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Technology and media

Life online: social media and its bubbles, music and film, games, AI, pornography, dating apps and the pressure of being watched.

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Latest answers

121 segments in 46 recordings, newest first
10 Mar 2023video LatestIs it haram for men to wear earrings? Early imams including Malik wore earrings as boys; Malik disliked golden earrings for boys because of the gold, not the earring. Lessonposition checkedImam MalikSufyan [?]makruhsalaf machine4 min 57 s13:23on YouTube
22 Feb 2023video LatestDid some Muslim scholars say homosexuality is not haram? Mufti Abu Layth says he described, not endorsed, a minority view that it is not haram; Islamic history holds diverse views, many scholars' poetry shows bisexual appreciation, and persecution is unacceptable. Question from a callerposition checkedal-Nawawi [?] (name garbled in the transcript) machine5 min 43 s16:33on YouTube
22 Feb 2023video LatestIs there an LGBTQ push in media and schools? Mufti Abu Layth agrees there is a disproportionate LGBTQ push in media and objects to sexualising young children, calling it hypocritical that polygamy cannot be described the same way. Discussionposition checkedpolygamy machine4 min 27 s20:23on YouTube
15 May 2021video LatestWhat can ordinary people do about the Palestinian crisis, and do social-media posts help? Global outcry and boycotts are necessary even though Israel ignores them and acts with impunity, but Instagram posts make no difference to the crisis, which is not caused by lack of awareness, so Muslims should not guilt-trip one another. Lessonposition checkedThe Palestinian crisis (May 2021)United Nations Security CouncilJoe Biden machine5 min 15 s6:34on YouTube
9 May 2021video LatestWhy did scholars say a slave woman's awrah is the same as a man's? Mufti Abu Layth says most scholars of the past legitimised the practice of slave girls out of pragmatism, realism and sex, and even presented it as a religious act. He contrasts this with music, which they were less keen to permit, and polygamy, which few manage today. Question source not recordedposition checked'awrahamah (slave woman)hijabIbn Hazm machine7 min 03 s0:38on 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 Can a Muslim work in the music industry and keep their faith? The guest says religion should be judged apart from the actions of its followers in any industry; Mufti Abu Layth says relatable poetry and music inspire people more than being told to go to the mosque. Discussionguest speechLupe Fiasco (guest)madrasahafiz machine7 min 48 s1:02:56on YouTube
26 Apr 2021MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth What is Lupe Fiasco's view of Kanye West's religious rebirth? The guest declines to judge Kanye West's faith, praising his work ethic while disagreeing with him, and calls Jay-Z a mentor and a genius with words. Question from live chatquoted view, not his positionguest speechLupe Fiasco (guest)Kanye WestJay-Z machine4 min 28 s1:45:38on YouTube
26 Apr 2021MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth What inspired Lupe Fiasco's song Words I Never Said? The guest says 'Words I Never Said' was his attempt, at the height of his fame, to speak truth to power about wealth disparity and militarism. Question from live chatquoted view, not his positionguest speechLupe Fiasco (guest)Occupy Wall Street (2011) machine2 min 37 s1:48:51on YouTube
26 Apr 2021MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth What does Lupe Fiasco think of Killah Priest's song B.I.B.L.E.? The guest calls Killah Priest's 'B.I.B.L.E.' an amazing record about a spiritual journey, noting that studying Islam's Jewish and Christian sources creates intellectual tension. Question from live chatquoted view, not his positionguest speechLupe Fiasco (guest)Killah Priestthe Hebrew Bible machine1 min 53 s1:52:06on YouTube
26 Apr 2021MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth How did Lupe Fiasco discover Mufti Abu Layth? The guest says he found Mufti Abu Layth while looking for alternatives to the Salafi content that dominates Muslim YouTube, and values his different point of view. Question from live chatquoted view, not his positionguest speechLupe Fiasco (guest)SalafiMalikiwudu machine3 min 10 s1:55:15on YouTube
13 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth How has the internet changed who gets to speak about Islam? Mufti Abu Layth says the internet let him reach people without the backing of mosques or organisations, which would never have given him a platform. Lesson machine3 min 57 s36:04on 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 How should I deal with online hate preachers? Mufti Abu Layth says critics who use him for views, especially hate preachers, should be mocked and blocked, and that their obsession harms them more than him. Lesson machine6 min 35 s1:32:53on YouTube
13 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Can critics cancel an independent preacher? Mufti Abu Layth says efforts to cancel him cannot work, because he is independent and speaks to the silent majority of ordinary Muslims, not his critics' followers. LessonTwitter machine3 min 56 s1:42:05on YouTube
