Yusuf Mansur

People Living

يوسف منصور

Jakarta

Indonesian preacher and writer born in Jakarta in 1976 into a Betawi family. He leads the Daarul Qur'an pesantren in Tangerang, founded a Qur'an-memorisation programme in 2003, became famous for charity-centred preaching that earned him the nickname 'Ustadz Sedekah', founded the Paytren payment app, and has written books including Mencari Tuhan yang Hilang (Seeking the Lost God).

Depth

At a glance

Roles
Preacher · writer · teacher
Region
Southeast Asia

Life in time

18751900192519501975200020252050
The Colonial Era · The Contemporary Era · The Modern Era Contemporaries: Abbas-Ali Amid Zanjani · Abbas Kiarostami · Abd al-Aziz al-Ghumari · Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda · Abd al-Halim Mahmud

Place in the story

    Unknown (unknown)

    Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.

    In the Modern Islam Browser

    Modern Islam BrowserFigures of the last fifty years1976

    Summary

    Yusuf Mansur is an Indonesian preacher and writer, born Jam'an Nurkhatib Mansur in Jakarta on 19 December 1976. He leads the Daarul Qur'an pesantren in Tangerang, founded a Qur'an-memorisation programme in 2003, became famous for preaching centred on charitable giving — earning the nickname "Ustadz Sedekah" (the charity preacher) — and founded the Paytren electronic-payment app. 1 2

    Early life and education

    Yusuf Mansur was born in Jakarta on 19 December 1976 to Betawi parents, Abdurrahman Mimbar and Humrif'ah. In his youth he worked in information technology; the business left him in debt and he was briefly detained twice in the late 1990s over financial matters — the English and Indonesian articles differ slightly on the detention dates. He took a bachelor's degree in Islamic studies at IAIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta in 2009, a master's at Trisakti University in 2017 and a doctorate from the same university in 2024, and has taught at the Institut Daarul Qur'an Jakarta since 2021. 1 2

    Beginnings and career

    Mansur became principal of the Daarul Qur'an pesantren at Ketapang, Tangerang, and in 2003 founded the PPPA Qur'an-memorisation sponsorship programme. His preaching centres on sadaqah (charitable giving) as a means of solving life's problems, which earned him the popular nickname "Ustadz Sedekah". He has written several books, most famously the semi-autobiographical Mencari Tuhan yang Hilang (Seeking the Lost God), and co-authored Wasiat Ibunda (Mother's Will) with Abdullah Gymnastiar. 1 2

    Business projects

    Mansur founded PT Veritra Sentosa Internasional, the company behind the Paytren payment app, which Bank Indonesia later suspended under new payment-gateway rules. Investment ventures associated with his name — including hotel and condotel projects — drew a series of lawsuits: a breach-of-contract suit was filed in December 2021; the English article reports a not-guilty finding in an investment-fraud matter of the same period, while the Indonesian article records a separate judgment of 13 June 2023 that found him in breach of contract and fined him Rp 1.2 billion. 1 2

    Perspectives and criticism

    This section sets out positions as reported in the sources; it is not a verdict by the museum. His charity-centred preaching has been criticised by other preachers, among them Buya Yahya, Abdullah Gymnastiar and Emha Ainun Nadjib (Cak Nun), according to the Indonesian article. 2

    Personal life

    Mansur is married with five children, according to the Indonesian article. 2

    Reach

    His followers numbered 6.6 million on Facebook and 2.6 million on Instagram in a February 2024 journal table, while his YouTube channel is comparatively small (about 75.8 thousand subscribers) — dated platform figures, not facts verified by the museum. 1

    References

    • English Wikipedia, "Yusuf Mansur", as read on 4 November 2026. 1
    • Indonesian Wikipedia, "Yusuf Mansur", as read on 4 November 2026. 2

    Connections

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    Born in
    Jakarta

    People and things also explored

    Sharif Hidayatullah State Islamic University· Abdul Karim Amrullah· Abdurrahman Wahid· Agus Salim· Ahmad Muhammad al-Tayyib· B. J. Habibie· Chairul Tanjung· Deddy Corbuzier

    Sources

    1. Yusuf Mansur — English Wikipedia
    2. Yusuf Mansur — Indonesian Wikipedia
    Cite this page

    islam.museum contributors. “Yusuf Mansur”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/yusuf-mansur/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-04.

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    Related

    Sharif Hidayatullah State Islamic University

    State Islamic university in Jakarta, where the Grand Imam gave his address to Muslims in Asia and the world on 23 February 2016; its rector said the curriculum follows Al-Azhar's faculties.