Mufti Abu Layth Archive: society/education-and-madrasas

Will traditional religious institutions survive if they do not adapt?

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

Will traditional religious institutions survive if they do not adapt?

Mufti Abu Layth predicts that institutions refusing to adapt, such as many Deobandi madrasas, will fossilise, while Barelvis who modernised their style stay approachable. Mufti Abu Layth predicts that denominations which refuse to adapt, including many Deobandi institutions in the UK, will become fossilised, while those that adapted, as many Barelvis have, remain approachable to young people.

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 1:01:00)

A more recent answer on society/islam-and-modernity exists (19 August 2022): Should all religions be free to compete without state backing?

Watch on YouTube at 1:01:00 · Open the segment

Why are some clerics so harsh in their rulings on women?

Tue, 06 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Why are some clerics so harsh in their rulings on women?

Mufti Abu Layth says harsh rulings from some clergy, especially towards women, come from sexual deprivation and a closed madrasa culture, and that love and a normal life soften people. Mufti Abu Layth says that many clergy issue harsh rulings, especially towards women, out of sexual deprivation and frustration, and that their rulings would change if they lived normal lives.

Answer from 6 April 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #209 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 1:12:51)

A more recent answer on fiqh/hijab-and-niqab exists (9 May 2021): Did scholars let slave women uncover more than free women?

Watch on YouTube at 1:12:51 · Open the segment

Why is Pakistan so full of religious extremism?

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Why is Pakistan so full of religious extremism?

Mufti Abu Layth says religious militancy in Pakistan was boosted by the CIA-backed Afghan jihad against the Soviets and is still mass-produced by madrasa networks. Mufti Abu Layth says the CIA and the war against the Russians played a facilitating, enabling role in boosting the extremist tradition in Pakistan and the Islamic world, though they are not solely responsible.

Answer from 9 February 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #201| Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 1:55:56)

A more recent answer on society/current-events/pakistan exists (29 September 2024): How scholars' rhetoric fed Pakistan's blasphemy killings, in Mufti Abu Layth's view

Watch on YouTube at 1:55:56 · Open the segment

What is Shaykh Atabek Shukurov working on, and why does he teach principles before rulings?

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

What is Shaykh Atabek Shukurov working on, and why does he teach principles before rulings?

The guest says his main work is separating inherited culture from religion and teaching principles before detailed rulings, alongside a college of traditional medicine and writing books.

Answer from 29 January 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

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

Recording: Shaykh Atabek Shukurov | Mortgages, Madhabs & Molvi-ism | MindTrap 48 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 2:37)

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 3:03 · Open the segment

At what age should children start learning about Islam, and what should they learn?

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

At what age should children start learning about Islam, and what should they learn?

Keep early religious education basic and natural, such as reading the Quran, the prayer and the stories of the prophets, with deeper study when children are older; he admits it depends on the child. Mufti Abu Layth says that, as far as he can tell, it is fine for young children to learn only the basics, such as reading the Quran, the prayer and the stories of the prophets, with deeper teaching when they are older, while admitting he is unsure and that it depends on the child.

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 36:00)

A more recent answer on relationships/parents-and-children/raising-children exists (10 March 2023): How did Imam Malik come to study religion?

Watch on YouTube at 36:00 · Open the segment

Will the Mufti open an academy to train muftis?

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

Will the Mufti open an academy to train muftis?

No: he says founding an institution drains one's life and takes away the freedom to think and speak, and that online teaching and books reach more people.

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 30:45)

A more recent answer on dialogue/the-mufti-and-the-channel exists (18 May 2021): Response to accusations over Palestine remarks and claims he is not Muslim

Watch on YouTube at 30:45 · Open the segment

Has Zaytuna College limited what Hamza Yusuf can say?

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Has Zaytuna College limited what Hamza Yusuf can say?

Mufti Abu Layth says Hamza Yusuf's rise was remarkable but that Zaytuna now constrains him, so he avoids anything controversial; Mufti prefers his own freedom.

Answer from 19 January 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #198 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 1:37:44)

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 1:37:44 · Open the segment

Why don't you open an Islamic academy?

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Why don't you open an Islamic academy?

Mufti Abu Layth will not open an academy because he feels institutions consume their founders and religion is a hard market to sustain one in. Mufti Abu Layth says he feels institutions and academies suck the soul and life out of an individual.

Answer from 19 January 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #198 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 1:34:36)

A more recent answer on dialogue/the-mufti-and-the-channel exists (18 May 2021): Response to accusations over Palestine remarks and claims he is not Muslim

Watch on YouTube at 1:35:18 · Open the segment

What do you think of the Muslim community in Birmingham?

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

What do you think of the Muslim community in Birmingham?

Mufti Abu Layth says the Muslim scene everywhere is suffering, and the youth do not listen to scholars because the scholars are irrelevant and outdated. Mufti Abu Layth says the youth are not listening to the scholars because the scholars are irrelevant and outdated.

