Mufti Abu Layth Archive: wellbeing/depression-and-anxiety

Are young people today facing an existential crisis?

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

Are young people today facing an existential crisis?

The guest says most people face a crisis of purpose rather than of existence, urges anyone with suicidal thoughts to seek expert help, and says young people can find value without conventional success.

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

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

Recording: Lupe Fiasco | Stardom, Semiotics & Soul-searching | MindTrap#56 | Mufti Abu Layth al-Maliki MALM (at 1:36:35)

A more recent answer on wellbeing/motivation-and-purpose exists (4 March 2024): How much does Allah love me?

Watch on YouTube at 1:37:14 · Open the segment

What did classical scholars say about whether jinn can harm or possess people?

Sat, 21 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000

What did classical scholars say about whether jinn can harm or possess people?

Imam al-Shafi'i rejected the testimony of anyone claiming to see jinn, Ibn Hazm forbade adding to what Allah said about them, and al-Tahawi held that Satan can only insinuate, not harm; what is called possession is mental illness, and accepting it would void responsibility. Mufti Abu Layth cites al-Shafi'i's refusal of the testimony of anyone who claims to have seen the jinn, Ibn Hazm's ban on adding to what is soundly narrated about them and al-Tahawi's denial that Satan can cause actual harm, and says that what is called possession is mental illness and that accepting possession would leave no will and no taklif.

Answer from 21 November 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: There is no jinn possession in Islam (reply to Sh Omar Suleiman's video) | Mufti Abu Layth (at 26:14)

A more recent answer on belief/unseen-beings/jinn-possession exists (26 April 2021): Do obscene or blasphemous thoughts during prayer ruin my salah?

Watch on YouTube at 26:14 · Open the segment

Do brain chemicals shape my personality?

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Do brain chemicals shape my personality?

Mufti Abu Layth says personality comes from DNA, environment and, in his personal view, the soul too, and that people can improve their predisposition through diet and training. Mufti Abu Layth says that, as his personal take, he feels the ruh plays some role in personality alongside DNA and environment.

Answer from 22 September 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #183 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 31:14)

A more recent answer on belief/soul-nafs-and-consciousness exists (26 April 2021): What does Lupe Fiasco think the soul is?

Watch on YouTube at 31:14 · Open the segment

Exploitation by 'babas', and the solution: proper help and mental health

Sun, 15 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Exploitation by 'babas', and the solution: proper help and mental health

Magic healers exploit desperate people; seek real help from your network or professionals, and communities should take mental health seriously. Mufti Abu Layth says the solution is to seek proper help from one's social network or the relevant professional.

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

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Magic: Myth and Reality in Islam by Mufti Abu Layth (at 46:15)

A more recent answer on wellbeing/depression-and-anxiety exists (26 April 2021): Are young people today facing an existential crisis?

Watch on YouTube at 46:15 · Open the segment

What medical conditions could have been mistaken for possession in the past?

Sun, 15 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000

What medical conditions could have been mistaken for possession in the past?

Conditions such as palinopsia, where after-images persist, and Charles Bonnet syndrome, where people see faces, teeth and buildings that are not there, have known brain causes today but would once have looked like demons. Oliver Sacks's patient knew her visions were unreal, unlike the persecutory beliefs of psychosis. Mufti Abu Layth holds that conditions now explained neurologically, such as palinopsia and Charles Bonnet syndrome, would in the past have been read as demons or possession for want of any other explanation.

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

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Jinn: Myth and Reality in Islam by Mufti Abu Layth (at 36:39)

A more recent answer on arts/science-and-the-universe exists (10 March 2023): Can a pregnancy last for years, as was said of Imam Malik's birth?

Watch on YouTube at 36:39 · Open the segment

Could a jinn fall in love with my spouse and break up my marriage?

Wed, 20 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Could a jinn fall in love with my spouse and break up my marriage?

No: a jinn, created from fire, would belong to a domain of life as alien to us as extremophile bacteria, which do not fall in love or envy marriages. Blaming jinn or magic for a failed relationship comes from the stigma Muslims attach to mental illness. Mufti Abu Layth says Muslims' stigma against mental illness pushes them to blame jinn or magic, and that jinn, if considered at all, belong to a different domain of life from humans, like extremophile Archaea, so they do not fall in love or wreck marriages.

Answer from 20 September 2017 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors

Kind: general teaching

Recording: Jinn Possessions: Myth and Reality in Islam by Sh. Akram Nadwi & Mufti Abu Layth (at 1:48:25)

A more recent answer on belief/unseen-beings/jinn-possession exists (26 April 2021): Do obscene or blasphemous thoughts during prayer ruin my salah?

Watch on YouTube at 1:48:25 · Open the segment