‘Abd al-Salam Farrag and ‘Abdullah ‘Azzam. An examination of al-Qaeda's ideological origins sheds light on the inner debates over doctrine and strategy in the Jihadist movement. This thesis demonstrates that Jihadist thought is not monolithic or rigid as often assumed, but rather complex, nuanced, and diverse. It also highlights the necessity in studying Jihadism in a comprehensive and systematic manner while applying different tools from a variety of disciplines to gain a rich understanding of an intricate area of study, which is too often misunderstood or inadequately researched.