# Is it wrong to turn the Hagia Sophia back into a mosque? *Not a question of halal and haram but of right and wrong: a great mistake* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/s/21/ - Date: 2020-07-14 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth 173 (1:25:00–1:27:33) - Status: general teaching - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6H5lYE4MN8&t=5100s - 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):** It is not haram, since Turkey may do as it likes with its property, but it is absolutely wrong and a great mistake, done for political standing. **Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says converting the Hagia Sophia into a mosque is absolutely wrong and a great mistake. **Evidence, his words at 1:26:17:** “that this Hagia Sophia aya sofya converting it into a Masjid is absolutely wrong it is it is a great mistake” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6H5lYE4MN8&t=5177s) ## Longer summary Mufti Abu Layth says the issue is not halal and haram: the Hagia Sophia is the property of the Turkish state, which may legally and Islamically do with it what it wants, from a car park to opening hours. The question is whether it is right, and he says a hadith teaches that you will know wrong when you see it [?]. He says converting it into a mosque is absolutely wrong, a great mistake celebrated by people lacking insight into world affairs. He feels the regime is doing it for brownie points, to make Turkey the new leader of the Islamic world as a new amir al-mu'minin rivalling Saudi Arabia, promoting the Ertugrul drama and converting other churches too. ## Sources and names cited - the reconversion of the Hagia Sophia to a mosque - Recep Tayyip Erdogan - amir al-mu'minin - report: you will know them when they are wrong (as paraphrased) [?] ## Transcript (machine tier, 1:25:00–1:27:33) [1:24:20] question is that it did become a must see them for many centuries it remained a Masjid now when Turkey was set out as a separate state nation-state in the kind of decades that followed you see that this Hagia Sophia the aya sofya was turned into just a museum now the argument has come that we need to convert this back into a Masjid why because it was once upon a time a Masjid this is the crux of the argument that why should we turn this into mush it [1:25:00] because it was once upon a time a Masjid now I would say look it's not about halal Haram okay because the aya sofya is in a Muslim country it is the property of the state of Turkey it is the property of Turkey they can you know from an Islamic perspective and from this statutory legal perspective they can do with it whatever they want you know they its a listed building but [1:25:37] if Turkey decides to turn it into whatever it wants they could you know they could say we're gonna put a car park on this side we're gonna do this we're gonna do that we're gonna you know it's up to them they could say we're gonna have opening hours on this time we're gonna do this the question so it's not about what is legal and illegal or what is Haram and you know not her ah it's not about that so but the question is is this a rightful action right and wrong and there are things like the hadith teaches you that you will know them when they are wrong I would say [1:26:17] that this Hagia Sophia aya sofya converting it into a Masjid is absolutely wrong it is it is a great mistake that is being celebrated by people ilahe these people I feel lack insight about this about world affairs Turkey I feel is only doing this to gain brownie points that the the regime is doing this they're pushing it to gain brownie points with other states to [1:26:54] become the new leaders of the Islamic world Turkey is you know arrogant for a while has been trying to shape out his identity as the new amirul mumineen in Islam and he was trying to rival Saudi Arabia who have had that position traditionally I don't know why except that haramein earthy so turkey is now try to you know first of all with this article drama promoting this everywhere and they've been doing this with many other mosques as well by the way in Turkey churches turning them into mosques and things [1:27:32] like this but this vertical thing that spreading this I you know I I've not watched a single episode I can't honestly I find these things preposterous but anyway to a lot of people love the drama fair enough I haven't got anything against the drama per se but they look you have to understand something the Ottoman Empire was never it was nothing more than a dynasty that just happened to be Muslim it is not symbolic of Islam they were you know nothing in fact the Ottomans they first you know what the actual rule ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment a6H5lYE4MN8/s/21. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/s/21/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.