Mufti Abu Layth Archive: history/pre-islamic-arabia

Did everyone at the time of the Prophet accept Islam without questions?

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Did everyone at the time of the Prophet accept Islam without questions?

The guest says early Muslims, including poets, had real critiques; Mufti Abu Layth says the deen should complement life rather than complicate it.

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

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Lupe Fiasco | Stardom, Semiotics & Soul-searching | MindTrap#56 | Mufti Abu Layth al-Maliki MALM (at 1:10:04)

A more recent answer on arts/arabic-poetry-and-letters exists (22 February 2023): Did some Muslim scholars say homosexuality is not haram?

Watch on YouTube at 1:10:04 · Open the segment

Why does Ramadan fall in different seasons each year?

Tue, 13 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Why does Ramadan fall in different seasons each year?

Mufti Abu Layth says the early Islamic calendar was kept in line with the seasons by an extra month, nasi, and Ramadan only began moving through the year after that practice lapsed. Mufti Abu Layth says that in his view the calendar in the Prophet's time was lunisolar, kept aligned with the seasons by an intercalary month, nasi, and that Ramadan probably began to rotate through the year only after the practice lapsed during the expansion of the state.

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

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #210 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 1:23:41)

A more recent answer on history/pre-islamic-arabia exists (26 April 2021): Did everyone at the time of the Prophet accept Islam without questions?

Watch on YouTube at 1:23:41 · Open the segment

Who were the Bedouin Arabs criticised in Surah al-Tawbah?

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Who were the Bedouin Arabs criticised in Surah al-Tawbah?

Mufti Abu Layth says the a'rab of Surah al-Tawbah were semi-nomadic raiding tribes not under settled rule, some of whom joined only as a power play. Mufti Abu Layth says the verses speak of the tribes of the Hijaz and beyond that were not under established rule.

Answer from 27 October 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #188 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 2:21:31)

A more recent answer on quran/tafsir/contested-verses exists (19 August 2022): Is Quran 22:52 about the satanic verses incident?

Watch on YouTube at 2:22:11 · Open the segment

Where did the rivalry between Banu Umayya and Banu Hashim come from?

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

Where did the rivalry between Banu Umayya and Banu Hashim come from?

The rivalry behind Karbala began before Islam between Banu Umayya and Banu Hashim; Mufti Abu Layth holds that Makkah and Quraysh mattered far less in pre-Islamic Arabia than later Muslims assumed. Mufti Abu Layth says that in his understanding Makkah was an almost irrelevant town in pre-Islamic Arabia, not as later Muslims thought it was.

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

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Karbala & it's precursors | Mufti Abu Layth (at 6:25)

A more recent answer on history/pre-islamic-arabia exists (26 April 2021): Did everyone at the time of the Prophet accept Islam without questions?

Watch on YouTube at 6:25 · Open the segment

Why do most Muslims believe in the virgin birth?

Tue, 13 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Why do most Muslims believe in the virgin birth?

Mufti Abu Layth says the belief spread through the dominance of the Christian narrative across the empires surrounding Arabia. Mufti Abu Layth says belief in the virgin birth spread among Muslims through the mass proliferation of the Christian narrative around Arabia.

Answer from 13 October 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Discussion on Miracles: A fallacy against God | Mufti Abu Layth (at 19:49)

A more recent answer on quran/stories-of-the-prophets/jesus exists (19 February 2022): What do you think of the rational readings of the Quran on the Marvelous Quran channel?

Watch on YouTube at 19:49 · Open the segment

Arabic poetry: Antara ibn Shaddad's love for Abla

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

Arabic poetry: Antara ibn Shaddad's love for Abla

Mufti Abu Layth reads and translates love poetry by Antara ibn Shaddad for Abla, including his lines of pride in his dark skin and his courage.

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

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth 173 (at 2:01:41)

A more recent answer on arts/arabic-poetry-and-letters exists (22 February 2023): Did some Muslim scholars say homosexuality is not haram?

Watch on YouTube at 2:01:41 · Open the segment

Why did the earliest mosques face Petra instead of Makkah?

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Why did the earliest mosques face Petra instead of Makkah?

Most likely, he says, because Muslims inherited Nabataean devotion sites already aligned to Petra's constellation, so Gibson is right about the measurements but wrong that Petra was Makkah. Makkah was called Umm al-Qura, he suggests, after Petra's name, brought by Qusayy. Mufti Abu Layth says the early mosque foundations that point to Petra were most likely Nabataean devotion sites aligned to Petra's constellation that Muslims inherited, so that Dan Gibson may be right about the foundations but for the wrong reasons, not because Petra was Makkah.

Answer from 17 December 2019 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: A Reply to Dan Gibson: "Why The Early Qiblas Faced Petra?" | Mufti Abu Layth (at 18:21)

A more recent answer on history/pre-islamic-arabia exists (26 April 2021): Did everyone at the time of the Prophet accept Islam without questions?

