# Did the topic of Tawhid versus the Trinity favour the Muslim side, and how well prepared was Hijab? *A topic that favours reason, and Hijab's impressive command of the Bible* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/gyrfzzzca8g/s/2/ - Date: 2018-12-24 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: On the David Wood and Muhammad Hijab Debate: Reflections & Review -Mufti Abu Layth (2:38–5:15) - Status: general teaching - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyRfZZZcA8g&t=158s - Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/gyrfzzzca8g/ **Topics:** Debate challenges and reviews; Reason and revelation; Christians and other faiths **Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Tawhid appeals to reason while the Trinity is held by Christians as a supra-rational truth, so the topic itself favoured Hijab. Even so, Mufti Abu Layth was impressed by Hijab's thorough biblical research and impromptu quotation of the Bible, while Wood seemed unprepared. **Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth holds that when one side of a debate appeals to reason and the other defends what it calls irrational truths, the side of reason will generally prevail, so the topic favoured Hijab, whose biblical research he nonetheless credits as impressive. **Evidence, his words at 3:07:** “whenever you're debating something that way one side appeals to reason and the other doesn't the reason side will always make sense and prevail generally speaking as a rule of thumb” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyRfZZZcA8g&t=187s) ## Longer summary Mufti Abu Layth says the chosen topic gave one side an advantage: Tawhid, the oneness of God, is very much in line with reason, whereas the Trinity is by default what Christians themselves call an irrational or supra-logical truth, and whenever one side appeals to reason and the other does not, the side of reason will generally prevail because that is what appeals to people. One could therefore argue that Hijab had the upper hand from the word go and that the debate was almost destined to be won on the topic alone. Nevertheless he says he was very impressed by Hijab's research: he must have spent an incredible amount of time studying the biblical sources, and quoted the Bible time after time with references, including impromptu in the question-and-answer session, which demonstrates in-depth knowledge rather than rehearsal. The background to the Trinity was likewise well researched. By contrast, he says, Wood is reported to be usually well prepared, but did not seem to be for this debate. ## Sources and names cited - Mohammed Hijab - David Wood - tawhid - the Trinity - the Bible ## Transcript (machine tier, 2:38–5:15) [2:27] no two ways about that and and I'd like to go through some of that points but then I want to discuss my thoughts on some of the the kind of what was being debated as well so the topic that they chose montt though he'd versus the Trinity to be fair one of them is reason based that is though he the oneness of God is is quite it's very much not quite it is very much in line with reason the Trinity by default is what the [3:07] Christians called and what they call irrational truths or logical truths truths that don't make sense so from the offset whenever you're debating something that way one side appeals to reason and the other doesn't the reason side will always make sense and prevail generally speaking as a rule of thumb because that is what appeals to people the voice of reason now so so I could say in some ways one could argue that you know Muhammad hijab would have had the upper hand from the word goal because the debate was already kind of [3:44] destined to win almost because the topic gives you the upper hand you could argue that but to be fair I actually was I was very impressed with Muhammad hijabs research you know to to be very clear on that he's obvious he must have spent an incredible amount of time researching the biblical sources researching and just developing a knowledge of the Bible I was much impressed I must say I didn't expect that really him to be coming out quoting the Bible time after time and on many occasions impromptu [4:23] like in the QA I mean one could say well okay for the dedicated speech maybe these things are rehearsed but for the spontaneous QA to be you know quoting verses of the Bible with references on all on each account is something very impressive it demonstrates an in-depth knowledge of the Bible the way others called the background of the Trinity I think that was very well researched by Muhammad hijab so it wasn't just the voice of having the voice of reason the fact that he was very well prepared [4:59] I've gotta say that I haven't watched much of David Wood before my what I've heard is he is usually quite well prepared this is what I've heard from people from people the comments and other things he didn't seem to be very well prepared for this debate so I don't know what that was those of you that have seen it he did come off a bit I don't know like he came off a bit shaky and things like this on certain accounts and he was saying things that embarrassing himself to be fair he did say a few things we just would you think why would Eve there was there was a point where he said he was asked a question and he said there's a lengthy ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment gyRfZZZcA8g/s/2. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/gyrfzzzca8g/s/2/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.