In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful…
The dangerously misleading teachings of controversial American speaker Yusuf Estes have reached a number of the senior scholars of Islam over the past couple of years. In fact, some of his most dangerous errors were presented, word-for-word, to the following highly respected scholars, and these were their reactions:
- Shaykh ‘Ubayd al-Jaabiree: “I warn the Muslims from him… He is either astray, leading others astray, or he has lost his mind…” [click here]
- Shaykh Saalih al-Fowzaan: “A person’s religion (Islam) is not valid without both (love and hatred)…” (in response to Yusuf’s claim that Islam does not require hatred of anyone) [click here]
- Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahmaan Muhyiud-Deen: “He is astray, leading others astray… Shaytan speaks on his tongue…a miskeen (poor man) who does not know anything about Islam…” [click here]
Just a couple days ago, yet another globally recognized leading Muslim scholar, Shaykh Saalih al-Luhaydaan (may Allah preserve him and all those previously mentioned), was asked about the misguided beliefs and teachings of Yusuf Estes. The following question was posed to him:
Some of the du’aat (preachers) in the West claim that the Quran is exclusively in the Lowh Mahfooth (Preserved Tablet), and that what we have in front of us is not called a Quran, but rather a mushaf. This is because they have assumed that the word Quran does not refer to pages or things written down. As a result, people of this opinion say that you cannot hold the Quran in your hand and that the written Quran resembles paper money that people exchange. Are these statements correct? And does a person of the Sunnah say these kinds of things about the Quran?
[You may confirm for yourself that these are indeed the open teachings of Yusuf Estes by watching this video of Yusuf Estes saying these exact things.]
The shaykh (may Allah preserve him) replied:
This speech is faasid (corrupt)! The one who speaks like this is not to be referred to as one of the du’aat (Islamic preachers), or that he is a daa’iyah (Islamic preacher, caller). He is either ignorant or a caller to misguidance.
The Companions received this Quran from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace), and the Messenger of Allah had received it from the revelation brought by Jibreel (peace be upon both of them). The Companions conveyed this Quran and taught it to the people, and it was written in mushafs in their era, may Allah be pleased with them all.
Source: A question and answer session after Lesson #10 of the shaykh’s ongoing lessons in explanation of “al-‘Aqeedah al-Wasatiyyah” in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, recorded on the eve of Monday the 9th of Jumaadaa al-Oolaa, 1435 (March 10, 2014). [At about the 50-minute point of this recording]
May Allah reward the noble shaykh for his advice to the Muslims. He has identified the teachings of Yusuf Estes as being corrupt, and warned us not to even refer to him as an Islamic caller, as he is either too ignorant to qualify to be a caller or he is calling to misguidance upon knowledge. In either case, he is not qualified to speak on behalf of Islam. The shaykh also helped to clarify that the mushaf in the time of the Companions was referred to as the Quran. May Allah preserve him and allow his advice to reach open hearts looking for the truth.
Not only did the Messenger of Allah (may Allah raise his rank and grant him peace) refer explicitly to the written pages as “Quran” in an authentic hadeeth, but there is total ijmaa’ (consensus) among the Companions and early imams that the Quran is what is written in the mushafs, recited upon the tongues, and memorized in the chests. They viewed this as an essential belief that distinguishes the Muslims from the heretical Jahmiyyah Cult, and they declared anyone who opposed this basic belief to be outside of Islam, as established with evidences traced to their sources in the free e-book, “The Written Mushaf is Actually the Quran.” (PDF)
We pray for the guidance of Yusuf Estes, and for all of those who continue to defend him even after his teachings have been exposed as clear kufr (disbelief) according to the scholars of Islam throughout history. And Allah knows best.
Written by: Moosaa Richardson
