# What is Mufti Abu Layth's favourite Islamic science?

*His favourite Islamic science: fiqh, and an interest in grammar*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/7uxklqh8-ig/s/3/
- Date: 2014-07-02 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Insights to a personal journey: An interview with Mufti Abu Layth (10:20–12:53)
- Status: a more recent answer exists: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/t9ei_hrzl84/s/1/; general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UXKLQH8-ig&t=620s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/7uxklqh8-ig/

**Topics:** The Mufti and the channel; Quranic Arabic

**Question as asked:** What is your favourite Islamic science and why?

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Fiqh, because he loves debate and argument between the schools, though he also has a strong interest in hadith and Arabic grammar.

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says that, if he had to choose, his favourite Islamic science is fiqh, because he has always been fascinated by debates and by the arguments with which the schools contend. He mentions interests in hadith and in Arabic grammar, including the Kufan and Basran schools of grammar, how they originated and where they disagree. He says the difficulty with sciences like grammar is finding a way to keep them alive, whereas more people can relate to fiqh.

## Transcript (machine tier, 10:20–12:53)

[9:40] resonating with me as opposed to having finite things you know like no no you must do things in a specific way no your fingers must be like this and no you must say this only three times or no you can so I found this very natural type of connection within theab once again these type of little these type of small things like when you're in Salah you can you can make any Dua you like you can talk about anything you can even say in any language these things to me brought about a greater reality of what I would have perceived the F to be anyway so this is

[10:19] what I'm saying it really kind of touched home with me my favorite Islamic science that's a good question I do feel that I'm I have actually been drawn to many Islamic sciences and I've um quite fond of many of them but if I had to choose I would say F reason being that I think as a person maybe my personality it's really uh somebody that's always been fascinated

[10:58] with uh um certain debates certain angles that people have when they're trying to I don't know win over an argument the whether it's philosophical whether it's logical these type of things have always just and I don't even mean from an academic perspective I just mean even growing up I've been fascinated by things like that so I found myself more drawn to F the whole the battling of the M you know the the the evidence that this has over that maab and so on and the arguments so I found that very compelling and so I've

[11:36] definitely immersed myself into the realm of f besides that I mean I've had a an interest in things like Hadith I've had an interest in also in the Arabic language quite um for a while quite expansively really I I looked into Arabic grammar and we're talking about things like once again drawn to that the almost argumentative that type of debating angle where I looked at things like uh the the schools of grammar the kufic school of grammar the basri school of grammar how they originated who were the key people the positions they held why for example uh

[12:16] we will see things like why for example disagrees with KH on certain points or and how that all plays out there was a particular point during my studies where I'd really I I got immersed into all of that and it it was amazing I would say but the only problem with things like grammar and n and um is perhaps finding that that type of medium to keep it alive whereas with F I think more people can relate to it therefore you can keep it alive and you'll probably struggle to do so with other

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment 7UXKLQH8-ig/s/3. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/7uxklqh8-ig/s/3/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.