# How can young Muslims be made interested in their faith?

*Learn Arabic and get to know the scholars: making the deen appealing*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/qbvwbhoizw4/s/7/
- Date: 2016-12-21 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Islam in the 21st Century | Mufti Abu Layth | Ha Meem Foundation (40:05–45:14)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBvWBHOIzW4&t=2405s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/qbvwbhoizw4/

**Topics:** How to study Islam; Scholars and imams of the past; Quranic Arabic

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Learn some Arabic and get to know the scholars as the fascinating, humorous people they were, presenting the deen as appealingly as it truly is.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says everybody should on some level be learning Arabic.

**Evidence, his words at 40:05:** “everybody on some level should be doing Arabic everybody should on some level be learning Arab it's not a difficult language” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBvWBHOIzW4&t=2405s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says real understanding comes when everyone gets involved: everyone should learn some Arabic, which he says can be learnt reasonably well in six months to a year with twenty to twenty-five minutes a day, and know how to worship. Greater still is getting to know the scholars and companions as people, who were not boring: Imam al-Bukhari was a sharpshooting archer who once damaged a private bridge with a long shot and went to pay its owner. He says that if young people know more about Bollywood actors than about the companions, the answer is not to scold them but to present the legacy of the deen in a way as fascinating as it truly is, and that the classical scholars loved humour, Sufyan al-Thawri laughing so much he would fall to the floor stamping his feet.

## Sources and names cited

- Imam al-Bukhari
- Sufyan al-Thawri

## Transcript (machine tier, 40:05–45:14)

[39:25] person are deviant or this that just read the read the fwa of the Sal they did not used to go trigger happy on Haram they used to be very very reserved when it came to Haram they used to say that you know if I say something is Haram you know what if an Allah has said it it wasn't where does that leave me where does that leave me so so this is some of the things some of the questions that do concern us and we will only truly get a better understanding when we

[40:04] ourselves get involved us guys everybody here people start learning on their own level everybody on some level should be doing Arabic everybody should on some level be learning Arab it's not a difficult language you could seriously learn it easily within half a year 6 months easily within a year you know it reasonably well and that's by giving it what 20 25 minutes a day now that a certain amount of acquainting yourself with how to worship how to do what the term for it is just having and but more than all of doing

[40:43] these things is necessary and I think everybody should be doing that some level but greater than that actually getting to know some of these people so when we read about Scholars get to know them the other side of them when we read about sah get to know the other side of them they were this is why I'm saying you will be surprised they weren't these boring people they weren't these type of in their day and age they were seen as like w like people wanted to be like them they were involved in other things in life they weren't just like oh you know they were out there as well they say about I'll give an example I don't know

[41:23] those of you who know they say about IM alkari that in his day and age he was actually had a fascination with uh with archery but he had it that to the extent he was a sharpshooter like somebody that was so precise that he that you you know he he would look for challenges that something that could and somebody once said to him from so far like they gave him this distance I bet you you couldn't get this particular post that was so far it was on this uh it was like a particular Bridge it was like a private Bridge which belonged to somebody and he was so like oh God Can't

[42:02] Get Right watch this and he actually took his shot and he got it but he damaged the thing he was like damn I got to go pay for it he he actually mentions in the thing he found the person and had to reimburse him but it but the point was these were Fascinating People that you'll be surprised they were all into poetry they were all into the into the normal things that people were fascinated by so my these if I could just share a word I would say that look Islam is about every day and age and it is about living in that day and age it isn't about

[42:41] becoming some type of a Hermit it isn't about becoming some type of a nerd it isn't about becoming some it's about being part and parcel of everything I mean the just as we learn that from the sahaba we learn it coming down sometimes people you will see so so for example I've seen people they will say these people these young ons they know more about all these actors than they do about the sahaba it's true people say oh I read somewhere these people know more about Shan and some all these people than they do about some of the sahaba I read that on Facebook the day somebody having to go at some people is probably true they probably do know more about Bollywood

[43:19] than they that that's true but but that's because these things have an appealing nature to them but the the way to counter that isn't you know more about than you do about this that isn't the way to counter it the way to C it is make this appealing this is just as this is probably more appealing but it's just that nobody's made it appealing you know people present it in this dull boring way nobody wants to see it nobody would be learning about these actors or these celebrities if it was just dull and boring they only learn it because it's so fascinating it's so amazed people are

[43:58] wow I want to watch this I want to do this the dean is just the Sciences the Legacy that we have is just as fascinating but it needs people to convey it isn't about saying oh you know what the hell you better stop doing how about you just okay fair enough you're doing all of that that's one thing let's not focus on the negatives don't worry about I haven't got shares in any of the Bollywood things and stuff wondering but don't worry about let's focus on the positives so let's build up a bit of uh you know some resources on this what do you know about this did you know there was this amazing story did you know this Blood Out let me tell you a story there

[44:37] something people like what the hell seriously and when they start to learn about these people humor is something I'm telling you it goes so far those I mean provided somebody has not just if they forcing it but if they've got you'll be surprised to learn how much the classical loved humor they used to say about Sufi that he would laugh so much that he would stamp his feet on the ground fall on the floor stamping this is a a much ml who who I say ran ran his own mhab if you like he was a Don on

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment QBvWBHOIzW4/s/7. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/qbvwbhoizw4/s/7/

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