# Does Istanbul need the Hagia Sophia as a mosque?

*No need for a new mosque: the Blue Mosque next door, and the drama over the adhan*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/s/23/
- Date: 2020-07-14 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth 173 (1:30:06–1:33:19)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6H5lYE4MN8&t=5406s
- 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):** There is no need: the Blue Mosque, holding ten thousand, is four minutes away and hundreds of mosques in Istanbul already call the adhan.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says there is no need for the Hagia Sophia as a mosque, since the Blue Mosque, holding at least ten thousand people, is a four-minute walk away.

**Evidence, his words at 1:30:44:** “a four minute walk from the aya sofya a four minute walk four minutes that's how it is literally just in front of it right now there is no need for a new masjid” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6H5lYE4MN8&t=5444s)

## Longer summary

Showing an image, Mufti Abu Layth says the Sultan Ahmed or Blue Mosque is a four-minute walk from the Hagia Sophia and holds at least ten thousand people, so there is no need for a new mosque, an argument he wants out of the way first. He then takes the argument that, since it was once a mosque and Turkey is a Muslim-majority democracy, it may be converted back. He mocks those moved to tears by hearing the adhan from the Hagia Sophia, since every mosque in Istanbul, including the great one opposite, calls the adhan five times a day, and tells them to stop being drama queens.

## Sources and names cited

- the reconversion of the Hagia Sophia to a mosque
- adhan

## Transcript (machine tier, 1:30:06–1:33:19)

[1:29:30] later on we romanticized them to be the symbols of Islam they weren't even in the Middle East so much later on when they established they were moreso in Eastern Europe but they had nothing you know the way we pitch today it's presented like this dream image oh they were like sure I mean they were Muslim and I'm not saying that they didn't respect Islam I'm showing their own way they respected Islam just as Muslims today respect Islam but they weren't symbols of Islam yeah if that makes sense to you you're not gonna see today countries like you

[1:30:06] know is I don't know do you say but even they don't so yeah so the problem with this with this converting the aya sofya first of all this has if you see right just one moment if I bring here you can see people will say that look I'd like to you can see here that our this is a the quality didn't come up well here but you've got here the Blue Mosque idea the

[1:30:44] Sultana ahmed masjid by walking on foot is a four minute walk from the aya sofya a four minute walk four minutes that's how it is literally just in front of it right now there is no need for a new masjid we don't have a need they first of all I'm just trying to eliminate that aspect there is no need okay the sultan ahmed must must read the blue mosque famous blue mosque has the capacity of

[1:31:21] at least 10,000 people inside it it's a huge masjid so first of all just to clarify it's not a need basis i just want to get that out the way the second thing is that people might say okay there isn't a need but this used to be a mosque so we have the hop as turks in the country Turkey it is a Muslim it is a country of Muslims by population democratically speaking we can convert it back can we not but then I will say to you and this I'm saying to all Muslims who are supporting

[1:31:59] this yeah you know and they acting all emotional oh my god the aya sofya had the advantage method cook that is so stupid because every Masjid in in Istanbul has got the Athan you know it's like oh my god we've heard the Athan from the aya sofya oh my god I'm so emotional I will marry tha hey large blue mustard over there what is that announcing what are all these other hundreds of machines in Istanbul

[1:32:39] announcing every day five times a day the athan stop acting like you've never heard the Athan stop being such a drama queen you know this whole thing people saying oh my god it's a little girl look I want to say to all these people who are having this cathartic moment of joy and they saying well we have the legal right because democratically there are more Muslims I mean there's atheists and Christians there as well but there are more Muslims in Turkey clearly and therefore it's under our of jurisdiction we can turn into a mosque this thing which which I

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment a6H5lYE4MN8/s/23. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/a6h5lye4mn8/s/23/

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