The article aims to understand the factors that have influenced the ideological evolution of Faizrakhman Sattarov (1929–2015), the founder and leader of the religious community “Faizrakhmanists”. According to the author, the main point in Sattarov’s evolution was his reappraisal of the role of the so‑called “official Muslim clergy” in the religious life of the Russian Muslims. The author considers two texts, which, in his opinion, belong to F.