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Everyday questions › Converts and newcomers

Converts and newcomers

Starting out or starting again: what to learn first, which school to follow, family and old friends, holidays, and not being bullied into other people's version of Islam.

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Latest answers

223 segments in 94 recordings, newest first
9 May 2023video LatestI'm a new Muslim and my faith has crashed after the first high. What should I do? Mufti Abu Layth says the first energy of faith always burns out, so the aim is to learn and live the faith while it lasts; at its core Islam is justice and kindness. Question from a callerposition checkediman (faith)dawah machine6 min 18 s2:31on YouTube
9 May 2023video LatestHow do I stop worrying about the ups and downs of my faith? Mufti Abu Layth tells the convert not to worry about turbulence in faith, which is part of the journey; faith often shows its worth later as a bedrock in hard times. Discussionposition checkediman (faith) machine3 min 20 s19:33on YouTube
10 Mar 2023video LatestIs studying religious knowledge better than voluntary prayer? Imam Malik taught that devotion to learning is not lesser than voluntary worship, the paths to God being many, and Mufti Abu Layth urges not underestimating it. Lessonposition checkedImam MalikIbn Wahbnafl (voluntary worship) machine4 min 19 s42:25on YouTube
22 Feb 2023video LatestShould Sunnis preach to Shia Muslims about what they get wrong? Mufti Abu Layth says no: it only leads to sectarian fighting. Answer people who come asking, but Sunni-Shia debating does no good. Question from a callerposition checkedShia machine2 min 34 s36:24on YouTube
13 Feb 2023video Apophatic definition: the early main body defined by what it was not Early Muslims had no creed checklist: you belonged to the main body as long as you did not hold the positions of the known sects. Lessonposition checkedImam Malikal-MudawwanaShiaMu'tazila machine5 min 03 s5:46on YouTube
10 Dec 2022video LatestWho was Imam Abu Hanifa and where did he come from? Abu Hanifa, a kunya that became his name, was of Persian ancestry with roots in Kabul, was born in Kufa in 80 AH and grew up as a stylish, successful cloth trader before turning to knowledge. LessonAbu HanifaAbu Hurayrakunyatabi'un machine6 min 36 s0:00on YouTube
10 Dec 2022video How did Abu Hanifa become a scholar after starting out as a merchant? Encouraged by al-Sha'bi to join the circles of knowledge, the merchant Abu Hanifa studied with Hammad ibn Abi Sulayman, succeeded him as the central figure of Kufa and became the voice of the school of reason. Lessonposition checkedAbu Hanifaal-Sha'biHammad ibn Abi Sulayman [?]Sufyan al-Thawri machine6 min 29 s6:36on YouTube
10 Dec 2022video Why was Abu Hanifa criticised so much in his own time? Abu Hanifa was accused in his lifetime of following desire and opinion over the Quran, partly by rivals such as Sufyan al-Thawri, though the imams generally stayed respectful of one another. Lessonposition checkedAbu HanifaImam MalikSufyan al-Thawri machine3 min 56 s13:05on YouTube
10 Dec 2022video LatestWhy did Abu Hanifa allow things like praying in Persian? Abu Hanifa's legal stratagems, such as letting someone who knew no Arabic pray in Persian, were meant to create ease for new Muslims, not to change Islam, and Mufti Abu Layth says that spirit is needed today. Lessonposition checkedAbu HanifaImam Malikal-Awza'i [?]Sufyan al-Thawri machine5 min 15 s17:01on YouTube
10 Dec 2022video Was Abu Hanifa involved in politics? Abu Hanifa supported Zayd ibn Ali's uprising and fled to Makkah under the Umayyads, and the Abbasids later made him chief supervisor of the building of Baghdad. LessonAbu HanifaZayd ibn Ali (son of Zayn al-Abidin)the Umayyadsthe Abbasids machine2 min 36 s22:16on YouTube
