Self-Admiration A Basic Characteristic of Cult Leaders
This is according to seminary scholar Amin Shamshiri, speaking at a forum on deviated cults.
Following are excerpts from his remarks at the forum:
One of the fundamental features seen in cults is self-admiration. That is to say, the leader of the cult wants to attract everything to himself. The way to attract people in cults is mostly answering questions that have not been answered. Some people have questions that we have not provided answers for and these cults answer them incorrectly.
Firaq (cults) is the plural form of Firqa in Arabic and refers to a group of people. Even Shia has been called a Firqa.
But today it is mostly used in the negative sense.
In Surah At-Tawbah of the Holy Quran this word has been used to mean a group, saying that not all believers should go to war but a Firqa (group) of them should become Faqihs (jurists) in the religion and teach the religion to people.
Also, there is a Hadith from the Holy Prophet that Bani Isra’il were divided into 71 Firqas but the Muslim Ummah will be divided into 72 Firqas, only one of which will be saved.
Some groups cannot be called a cult because they do not have a religious nature. These groups, for example those who have a certain lifestyle should be studied with a sociological approach.
A deviated cult is a group of people who have common goals and objectives and knowingly or unknowingly introduce deviations in the religion.
There may be thoughts and ideas that are deviated but there are no theorization about them and they are not supported financially. They remain at the level of thoughts and ideas and have not become cults.
