There is a counterpart to the oft-repeated aphorism which indicates that teachers appear when they are needed -- namely: teachers disappear when such is needed, and this version of the saying comes from people doing exit counseling with people who have been spiritually abused. And, this leads to an issue of some importance.

Lots of people are making assumptions about why there are authentic and inauthentic teachers, or why some people are abused while other individuals do not, apparently, undergo such an experience. Far too many people are presuming to know the answer of why such things happen, and, as a result, attach words like "necessary" or "deserve" to such discussions, or they make value judgments concerning the 'worth' of the recipients of abuse.

God, for Divine reasons, permits many things to happen, and it is an essential part of the Sufi perspective which maintains that Divinity does no injustice to Creation. Human beings are the perpetrators of abuse, not God. Human beings misuse human freedom.

Rape is not a necessary medium of spiritual learning or transformation. Domestic abuse is not deserved by the recipients of such abuse. Children do not need, or deserve, to be molested by so-called Sufi shaykhs.

Yes, one can agree with one of the other postings in this Group that all of life is a teacher. However, this does not mean that someone is serving the function of a spiritual guide when he or she abuses, exploits, manipulates, misdirects, or seeks to undermine someone's faith, peace, family, or seeking of the truth.

One may learn from spiritual frauds. This does not make them a teacher, because what one learns from such experiences has nothing to do with these alleged shaykhs are trying to 'teach'.

Finally, I have strong reservations concerning the value of the idea that false teachers serve a function for 'real teachers' by filtering "out the students that aren't ready or the students that seek attention, entertainment, or emotionalism". One really has little, or no, evidence to assess why anyone seeks the Sufi Path, and, to me, it seems rather presumptuous and condescending for anyone to assume that those people who have the misfortune of becoming entangled with a false teacher are either not ready, or are seeking attention, entertainment, or emotionalism -- this is like saying domestic violence serves the purpose of filtering out its victims from wasting the time of decent, 'real' folks, and, after all, aren't battered women merely seeking attention, entertainment, and emotionalism ... and, gee, those battered women, they just aren't ready for 'normal' society -- let's give a big hearty thanks to the abusers of the world.