Mufti Abu Layth Archive: wellbeing/islamic-psychologyAnswers on wellbeing/islamic-psychology, newest recording first.https://muftiabulayth.org/feeds/topics/wellbeing-islamic-psychology.atom.xml2022-08-19T00:00:00ZMufti Abu Layth Archivepipeline/feeds.pyWhy did Salman Rushdie write The Satanic Verses?https://muftiabulayth.org/r/t0phqrnjjby/s/9/2022-08-19T00:00:00Z2022-08-19T00:00:00ZWhy did Salman Rushdie write The Satanic Verses?
In his personal opinion, Rushdie wrote the novel chiefly as defiance of his father, did not expect the backlash, and has since been abandoned even by the left he championed.
Answer from 19 August 2022 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors
Kind: general teaching
Recording: Salman Rushdie & The Satanic Verses | Mufti Abu Layth (at 44:48)
A more recent answer on society/blasphemy-and-free-speech exists (29 September 2024): https://muftiabulayth.org/r/hmurvu2c9yq/s/3/
Watch on YouTube at 44:48: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0pHQRNJjBY&t=2688s<p><b>Why did Salman Rushdie write The Satanic Verses?</b></p>
<p>In his personal opinion, Rushdie wrote the novel chiefly as defiance of his father, did not expect the backlash, and has since been abandoned even by the left he championed.</p>
<p>Answer from 19 August 2022 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors</p>
<p>Kind: general teaching</p>
<p>Recording: Salman Rushdie & The Satanic Verses | Mufti Abu Layth (at 44:48)</p>
<p><b>A more recent answer on society/blasphemy-and-free-speech exists</b> (29 September 2024): <a href="https://muftiabulayth.org/r/hmurvu2c9yq/s/3/">How scholars' rhetoric fed Pakistan's blasphemy killings, in Mufti Abu Layth's view</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0pHQRNJjBY&t=2688s">Watch on YouTube at 44:48</a> · <a href="https://muftiabulayth.org/r/t0phqrnjjby/s/9/">Open the segment</a></p>What made Salman Rushdie so hostile to Islam?https://muftiabulayth.org/r/t0phqrnjjby/s/4/2022-08-19T00:00:00Z2022-08-19T00:00:00ZWhat made Salman Rushdie so hostile to Islam?
Mufti Abu Layth suggests that Rushdie's hostility to Islam is rooted in an unresolved resentment of his father, who embraced his Muslim identity and moved to Pakistan.
Answer from 19 August 2022 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors
Kind: general teaching
Recording: Salman Rushdie & The Satanic Verses | Mufti Abu Layth (at 15:50)
A more recent answer on society/blasphemy-and-free-speech exists (29 September 2024): https://muftiabulayth.org/r/hmurvu2c9yq/s/3/
Watch on YouTube at 15:50: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0pHQRNJjBY&t=950s<p><b>What made Salman Rushdie so hostile to Islam?</b></p>
<p>Mufti Abu Layth suggests that Rushdie's hostility to Islam is rooted in an unresolved resentment of his father, who embraced his Muslim identity and moved to Pakistan.</p>
<p>Answer from 19 August 2022 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors</p>
<p>Kind: general teaching</p>
<p>Recording: Salman Rushdie & The Satanic Verses | Mufti Abu Layth (at 15:50)</p>
<p><b>A more recent answer on society/blasphemy-and-free-speech exists</b> (29 September 2024): <a href="https://muftiabulayth.org/r/hmurvu2c9yq/s/3/">How scholars' rhetoric fed Pakistan's blasphemy killings, in Mufti Abu Layth's view</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0pHQRNJjBY&t=950s">Watch on YouTube at 15:50</a> · <a href="https://muftiabulayth.org/r/t0phqrnjjby/s/4/">Open the segment</a></p>Do we think in words or in images?https://muftiabulayth.org/r/oyiipehuiha/s/6/2021-04-26T00:00:00Z2021-04-26T00:00:00ZDo we think in words or in images?
The guest argues that shapes are more fundamental than words or pictures; Mufti Abu Layth says words are also reductive, forcing profound things into limited form.
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 25:25)
A more recent answer on wellbeing/islamic-psychology exists (19 August 2022): https://muftiabulayth.org/r/t0phqrnjjby/s/9/
Watch on YouTube at 26:43: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYiiPEhuiHA&t=1603s<p><b>Do we think in words or in images?</b></p>
<p>The guest argues that shapes are more fundamental than words or pictures; Mufti Abu Layth says words are also reductive, forcing profound things into limited form.</p>
<p>Answer from 26 April 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors</p>
<p>Kind: general teaching</p>
<p>Recording: Lupe Fiasco | Stardom, Semiotics & Soul-searching | MindTrap#56 | Mufti Abu Layth al-Maliki MALM (at 25:25)</p>
<p><b>A more recent answer on wellbeing/islamic-psychology exists</b> (19 August 2022): <a href="https://muftiabulayth.org/r/t0phqrnjjby/s/9/">Why did Salman Rushdie write The Satanic Verses?</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYiiPEhuiHA&t=1603s">Watch on YouTube at 26:43</a> · <a href="https://muftiabulayth.org/r/oyiipehuiha/s/6/">Open the segment</a></p>Is the pursuit of knowledge a deeper drive than sex?https://muftiabulayth.org/r/8xuhmcz2n3u/s/44/2021-04-13T00:00:00Z2021-04-13T00:00:00ZIs the pursuit of knowledge a deeper drive than sex?