Watch on YouTube at 18:21 · Open the segment

Why do early Islamic books call the Ka'bah 'the Shami Ka'bah'?

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Why do early Islamic books call the Ka'bah 'the Shami Ka'bah'?

Mufti Abu Layth suggests Qusayy, raised in Petra, rebuilt the Ka'bah and settled Quraysh around it in a Shami style, which is why early books call it the Shami Ka'bah. It does not mean the Ka'bah was in Sham. Mufti Abu Layth says Qusayy's reorganisation of Makkah and the Ka'bah's surroundings may reflect his upbringing in Petra, which is why early books call the Ka'bah 'the Shami Ka'bah', rather than because the Ka'bah was in Sham.

Answer from 17 December 2019 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: A Reply to Dan Gibson: "Why The Early Qiblas Faced Petra?" | Mufti Abu Layth (at 10:31)

A more recent answer on history/pre-islamic-arabia exists (26 April 2021): Did everyone at the time of the Prophet accept Islam without questions?

Watch on YouTube at 10:31 · Open the segment

Who was Qusayy ibn Kilab and where was he raised?

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Who was Qusayy ibn Kilab and where was he raised?

Mufti proposes that Petra shaped early Islam through the Prophet's great-grandfather Qusayy, who was raised as a foreigner in Wadi al-Qura, which Mufti Abu Layth identifies with Petra. Qusayy's name means 'little stranger', and his longing for belonging drew him back to Makkah. Mufti Abu Layth proposes that Petra shaped early Islamic phenomena through Qusayy ibn Kilab, the Prophet's great-grandfather, whom he believes was raised in Wadi al-Qura, a place he identifies with Petra.

Answer from 17 December 2019 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: A Reply to Dan Gibson: "Why The Early Qiblas Faced Petra?" | Mufti Abu Layth (at 5:15)

A more recent answer on history/pre-islamic-arabia exists (26 April 2021): Did everyone at the time of the Prophet accept Islam without questions?

Watch on YouTube at 5:15 · Open the segment

What is Dan Gibson's Petra theory and are his measurements trustworthy?

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000

What is Dan Gibson's Petra theory and are his measurements trustworthy?

Gibson measured around 160 early mosque foundations and found the earliest pointing to Petra rather than Makkah. Mufti Abu Layth says the data are transparent and not falsified, though Gibson is somewhat mischievous, and that his explanation of the south-pointing North African mosques is ridiculous.

Answer from 17 December 2019 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: A Reply to Dan Gibson: "Why The Early Qiblas Faced Petra?" | Mufti Abu Layth (at 2:36)

A more recent answer on history/pre-islamic-arabia exists (26 April 2021): Did everyone at the time of the Prophet accept Islam without questions?

Watch on YouTube at 2:36 · Open the segment

Was pre-Islamic Makkah really a significant city?

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Was pre-Islamic Makkah really a significant city?

Mufti Abu Layth thinks the revisionists have a point: Makkah was not a significant city or even a popular town, and its later image was an innocent reconstruction by Muslims rather than propaganda. He notes that Crone and Cook placed Makkah further north without settling on Petra. Mufti Abu Layth says the revisionist historians have a point that pre-Islamic Makkah was not a significant city or even a popular town, and that its later image was an innocent reconstruction by later Muslims rather than propaganda.

Answer from 17 December 2019 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: A Reply to Dan Gibson: "Why The Early Qiblas Faced Petra?" | Mufti Abu Layth (at 0:01)

A more recent answer on history/pre-islamic-arabia exists (26 April 2021): Did everyone at the time of the Prophet accept Islam without questions?

Watch on YouTube at 0:01 · Open the segment

Was the first qibla really Petra, as Dan Gibson claims?

Fri, 19 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Was the first qibla really Petra, as Dan Gibson claims?

Mufti Abu Layth is not convinced that the first qibla was Petra: the statistical argument is a fallacy and Sunnis, Shia and Khawarij would never all have agreed on the Ka'bah. He still finds revisionist research compelling on some other matters and says Muslims should engage with it. Mufti Abu Layth says he is not convinced by Dan Gibson's thesis that the early qibla was Petra, since its statistical argument is a fallacy and Sunnis, Shia and Khawarij would never all have agreed on the Ka'bah, though he finds revisionist research compelling on some other matters and says Muslims should engage with it.

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

Kind: general teaching

Recording: My thoughts on Dan Gibson's Petra research | Mufti Abu Layth (at 0:00)

A more recent answer on history/orthodoxy-and-how-islam-spread exists (13 February 2023): Why orthodoxy took hold, and who wrote the checklist

Watch on YouTube at 0:00 · Open the segment

Did the Prophet restore the original rituals of Ibrahim at the Kaaba?

