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Purpose and motivation

Getting unstuck: goals, habits, resilience, gratitude, new beginnings and the short reminders that keep people going.

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Latest answers

75 segments in 49 recordings, newest first

18 Oct 2025MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth LatestIs there a middle way between rejecting all hadith and accepting every hadith? There is a middle way between rejecting hadith and hadith absolutism: Malik and Abu Hanifa distinguished Sunnah from hadith and accepted reports only if they do not contradict reason, the Quran, the living tradition or a principle of Islam. Mufti Abu Layth says Quranists should be met with love, not cornered, and recalls his own past anger. Lessonposition checkedBr Muhammad (MFG, MuhammadFromGod channel)Imam MalikAbu HanifaSunnah machine4 min 54 s10:44on YouTube

29 Sep 2024On Current Events LatestSpread love, and take account of the damage our words have done Mufti Abu Layth says this deen is one of love and hope, and everyone, himself included, must reckon with the harm their words may have done. Lessonposition checked machine1 min 30 s20:58on YouTube

5 Mar 2024Shorts LatestWhich verse of the Quran promises more blessings for being grateful? Mufti Abu Layth points to Quran 14:7: Allah promises abundance to the grateful, so by giving you receive. Lessonposition checkedQuran 14:7 (if you are grateful, I will increase you)shukr (gratitude) machine59 s0:03on YouTube

4 Mar 2024Shorts LatestHow much does Allah love me? Mufti Abu Layth says Allah has an unimaginable love for every one of us, so we should take a chance on ourselves. Lessonposition checked machine1 min0:02on YouTube

28 Feb 2024Shorts LatestA fate worse than death: each of us is a mirror for divine potential Each person mirrors a divine potential given by Allah; do not let it go to waste and live to mourn the person you could have become. Lessonposition checked machine58 s0:02on YouTube

2 Jun 2023video LatestWhat can the death of a parent teach us? Mufti Abu Layth says death is the greatest admonition and grief brings families together; one lesson may be to serve those who have no one around them. Lessonposition checkedreport: no one alive on earth tonight will be alive a hundred years from nowQuran 36:68 (whoever We grant long life, We reverse in creation) machine4 min 28 s0:01on YouTube

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 Was the Prophet harsh with people? No: Mufti Abu Layth says the Prophet was soft and attentive with people and came from mercy, unlike harsh dawah that puts others down. Lessonposition checkeddawah machine3 min 46 s6:18on YouTube

9 May 2023video LatestHow did the Prophet balance gentleness and strength? Mufti Abu Layth says the Prophet was tender, kissing his children, yet firm when safety demanded, riding out alone at night to check on a frightening sound. Lessonposition checkedreport: the prophet kissed his children; a man said he had not kissed any of his and was told whoever shows no mercy is shown nonereport: the prophet rode out on a horse without a saddle to check a loud noise at night and returned (Sahih Muslim, number not stated)Sahih Muslim machine3 min 05 s10:04on YouTube

10 Mar 2023video Was Imam Malik an ascetic? No: Imam Malik was a wealthy merchant who enjoyed fine clothes and daily meat, unlike the ascetic tradition, and was criticised for it. Lessonposition checkedImam Malikzuhd (asceticism) machine2 min 34 s23:27on YouTube

22 Feb 2023video Is it my duty as a Muslim to preach to others? Mufti Abu Layth says Muslims have a duty to be an example, not a duty to preach; turning religion into preaching information makes people judgmental. Question from a callerposition checkedda'wah machine2 min 25 s38:19on YouTube

22 Feb 2023video What should Muslims focus on in confusing times? Mufti Abu Layth says the best thing is to focus on yourself and be an example of light, inviting and welcoming people rather than condemning them. Lessonposition checked machine2 min 35 s40:43on YouTube

16 Dec 2022video Is worship or how I treat people the real sign of faith? Mufti Abu Layth says worship is a personal matter between you and God, while how you behave among people is the true measure of your iman. Lessonposition checkedreport: ya ibna adam maridtu fa lam taudni (God is found with the sick and the hungry)Quran 2:177Quran 21:107report: lan yudkhila ahadan amaluhu al-janna (no one enters paradise by his deeds) machine2 min 34 s7:08on 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

16 Apr 2022Positive Faith LatestAm I only praying because I fear God will punish me? Mufti Abu Layth says praying only out of fear of punishment is unhealthy: salah is devotion that benefits us, bringing structure and order into our day. Question raised by Mufti Abu Laythposition checkedsalahQuran 74:42-46 (what brought you to Saqar? We were not of those who prayed ... we used to deny)Blaise PascalJordan Peterson machine8 min 20 s0:38on YouTube

