Epistemology in Islam Mutawatir Hadith, Gameology, and Ijma | Mufti Abu Layth

when something is transmitted massively from so many people it becomes impossible that all the narrator's have have met to invent a lie that is true that is the the understanding of mass transmission you see this people is a you know when people speak about motor water something is motor water what they are this topic this discussion is a discussion of epistemology epistemology

people epistemological issues you thought musty doesn't know these things [Laughter] I'm just kidding right so epistemology you might ask what is epistemology some of you might think does mostly just say these things to try and look intelligent [Laughter] carnivore Tigers carnivore play we've got to do these things otherwise people

don't people don't believe that I that I can actually that I actually read if I don't force-feed you these words I don't have no value messing up missing epistemology basically is the study of how we know things so how do I know this glass right here this pint glass with my special cocktail in LA I could tell you what it is but know nothing that a Allah

so this this how do I know this is there because I see it because the sensation because of perception of intuition because of learning things all the ways all the possible methods by which one can know something the study of that is called epistemology okay now when we are discussing to ahtur the point is it is really an issue of epistemology that somebody is saying that look the Prophet

said this and the other person is asking but how do you truly know 100% that he said it so people have come up with a concept of this is the issue but when you're discussing hadith is there such thing as motivator now you tell me just be honest how many people must it take for something for you to not even i'll entertain one percent doubt that's a personal question but it's a very

relevant and real question that if i said to you that oh i heard some news I heard something has happened how many people must tell you that what must be avenues and you can't verify you can't actually like imagine somebody said Oh Donald Trump had an accident Donald Trump's had a ear accident let's say and you know he's in critical how many people must tell you that for that or

must be talking about that pouring how'd it be enough worldwide three people you having a laugh mate three people so what five people even be enough so exactly so you tell me this issue of epistemology for us to believe with certainty that there isn't even a 1% doubt that the Prophet said this is there ever such a hadees' is there ever

and the answer is no there isn't and this isn't something I'm saying many scholars before me great scholars of hadith even a headband denied this al-hazmi denied this they said look they said it as it was but later on you've got to understand the enterprise of this scholars involved this is why people are always advised you that when you're studying you know if you're serious about religion and things like this it's always good to and you can use this in any aspect of life you don't have to reserve this for religion but always

assess the powerplay the powerful dynamics you see human beings are complex creatures and we're not just when people say things they don't just say things this huge power issues power dynamics that play this there's things like status positions of power these these trying this subconscious things it's taking place this so much I mean I don't know those of you that have ever looked into and I'm not saying this has

to be 100% accurate but there's something there there's a sub science within psychology sometimes referred to as game ology okay and this isn't this is the study of games but not like video games and things like that but it's study of kind of mental games that people play and you'll see things like and it's at the forefront people like Rick Byrne who's got a book called games games that people play and you can buy the book and it may be some of it may be slightly outdated now because it was

written decades ago and maybe people don't behave in those exact same ways today but still it's interesting and let me give you an example what he's talking about is subconsciously the kind of and sometimes consciously and subconsciously so as an example back then a few decades ago when women weren't as thriving in in the workplace as they are today let's say so they didn't have maybe as many they did have

opportunities a few decades ago as well but I'm just saying today it's probably there's there's you know it's a lot I would say reasonably equal but people may challenge that but my point is he gives the scenario of this is one game of a woman who is too daunted too intimidated to pursue her ambitions she's too daunted she's that that thought scares her the thought of failure like of going out thee and let's say she wanted to become so let's say she wants to become a writer she wants

to become something but she's too frightened of failing so what she does is she marries a husband a guy that is very controlling this husband doesn't allow her to pursue an academic pursuit like doesn't allow her to go to university he's very controlling now she then justifies her inability to become a let's say a writer or a I don't

know a nurse or whatever is on her husband says well you know I'd love to have been this but my husband you know he he's too controlling and too possessive and doesn't let me and this is why you can understand why I said the book may be slightly outdated but the games are still real now she may blame him for withholding her ambition but really she chose a person like that that was very kind trolling on purpose to kind of fulfill

that game and what I'm trying to what and what Eric Bern and other psychologists are trying to show here is that human beings are very complex and there's a lot of games that go on between people and I know the term games makes it sound jovial but they're not actually always jovial or necessarily fun they're just the the kind of interactions that are taking place km said most Muslim men are controlling right so they may be unfortunately like

I actually may agree with you I think that unfortunately many Muslim men are still very insecure and that's a shame actually it's a tragedy but getting back to this point see when you're studying the a discussion within Islam and you're looking at a hadith not what and being motivated this concept is posited by Hugh the Mojave theend who are invested in this enterprise they have a stake in this enterprise without hadith there is

no them they derive power from this enterprise I'm not obviously I I agree with how to eat I'm not somebody that divides hadith or you know it's against these books behind you behind me that you can see are mainly especially this whole section is all hadith and I've studied hadith but I'm trying to say let's also be real when we're analyzing these things that there is a huge element of power at stake and people don't like it when they're being questioned like scholars when they have rulings they don't like me theologians

they don't like being questioned their power so they come up with these theories that oh this is not a lotof can you think well is it and they think well now that I've said it motive you can't even question and you think well why can't I question it no you can't question it its motor water its mass transmitted and you're like well but it isn't right no it is to deny motor what it is to deny that which is known by necessity and to deny that which is known by necessity makes you a

castle so you think well hmm you know slightly more than I bargained for I just had a question on hadith but I've you know I set off with a question of hadith and it looks like I've walked off Islam right so I think I'll just kind of hold my horses and just let this be but these tools and and you'll see the scholars do the same thing with the concept of each map consensus a very kind of bogeyman concept that they've

come up with yield or you know around everybody to to just her you know kind of it's it's an intimidation tactic that