Mufti Abu Layth Archive: history/companions

Why did Abdullah ibn Abi Sarh leave Islam for a time?

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

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. Mufti Abu Layth says he feels the apostasy asked about was not a theological crisis but a case of being incentivised by the Makkans.

Answer from 2 March 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #204 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 59:58)

A more recent answer on fiqh/public-law-and-governance/apostasy-and-blasphemy exists (29 September 2024): Is someone who says something wrong about the Prophet guilty of blasphemy?

Watch on YouTube at 1:00:37 · Open the segment

Do Muslims whitewash their own historical heroes?

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Do 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. Mufti Abu Layth says that of course everybody, Muslims included, whitewashes their historical figures.

Answer from 2 March 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #204 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 39:43)

Watch on YouTube at 39:43 · Open the segment

Do I have to believe Umar and Uthman were better than Ali?

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

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. Mufti Abu Layth says that, in his opinion, arguing over which of the Prophet's close companions was better is just childishness.

Answer from 2 March 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #204 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 21:49)

A more recent answer on dialogue/sunni-shia-dialogue exists (22 February 2023): Should Sunnis preach to Shia Muslims about what they get wrong?

Watch on YouTube at 21:49 · Open the segment

Was Ali born inside the Kaaba?

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Was 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. Mufti Abu Layth says Ali's value should not be based on whether he was born in the Kaaba or not.

Answer from 2 March 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #204 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 15:22)

A more recent answer on history/sirah exists (9 May 2023): How did the Prophet balance gentleness and strength?

Watch on YouTube at 16:03 · Open the segment

What do you think of Mu'awiya?

Sat, 13 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000

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. Mufti Abu Layth says he sees Mu'awiya as a great figure in Islam whom he highly respects.

Answer from 13 February 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Thoughts on Muawiyah? | Mufti Abu Layth (at 0:00)

A more recent answer on history/early-succession-and-civil-strife exists (16 March 2021): Who are the Ibadis and what do you think of Ibadism?

Watch on YouTube at 0:00 · Open the segment

How could Abu Hurayra narrate 5,000 hadith after only two years with the Prophet?

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

How could Abu Hurayra narrate 5,000 hadith after only two years with the Prophet?

Mufti Abu Layth says it is implausible that Abu Hurayra narrated so much after about two years with the Prophet, that Umar restrained him, and that impossible reports such as the Ruqayya comb story should be rejected by Sunnis themselves. Mufti Abu Layth says it is implausible that Abu Hurayra, who spent about two years with the Prophet, narrated some five thousand hadith, that false memories likely entered his reports, and that Sunnis should themselves reject reports that are factually impossible.

Answer from 26 January 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #199 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 2:50:05)

A more recent answer on hadith/authentication/narrator-criticism exists (19 April 2023): Why does the practice of Madinah matter more than a single hadith?

Watch on YouTube at 2:50:05 · Open the segment

Is the hadith 'if there were a prophet after me it would be Umar' authentic?

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Is the hadith 'if there were a prophet after me it would be Umar' authentic?

Mufti Abu Layth says the hadith is a fabrication, made up to glorify Umar; one may revere Umar and still disagree with his opinions. Mufti Abu Layth says the hadith 'if there were a prophet after me it would be Umar' is not an established hadith from the Prophet but a fabrication.

Answer from 12 January 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #197 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 2:56:34)

A more recent answer on hadith/false-and-fabricated exists (18 October 2025): Why does Mufti Abu Layth see the Quran-only movement as a reaction of anger?

Watch on YouTube at 2:56:34 · Open the segment

Did early Muslims really not count Ali as the fourth rightly guided caliph?

Tue, 05 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Did early Muslims really not count Ali as the fourth rightly guided caliph?

Ali is a hero of Islam and preferring him is a personal matter, but he rejects the story of Umar burning Fatima's door and urges moving on. Mufti Abu Layth says that if somebody considers Ali the best of all the companions, to him that is not a problematic statement but a personal preference.