Yes for the conscious mind, Mufti Abu Layth says, which is driven by curiosity; and the fact that being is intelligible, as DNA shows, points to a creator. Mufti Abu Layth says the conscious mind is driven by curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge, and that the intelligibility of being, as seen in the coding of DNA, points to an intelligent creator.
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 2:59:31)
A more recent answer on wellbeing/islamic-psychology exists (19 August 2022): https://muftiabulayth.org/r/t0phqrnjjby/s/9/
Watch on YouTube at 2:59:31: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XuHMCz2N3U&t=10771s<p><b>Is the pursuit of knowledge a deeper drive than sex?</b></p>
<p>Yes for the conscious mind, Mufti Abu Layth says, which is driven by curiosity; and the fact that being is intelligible, as DNA shows, points to a creator. Mufti Abu Layth says the conscious mind is driven by curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge, and that the intelligibility of being, as seen in the coding of DNA, points to an intelligent creator.</p>
<p>Answer from 13 April 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors</p>
<p>Kind: general teaching</p>
<p>Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #210 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 2:59:31)</p>
<p><b>A more recent answer on wellbeing/islamic-psychology exists</b> (19 August 2022): <a href="https://muftiabulayth.org/r/t0phqrnjjby/s/9/">Why did Salman Rushdie write The Satanic Verses?</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XuHMCz2N3U&t=10771s">Watch on YouTube at 2:59:31</a> · <a href="https://muftiabulayth.org/r/8xuhmcz2n3u/s/44/">Open the segment</a></p>Are many people's frustrations really about unmet sexual needs?https://muftiabulayth.org/r/8xuhmcz2n3u/s/41/2021-04-13T00:00:00Z2021-04-13T00:00:00ZAre many people's frustrations really about unmet sexual needs?
Mufti Abu Layth says much bitterness comes from unmet sexual needs, that Islam itself does not see sex negatively, and that Freud should be judged on his ideas, not his character. Mufti Abu Layth says unmet sexual needs underlie much unhappiness and bitterness, that Islam does not view sex negatively though institutionalised religion does, and that Freud's insights should be judged on their merits rather than on his character.
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 2:43:47)
A more recent answer on fiqh/sexual-ethics exists (22 February 2023): https://muftiabulayth.org/r/mofs_0ugn4e/s/3/
Watch on YouTube at 2:43:47: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XuHMCz2N3U&t=9827s<p><b>Are many people's frustrations really about unmet sexual needs?</b></p>
<p>Mufti Abu Layth says much bitterness comes from unmet sexual needs, that Islam itself does not see sex negatively, and that Freud should be judged on his ideas, not his character. Mufti Abu Layth says unmet sexual needs underlie much unhappiness and bitterness, that Islam does not view sex negatively though institutionalised religion does, and that Freud's insights should be judged on their merits rather than on his character.</p>
<p>Answer from 13 April 2021 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors</p>
<p>Kind: general teaching</p>
<p>Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #210 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 2:43:47)</p>
<p><b>A more recent answer on fiqh/sexual-ethics exists</b> (22 February 2023): <a href="https://muftiabulayth.org/r/mofs_0ugn4e/s/3/">Did some Muslim scholars say homosexuality is not haram?</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XuHMCz2N3U&t=9827s">Watch on YouTube at 2:43:47</a> · <a href="https://muftiabulayth.org/r/8xuhmcz2n3u/s/41/">Open the segment</a></p>Do people with schizophrenia have real religious insight?https://muftiabulayth.org/r/w6tqwuuumcg/s/29/2020-10-27T00:00:00Z2020-10-27T00:00:00ZDo people with schizophrenia have real religious insight?
Mufti Abu Layth says an overlap between such disorders and religiosity is plausible, but it would be a correlation, not proof of cause. Mufti Abu Layth says there could be an overlap between certain disorders and high religiosity, both linked with high temporal-lobe activity, but that it would be a correlation, not a causative demonstration.
