Was Al-Dhahabi a Sufi because it was mentioned in "Siyar A'lam al-Nubala'" (22/377): "He clothed me with the Sufi cloak"?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
Imam al-Dhahabi's wearing of the Sufi patched cloak (khirqa) does not exclude him from the fold of the Ahl al-, because it is an issue about which the views of scholars differed, and because it is not an innovation in a fundamental principle or a matter agreed upon. Furthermore, he has many denouncements of Sufi practices that contravene the Sunnah, and clarifications that show their errors and observations. He also criticized al-Ghazali and agreed with Ibn al-Jawzi and Ibn Taymiyyah in their critique of Sufism, emphasizing that true Sufism is what the pious predecessors (Salaf al-Salih) came with.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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