Answer from 5 January 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #196 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 2:05:12)

A more recent answer on dialogue/sunni-shia-dialogue exists (22 February 2023): Should Sunnis preach to Shia Muslims about what they get wrong?

Watch on YouTube at 2:05:48 · Open the segment

What does rightly guided caliph mean, and did Muawiya see Ali as one?

Tue, 05 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

What does rightly guided caliph mean, and did Muawiya see Ali as one?

The term rashidun came later; he thinks Muawiya saw Ali as more pious but himself as the better ruler, and that piety and governing skill rarely coincide. Mufti Abu Layth says that, in his assessment, Muawiya would have thought that from a political perspective he could run the show better than Ali.

Answer from 5 January 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #196 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 1:57:08)

A more recent answer on fiqh/public-law-and-governance/caliphate exists (13 April 2021): Is it obligatory for Muslims to establish a caliphate?

Watch on YouTube at 1:57:34 · Open the segment

Why did Husayn go to Kufa when he was warned not to?

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Why did Husayn go to Kufa when he was warned not to?

Mufti Abu Layth says Husayn was invited by thousands in Kufa but warned by his relatives and Ibn Abbas, who urged Yemen instead, while Ibn al-Zubayr resisted Yazid from Makkah. Mufti Abu Layth says he does not believe Yazid was a kafir, but accepts that most people would have seen him at the very least as a disappointment.

Answer from 16 October 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Karbala & it's precursors | Mufti Abu Layth (at 40:51)

A more recent answer on history/companions exists (2 March 2021): Why did Abdullah ibn Abi Sarh leave Islam for a time?

Watch on YouTube at 40:51 · Open the segment

Why does Mufti Abu Layth admire Muawiya?

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Why does Mufti Abu Layth admire Muawiya?

Mufti Abu Layth admires Muawiya for knowing how to handle people, saying ruling is a matter of political skill rather than piety, and that Umar's era was the exception. Mufti Abu Layth says he admires Muawiya because he feels Muawiya knew how to handle people.

Answer from 16 October 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Karbala & it's precursors | Mufti Abu Layth (at 32:04)

A more recent answer on history/umayyads-and-abbasids exists (10 March 2023): Why was Imam Malik flogged?

Watch on YouTube at 32:04 · Open the segment

Why did Hasan ibn Ali give up the caliphate to Muawiya?

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Why did Hasan ibn Ali give up the caliphate to Muawiya?

Mufti Abu Layth feels Hasan was the wisest of Ali's family, a diplomat who opposed fighting at Siffin and handed power to Muawiya for peace, fulfilling the hadith on reconciling two factions. Mufti Abu Layth says he feels that of Ali and his two sons Hasan was the wisest, with more insight than his father Ali.

Answer from 16 October 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Karbala & it's precursors | Mufti Abu Layth (at 24:18)

A more recent answer on history/early-succession-and-civil-strife exists (16 March 2021): Who are the Ibadis and what do you think of Ibadism?

Watch on YouTube at 24:18 · Open the segment

Why did Uthman appoint his relatives as governors?

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Why did Uthman appoint his relatives as governors?

In Mufti Abu Layth's assessment, Uthman lacked Umar's iron fist for an empire that had doubled, so he relied on his own Umayyad relatives as governors, reviving the old clan rivalry. Mufti Abu Layth says, as his personal assessment, that Uthman did not have the personality Umar had to rule with an iron fist once everything had doubled.

Answer from 16 October 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Karbala & it's precursors | Mufti Abu Layth (at 15:00)

A more recent answer on history/early-succession-and-civil-strife exists (16 March 2021): Who are the Ibadis and what do you think of Ibadism?

Watch on YouTube at 15:00 · Open the segment

Was Aisha Abu Bakr's sister rather than his daughter?

Tue, 14 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Was Aisha Abu Bakr's sister rather than his daughter?

No, she was definitely Abu Bakr's daughter; her being in her twenties during the Prophet's lifetime fits her personality, not her being fifty. Mufti Abu Layth says he would not buy the claim that Aisha was Abu Bakr's sister, as she was definitely his daughter.