8 Jan 2022video Why does Mufti Abu Layth say he wronged Dawah Man? Mufti Abu Layth says he wronged Dawah Man by picking on him repeatedly although Dawah Man never publicly criticised him, breaking his own rule, and he wishes him well despite their differences. LessonDawah Mandawah machine4 min 05 s0:00on YouTube

29 Nov 2021video LatestIs it wrong to joke about people who are seriously ill with covid? Do not make fun of people who are ill with covid: it is a roll of the dice, as a neighbour's sudden death showed, and it should make us grateful. Lessonposition checkedthe coronavirus pandemicshifa (cure) machine5 min 17 s0:14on YouTube

25 Oct 2021video Should I debate Quranists? No: arguing never changes anyone's mind and only breeds hatred, so give your view if asked and see Quranists with compassion. He finds their case weaker than they think, since fiqh was built on the living tradition, not on hadith. Lessonposition checkedQuranist (Quran-only)Imam Malikreport: the prophet stood for the funeral of a jewish woman and said is it not a soul (as told by the host; unresolved)Salafi machine5 min 45 s7:07on YouTube

4 Jul 2021Shorts LatestIs it wrong to want to be rich? Wanting to be rich or to build a lucrative business is not wrong in Islam. The balance is to hold wealth in your hands and not in your heart, keeping your purpose. Question raised by Mufti Abu Laythposition checkedal-Razzaq (the Provider)report: allahumma ijal al-dunya fi aydina wa la tajalha fi qulubinaduadunya machine59 s0:00on YouTube

26 Apr 2021MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth What was Lupe Fiasco's childhood like? The guest describes growing up in Chicago in a family of martial arts, music and engineering, giving up chess over a hadith, and turning to rap when he could not learn the clarinet. Discussionquoted view, not his positionguest speechLupe Fiasco (guest)report: whoever plays nardashir is like one who dips his hand in the flesh and blood of a pig (cited on air as about chess) [?] machine7 min 43 s6:52on YouTube

26 Apr 2021MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth How did Lupe Fiasco go from science to rap? The guest says he wanted to be a rocket scientist but struggled with maths, and signed a record deal straight out of high school. Discussionquoted view, not his positionguest speechLupe Fiasco (guest) machine4 min 27 s15:14on YouTube

26 Apr 2021MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth Is it normal for faith to keep changing over a lifetime? Mufti Abu Layth says faith is a lifelong journey and iman an organic process, not a fixed mould to be fitted onto everyone. Discussionguest speechLupe Fiasco (guest)iman machine1 min 18 s42:17on YouTube

26 Apr 2021MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth LatestAre young people today facing an existential crisis? The guest says most people face a crisis of purpose rather than of existence, urges anyone with suicidal thoughts to seek expert help, and says young people can find value without conventional success. Discussionquoted view, not his positionguest speechLupe Fiasco (guest) machine7 min 48 s1:37:14on YouTube

26 Apr 2021MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth Is Lupe Fiasco retiring from music? The guest says he is not retiring but reorganising his life at forty around the metaphor of a garden, preparing for major technological change. Discussionquoted view, not his positionguest speechLupe Fiasco (guest) machine3 min 39 s1:58:29on YouTube

13 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Should my faith make me happy? Yes: Mufti Abu Layth says faith should make you happy, not hateful or bitter, because Islam is meant to complement daily life. Lessonposition checkedSalafiMaliki school machine2 min 38 s29:29on YouTube

13 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth What is the most important thing to get right in life? Try never to be hurtful or hateful; Mufti Abu Layth says that validates your Islam as a human being, and that disliking what people do is not the same as hating them. Lessonposition checked machine2 min 39 s1:46:01on YouTube

13 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Is it wrong for a Muslim to want to make money? No: Mufti Abu Layth says make money and enjoy what it brings, but do not love money for itself, and remember that giving opens the way to provision. Question written questionposition checkedreport: inna allaha yuhibbu an yura athara nimatihi ala abdihi (paraphrased by the host; unresolved)Shah Rukh KhanImam Malikrizq (provision) machine13 min 08 s3:08:42on YouTube

6 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth How often does Mufti Abu Layth change his views, and is that a weakness? Mufti Abu Layth changes his views when evidence is compelling and says developing one's opinions over life is a sign of intelligence, not weakness. He advises viewers to do the same. Question from live chatposition checkedLupe Fiascothe Black Lives Matter protests (2020) machine6 min 14 s1:35:40on YouTube

2 Mar 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Has Islam become a religion about Muhammad rather than the religion he brought? No: there is a deep human need for a human archetype, not someone to pray to, and for Muslims that is the Prophet. He adds that his own life changed in the Prophet's mosque. Question from live chatposition checkedQuran 33:21Quran 94:4barakahal-Masjid al-Nabawi (the Prophet's mosque) machine4 min 21 s55:37on YouTube

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