# What is the Hagia Sophia and what did Turkey decide about it?

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

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/bgsfy-umsa4/s/1/
- Date: 2020-07-16 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Why converting the Hagia Sophia to a mosque is a mistake | Mufti Abu Layth (0:00–2:43)
- 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=Bgsfy-UmSA4&t=0s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/bgsfy-umsa4/

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

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Turkey's courts under Erdogan ruled that the Hagia Sophia be converted back into a mosque, prompting celebration and mockery of objectors online. The building was built by Justinian I as a cathedral, once the largest in the eastern Christian world.

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth turns to a topic many had asked about: Erdogan and the Turkish courts have ruled that the Hagia Sophia, or Aya Sofya as he prefers to call it, is to be converted back into a mosque, the adhan has already been given there, and reactions are circulating on social media. He reads out a post from a commentator he refers to by a nickname [?], mocking those who object while Hindu temples and churches are built in Muslim countries, and mentions other posts. As a backdrop, he says the building existed before Islam, was built, he believes, by Justinian I as a cathedral, and was at one point claimed to be the largest cathedral in Christendom, or at least in the eastern, Byzantine part of the Christian world.

## Sources and names cited

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

## Transcript (machine tier, 0:00–2:43)

[0:00] right okay let's go to the hagia sofia topic a lot of people are awaiting this so people those of you that are unfamiliar with what's going on erdogan and the turkish uh courts have ruled that the hagia sofia or known as the aya sophia i i i like the sound of that it has a better kind of more flow to it the eye sofia it

[0:36] 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 azan and there's all these videos on twitter on social media sites there's reactions people are um amongst them is our danny boy saying some of these fools full hey foo reverting hagia sofia back to a masjid meanwhile hindu temples and churches

[1:11] being built in muslim countries [Music] that he's giving his two pence as well so he doesn't want us to [Laughter] right so this uh and there were some 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 these people

[1:50] well first of all just a bit of a backdrop to the aya sofia now this is something that existed way before i mean it may have been kind of further done up and things but it existed before islam and i believe it was built by justinian i believe it was justinian the first and it was in its original form a cathedral and it was at one point the largest christian cathedral uh in christendom if that's what it was claimed to be

[2:30] the largest in christendom if not at least um in the eastern part of the whole christian world the byzantine dynasty and which was uh the kind of roman dynasty in the east so that's what it was up until uh 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 masajid this is one question we want to look at

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment Bgsfy-UmSA4/s/1. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/bgsfy-umsa4/s/1/

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