# Why does Mufti Abu Layth say Salafis cannot debate atheists without borrowing Ash'ari arguments?

*Hijab's Salafi standpoint and why Salafis borrow Ash'ari and Maturidi arguments*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/oxtsv9fn3ze/s/3/
- Date: 2019-12-12 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: My Thoughts on Mohammed Hijab & His Approach | Mufti Abu Layth (6:33–7:52)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXTsV9fn3zE&t=393s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/oxtsv9fn3ze/

**Topics:** Salafism and Wahhabism; Creed and the schools of theology; Views on contemporary scholars

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Salafis argue from a standpoint that cannot hold its own against atheists, so Salafi-background debaters end up using Ash'ari and Maturidi arguments. The Hanbalis were literalists, not the theologians of the tradition.

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says he hopes the remark was a blunder that Hijab did not think through, and repeats that he sees maturity of thought in him and is hopeful for years to come. He says that for now Hijab argues from a very Salafi standpoint, and that Salafis in all honesty cannot stand a chance in front of thinking people such as atheists, because their anthropomorphic way of looking at things was never a tradition of argumentation. He says that when people of a Salafi background argue they use Ash'ari and Maturidi arguments, since those were the schools that historically argued for theology in the Muslim sciences, whereas the Hanbalis were literalist and textualist people.

## Sources and names cited

- Mohammed Hijab
- Salafi
- Ash'ari school
- Maturidi school
- Hanbali school

## Transcript (machine tier, 6:33–7:52)

[6:25] no you must only be harsh against non-muslims and that is utterly unacceptable so I hope that this was maybe a kind of like a blunder that you know maybe Mohammed hijab didn't think it through and he just said he'd already used say something else and he said that but otherwise I do see in him some maturity of thought and I'm I'm hopeful that maybe in years to come maybe not right now because right now he's still like his kind of the field he's arguing from is a very kind of Salafi esque standpoint and seller fees in all

[7:04] honesty cannot stand the chance in front of like think people like atheists or things like that they cannot stand a chance it doesn't eat the Salafi you know the view of looking at things they're doctoring the it's all anthropomorphic the whole thing it doesn't they don't there were never people of argumentation so you will see even and people like Muhammad hijab or let's say other people like that who are of a selfie kind of background when it comes to arguing they will use a shoddy arguments they will

[7:42] use Martone the arguments because those were the people historically in in muslim sciences who argued for theology the humble ease didn't they were you know just like a literalist textualist people they were I mean they were very harsh but they were never really geniuses of philosophy or theology or things like this but yeah so I wanted to say that and I think it's worth noting here that you know this whole thing I wanna walbro Nilla this is a selfie Wahhabi thing right that this thing of we love and we hate for the sake of God

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment oXTsV9fn3zE/s/3. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/oxtsv9fn3ze/s/3/

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