# What happened with the Hagia Sophia?

*The Hagia Sophia ruling, reactions online, and the building's history*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/s/18/
- Date: 2020-07-14 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth 173 (1:13:29–1:17:16)
- Status: a view quoted in order to be discussed, not a position held
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6H5lYE4MN8&t=4409s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/

**Topics:** Middle East and the wider world; Public law and governance

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Turkey's courts ruled that the Hagia Sophia, originally Justinian's cathedral, be turned back into a mosque, to celebration and mockery online.

## Longer summary

After a word about the chat moderators and an abusive comment he calls unacceptable, Mufti Abu Layth turns to the Hagia Sophia, which many were awaiting. He explains that Erdogan and the Turkish courts have ruled that the Hagia Sophia, or Aya Sofya as he prefers, is to be converted back into a mosque, that the adhan has already been given there, and that reactions are all over social media; he reads a post mocking objectors while Hindu temples and churches are built in Muslim countries. As a backdrop he says the building existed before Islam, built, he believes, by Justinian I as a cathedral, at one point claimed to be the largest in Christendom or at least in the Byzantine east.

## Sources and names cited

- the reconversion of the Hagia Sophia to a mosque
- Recep Tayyip Erdogan
- Justinian I
- adhan

## Transcript (machine tier, 1:13:29–1:17:16)

[1:13:28] are they mechanics why is there a spanner besides some people's names these people are the mods my YouTube chat you calling for Muslims hoes and devil worshipers is that doing God's work I don't know who's saying that but that is utterly unacceptable right so what is going down they call moderators come on yeah yeah of course mods mods moderators into many

[1:14:08] people you do any where is the admin HR has said where is the admin is they no admin on on Facebook huh I'm sure they are but are they asleep right can I say you'd marry Anant right okay let's go to the Hagia Sophia topic a lot of people are awaiting this so people those of you that are unfamiliar with what's going on Aragon and the

[1:14:45] Turkish courts have ruled that the Hagia Sophia or known as the aya sofya I I like the sound of that he has a better kind of more float with the aya sofya it is to be converted back into a Masjid what do we think about this how do we feel and people have become really and it has already happened they've done the other on and there's all these videos on Twitter on social media sites this

[1:15:22] reactions people are amongst them is our Danny Boy let's say some of these fools full hey foo reverting Hagia Sophia back to a Masjid meanwhile Hindu temples and churches being built in Muslim countries [Music] that's hard anyway he's giving God that he's is giving his two prints as well so he doesn't want us to write so this and they were some

[1:16:02] other if I one moment if I check I'm pretty sure there was some other right yep okay cool now what are our thoughts on this people well first of all just a bit of a backdrop to the aya sofya now this is something that existed way before I mean it may have been kind of further done up in things but it existed before Islam and I believe it was built by Justine Ian I believe it was just in Ian the

[1:16:39] first and it was in its original form a cathedral and it was at one point the largest Christian Cathedral in Christendom if that's what it was claimed to be the largest in Christendom if not at least in the eastern part of the whole Christian world the Byzantine dynasty and which was the kind of Roman dynasty in in the east so that's what it was up until Sultan

[1:17:15] father muhammad al-fatih he conquers and then they convert it into a Masjid so the question is first of all should we be converting places of worship into massage this is one question we want to look at secondly okay even I mean that's secondly should we in now be reconverting something to a Masjid so the first is the original conversion and then the reconversion to a Masjid what are our thoughts on all of

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment a6H5lYE4MN8/s/18. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/s/18/

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