# Should I believe something just because people say the Quran or hadith say so?

*The Quran calls to reason, not to belief because it says so: testing possession against reason*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/lexzvtf9yga/s/5/
- Date: 2018-04-15 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Jinn: Myth and Reality in Islam by Mufti Abu Layth (19:34–22:09)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeXzvtf9YGA&t=1174s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/lexzvtf9yga/

**Topics:** Reason and revelation; Jinn possession; How to read the Quran

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** No: Mufti Abu Layth says the Quran itself appeals to reason, asking people to look, reflect and ponder, and condemns following forefathers blindly, so claims like possession must be tested against reason through the Quran. Someone reading the Quran without a cultural inheritance would never derive possession from it.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth holds that the Quran calls people to reason rather than to belief because it says so, and that a claim such as possession, which no one would derive from the Quran without a cultural inheritance, must be tested against reason through the Quran.

**Evidence, his words at 20:24:** “the Quran itself comes with this understanding that look you have to resort to reason” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeXzvtf9YGA&t=1224s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says people's logic today is circular: asked how they know the Quran is true, they answer that the Quran says so. That is not how the Quran invited people; Allah did not say believe in me because I said so in the book I revealed, but asked whether they do not look at the sky, do they not reflect, do they not ponder the Quran and find no contradiction in it, and he condemned those who answered a call to reason by saying this is what our forefathers did. The Quran comes with the understanding that one must resort to reason, and by reason he accepts the Quran; so when issues such as demonic possession arise they must be bounced back on the voice of reason through the Quran. He asks where all these ideas come from: an alien with no cultural history who read the Quran would not conclude that these things happen. People had to explain phenomena in their environment with the best understanding they had, saw others acting strangely and said perhaps it is the jinn, and as understanding grows the explanation changes.

## Sources and names cited

- aql (reason)
- a hadith must not contradict reason, the Quran and established Sunnah, or uproot a principle of Islam

## Transcript (machine tier, 19:34–22:09)

[19:09] deem that we only know whether something is accurate through reason when the Quran came to people you see this is people's logic today people's logic today is why is this true because they say some here well how do you know that's true because it's a ha like so for example how do you know the Quran is true well I say so in the Quran that's an illogical statement that's not even how that's not how the Quran came to us to to invite us to the Quran Allah said

[19:47] what he didn't say Allah didn't say believe in me why because I said so in the Quran and who revealed the Quran I did and therefore believe in me because I said believe in me in the Quran Allah said a fillet on the Runa a little ability for holy pot do they not look at the avila LS sama a kafir don't they look at the sky don't they look here don't does it make any sense this world has come like this after that act alone do you not ponder ponder over the correlator the baronial quran is there

[20:24] any STF in it is there Allah is calling you to the voice of reason he saying believe me he's condemning this thing of saying O Hara Oh jet na la Habana when you say to them listen to reason they say oh no no this is what our forefathers used to do so how could you so the Quran itself comes with this understanding that look you have to resort to reason now with reason you can accept you do accept I accept the Quran I accept this it makes sense to me but when we come across these issues we have to bounce

[21:02] them back on this voice of reason through accessing the Quran so it's important that this is this is something that I want to soar to to keep in mind because this is very key to this topic of demonic possessions and stuff like this that we're all we getting all these ideas from to some it to some this this segment I just want to say that we're are we getting all these ideas from because when we if we if you came in a vacuum you had no cultural history you were just an alien you just came approach the Quran and read this you wouldn't have this understanding that these things

[21:42] happen and the fact the second point that look people had to explain phenomenon that occurred to them in their environment and they use the best understanding they could and they saw people acting weird they couldn't explain it maybe it is the jinn maybe it is so so they accepted it but whatever as time progresses and we get a greater understanding of what's going on people miss you several evidences and I'd highlighted before that our understanding comes to us either through what is textual rational experiential or

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment LeXzvtf9YGA/s/5. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/lexzvtf9yga/s/5/

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