10 Dec 2022video How did the Hanafi school develop from Abu Hanifa's teaching? Abu Hanifa's students, above all Imam Muhammad, turned his spirit into an institution through the six books of the zahir al-riwaya, and Mufti Abu Layth feels the madhhab later lost that spirit and became focused on the letter of the law. Lessonposition checkedAbu HanifaAbu YusufImam Muhammad (al-Shaybani)Zufar machine3 min 56 s24:52on YouTube
10 Dec 2022video Did Abu Hanifa allow wudu with nabidh when there was no water? In the early school of Abu Hanifa, someone without water could make wudu with nabidh, a weak fermented date drink, and he helped people out of rash conditional divorce oaths, unlike the sterner Imam Malik. LessonAbu HanifaImam Maliknabidhwudu machine3 min 54 s28:48on YouTube
10 Dec 2022video LatestHow did Abu Hanifa solve the case of two brides sent to the wrong grooms? Where Sufyan al-Thawri advised divorces, a waiting period and remarriage to the original spouses, Abu Hanifa had each man marry on the spot the woman he had spent the night with, sparing a waiting period and jealousy. LessonAbu HanifaSufyan al-Thawrizifaf (the wedding night)nikah machine9 min 12 s32:42on YouTube
10 Dec 2022video How did Abu Hanifa die, and what was he known for among people? Abu Hanifa was imprisoned by the Abbasids for supporting an uprising from the Prophet's family and died, perhaps poisoned, in prison; he was loved above all for his compassion and generosity. Lessonposition checkedAbu HanifaMuhammad al-Nafs al-ZakiyyaIbrahim, brother of al-Nafs al-Zakiyya [?]the Abbasids machine3 min 55 s41:54on YouTube
10 Dec 2022video What did Abu Hanifa do about his neighbour who drank and sang at night? Rather than punishing his drunken, noisy neighbour, Abu Hanifa had him released from custody and asked whether he had let him go to waste, a kindness that transformed the man's life. Lessonposition checkedAbu Hanifaalcohol (khamr) machine10 min 35 s45:49on YouTube
10 Dec 2022video LatestWhat is the story of the woman who tricked Abu Hanifa into a marriage proposal? Abu Hanifa died in 150 AH and is buried in Baghdad. In a story of uncertain accuracy, a woman tricked him into a marriage with a different bride to get him back for the clever reference he once gave a poor suitor. LessonAbu Hanifareport: the nikah with the least burden has the most barakahnikahhijab machine11 min 51 s56:24on YouTube
10 Dec 2022video What did Abu Hanifa say about Imam Malik? Abu Hanifa called the younger Imam Malik a blonde, blue-eyed lad. Mufti Abu Layth closes that the Hanafi madhhab became restrictive in recent centuries while schools such as the Maliki kept their freedoms. Lessonposition checkedAbu HanifaImam MaliktaqlidHanafi school machine2 min 27 s1:08:15on YouTube
19 Aug 2022video LatestWhich scholars accepted the satanic verses story and which rejected it? Mufti Abu Layth says al-Albani and Ibn Khuzayma rejected the story as a fabrication, while Ibn Taymiyya, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and Ibn Hajar leaned towards giving it some basis. Lessonposition checkedal-AlbaniNasb al-Majaniq li-Nasf Qissat al-Gharaniq [?]Qadi IyadQadi Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi machine7 min 50 s1:34:20on YouTube
19 Aug 2022video What does the Mufti think of Ibn Taymiyya and Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab? Mufti Abu Layth says Ibn Taymiyya's contribution is mainly to the Salafis and that Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab's misplaced zeal did great harm, while stressing that all scholars are human and make mistakes. Lessonposition checkedIbn Hajar al-AsqalaniIbn TaymiyyaMuhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhabal-Suyuti machine5 min 14 s1:42:10on YouTube
19 Mar 2022video Is mut'ah (temporary marriage) haram for Sunni Muslims? Mufti Abu Layth says most Sunnis hold mut'ah haram but a minority, including Ibn Ashur, held it is not categorically haram; follow the view you hold and do not fight over it. Question from live chatposition checkedmut'ah (temporary marriage)Ibn Ashural-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir (Ibn Ashur's tafsir, "in 30 volumes")Majd al-Din Ibn Taymiyya [?] (Ibn Taymiyya's grandfather; name garbled in the transcript) machine9 min 02 s0:00on YouTube