13 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Can I pray for a non-Muslim who has died? Yes: Mufti Abu Layth says Muslims may pray for a non-Muslim like DMX who touched many lives, since no one has a monopoly on salvation, and that music is not haram. Lessonguest speechDMXreport: the prophet stood for the funeral of a jewish woman and said is it not a soul (as told by the host; unresolved)dua machine5 min 15 s2:18:55on YouTube
13 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth LatestAre many people's frustrations really about unmet sexual needs? Mufti Abu Layth says much bitterness comes from unmet sexual needs, that Islam itself does not see sex negatively, and that Freud should be judged on his ideas, not his character. Lessonposition checkedSigmund FreudCharles Darwin machine9 min 11 s2:43:47on YouTube
6 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Are disgusting sexual fetishes between spouses haram? Such fetishes are not haram, however disgusting most people find them: contact with impurity is unclean but not forbidden, and what a consenting couple do in private is their own business. Nobody is obliged to do them. Question from live chatposition checkedTariq RamadanharamHanafi schoolno one may declare haram what Allah has not declared haram machine8 min 30 s1:04:21on YouTube
6 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth How can I nourish my soul this Ramadan? To deepen the bond with God, read even a little Quran daily, make personal dua and give charity; learning, poetry, art and meaningful music can also strengthen a person inwardly, not only more voluntary prayer. Question raised by Mufti Abu Laythposition checkedJoseph Lumbardtaqwaduareport: dua is the marrow of worship (unresolved) machine7 min 29 s2:03:56on YouTube
5 Mar 2021video Why did Imam Malik say nothing between spouses is haram and only pork is forbidden to eat? Imam Malik held that nothing sexual between spouses is haram and that no meat is haram in itself except pig, and Mufti Abu Layth says such rulings defend the principle that only Allah declares things haram. Saying something is not haram is not the same as recommending it. Lessonposition checkedImam MalikMaliki schoolAbu Hanifafatwa machine5 min 04 s3:59on YouTube
2 Mar 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Is Mohammed Hijab breaking away from the Salafis? Mufti Abu Layth thinks Hijab's point against the fatwa is fair, though his language was crude and not Mufti's style, and welcomes what he sees as Hijab outgrowing Salafism. LessonMohammed Hijabal-AlbaniSalafi machine6 min 20 s3:27:30on YouTube
16 Feb 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Is playing chess haram? No, chess is not haram, he says; Imam Malik discouraged it as a waste of life but never called it haram. Question from live chatposition checkedImam Malikal-Shatibial-Muwafaqatsahabah (companions) machine1 min 16 s1:51:49on YouTube
9 Feb 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Is it haram to watch Netflix? Mufti Abu Layth says watching Netflix is of course not haram. Question from live chatposition checked machine1 min 17 s57:11on YouTube
9 Feb 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Is it haram to hit someone in the face in boxing or MMA training? Mufti Abu Layth says hitting the face in sparring is fine; the hadith against striking the face concerned discipline, not fighting practice. Question from live chatposition checkedreport: when one of you strikes he should avoid the face machine3 min 43 s2:10:39on YouTube
2 Feb 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth If the hijab has become sexualised, should scholars still push it? Mufti Abu Layth argues that since the hijab is now widely sexualised, fatwas should not keep pushing it, though people may wear it as culture. Lessonposition checkedhijab machine9 min 37 s1:20:04on YouTube
19 Jan 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Are video games haram? Video games are not haram, Mufti Abu Layth says, and he plans to play some on future streams. Question from live chatposition checked machine1 min 18 s37:12on YouTube
19 Jan 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Is it halal to perform music or dance at concerts for a living? Dance is not haram in itself, Mufti Abu Layth says, but Muslim cultures look down on it as a profession, especially for women, so propriety should be kept in mind. Question from live chatposition checked machine6 min 24 s1:11:22on YouTube
19 Jan 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth What can I do if I can't afford to marry but want to avoid zina? Mufti Abu Layth has no easy answer: religion is failing people here because scholars and cultures will not discuss options, and marriage has become too costly for the young. Question from live chatposition checkedzinanikahmut'ah (temporary marriage) [?] machine7 min 31 s1:17:35on YouTube
19 Jan 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Why is it so hard to find real, honest people? Mufti Abu Layth says nobody fully knows anyone, social media feeds an endless search for someone better, and the appalling conduct of some Muslim men pushes women into hardline feminism. Question from live chatposition checked machine7 min 32 s1:25:08on YouTube
19 Jan 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth 'Danny Boy's' Telegram post calling female academics 'snarling witches' Mufti Abu Layth mocks a commentator's post calling female Islamic Studies academics 'snarling witches', and says men who block women's education are insecure. Other machine7 min 04 s1:49:09on YouTube

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