Answer from 14 July 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth 173 (at 1:03:34)

A more recent answer on history/sirah/age-of-aisha exists (18 October 2025): Why does Mufti Abu Layth see the Quran-only movement as a reaction of anger?

Watch on YouTube at 1:04:13 · Open the segment

What does Mufti Abu Layth think of Hasan Farhan al-Maliki?

Tue, 09 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

What does Mufti Abu Layth think of Hasan Farhan al-Maliki?

Mufti Abu Layth admires Hasan Farhan al-Maliki's open-minded rejection of folkloric Islam but disagrees with his dismissive, Shia-inclined stance on companions such as Mu'awiya.

Answer from 9 June 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Thoughts on Farhan Al-Maliki from Saudi Arabia? | Mufti Abu Layth (at 0:00)

A more recent answer on dialogue/views-on-contemporary-scholars exists (22 February 2023): Should scholars publicly condemn a scholar said to have joined in a libation ritual?

Watch on YouTube at 0:00 · Open the segment

What did Mufti Abu Layth think of Mu'awiya?

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000

What did Mufti Abu Layth think of Mu'awiya?

Mufti Abu Layth highly respects Mu'awiya as a great figure and an astute statesman, while acknowledging the Companions' disagreements. Mufti Abu Layth says he highly respects Mu'awiya and likes his statesmanship, calling him cut out to rule.

Answer from 28 February 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Fadak between Fatima (r) & Abu Bakr (r) Detailed Overview | Mufti Abu Layth (at 34:46)

A more recent answer on history/umayyads-and-abbasids exists (10 March 2023): Why was Imam Malik flogged?

Watch on YouTube at 34:46 · Open the segment

Was Abu Bakr wrong to refuse Fatima Fadak?

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Was Abu Bakr wrong to refuse Fatima Fadak?

Not in his view: Abu Bakr was right that Fadak was public fay', while Fatima was right that prophets can be inherited from, so both were right from different angles. Mufti Abu Layth says he feels Abu Bakr and Fatima were both right, from different perspectives.

Answer from 28 February 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Fadak between Fatima (r) & Abu Bakr (r) Detailed Overview | Mufti Abu Layth (at 28:19)

A more recent answer on history/early-succession-and-civil-strife exists (16 March 2021): Who are the Ibadis and what do you think of Ibadism?

Watch on YouTube at 28:19 · Open the segment

Why might Abu Bakr have refused Fatima's claim so quickly?

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Why might Abu Bakr have refused Fatima's claim so quickly?

Mufti Abu Layth speculates, stressing it is only speculation, that the size of the claim at a time of crisis may have led Abu Bakr to refuse it at once. Mufti Abu Layth speculates, stressing it is pure speculation, that the sheer quantity of Fatima's claim may have led Abu Bakr to deny it instantly.

Answer from 28 February 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Fadak between Fatima (r) & Abu Bakr (r) Detailed Overview | Mufti Abu Layth (at 25:05)

A more recent answer on history/early-succession-and-civil-strife exists (16 March 2021): Who are the Ibadis and what do you think of Ibadism?

Watch on YouTube at 25:05 · Open the segment

Were the angels at Badr actually Persian knights?

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Were the angels at Badr actually Persian knights?

Mufti Abu Layth finds the theory that Persian knights summoned by Salman al-Farisi were taken for angels at Badr interesting but most likely untrue, and harmless even if true. Mufti Abu Layth says the theory that knights of the House of Karen helped at Badr is most likely not true, but that even if it were true it would not be problematic.

Answer from 31 December 2019 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Did the angels assist in the Battle of Badr? | Mufti Abu Layth (at 7:42)

A more recent answer on history/sirah exists (9 May 2023): How did the Prophet balance gentleness and strength?

Watch on YouTube at 7:42 · Open the segment

Is it okay to criticise the companions of the Prophet?

Thu, 19 Sep 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Is it okay to criticise the companions of the Prophet?

Mufti Abu Layth advises most people to view the companions with veneration, but says anyone who chooses critical, academic study must apply it to every companion, Ali included, rather than selectively. Mufti Abu Layth says one may either venerate the companions or study them critically as fully human, that critical study must then apply equally to every companion including Ali, and that he personally advises people to take the venerating approach.

