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Everyday questions › The Prophet and Muslim history

The Prophet and Muslim history

The Prophet's life and the claims made against it, his wives, the companions, the first splits, the great dynasties, al-Andalus and the subcontinent.

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Latest answers

183 segments in 74 recordings, newest first
18 Oct 2025MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth LatestWhy does Mufti Abu Layth see the Quran-only movement as a reaction of anger? Mufti Abu Layth sees the Quran-only movement as a reaction of anger, sometimes justified, to hadith that are misused, such as the Bukhari report on Aisha's age, the report on killing apostates and reports used to justify abuse; the question is what Quranists actually mean by rejecting hadith. Lessonposition checkedBr Muhammad (MFG, MuhammadFromGod channel)Quranist (Quran-only)AishaSahih al-Bukhari machine3 min 12 s7:32on 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 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 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
19 Aug 2022video LatestWhat was Salman Rushdie's family background? Mufti Abu Layth describes Rushdie's privileged Muslim family in Bombay, a father who took the name Rushdie from Ibn Rushd, and an English boarding-school education shaped by admiration for the British ruling class. LessonSalman RushdieAnis Ahmed RushdieIbn Rushd (Averroes) machine6 min 32 s9:18on YouTube
19 Aug 2022video LatestWhat are the satanic verses in Islamic history? Mufti Abu Layth explains that the Prophet's recitation of Surah al-Najm and the prostration of everyone present are documented, but that the added story of him praising the three goddesses is false. Lessonposition checkedQuran 53:1-4 (by the star; your companion has not strayed, nor does he speak from desire)Quran 53:19-20 (al-Lat, al-Uzza and Manat)report: the prophet recited surat al-najm and prostrated and everyone present prostrated muslims and mushrikin (unresolved; Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, number not stated)report: tilka al-gharaniq al-ula wa inna shafaatahunna laturtaja (the alleged satanic verses [?]; called false by the host) machine8 min 45 s1:00:37on YouTube
19 Aug 2022video LatestIs Quran 22:52 about the satanic verses incident? No: he rejects the link to 22:52, noting that Surah al-Hajj is Madinan, that the Prophet refused the Makkans' offers of compromise, and that the Quran calls the idols mere stone. Lessonposition checkedQuran 22:52 (Satan cast into the prophet's wish, then God annulled it)report: tilka al-gharaniq al-ula wa inna shafaatahunna laturtaja (the alleged satanic verses [?]; called false by the host) machine5 min 18 s1:09:22on YouTube
19 Aug 2022video Should loyalty to a scholar ever come before the honour of the Prophet? No: he says loyalty belongs first to the Prophet, so a report that disparages him must be rejected whoever accepted it, citing Imam Malik's maxim that everyone's words can be accepted or rejected except the Prophet's. Lessonposition checkedal-SuyutiIbn Hajar al-AsqalaniIbn TaymiyyaImam Malik machine5 min 21 s1:47:24on YouTube
15 May 2021video LatestIs there archaeological evidence for David's kingdom, and how did Jerusalem become holy for Muslims? Archaeology has not found the kingdoms of David and Solomon, and Mufti Abu Layth says Muslims should apply the same scrutiny to their own narrations, where early scholars differed over al-Aqsa and the first qibla and the Umayyads under Abd al-Malik promoted Jerusalem with fabricated hadith to rival Ibn al-Zubayr. Lessonposition checkedDavid (Dawud)Solomon (Sulayman)al-Masjid al-Aqsaqiblah machine3 min 52 s20:57on 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
6 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth How was Mufti Abu Layth's video on Aisha's age received? Mufti Abu Layth is proud of the video: many people, especially women, told him it brought them back to Islam, while most clergy resent it because questioning the inherited ruling threatens their authority and livelihood. Question from live chatAishaSahih al-Bukhari machine8 min 09 s1:42:34on YouTube
16 Mar 2021video LatestWho are the Ibadis and what do you think of Ibadism? The Ibadis are an early, less extreme offshoot of the Khawarij who survive today in Oman and, as a small minority, became known for coexistence. Their independence from Sunnis and Shia helps corroborate early history, such as the place of Makkah. Question source not recordedposition checkedIbadiKhawarijAzariqa [?]Abdullah ibn Ibad machine6 min 16 s0:02on YouTube
15 Mar 2021video What actually separates Sunnis and Shia, and is mut'ah really a Shia thing? The Sunni-Shia split is only about who has the right to rule, the Shia holding it stays in the Prophet's bloodline. Mut'ah and wiping the feet have nothing to do with being Shia; Sunnis used them as propaganda. Lessonposition checkedShiaSunniMu'tazilaAhl al-Bayt (the household of the Prophet) machine4 min 34 s2:24on YouTube
