# If Muslims can reconvert the Hagia Sophia, can Israel or India reconvert mosques too?

*Might is right: the law of Thrasymachus, al-Aqsa, the Babri Masjid and Israel*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/bgsfy-umsa4/s/7/
- Date: 2020-07-16 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Why converting the Hagia Sophia to a mosque is a mistake | Mufti Abu Layth (18:26–22:22)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgsfy-UmSA4&t=1106s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/bgsfy-umsa4/

**Topics:** Middle East and the wider world; Palestine and Gaza; India and Hindutva

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** By the 'might is right' logic used to justify the reconversion, he says, Israel could turn al-Aqsa into the Temple of Solomon and India's Hindu majority could turn mosques into temples, so Muslims who celebrate cannot then complain. Leave the building be.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says justifying the reconversion by the Muslim majority's legal power is the principle of Thrasymachus that might is right, and that by the same logic Israel could convert al-Aqsa into the Temple of Solomon and India's Hindu majority could convert mosques into temples, so Muslims cannot then complain.

**Evidence, his words at 19:01:** “if you want to abide by this fair enough but don't come crying tomorrow when masjid al-aqsa because it's under israeli control is then converted back to the temple of solomon” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgsfy-UmSA4&t=1141s)

## Longer summary

To those celebrating because the Muslim majority gives Turkey the legal right, Mufti Abu Layth says this is the principle of Thrasymachus, a contemporary of Socrates, that might is right. If they abide by that law, he says, they should not cry tomorrow when al-Aqsa, under Israeli control, is converted back into the Temple of Solomon, which stood there before any mosque, or when India's Hindu majority converts the Babri Masjid and other mosques said to stand on temples back into Hindu temples by the same democratic logic. He calls this a lack of insight: wrong when done against Muslims, fine when done by them. He accepts it was a mosque for many years, but before that it was a cathedral and for decades it has been a museum; nobody is short of a place to pray, so leave things be. To the argument that hearing the adhan shows the power of Islam, he says power swings both ways, and by the same argument Israel, with its courts and its power, would have every right to act at al-Aqsa. He adds in passing that the adhan over loudspeakers is itself a bid'ah, the adhan never having been meant to be shouted through speakers, but lets that aside.

## Sources and names cited

- Thrasymachus
- might is right (the law of Thrasymachus), rejected
- the Babri Masjid
- the reconversion of the Hagia Sophia to a mosque
- bid'ah (the adhan over loudspeakers, in passing)
- adhan

## Transcript (machine tier, 18:26–22:22)

[17:46] stupid i'm not going to let you get that that is so stupid because every masjid in in istanbul has got the adhaan you know it's like oh my god we've heard the adhan from the eyes of fear oh my god i'm so emotional you know that large blue masjid over there what is that announcing what are all these other hundreds of masjids in istanbul announcing every day five times a day the adhan stop acting like you've never heard the adhan stop being such a drama queen you know this whole thing people saying

[18:22] oh my god oh my god oh my god look i want to say to all these people who are having this cathartic moment of joy and they're 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 jurisdiction we can turn it into a mosque this thing which which i will call the thracemaking rule that's so you know thrasymachus who was a contemporary of socrates he believed that might was right that if

[19:01] you've got the power you can do it might is right so this law or the principle are you know through simicon principle or the law of thrasymachus if you want to abide by this fair enough but don't come crying tomorrow when masjid al-aqsa because it's under israeli control is then converted back to the temple of solomon because it was the temple of solomon that before it became any masjid and it is under their control don't come crying back

[19:38] when about the babari masjid or any of these other masjids in india that they say was a mandir was that this masjid used to belong to such and such temple of such and such lord before it became a masjid it is our right as a democratic majority of india as hindus to convert those masjids back to hindu temples why not all we need is uh you know it's the law it's the law of thrasymachus might is right it's whoever has the majority all we need is a legal right and we can do it so why are you crying your heads off at

[20:17] things like jerusalem you know what's your problem when it's against us then it's bad you know this is the stupidity the lack of insight in this day and age i accept that it was a masjid you know for many years but before that it was a cathedral now for decades it's been a museum you don't need a new mosque you don't need you know people are not dying to pray you know this kind of like oh my god we've got no way to pray right leave it let things be you know you've got a masjid

[20:55] four minutes in front of it literally that capacitates thousands right and you've got hundreds of masjids in istanbul so you're not there's no shortage of masjids now you're going to say well you know no no no the power of islam i want to hear the adhan is so beautiful like i've never heard the athan even though that large masjid over there is announcing it every day and all these other hundreds of masjids are announcing it on speakers which is a bid let alone that we don't go into that discussion the iran was never meant to be you know kind of like yelled on the top of speakers but anyway

[21:33] jello will let that slide the point is that you've got the adhan but no we want to hear it from this museum because islam is we've got power tk but the power that that that swings both ways you see and tomorrow and israel is expanding this is why i you know like you can't then have this kind you can't play it like that i feel by that argument israel absolutely has the right by that argument to take down uh what is it convert it why doesn't it by that argument by the principle

[22:11] of thrasymachus it's their land their legal rights their courts have ruled and they've got the power and it was first of all temple of solomon before it was any masjid so yeah so i i feel that this is you know part of this is the right wing fascism that is rising in the world today and it's not just hindu nationals it's not just trump supporters it's not just uh far-right jewish zionists it's also muslims as well who are doing exactly the same thing

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment Bgsfy-UmSA4/s/7. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/bgsfy-umsa4/s/7/

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