Answer from 19 September 2019 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Can we criticise the companions of the Prophet (s) | Mufti Abu Layth (at 0:00)

A more recent answer on dialogue/sunni-shia-dialogue exists (22 February 2023): Should Sunnis preach to Shia Muslims about what they get wrong?

Watch on YouTube at 1:19 · Open the segment

Did Hasan and Husayn wear earrings?

Wed, 24 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Did Hasan and Husayn wear earrings?

Ibn Abbas lists piercing the ear among seven sunnahs for a newborn boy, and Hasan and Husayn had their ears pierced and wore earrings, Husayn wearing two. The reports come through Imam Jafar al-Sadiq's chain and an eyewitness account from Karbala. Mufti Abu Layth says that the Prophet's grandsons Hasan and Husayn had their ears pierced and wore earrings, Husayn wearing two, as Shia traditions through Imam Jafar al-Sadiq and accounts of Karbala relate.

Answer from 24 July 2019 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Holistic Overview: Can Men Wear Earrings? -Mufti Abu Layth (at 13:00)

A more recent answer on fiqh/dress-and-appearance/jewellery-gold-and-silk exists (10 March 2023): Is it haram for men to wear earrings?

Watch on YouTube at 13:00 · Open the segment

Did men and boys wear earrings in the time of the Prophet and the early Muslims?

Wed, 24 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Did men and boys wear earrings in the time of the Prophet and the early Muslims?

In the Prophet's society and among the Salaf boys commonly wore earrings, and many considered it sunnah for a boy. Later Sunni clergy prohibited the practice, perhaps influenced by the Christian church, while the Shia kept it alive. Mufti Abu Layth says that boys commonly wore earrings in the Prophet's time and among the Salaf, that later Sunni clergy prohibited the practice perhaps under the influence of the Christian church, and that the Shia kept it alive.

Answer from 24 July 2019 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Holistic Overview: Can Men Wear Earrings? -Mufti Abu Layth (at 10:22)

A more recent answer on fiqh/dress-and-appearance/jewellery-gold-and-silk exists (10 March 2023): Is it haram for men to wear earrings?

Watch on YouTube at 10:22 · Open the segment

Did any early scholars allow marrying Zoroastrians or idol worshippers?

Fri, 10 May 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Did any early scholars allow marrying Zoroastrians or idol worshippers?

Yes: some companions and early scholars allowed relations with Zoroastrian and even idol-worshipping women. Same-faith marriage was stressed because early Islam needed stable Muslim families, and it remains strongly encouraged. Mufti Abu Layth says he feels that sharing a common faith and common goals is still strongly encouraged, especially in family life.

Answer from 10 May 2019 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Can a Nikah with a Non-Muslim be valid? - Mufti Abu Layth Al-Maliki (at 27:17)

A more recent answer on fiqh/marriage-contracts exists (10 December 2022): How did Abu Hanifa solve the case of two brides sent to the wrong grooms?

Watch on YouTube at 27:17 · Open the segment

Musaylima, Sajah and the poem that shows what makhda' means

Sat, 04 May 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Musaylima, Sajah and the poem that shows what makhda' means

Musaylima's poem to the false prophetess Sajah uses makhda' for a bedchamber, showing the word never meant a cupboard.

Answer from 4 May 2019 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Daniel Haqiqatjou and Women praying in the Wardrobe -Mufti Abu Layth (at 9:26)

A more recent answer on quran/arabic-language exists (18 October 2025): Is the 'light' that came with the clear book in 5:15 the Prophet or the Quran itself?

Watch on YouTube at 9:26 · Open the segment

How did Uthman standardise the Quran, and does that explain the Sana'a text?

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

How did Uthman standardise the Quran, and does that explain the Sana'a text?

