Is a female student's feeling of love and respect toward her female teacher that exceeds her love for her parents considered disobedience?
A student's love for her female teacher is a good thing as long as it does not exceed the bounds of respect, with two important caveats:
1. Beware of this love transforming into reprehensible "admiration" that leads to many corruptions. 2. Beware of it transforming into "veneration and sanctification" that reaches the point of extremism (ghuluw), as happens in some Sufi women's groups where the female teacher is prioritized over parents and husband, which has caused discord and family breakdown.
The Permanent Committee has issued a fatwa stating that Sufi orders—including the Naqshbandi—are innovative and contrary to the Quran and Sunnah, and may involve major shirk due to exaggeration regarding their shaykhs. They also ruled that statements like "Whoever has no shaykh, his shaykh is Satan" are false. They recommended caution against Sufism and prohibiting women from joining their associations and schools, while advising repentance, adhering to the methodology of Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama'ah, and obeying their husbands.
The questioner should be moderate in her love for her female teacher, ensuring it is based on Islamic law without exaggeration or excess. If it transforms into admiration or veneration, she should address herself, and if she cannot, she should end this relationship, while giving everyone their due right.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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