Mon, 08 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Did the Prophet restore the original rituals of Ibrahim at the Kaaba?

No: nothing was in Makkah when Ibrahim arrived, and although he and Ismail built the house of remembrance, Safa and Marwa are never linked to him. The Quran presents them only as symbols for remembering God, so there is no point guessing at older origins. Mufti Abu Layth says the Prophet could not have restored original Abrahamic rituals of Safa and Marwa, since nothing was in Makkah when Ibrahim arrived and the Quran presents Safa and Marwa only as symbols for remembering God, without linking them to Ibrahim.

Answer from 8 July 2019 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Between Authenticity & Paganism: The Black Stone and Safa & Marwa -Mufti Abu Layth (at 24:46)

A more recent answer on fiqh/hajj-and-umrah exists (18 October 2025): How do Quranists perform Hajj and apply Islam without the fiqh tradition?

Watch on YouTube at 24:46 · Open the segment

Is the story of Hajar running seven times between Safa and Marwa true?

Mon, 08 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Is the story of Hajar running seven times between Safa and Marwa true?

Mufti Abu Layth thinks the story of Hajar running seven times between Safa and Marwa was most likely added later to give the ritual an Abrahamic link, though he believes the Zamzam story is true. The Quran mentions Safa and Marwa only as a remembrance of God, without linking them to Hajar or Abraham. Mufti Abu Layth says the story that Hajar ran seven times between Safa and Marwa was most likely invented later to give the ritual an Abrahamic link, while he believes the story of the Zamzam spring is most likely true.

Answer from 8 July 2019 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Between Authenticity & Paganism: The Black Stone and Safa & Marwa -Mufti Abu Layth (at 15:38)

A more recent answer on fiqh/hajj-and-umrah exists (18 October 2025): How do Quranists perform Hajj and apply Islam without the fiqh tradition?

Watch on YouTube at 15:38 · Open the segment

Why did God stop Abraha's army but let the Qaramita steal the Black Stone?

Mon, 08 Jul 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Why did God stop Abraha's army but let the Qaramita steal the Black Stone?

The Black Stone has no sanctity of its own: it was most likely a remnant of pre-Islamic stone worship that Islam kept as a ritual of submission to God, so its theft by the Qaramita, though wrong, was no great matter. Umar himself said it was only a stone that can neither harm nor benefit. Mufti Abu Layth says the Black Stone has no sanctity in itself and was most likely a remnant of pre-Islamic pagan worship, kept by Muslims and kissed by the Prophet only as a ritual of submission to God, so its theft by the Qaramita, though not a good thing, was no great matter.

Answer from 8 July 2019 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Between Authenticity & Paganism: The Black Stone and Safa & Marwa -Mufti Abu Layth (at 0:00)

A more recent answer on fiqh/hajj-and-umrah exists (18 October 2025): How do Quranists perform Hajj and apply Islam without the fiqh tradition?

Watch on YouTube at 0:00 · Open the segment

Did Islam invent marriage?

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

Did Islam invent marriage?

No: Aisha's hadith lists four kinds of pre-Islamic marriage, and the ordinary one of proposal and acceptance continued with Islam's approval. Mufti Abu Layth says Aisha's hadith shows that Islam never introduced nikah but recognised a practice already present before Islam.

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 15:25)

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 15:25 · Open the segment

What was the riba of the jahiliyyah that the Quran condemned?

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

What was the riba of the jahiliyyah that the Quran condemned?

Riba is spoken of as three kinds: riba al-jahiliyyah, riba al-fadl and riba al-nasi'a. The riba of the jahiliyyah was a tyrannical loan-shark practice of compounding debt enforced by killing, torture and enslavement. Mufti Abu Layth describes the riba of the jahiliyyah as a tyrannical loan-shark practice in which compounding demands on a debtor who could not repay could end in killing, torture and the enslavement of his family.

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

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Are Mortgages & Bank Loans Haram? - Mufti Abu Layth (at 5:31)

A more recent answer on history/pre-islamic-arabia exists (26 April 2021): Did everyone at the time of the Prophet accept Islam without questions?

Watch on YouTube at 6:12 · Open the segment

The question, Mufti Abu Layth's thesis and premise one: dating in an oral culture

Wed, 11 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000

The question, Mufti Abu Layth's thesis and premise one: dating in an oral culture

Mufti Abu Layth holds that Aisha married in her late teens, not at six or nine. His first premise is that the early Arabs kept no precise dates, so ages and years in reports often conflict. Mufti Abu Layth holds that the report that Aisha was married at six and moved in at nine is inaccurate and that she married the Prophet in her late teens.

Answer from 11 January 2017 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Age of Aisha (ra)- Mufti Abu Layth (at 7:50)

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

Watch on YouTube at 7:50 · Open the segment