Uthman locked in one reading in an undotted script that still allowed the known variant readings, so the lower text is either a person's mistaken note or, less likely, a reading not locked in at that time. Mufti Abu Layth prefers the first, as simple human error from memory. Mufti Abu Layth says Uthman standardised a single reading whose undotted script still allowed the variant readings, and that the Sana'a lower text is either a mistaken personal reading, which he thinks more likely, or a reading from the Prophet's time that was not locked in.

Answer from 1 March 2019 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: In Depth: The Sanaʽa Manuscript -Mufti Abu Layth (at 24:43)

A more recent answer on quran/preservation-and-qiraat exists (29 September 2024): Why is lanasfa'an in Quran 96:15 written with an alif, and is it a mistake?

Watch on YouTube at 24:43 · Open the segment

Did the companions ever read or understand the Quran differently from each other?

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Did the companions ever read or understand the Quran differently from each other?

Muslims already accept that the Quran was revealed with fluidity: the Prophet approved different recitations, and the tradition openly records companions such as Ibn Mas'ud holding mistaken views about what was part of the Quran and pronouncing letters by their tribal dialect. None of this is a shock to Muslims. Mufti Abu Layth says the tradition itself records that the Prophet approved different recitations and that companions such as Ibn Mas'ud sometimes held mistaken views about what belonged to the Quran, so variant readings in an early manuscript are nothing new to Muslims.

Answer from 1 March 2019 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: In Depth: The Sanaʽa Manuscript -Mufti Abu Layth (at 13:02)

A more recent answer on quran/preservation-and-qiraat exists (29 September 2024): Why is lanasfa'an in Quran 96:15 written with an alif, and is it a mistake?

Watch on YouTube at 13:02 · Open the segment

What is the Bukhari deathbed report in which the companions ask whether the Prophet is delirious?

Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000

What is the Bukhari deathbed report in which the companions ask whether the Prophet is delirious?

The Bukhari deathbed report in which the companions dispute and ask whether the Prophet is speaking deliriously portrays the companions badly and is not true, Mufti Abu Layth says, and Sunnis hand the Shia a weapon by accepting it. Mufti Abu Layth says the Bukhari deathbed report in which the companions dispute before the Prophet and ask whether he is speaking deliriously portrays the companions badly and is not true, and that Sunnis allow the Shia to use it against the companions by accepting it.

Answer from 1 September 2018 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: BukhariGate Part 2: Sahih Bukhari is NOT so Sahih -Mufti Abu Layth (at 15:38)

A more recent answer on hadith/bukhari exists (18 October 2025): Why did Mufti Abu Layth challenge hadith in BukhariGate, and can the Prophet be called the most beloved of creation?

Watch on YouTube at 15:38 · Open the segment

What evidence do scholars use to allow men and women to shake hands?

Fri, 04 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000

What evidence do scholars use to allow men and women to shake hands?

Scholars who permit it cite 'do not frighten people away', the verse on returning greetings, Abu Musa having a woman comb his hair on Hajj, and the Sahih report that Umm Haram combed the Prophet's hair and let him nap at her house. The Umm Haram report is one scholars struggled with.

Answer from 4 May 2018 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: quoted view (stated in order to be discussed, not necessarily held)

Recording: Hadith Analysis: Why men and women CAN shake hands -Mufti Abu Layth (at 6:33)

A more recent answer on fiqh/gender-interaction exists (13 April 2021): Does a community gathering have to be gender segregated?

Watch on YouTube at 6:33 · Open the segment

When should a hadith be rejected, and can a Muslim refuse a religious command that makes no sense?

Mon, 09 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000

When should a hadith be rejected, and can a Muslim refuse a religious command that makes no sense?

A hadith is accepted only if it does not contradict reason, the transmitted sources or an established principle, as Ibn al-Jawzi wrote; the companion who refused an order to jump into a fire shows reason rightly judging a command. Mufti Abu Layth holds, following Ibn al-Jawzi, that a hadith is accepted only if it does not contradict reason, the transmitted sources or an established principle of Islam, and that the companion who refused an order to jump into a fire shows reason rightly judging a religious command.

Answer from 9 April 2018 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: The Role Of Reason In Religion - Mufti Abu Layth (at 1:09:12)

A more recent answer on belief/reason-and-revelation exists (18 October 2025): Why did Mufti Abu Layth bring up 3:188 against the Quran-only position?

