# Why does it matter whether people believe in jinn possession?

*Why it matters: mockery of Islam, and an industry of abuse, violence and extortion in the name of the jinn*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/lexzvtf9yga/s/9/
- Date: 2018-04-15 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Jinn: Myth and Reality in Islam by Mufti Abu Layth (34:00–36:39)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeXzvtf9YGA&t=2040s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/lexzvtf9yga/

**Topics:** Jinn possession; Cults, clergy and religious abuse; Magic, the evil eye and superstition

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Because the belief brings mockery on Islam and sustains an industry of abuse, with beatings, sexual violence and extortion, including a house gifted to a practitioner as a 'cure'. Mufti Abu Layth says Islam will bear the blame and future generations will treat it as mythology.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth holds that the belief in possession must be confronted because it exposes Islam to mockery and underwrites an industry of beatings, sexual violence and financial exploitation, for which Islam itself will be blamed by coming generations.

**Evidence, his words at 34:00:** “why is this so important to tackle this topic it's important because one the mockery that is being made out of Islam” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeXzvtf9YGA&t=2040s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth gives two reasons the subject must be tackled. First, the mockery made of Islam, Allah and his Messenger in the name of these myths. Second, the tyranny of abuse conducted on the strength of the belief: alongside the stories Shaykh Akram told, he knows countless cases of beatings, violence, sexual violence, power structures destroying lives and families, exploitation and embezzlement, practitioners charging a thousand pounds a visit, and one case where a person was told the cure for the evil in his house was to give the house away in Allah's name, preferably to the shaykh, which he did. He jokes that hearing such stories tells him he is in the wrong business. Because the abuse is Islamised and given an Islamic veneer, Islam will take the brunt of it, and the coming generations will dismiss the religion as mythology like the Greek or Hindu gods. He then turns to what happens when we cannot explain things, noting how diverse the domains of life are and how science has moved.

## Sources and names cited

- Shaykh Akram Nadwi
- jinn

## Transcript (machine tier, 34:00–36:39)

[33:25] by the way non propositional faith we you're not you don't care whether evidence or reason or anything contradicts what you believe you just don't care because in your mind oh it's all part of the bigger pitch oh it's meant to trick me aha science oh this is the Shaitaan tricking me this is part of the test like I'm not supposed to buy into it because if I bought into it that's part of the test so you see then it becomes like there's no way to win now it's game over like for anybody who tries so so it's important to keep these things in mind why is this so important to tackle this

[34:04] topic it's important because one the mockery that is being made out of Islam a line is messenger in the name of these myths and to the the tyranny of abuse that is being conducted with this belief it is indiscreet is it is unbelievable I mean you've heard some stories from chef Akram not do we serve right now but this countless stories abuse beatings

[34:40] violence sexual violence just power structures destroying lives destroying families exploitation money embezzlement countless countless like people they will extract this so much going on people who take money they will take a thousand pounds per you know more people have houses given to them I had somebody tell me about a case where the person said okay in order to cure this the evil Messiah on this house you have to really just give it away in the name of Allah and really you should just maybe you should just give it to me and I'll bless

[35:19] it and they did they gifted it to the the chef then I mean this is when I hear these stories I realize I'm in the wrong business that's the business you need to be in so this is so it's the abuse that's being and will this abuse because it's being is llama sized it's been given an Islamic vineya what's going to take the brunt of it in the end is Islam so people will just say you know what Islam is just a load of nonsense and you might not say I might not say but the coming generations our children when they grow up they probably you know this is just

[35:59] mythology Islam has just become mythology like Zeus and Apollo and the Greek gods or the Hindu gods it says stories and because it's nonsensical so I wanted to highlight that and I want to show some when we can't explain things okay when we can't explain that just to us as a few seconds to touch up we have to understand that look in science science has has gone through many like when we look at the domain of life it is so diverse and this is something I want to come back to when we speak I just

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment LeXzvtf9YGA/s/9. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/lexzvtf9yga/s/9/

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