18 May 2021video Response to accusations over Palestine remarks and claims he is not Muslim Mufti Abu Layth says he has always supported Palestine and only argued for safe passage for its people, that 'exile' was a slip of the tongue, and that those calling him a non-Muslim and invading his home are not following Islam. OtherBreak-in at the host's home (May 2021)The Palestinian crisis (May 2021)hijrahtakfir machine7 min 38 s1:29on YouTube
27 Apr 2021video Does today's Hanafi madhhab reflect Imam Abu Hanifa? Not in spirit: Mufti Abu Layth calls later Hanafi rulings fossilised and pedantic, behind the sectarian attacks on Shaykh Aslam, and praises Shaykh Atabek as a fresh voice. Lessonposition checkedBarelviSufiAbu HanifaShaykh Atabek machine4 min 23 s0:00on YouTube
27 Apr 2021video Can I pray while carrying my child? Yes: the Hanafi rule that three consecutive movements break the prayer is made up, and the Prophet prayed carrying Umama; Mufti Abu Layth puts the attacks on Shaykh Aslam down to jealousy. Lessonposition checkedsalahwudureport: the prophet prayed carrying a child (Umama)Ibn Abidin machine7 min 58 s4:23on YouTube
26 Apr 2021MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth What does Lupe Fiasco's name Wasalu mean, and how was he raised? The guest says he has never confirmed what his name Wasalu means; Mufti Abu Layth suggests the Arabic 'to connect'. Born to convert parents, he says he was born Muslim. Discussionquoted view, not his positionguest speechLupe Fiasco (guest) machine3 min 38 s3:14on YouTube
26 Apr 2021MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth LatestDo obscene or blasphemous thoughts during prayer ruin my salah? Intrusive or blasphemous thoughts in prayer are not a reason to worry: noticing them is a sign of faith, as a hadith says. Mufti Abu Layth adds that jinn in the Quran means the unseen and possession stories are folklore. Discussionguest speechLupe Fiasco (guest)salahwuduwaswasa machine7 min 40 s1:31:29on YouTube
19 Apr 2021video Why do Mufti Abu Layth's critics defend Bukhari reports that demean the Prophet? Critics who defend Bukhari reports Mufti Abu Layth regards as insulting to the Prophet, such as marrying a child, forcing Safiyya, forgetting the Quran or being made impotent by magic, cannot claim to love the Prophet. Mariya al-Qibtiyya was a wife, not a concubine, and the critics' real concern is a fantasy caliphate and power. Lessonposition checkedFarid [?]Asim Qureshi [?]Sahih al-BukhariSafiyya machine8 min 01 s0:04on YouTube
13 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Do I need a religious authority to own my faith? No: Mufti Abu Layth says Islam has no papacy, the deen belongs to everyone equally, and no one can throw you out of it. Lessonposition checkedtakfir machine1 min 19 s1:06:16on YouTube
13 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Is Mufti Abu Layth against Salafis? No: Mufti Abu Layth says he has no problem with anyone being Salafi; his objection is to cult-like dogmatism in any group. Lessonposition checkedSalafi machine4 min 14 s1:18:09on YouTube
13 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Why is Salafi content so dominant online? Mufti Abu Layth says the Najdi dawah is a small puritan movement kept alive by oil money, which dominates Islamic content online only because it invested early in Q&A websites. Question from live chatposition checkedSalafi machine3 min 58 s1:28:55on YouTube
13 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth What does Mufti Abu Layth think of al-Shaybani's critique of the Madinan school? Mufti Abu Layth calls al-Shaybani's book an arrogant reply to Malik that failed from its title, since Islam was lived in Madinah and preserved in Malik's school. Question from live chatposition checkedMuhammad ibn al-Hasan al-ShaybaniKitab al-Hujja ala Ahl al-MadinaImam Malikthe practice of the people of Madinah machine3 min 56 s3:02:08on YouTube

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