# Why don't you open an Islamic academy?

*Why Mufti Abu Layth will not open an academy*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/hv-blbvtr4m/s/23/
- Date: 2021-01-19 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #198 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (1:34:36–1:37:44)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv-BlBVTr4M&t=5676s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/hv-blbvtr4m/

**Topics:** The Mufti and the channel; Education, madrasas and seminaries

**Question as asked:** Have you thought of building an academy with more knowledgeable muftis with reasoning?

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth will not open an academy because he feels institutions consume their founders and religion is a hard market to sustain one in.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says he feels institutions and academies suck the soul and life out of an individual.

**Evidence, his words at 1:35:18:** “you see institutions acmy they I feel kind of suck the soul and life out of an individual” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv-BlBVTr4M&t=5718s)

## Longer summary

After a viewer greets him from the United States, Mufti Abu Layth is asked whether he has thought of building an academy with more knowledgeable, reason-minded muftis. He says he has never gone that way because he feels institutions and academies suck the soul and life out of an individual: they consume you, become bigger than you, and leave you worrying about failure instead of enjoying life, in Abdul Rahman Hassan's words 'sweat and blood'. He says religion is a flop market, so running a madrasa or academy, unlike a restaurant or business, is an upstream project of constantly selling something, and he begins to take Hamza Yusuf as an example.

## Sources and names cited

- Abdul Rahman Hassan
- Hamza Yusuf

## Transcript (machine tier, 1:34:36–1:37:44)

[1:33:58] it doesn't clash with [Music] reason doesn't go against the Quran it doesn't upro an Islamic principle I would say the safer bet is to learn F okay take your Sunnah from F and make some amendments here and there that's the safer way don't try and do it the other way around uh Walker super chatted again you're doing it Walker you're doing it much love much love love from Indiana USA all right

[1:34:36] Indiana you got to say a lot of the American things do sound cool though they they there is a coolness to it you got to you got to say huh I have uh have you thought of building an Academy with more knowledgeable muties with reasoning come out clean and clean all D accumulated uh right so the see the problem withies or institutions why I've never gone this

[1:35:18] way you know in the old song that this love it's it's an affair for for for those people that this you see institutions acmy they I feel kind of suck the soul and life out of an

[1:35:45] individual I suppose anything like they are so it will consume you it will consume you um cuz and it's like anything like if you once you run with something you will roll you you will kind of like become very attached to it and you will try your best you know in in the words of uh ABD rman Hassan sweat and blood sweat sweat and blood blood as well blood now yeah and you kind of that takes up your life

[1:36:24] I think you you it subsumes you you know you it becomes bigger than you and I I suppose that could have a positive connotation but in this way I feel you you don't get to enjoy life you don't get to enjoy um things you don't get to it just you know you you're worried about this thing about it failing about getting and because you see religion you have to remember religion is a kind of um it's it's it's not on the top 500 markets of the world it's it's a flop kind of Market you see selling to religion so running

[1:37:04] whereas if you were to say yeah let's open a restaurant and that will consume you as well or let's open a business markets are still in currency running a madrasa or an academy is running an entire Upstream project Where You Are constantly trying to sell this this this this thing and even like let's take somebody as successful as she Hamza YF as an example she Hamza YF is you know he's an icon

[1:37:43] he's always you know he's always going to have that makam in the hearts of many of us especially those of us who were you know around in the '90s for example when he Rose um just you know electrifyingly he kind of like rose to such Heights now he initially had this thing about this concern for people like let's let's educate people let's get connect with people let's do this with people let's do this with and and and hence he rose massively and and he kind of really Hamza usf's

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment Hv-BlBVTr4M/s/23. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/hv-blbvtr4m/s/23/

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