# What was in the letter attacking Shaykh al-Yaqoubi, and who sent it?

*A Bradford board's letter demanding that Shaykh al-Yaqoubi make takfir: its demands and signatories*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/mlnpcjxypqm/s/2/
- Date: 2020-04-06 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: People Attacking Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi | Mufti Abu Layth (2:37–7:51)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLNpcjXYpqM&t=157s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/mlnpcjxypqm/

**Topics:** Sects, sectarianism and takfir; Views on contemporary scholars; Cults, clergy and religious abuse

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** A Bradford-based board wrote to Shaykh al-Yaqoubi demanding he declare Shia, Deobandi and Salafi figures kafir and condemn The Study Quran and Hamza Yusuf, which Mufti Abu Layth calls a sectarian bullying session. He recognised only two signatories and was surprised to see Pir Saqib Shaami's name.

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says having issues with people is fine and everyone is entitled to an opinion, but the problem is when it is a sectarian game. He describes a letter in English sent to Shaykh al-Yaqoubi by a body calling itself a board of ulama and mashaykh for protecting the beliefs of Islam and Ahl al-Sunnah [?], based in Bradford, which he mocks as 'the feds' ready to deal with any crisis to the faith. He says the letter took digs at al-Yaqoubi and tried to bully him: why does he not call certain people kafir, how dare he praise Mufti Taqi Usmani [?], a Deobandi, why does he not declare the Shia, the leaders of the Deobandis, Ashraf Ali Thanwi [?], the Salafis and Wahhabis kafir, and why has he not condemned The Study Quran and Hamza Yusuf for praising it; he calls it a full-fledged bullying session. Among the signatories he recognised only two names: one whose name is garbled in the transcript and of whom he found a clip, and Pir Saqib Shaami [?], at whose inclusion he was surprised, suggesting the name may have been added without his full validation since he had thought him more intelligent than to be involved in such things. He says he had never heard of the other signatories and tried to track down the board, joking about Bradford and coronavirus and about the board's rules on who may be called kafir.

## Sources and names cited

- Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi
- Board of Ulama and Mashaykh for Protecting the Beliefs of Islam (Bradford) [?]
- Mufti Taqi Usmani [?]
- Ashraf Ali Thanwi [?]
- Hamza Yusuf
- Pir Saqib Shaami [?]
- The Study Quran
- takfir
- Deobandi
- Shia
- Salafi (Wahhabi)

## Transcript (machine tier, 2:37–7:51)

[1:57] things he tells his people to study and this and that I do think he likes a bit of the you know the protocol a chat uh you know uh I want my fans and support is it I guess who doesn't ha that's people will say but who doesn't like having all these funds and supporters and this pyramid II Allah Allah Allah but what's more interesting is he's being attacked and you know something look I don't mind people having issues with different people have got issues with me I in the past raised a an issue with

[2:36] Sharia Kuby when he issued the Buhari and though certain statements and I felt they were misleading having issues with people isn't is not an issue everybody can have it you're entitled to your opinion the problem is when it's just a sectarian game so what's happened is this this board there are the defenders of the Islamic board for defending sunni beliefs so they had issued this statement to chef yaku be that that he's

[3:15] look after his Hatem and he's that they wrote a letter to him in the english language and they demand as you can see him bold at the bottom this is the board of allah ma and messiah for protecting the beliefs of Islam oh this is the federal board people the federal the feds this is the feds right so of Islam and Allah Sunnah they happens to be in Bradford if ever if ever is LA was to be

[3:55] in danger or Alyce Sunnah was to be in danger I want you all to know that there is a board people that is there ready with the capacity to deal with the crisis on the level of Corcovado 9 and that board is based in Bradford so what they said in their letter right so just to this is some examples of what was said in this letter basically this letter was just taking digs at him trying to bully him so they're trying to bully him saying to him that look why are you not calling

[4:34] certain people cafard why did you praise Mufti Turkey for why did you how dare you praise Mufti duckies at the Oh Bundy you know how do you not call Shia kafir why are she are not careful you need to declare Shia kaffir so there's all these things were cool Shia kaffir cool do bond is at least called the a Kabir the the leaders of the do Bundy's kaffir a shuffle etern ton we should be called a kafir this is a note we should be called a Kaffir or she that montgomery should be called a Kaffir Salafis Wahhabi should be called kaffir the the study group sorry the

[5:14] study group the study Quran that was done and praised by Hamza Yusuf why have you haven't you condemned the study Quran and why haven't you condemned Homs a you sir for praising it there was a full-fledged bullying session full-fledged people full-swing that why haven't you done this how dare you and this is some of the signatories on here not to be honest I don't I read a name Bundy Alvie and I did find a clip to do with Bundy Alvie and I'll share that in a moment the only other name I was surprised to

[5:53] see here that I recognized was peer Sahib Shami sob to be honest I'm surprised that peer Sahib Shami has has put his name to something like this maybe they put it without actually fully kind of validating it with him because I assume I could be wrong I assume sakip Shami is usually you know more intelligent than to get involved in these kind of things and put his name to these kind of things that's the impression I have of him unless he is happy to put his name on this kind of stuff I don't know but I would have thought that so I was quite surprised to see his name the the other names all

[6:32] these people I I've never really heard of them I'd I don't know there I've heard of that Bundy Alvie sob now but I was trying to track down this board people that who are these this board that is bullying the hell they trying to bully share Mohammed yaqoob' and it was really difficult like I mentioned tracking them down especially since Bradford you know you got to go to Bradford you know Northwest has got some coronavirus cases it's not easy people no es facil Noah's vessel it's muy muy difícil but but pero pero

[7:11] we did get a I want us to know that we are in safe hands people we are in safe hands right because the Islamic board for protection of Sunni beliefs has got this they've got these people right just chill out right they've got this okay so and if we listen to their rules on who we can call who we can why are do Bundy's not kaffir why are Shia not Kathy why our Allah hadeeth Salafi is

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment mLNpcjXYpqM/s/2. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/mlnpcjxypqm/s/2/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.