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 2:52:19)
A more recent answer on belief/prophethood-and-miracles exists (18 October 2025): https://muftiabulayth.org/r/onzjd7xmdhe/s/21/
Watch on YouTube at 2:52:19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6TqWuUumCg&t=10339s<p><b>Do people with schizophrenia have real religious insight?</b></p>
<p>Mufti Abu Layth says an overlap between such disorders and religiosity is plausible, but it would be a correlation, not proof of cause. Mufti Abu Layth says there could be an overlap between certain disorders and high religiosity, both linked with high temporal-lobe activity, but that it would be a correlation, not a causative demonstration.</p>
<p>Answer from 27 October 2020 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors</p>
<p>Kind: general teaching</p>
<p>Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #188 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (at 2:52:19)</p>
<p><b>A more recent answer on belief/prophethood-and-miracles exists</b> (18 October 2025): <a href="https://muftiabulayth.org/r/onzjd7xmdhe/s/21/">Can the Quran be used to call the Prophet the best of creation?</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6TqWuUumCg&t=10339s">Watch on YouTube at 2:52:19</a> · <a href="https://muftiabulayth.org/r/w6tqwuuumcg/s/29/">Open the segment</a></p>How does Mufti Abu Layth explain an exorcist who says he is possessed by a jinn?https://muftiabulayth.org/r/lexzvtf9yga/s/16/2018-04-15T00:00:00Z2018-04-15T00:00:00ZHow does Mufti Abu Layth explain an exorcist who says he is possessed by a jinn?
As displacement of guilt: the exorcist's 'jinn' professed sexual love for him, which Mufti Abu Layth reads as the man projecting desires he could not reconcile with his religious identity onto a jinn. He says the man may sincerely believe it, but belief does not make it true. Mufti Abu Layth reads the exorcist's 'jinn', who professed sexual love for him, as a displacement of guilt, the projection of desires the man could not own as a religious figure, sincerely believed but not true.
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 1:01:35)
A more recent answer on relationships/sexuality-and-orientation exists (22 February 2023): https://muftiabulayth.org/r/mofs_0ugn4e/s/6/
Watch on YouTube at 1:01:35: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeXzvtf9YGA&t=3695s<p><b>How does Mufti Abu Layth explain an exorcist who says he is possessed by a jinn?</b></p>
<p>As displacement of guilt: the exorcist's 'jinn' professed sexual love for him, which Mufti Abu Layth reads as the man projecting desires he could not reconcile with his religious identity onto a jinn. He says the man may sincerely believe it, but belief does not make it true. Mufti Abu Layth reads the exorcist's 'jinn', who professed sexual love for him, as a displacement of guilt, the projection of desires the man could not own as a religious figure, sincerely believed but not true.</p>
<p>Answer from 15 April 2018 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors</p>
<p>Kind: general teaching</p>
<p>Recording: Jinn: Myth and Reality in Islam by Mufti Abu Layth (at 1:01:35)</p>
<p><b>A more recent answer on relationships/sexuality-and-orientation exists</b> (22 February 2023): <a href="https://muftiabulayth.org/r/mofs_0ugn4e/s/6/">Is it okay for adults or children to change gender?</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeXzvtf9YGA&t=3695s">Watch on YouTube at 1:01:35</a> · <a href="https://muftiabulayth.org/r/lexzvtf9yga/s/16/">Open the segment</a></p>How does Mufti Abu Layth explain an exorcist who speaks as his own jinn?https://muftiabulayth.org/r/7z8yu8kr83y/s/24/2017-09-20T00:00:00Z2017-09-20T00:00:00ZHow does Mufti Abu Layth explain an exorcist who speaks as his own jinn?
The exorcist's 'jinn', which declared its love for him, is read as displacement of guilt: a religious man projecting feelings he could not own onto a jinn, believing it sincerely without it being true. People must own their failed relationships instead of blaming jinn. Mufti Abu Layth says the exorcist whose 'jinn' professed love for him was displacing his own guilt by projecting feelings he could not own onto a jinn, sincerely but not truly, and that the 'jinn of the gaps' is nonsensical, makes religion a joke and leaves real abuse untouched.
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 1:51:02)
A more recent answer on wellbeing/islamic-psychology exists (19 August 2022): https://muftiabulayth.org/r/t0phqrnjjby/s/9/
Watch on YouTube at 1:51:02: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z8yu8Kr83Y&t=6662s<p><b>How does Mufti Abu Layth explain an exorcist who speaks as his own jinn?</b></p>
<p>The exorcist's 'jinn', which declared its love for him, is read as displacement of guilt: a religious man projecting feelings he could not own onto a jinn, believing it sincerely without it being true. People must own their failed relationships instead of blaming jinn. Mufti Abu Layth says the exorcist whose 'jinn' professed love for him was displacing his own guilt by projecting feelings he could not own onto a jinn, sincerely but not truly, and that the 'jinn of the gaps' is nonsensical, makes religion a joke and leaves real abuse untouched.</p>
<p>Answer from 20 September 2017 · auto-transcribed, may contain errors</p>
<p>Kind: general teaching</p>
<p>Recording: Jinn Possessions: Myth and Reality in Islam by Sh. Akram Nadwi & Mufti Abu Layth (at 1:51:02)</p>
<p><b>A more recent answer on wellbeing/islamic-psychology exists</b> (19 August 2022): <a href="https://muftiabulayth.org/r/t0phqrnjjby/s/9/">Why did Salman Rushdie write The Satanic Verses?</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z8yu8Kr83Y&t=6662s">Watch on YouTube at 1:51:02</a> · <a href="https://muftiabulayth.org/r/7z8yu8kr83y/s/24/">Open the segment</a></p>