Watch on YouTube at 1:09:12 · Open the segment

Is it blasphemy to say some companions exaggerated out of love for the Prophet?

Fri, 09 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Is it blasphemy to say some companions exaggerated out of love for the Prophet?

No: Mufti Abu Layth says suggesting that companions may have exaggerated out of love is not blasphemy, noting he alone defended Mu'awiya when he was abused online. Mufti Abu Layth says that if the reports were authentic, his answer would be that maybe some companions exaggerated out of excessive love.

Answer from 9 February 2018 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Hadiths on Prophetic Miracles and Responding to Claims of Blasphemy - Mufti Abu Layth al Maliki (at 16:30)

A more recent answer on dialogue/responses-to-critics exists (6 April 2021): Donors, deathbed remarks and 'no hatred': an invitation to the critic

Watch on YouTube at 16:30 · Open the segment

Viral claims that Mufti Abu Layth insulted the companions

Fri, 09 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Viral claims that Mufti Abu Layth insulted the companions

Mufti Abu Layth explains that he called the crying-tree reports unestablished, and only suggested that, if accepted, some companions exaggerated out of love; that is not blasphemy.

Answer from 9 February 2018 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Hadiths on Prophetic Miracles and Responding to Claims of Blasphemy - Mufti Abu Layth al Maliki (at 0:00)

A more recent answer on hadith/false-and-fabricated/about-the-prophet exists (19 August 2022): Recap: the novel, insult versus critique, and the false story summarised

Watch on YouTube at 0:00 · Open the segment

Is an Islamic mortgage any different from a conventional mortgage?

Thu, 19 Oct 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Is an Islamic mortgage any different from a conventional mortgage?

Mortgages and bank loans today are not the riba the Quran condemns, in Mufti Abu Layth's understanding. Islamic mortgages are the same thing under another name, a loophole the Maliki school has never liked, as Umar said of the jizya renamed a gift. Mufti Abu Layth holds that conventional mortgages and bank loans are not the riba the Quran condemns, and that so-called Islamic mortgages are the same thing under another name, a play on words of the loophole kind the Maliki school has never liked.

Answer from 19 October 2017 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Are Mortgages & Bank Loans Haram? - Mufti Abu Layth (at 51:45)

A more recent answer on fiqh/maliki-school exists (19 April 2023): Why does the practice of Madinah matter more than a single hadith?

Watch on YouTube at 53:15 · Open the segment

Is it wrong to be attracted to someone because of their status or position?

Fri, 29 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Is it wrong to be attracted to someone because of their status or position?

Attraction to status and relationships between people who work closely together are natural, not abuse, and Islam leaves consensual relationships to the people involved. Mufti Abu Layth cites Hasan ibn Ali, al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba and Ibn Hazm as figures whose private lives did not disqualify them. Mufti Abu Layth holds that Islam leaves people to their own consensual relationships and does not judge them, and that attraction to status is natural and not in itself an abuse of power.

Answer from 29 September 2017 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Propaganda against Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan - Mufti Abu Layth (at 26:10)

A more recent answer on history/scholars-and-imams exists (10 December 2022): How did Abu Hanifa become a scholar after starting out as a merchant?

Watch on YouTube at 26:10 · Open the segment

Riba and Ibn Abbas: his disagreement on riba and his combining of prayers

Tue, 15 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Riba and Ibn Abbas: his disagreement on riba and his combining of prayers

Ibn Abbas is reported as holding that riba lies only in delayed exchange and as combining prayers without travel or fear, which one speaker uses to show that labelling a view easy or liberal is not an argument.

Answer from 15 March 2016 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: quoted view (stated in order to be discussed, not necessarily held)

Recording: Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan & Mufti Abu Layth - A Discussion on Contemporary Issues (at 14:45)

A more recent answer on dialogue/guest-conversations exists (18 October 2025): How should Muslims engage people with very different views of the religion?

Watch on YouTube at 14:45 · Open the segment