# Is it inconsistent to reinterpret Gog and Magog by geography but not other beliefs by science? *Reason, science and geography: the double standard on revisiting interpretations* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/smoocevigde/s/9/ - Date: 2019-11-03 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: A Response to Yasir Qadhi on Miracles | Mufti Abu Layth (33:10–40:39) - Status: general teaching - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMOOcEVIGDE&t=1990s - Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/smoocevigde/ **Topics:** Exchanges with Yasir Qadhi; Reason and revelation; How to read the Quran **Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth says Qadhi calls him a heretic for revisiting interpretations on grounds of science and reason, yet revisits Gog and Magog on grounds of geography with his own teacher's precedent, which he calls hypocrisy. ## Longer summary Mufti Abu Layth defines reason as the ability of a healthy mind to pass judgement, especially on evidence, and science as our observation of the world around us. He says that Qadhi, after calling him a heretic for saying certain things go against science or reason, went on to say that contemporary geography shows the medieval interpretation of Ya'juj and Ma'juj cannot be true and must be revisited, which Mufti mocks as favouritism for geography over science. He says Qadhi justified this with a precedent from his teacher's teacher, the twentieth-century Shaykh al-Sa'di [?], while the nineteenth- and twentieth-century authorities Mufti cites, such as Tamanna Imadi [?], Abdul Karim Athari [?] and Muhammad Abduh, are dismissed as modern. He calls this utter hypocrisy, laughable but disappointing, and jokes about Qadhi's geography teacher. ## Sources and names cited - Yasir Qadhi - Ya'juj and Ma'juj (Gog and Magog) - Abd al-Rahman al-Sa'di [?] - Tamanna Imadi [?] - Abdul Karim Athari [?] - Muhammad Abduh - aql (reason) ## Transcript (machine tier, 33:10–40:39) [32:31] that the husband of Mary was just not interested in intimacy he was not an intimacy inclined individual and then he became in that he was not mad in this way but he was as part of the divine decree so he changes this was the kind of if you want to call it a miracle now my point was that you see when he mentions that oh people like like me like Mufti Abu layth are saying that look certain things go against science or go against reason now what is [33:10] I want to ask you what is science or reason this is reason is the is the ability of a healthy mind to pass judgment especially based on evidence okay science is our observation of the world it's our observation of things around us whether they are forces whether they are atoms whether they are causation elements of you know laws within physics of thermodynamics or whatever this it's observation of what is around us okay [33:47] now this is what we call science yeah now keep that in mind now let's return to share yourself all the judge dredd he goes on now once he finishes that topic he goes on to discuss once again yeah to Jamaat yuge and he then says but because of our knowledge of contemporary geography geography we know that this medieval interpretation can't [34:24] be true so we need to reinterpret it way tomorrow because of our knowledge of contemporary geography or the world around us so we're revisiting an interpretation a cha-cha-cha Church model see isn't that the same thing that you just said a moment ago that this guy for saying that something goes against science or the laws of physics or [35:04] against reason it he is definitely a heretic and outside of the fold of mainstream Islam because he said that we need to revisit these interpretations ah a child but when you do it it's okay because oh you're doing it based on geography a cha cha cha cha cha cha cha cha graffiti Department well yeah at UH how cool the science department magenta [35:38] cha this is favoritism you know like geography okay science no me and you sir right so it is laughable the the hypocrisy of that discussion because Yasir Qadhi then spends elaborate elaborate kind of time and discussion he has an elaborate discussion on justifying his position in saying look [36:16] this is actually this is still fine because I'm basing it on you know because I'm not the only one he said I'm not the only one to interpret because my teachers teacher had interpreted so mighty as in shares Adi after you know chefs Adi had interpreted yeah juju Mateusz who's from the 20th century a cha cha cha cha though he'd you talk to her so these cha Chi who I quoted when I quoted Mawlana a llama - man I'm Adi who is also from the 19th century in the 20th century and when I quoted people [36:55] like share or Zira body who is from the 19th sorry going in also 20th century and Abdul Karim from the 20th century when I quote people like am not sure who was the shell islam of the 20th century when i quote these people or muhammad abdul was from the 19th 18th sorry 19th century oh you've got other scholars they're not acceptable because o because they modern a cha-cha-cha-cha my good I've got a cha shits a D when it [37:34] comes to chef sandy because he's the teacher of bimbos and we'll say mean and these people all of a sudden everything is everything is rather dandy this one my friend is not so I seriously was like wow did anybody just noticed the utter hypocrisy in that discussion because I a segment of it was just like oh these people are heretics and should be nothing to do with mainstream Islam because they say we need to revisit [38:13] certain rulings and sorry certain interpretations even though they have precedents but they have just you know 20th century and 19th century presidents okay a cha cha but my cha cha my uncle meteo this chef Zadi because he's the teacher of my teachers when he because he's interpreted HR but this interpretation it's okay to revisit [38:47] because geography geography a cha cha oh these aren't impressive you know geography where would we be people without geography science guy barman but where would we be without geography I [Music] [Laughter] want to know who Chevy Assam are these secondary school geography teacher was whoever he or she was they left an [39:23] impression and amazing but geography tells us that this interpretation we can revisit a cha-cha-cha up Quran to Muhammad and your pious and masha'Allah savior of Islam Hungary tauhara me [Laughter] what's that make a route Oh Salah what's [40:01] the but anyway so this is the whole this is the this this is the problem so the hypocrisy was just I mean our best it was laughable but it was disappointing because this is what you're dealing with and it's amazing how ah that's it maker auto Salah character delight this is the problem you see that ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment sMOOcEVIGDE/s/9. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/smoocevigde/s/9/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.