Answer from 19 January 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #198 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 25:37)

A more recent answer on society/islam-and-modernity exists (19 August 2022): Should all religions be free to compete without state backing?

Watch on YouTube at 25:37 · Open the segment

Are madrasas failing their students?

Fri, 11 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Are madrasas failing their students?

Mufti Abu Layth says the madrasa phenomenon is dysfunctional and dumbs students down though it supplies the raw materials; both say those who leave orthodox positions are ostracised, and the guest recommends a few years of traditional study combined with academic study.

Answer from 11 December 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Dr Javad T. Hashmi | Axis of Morality & Archetypal Myths in the Quran | MindTrap 46 |Mufti Abu Layth (at 10:05)

A more recent answer on dialogue/the-mufti-and-the-channel exists (18 May 2021): Response to accusations over Palestine remarks and claims he is not Muslim

Watch on YouTube at 10:05 · Open the segment

Should I go to Madinah University or a madrasa to study Islam?

Fri, 11 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Should I go to Madinah University or a madrasa to study Islam?

The guest advises open-minded, critical thinkers against a traditional madrasa, which he says selects, programmes and isolates its students from current scholarship, citing his own rejection by Madinah University.

Answer from 11 December 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

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

Recording: Dr Javad T. Hashmi | Axis of Morality & Archetypal Myths in the Quran | MindTrap 46 |Mufti Abu Layth (at 6:44)

A more recent answer on society/education-and-madrasas/how-to-study-islam exists (10 March 2023): Is studying religious knowledge better than voluntary prayer?

Watch on YouTube at 6:44 · Open the segment

Is the preacher Muhammad ibn Munir actually a qualified mufti?

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Is the preacher Muhammad ibn Munir actually a qualified mufti?

Mufti Abu Layth says Mufti Munir turned out not to be a certified mufti, the title being a nickname, but seems a cool, funny and charismatic person he would like to host.

Answer from 12 October 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Mufti's thoughts on Mufti Muhammad ibn Munir? | 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

Is it a problem that Muslim scholars today have no secular education?

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Is it a problem that Muslim scholars today have no secular education?

Mufti Abu Layth agrees secular education matters but says it is no cure for obsession, and holds that other people being gay does not make anyone gay.

Answer from 24 August 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #179 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 1:03:21)

A more recent answer on relationships/sexuality-and-orientation exists (22 February 2023): Is it okay for adults or children to change gender?

Watch on YouTube at 1:03:21 · Open the segment

Is it OK for Quran teachers to beat students?

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Is it OK for Quran teachers to beat students?

Beating students is categorically haram; he says even a classical manual for teachers forbade forceful discipline of children. Mufti Abu Layth says that beating students in the way he saw teachers do it is categorically haram.

Answer from 24 August 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #179 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 41:40)

A more recent answer on wellbeing/personal-stories exists (18 October 2025): Is there a middle way between rejecting all hadith and accepting every hadith?

Watch on YouTube at 42:20 · Open the segment

Don't madrasas expel students for sexual abuse?

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Don't madrasas expel students for sexual abuse?

Mufti Abu Layth says madrasas now respond to abuse claims more because they fear the police and the press than from conviction. Mufti Abu Layth says he thinks madrasa teachers' heightened response to sexual abuse in recent years comes from worry about trouble with the police, not personal conviction.

Answer from 4 August 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth #176 *Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted!* 🤣 (at 1:30:19)

A more recent answer on society/cults-and-religious-abuse exists (13 April 2021): Was Adam a real person?

Watch on YouTube at 1:30:51 · Open the segment

How common is sexual abuse in madrasas?

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

How common is sexual abuse in madrasas?

Mufti Abu Layth says abuse in madrasas is far more common outside the West and is often taken lightly; he would never send young boys to a madrasa in Pakistan. Mufti Abu Layth says he would never recommend that young boys go to a madrasa in Pakistan.

Answer from 4 August 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth #176 *Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted!* 🤣 (at 1:14:42)

A more recent answer on society/cults-and-religious-abuse exists (13 April 2021): Was Adam a real person?

Watch on YouTube at 1:15:38 · Open the segment

Can I learn Islam properly on my own alongside a degree?

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Can I learn Islam properly on my own alongside a degree?

Mufti Abu Layth advises keeping the career and studying Islam on the side; those at a madrasa must keep their critical faculties alive themselves. Mufti Abu Layth says that someone focused on a career can learn Islam on the side and does not need to abandon secular studies to become a full-time madrasa student.

Answer from 4 August 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth #176 *Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted!* 🤣 (at 1:04:18)

A more recent answer on society/education-and-madrasas/how-to-study-islam exists (10 March 2023): Is studying religious knowledge better than voluntary prayer?

Watch on YouTube at 1:04:18 · Open the segment

Should I give up my career plans to study full time at a madrasa?