2 Mar 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth LatestWas Ali born inside the Kaaba? It may have happened but is uncertain, and most likely means the homes of Banu Hashim attached to the Kaaba rather than the cube itself; Ali's greatness does not depend on it. Question from live chatposition checkedAli ibn Abi TalibKa'bahBanu HashimQusayy ibn Kilab [?] machine6 min 27 s16:03on YouTube
2 Mar 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Do I have to believe Umar and Uthman were better than Ali? No: preferring one close companion over another is a personal preference, and he calls arguing over the ranking childish; treating Ali as infallible is equally wrong. Lessonposition checkedAli ibn Abi TalibUthman ibn AffanUmar ibn al-KhattabShia machine2 min 37 s21:49on YouTube
2 Mar 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth LatestDo Muslims whitewash their own historical heroes? Yes, every community whitewashes its heroes, because history records what its writers deem accomplishments; a fairer test is what a figure's adversaries said, as with Salah al-Din or Jewish sources on Umar. Question from live chatposition checkedCharles Martelthe Mongol destruction of Baghdad (1258)CharlemagneHarun al-Rashid machine3 min 49 s39:43on 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
2 Mar 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Why did Abdullah ibn Abi Sarh leave Islam for a time? Not doubt about the Quran: he feels the man was incentivised by the Makkans and rewarded for intelligence about Madinah, and he later returned to Islam and governed in Egypt. Question from live chatposition checkedAbdullah ibn Abi Sarh [?]al-A'sha [?] (the poet)Quraysh machine3 min 53 s1:00:37on YouTube
16 Feb 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Did the Prophet order a scribe killed for leaving Islam? Not for apostasy, he says: the scribe was not executed, and the issue was treason, since he exposed Madinah's weak points to its enemies; apostasy laws were treason laws. Question from live chatposition checkedAbdullah ibn Sa'd ibn Abi Sarh [?]the Battle of the Trench (al-Ahzab)riddah (apostasy) machine2 min 33 s1:11:59on YouTube
16 Feb 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Does Quran 33:40 mean the Prophet's descendants cannot rule? Mufti Abu Layth says 33:40 simply states that the Prophet is not the father of their men but the seal of the prophets; it is not a proof that his descendants may not rule. Question from live chatposition checkedQuran 33:40khatam al-nabiyyin (seal of the prophets) machine1 min 17 s1:15:00on YouTube
16 Feb 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Is Sidrat al-Muntaha a real tree? Mufti Abu Layth says the lote tree, Sidrat al-Muntaha, is symbolic language and there is no literal tree. Question from live chatposition checkedSidrat al-Muntaha (the lote tree)JibrilMohammed Hijab machine1 min 17 s1:48:43on YouTube
16 Feb 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth How did the Maliki school spread to North Africa and Spain? Mufti Abu Layth says the Maliki school had already spread in Imam Malik's lifetime through North Africa to al-Andalus, and into Iraq, especially Basra. Question from live chatposition checkedImam MalikMaliki schoolal-Andalus (the Iberian peninsula)al-Abhari [?] machine1 min 49 s1:50:00on YouTube
16 Feb 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Does Islam teach us to show affection? There are countless hadith on showing compassion and affection, he says, but he cannot follow the question about Raja Dahir. Question from live chatposition checkedshafaqa (compassion)Raja Dahir [?] machine1 min 56 s2:26:50on YouTube
13 Feb 2021video What do you think of Mu'awiya? Mufti Abu Layth highly respects Mu'awiya as a great figure and admires his statesmanship, citing a story of his generosity to a woman who favoured Ali. Question source not recordedposition checkedMu'awiya ibn Abi SufyanAli ibn Abi Talib machine1 min 56 s0:00on YouTube
9 Feb 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Are the Prophet's parents in heaven or hell? Mufti Abu Layth says the Prophet's parents are unquestionably among the saved. Question from live chatposition checked machine45 s2:14:22on YouTube
2 Feb 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Can men wear gold? Men can wear gold, in Mufti Abu Layth's understanding; the Prophet discouraged it because Medina needed to stay on a war footing. Question from live chatposition checkedthe coalition against Madinah (al-Ahzab)a prohibition tied to the circumstances of its time machine2 min 56 s16:35on YouTube
2 Feb 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Is rejecting embarrassing hadith about the Prophet just whitewashing history? Mufti Abu Layth says the 'they would not invent it' argument is cogent at face value, but a fair critic must also ask who had a motive to fabricate a report. Question from live chatposition checkedAishaneo-traditionalism machine6 min 11 s32:00on YouTube
2 Feb 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth Umayyad, Abbasid and Zubayrid politics behind the recording of history Mufti Abu Layth argues that rival Umayyad, Abbasid and Zubayrid narratives gave motives to shape reports such as those through Hisham ibn Urwa. Lessonposition checkedthe Umayyadsthe AbbasidsBanu HashimAli ibn Abi Talib machine9 min 37 s37:45on YouTube

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