# Do Muslims online have the right to demand evidence about a scholar's private life? *Not a court: no jurisdiction, the right to a private life, and who will answer the next generation* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/6_dmojl-_bi/s/12/ - Date: 2017-09-29 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Propaganda against Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan - Mufti Abu Layth (36:37–40:31) - Status: general teaching - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_dmOJl-_bI&t=2197s - Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/6_dmojl-_bi/ **Topics:** Social media; Speech and everyday conduct; The Mufti and the channel **Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** The public is not a court and has no jurisdiction to demand or weigh evidence about someone's private life, which everyone has a right to. Mufti Abu Layth says those attacking Nouman Ali Khan cannot fill his place when the next generation needs answers about the Quran. **Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth holds that the public is not a court and has no jurisdiction to demand or weigh evidence about a person's private life, and that everyone has a right to a personal life. **Evidence, his words at 37:27:** “there's no evidence to bring we are not a court this is not court right none of you are have jurisdiction there is no evidence to bring” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_dmOJl-_bI&t=2247s) ## Longer summary Mufti Abu Layth says those who did this justified it as social justice and protecting vulnerable women, and suggests some did so to gain favour. He says the episode shows the dangerous times of a modern tabloid culture of taking people down, and to those who say bring your evidence he replies that there is no evidence to bring because the public is not a court and none of them have jurisdiction, while allowing that one party to a failed relationship is often upset. He says that under the banner of doing God's work people have lashed out, maligned, sworn at and tried to destroy the legacy of a man who gave the Quran meaning in English, and that he, like everyone, has a right to a personal life; Mufti says his own sense of humour alone would destroy him if his life were examined, and that he has been a victim of such attacks several times. He says future generations will seek answers about the Quran from people like him and not from those taking him down, who cannot fill his shoes, and recalls from his own experience that people who had maligned him later came back to him for answers when their faith clashed with reason, because the hardline people they had supported had no answers. ## Sources and names cited - Nouman Ali Khan ## Transcript (machine tier, 36:37–40:31) [36:09] his photograph on pornographic sites doing things like this I mean did well like the people who began this are responsible for them and they you know what their excuses well I never did it this is what Judas said about Jesus well I never crucified him the Roman scheme you know I just I just yeah you know I just pointed him out and listen but it's not me that stuck him up on the cross nothing but a Judas that they've done it's despicable from Islamic standards and they justified that we are social justice worries and you know what the [36:48] irony is a lot of these people do this so they can it's the same thing like oh we fight for women's rights and we're trying to protect women vulnerable women in ER in a way to gain fair is our you know I can ask are you not doing the same thing just trying to impress so look people everything here and and the reason why this was important is to show how Dane what kind of a dangerous world we live in we live in times where people they it's so this this new modern tabloid culture of taking people down [37:27] and some people have said that look over you bring your evidence no there's no evidence to bring we are not a court this is not court right none of you are have jurisdiction there is no evidence to bring ok I get the fact that some people in relationships sometimes are upset you know relationships when they don't work out one of the two couple is always upset but this oh wise me you know this whole using the misuse the abuse of the word abuse that has been used under the banner of Islam that [38:06] we are doing God's work to lash out to malign to insult to swear to destroy a man's legacy who has only stood up who has really given meaning to the Koran in the English language and look he could his personal life is his Percy has a right to a personal life I have a right you have a right to a personal life you know if if my life got examined hahaha my life got examined I mean if you like think about it my sense of humor alone [38:43] would have me destroyed and I and I have been a victim of this in the past on several occasions whenever people hate on me they just drag stuff that they want to do this this is this is how it works and people just jump along and many people jump along for the entertainment I get that you know they they want to be entertained but look at the day listen people wallahi people use these very same people the future generations will seek answers when it comes to the Quran who will they go to you're not gonna go to [39:21] these regular kind of these they haven't got the answers let's be honest you're taking down of you're trying to take down a person whose shoes you cannot fill let's be I could under I could even I mean I would disagree but at least if you were taking somebody down and you could fill his his is you could fill his place but you can't and I tell you this from from a first-hand perspective I have had people malign me in the past insult me verbally abuse me right spread [39:59] propaganda about me in years to come in the years that followed they almost lost their faith because they saw that the faith clashed with reason they saw that these arguments were compelling of atheists and then who was it that they turn back to they came to me to answer their questions why not go now to those kind of hardline people that you were supporting before and and doing all that because they don't give you the answers and this isn't I'm just giving you and I'm just saying this is a personal example but it's the same thing tomorrow ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment 6_dmOJl-_bI/s/12. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/6_dmojl-_bi/s/12/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.