# Does Mufti Abu Layth regard Sufi tariqahs led by pirs as cults?

*A better cult than most: pirs, tariqahs and the SKT charity dispute*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/otqqc3k4hwa/s/4/
- Date: 2019-08-21 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: A Reply to Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi on Sahih Al-Bukhari| Mufti Abu layth (10:33–13:09)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtQqc3K4HWA&t=633s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/otqqc3k4hwa/

**Topics:** Cults, clergy and religious abuse; Views on contemporary scholars; Britain

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth says all such tariqahs are in essence cults, though al-Yaqoubi's is a better and less harmful one than the usual exploitative pir. The SKT charity boycott, he says, shows how much power such shaykhs now wield.

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says al-Yaqoubi settled comfortably into the role of head of a tariqah, with followers as his murids and the reins in his hands, and that this is the making of the man as he is today. As pirs go, he says, he does not mind him: pir sahibs are usually highly exploitative and abusive, all about power and money, and al-Yaqoubi is a better and good version of them. To Mufti all of these practices are cults, but if one is to join a cult, al-Yaqoubi's is a better and less harmful one. He adds that this does not make it scandal-free, citing what he calls a huge scandal in the last two years around the charity SKT: he says that, allegedly, key devotees of al-Yaqoubi gave him a position of prominence, that he then wished to take over the charity, and that when they removed him he sent messages instructing all his murids to boycott it, accusing it of mishandling funds, though Mufti believes the Charity Commission cleared it. He says this shows the power now wielded: the man he briefly shook hands with in Damascus could never have envisaged threatening a charity worth millions.

## Sources and names cited

- Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi
- pir (Sufi shaykh, subcontinent usage)
- tariqah (Sufi order)
- murid (disciple)
- SKT (charity)
- the Charity Commission (England and Wales)

## Transcript (machine tier, 10:33–13:09)

[10:09] the DC community within the Midlands and the north of England because they took it to another level I mean we're talking about unfathomable doors unlocking both of wealth prosperity money power dynamism I mean it's it's amazing people with great you know people that run corporations and things like this they will back you as a piece odd so his shift kind of really wound to this you see this and and then he kind of comfortably settled as this tariqa I've run this study are you're all my kind of

[10:46] mureeds and really took these bites rains and that is the making of what you have now as share Hamlet his Ilia Kobe Sahib and as far as spear subs go I don't actually mind him I think he's actually definitely better and a good version of the pizzas because they can be highly exploitative highly exploitative beef subs can be and they usually are they're usually very abusive usually all about power money things like this but I mean definitely he is a

[11:23] he's from the better kind of if you are to join AC to me all of these practices are cults but if you are to join a cult then I suppose his cult is definitely a better and less harmful cult to be in then other cults I mean it doesn't mean it scandal-free I mean there was this huge in the last two years a huge scandal to do with the charity SKT this charity which allegedly allegedly masala I don't know the reality but apparently they were key devotees of chef yaku B who gave him a position of prominence

[12:02] which he then wished to take over the entire charity and when they originally got rid of him eventually so he got rid of him he sent messages around saying everybody's - all my mureeds are to boycott that charity I mean hims accusing them of mishandling funds but I think the Charity Commission did clear them but that's beyond the point maybe they whether they did mishandle funds is not unbelievable but since Muslim charities are usually quite you know not always so scrupulous on these things but once again you can

[12:39] see this wielding this power mureeds my want my memories to boycott this I bring this to the table the sense of power you know a two decades ago the chef yaku B that I that I fleetingly shaked hands with in the streets of Damascus could never have envisaged that a day would come when he would make a threat to wield such power against a huge million power you know million how strong at least or millions of pounds strong charity or an organization

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment OtQqc3K4HWA/s/4. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/otqqc3k4hwa/s/4/

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