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Should I give up my career plans to study full time at a madrasa?

Mufti Abu Layth would maybe not advise leaving a career for a madrasa: it offers structure and companionship but dumbs students down. Mufti Abu Layth says the drawback of going through the madrasa system is that, unfortunately, it dumbs you down.

Answer from 4 August 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth #176 *Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted!* 🤣 (at 51:41)

A more recent answer on society/education-and-madrasas/how-to-study-islam exists (10 March 2023): Is studying religious knowledge better than voluntary prayer?

Watch on YouTube at 54:07 · Open the segment

Do religious scholars lose their independence when they depend on donations?

Sun, 19 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Do religious scholars lose their independence when they depend on donations?

The guest refuses to earn from religion because dependence on a group or donors forces scholars to say what their audience wants; Mufti Abu Layth says denominational dependency cripples independent thinking.

Answer from 19 April 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Shaykh Kashif Khan | Policing thought, Pornography & Pandora's box | MindTrap with Mufti #15 (at 20:12)

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 20:12 · Open the segment

If obscene lyrics make music haram, what about the classical Arabic poetry taught in madrasas?

Wed, 18 Sep 2019 00:00:00 +0000

If obscene lyrics make music haram, what about the classical Arabic poetry taught in madrasas?

Classical Arabic poetry taught in every major madrasa, from Abu Nuwas to the Hamasa and Imru' al-Qais, is as full of violence, alcohol and sex as rap lyrics, so condemning rap on religious grounds is a double standard. Parents may set their own rules for their children without attributing them to God. Mufti Abu Layth says classical Arabic poetry, such as that of Abu Nuwas, the Hamasa and the Mu'allaqa of Imru' al-Qais, is full of violence, alcohol and sex much like rap lyrics and is taught in major madrasas, so treating rap differently is a double standard, and parents may set their own rules without attributing them to God.

Answer from 18 September 2019 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: In Depth: Is Music allowed in Islam? | Mufti Abu Layth (at 36:43)

A more recent answer on fiqh/entertainment/music exists (10 March 2023): Is it haram for men to wear earrings?

Watch on YouTube at 36:43 · Open the segment

Why do so many maulanas think the way they do?

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Why do so many maulanas think the way they do?

Many maulanas grow up mocked, alienated and insecure, are trained in material irrelevant to the real world, and are then made leaders young, and that past shapes their decisions. He says he is shedding light, not disparaging them. Mufti Abu Layth says one would be naive to think that the past of young maulanas, who hardly interact with women, does not influence their decisions when women come to them with questions.

Answer from 15 February 2018 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: The Maulana/Madrassa crisis & Why my views appear to be different? - Mufti Abu Layth al-Maliki (at 5:38)

A more recent answer on history/subcontinent exists (19 August 2022): What was Salman Rushdie's family background?

Watch on YouTube at 5:38 · Open the segment

Why don't most scholars say what Mufti Abu Layth says?

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Why don't most scholars say what Mufti Abu Layth says?

Scholars who are articulate leaders able to meet the challenges of the time usually become so in spite of the madrasa system, which does not teach these skills or, in some places, critical thinking. Mufti Abu Layth says that scholars who turn out articulate, charismatic and able to meet the challenges of the time usually do so in spite of having gone through the madrasa system, not because of it.

Answer from 15 February 2018 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: The Maulana/Madrassa crisis & Why my views appear to be different? - Mufti Abu Layth al-Maliki (at 0:00)

A more recent answer on history/subcontinent exists (19 August 2022): What was Salman Rushdie's family background?

Watch on YouTube at 0:38 · Open the segment

Mufti Abu Layth's credentials and course of study

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

Mufti Abu Layth's credentials and course of study

Mufti Abu Layth studied in Damascus and Pakistan, completed the full Islamic sciences course with hadith and ifta authorisations, and holds degrees in psychology and education.

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

Recording: Age of Aisha (ra)- Mufti Abu Layth (at 1:18)

A more recent answer on society/education-and-madrasas exists (13 April 2021): Will traditional religious institutions survive if they do not adapt?

Watch on YouTube at 1:18 · Open the segment

How should Muslims respond to Islamophobia?

Mon, 06 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000

How should Muslims respond to Islamophobia?

Begin with yourself: learn properly, since much Islamophobia is fed by Muslims saying things they do not understand, keep links with the ulama, and work on communicating the right ideas in the right words. Mufti Abu Layth says Muslims should respond to Islamophobia by beginning with themselves: learning so as not to misstate Islam, keeping links with the ulama as the community's lifeline, and improving how they communicate.

Answer from 6 April 2015 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Unanswered Questions- An interview with Mufti Abu Layth (at 47:10)

A more recent answer on society/dawah-and-debate-culture exists (18 October 2025): How should Muslims engage people with very different views of the religion?

Watch on YouTube at 47:10 · Open the segment