Qatar-based cleric Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi warned that the declaration of a so-called Islamic caliphate by Takfiris who have been waging insurgency in Iraq and Syria violates the Islamic Sharia law.

Qatar-based cleric Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi warned that the declaration of a so-called Islamic caliphate by Takfiris who have been waging insurgency in Iraq and Syria violates the Islamic Sharia law.

The Egyptian cleric, who is seen as a spiritual guide of the Muslim Brotherhood in his native Egypt, said in a statement on Saturday that the declaration "is void under sharia."

"We look forward to the coming, as soon as possible, of the caliphate," Qaradawi said.

Last Sunday, the terrorist group of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL) declared a “caliphate” in areas they control in Iraq and Syria and ordered Muslims worldwide to pledge allegiance to their leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, under the name "caliph Ibrahim".

The declaration issued by the Islamic State is void under sharia and has dangerous consequences for the Sunnis in Iraq and Syria, Qaradawi added.
The nomination of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi by an extremist group "known for its atrocities and radical views" fail to meet sharia conditions, the Qatar-based cleric said.

The title of caliph, he said, can "only be given by the entire Muslim nation" not by a single group.