# Will using reason make me lose my faith?

*Fear that reason leads out of Islam, and doubt as a path to certainty: Ibrahim's question*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/uuldzklvxvo/s/12/
- Date: 2018-04-09 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: The Role Of Reason In Religion - Mufti Abu Layth (58:44–1:01:20)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuLDZkLvxvo&t=3524s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/uuldzklvxvo/

**Topics:** Reason and revelation; Stories of the prophets; Negative thoughts and mindset

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** No, Mufti Abu Layth says: fearing that reason leads out of Islam betrays a lack of belief that Islam is true, and doubt that leads to a more certain understanding is legitimate, as Ibrahim's request to see how Allah revives the dead shows.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth holds that fearing reason will lead people out of Islam betrays a lack of real belief that Islam is true, and that doubt which leads to a more certain understanding is legitimate, as Ibrahim's question and the hadith about his doubt show.

**Evidence, his words at 58:44:** “if I say to you oh by using reason you're gonna end up leaving Islam well that just translates as okay so by trying to uncover truths you think I'll find certain truths which show that Islam isn't true” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuLDZkLvxvo&t=3524s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth addresses the fear that using reason leads people to leave Islam. He says this fear is itself an insecurity and a kind of hypocrisy: to warn that uncovering truths will lead someone out of Islam is to admit one suspects Islam is not true. People have told him countless times that they worry he will become an atheist. He replies that doubt is a testimony of iman, since the ability to doubt is what leads to a more certain understanding, and asks what the alternative is other than blind following. He cites Ibrahim asking Allah to show him how He gives life to the dead, not because he did not believe but for tranquillity of heart, and the hadith that Ibrahim doubted and that we are more deserving of such doubt; if doubt leads to a pure understanding of Allah and Islam, Muslims are more deserving of it. He then introduces a further objection, that not everything in Islam will make sense, for which people cite a report attributed to Ali.

## Sources and names cited

- Ibrahim (Abraham)
- Quran 2:260 (my Lord, show me how You give life to the dead; verse not numbered by him) [?] (reference uncertain; possibly https://quran.com/2/260)
- report: we are more deserving of doubt than ibrahim

## Transcript (machine tier, 58:44–1:01:20)

[58:04] mosque that everybody kind of all affiliated and and the maulvi so to speak never ever ran the kingdom's ever in generally speaking as a rule in the Islamic history that it was never run by there was never a so cool kind of theocracy but the clergy were a powerful institution they were a powerful institution and how do you control people like when I give you a fatwa and you disagree with me he said but that doesn't make sense so this concept of well who said the Deen is supposed to make sense to you this culture is a powerful tool to control people to kind

[58:43] of like keep them down so these are the kind of things there is fear with using reason and I mentioned before people fear that if you start using reason you might end up leaving Islam you see that is an insecurity because then my question is that they themselves don't actually believe it to be true they believe that would rather just cover up these things because if I say to you oh by using reason you're gonna end up leaving Islam well that just translates as okay so by trying to uncover truths you think I'll find certain truths which show that Islam isn't true which to me

[59:23] just shows your being a hypocrite like so you actually even know this and fear this so that is not the case but people have this fear that using reason is gonna lead you to I've had people say to me on countless occasions you know oh my god oh my god you know you can oh you know this is it like I worry about you disbelieving and becoming an atheist and becoming this and becoming this alright fine but I mean if I have doubt in something is doubt not a testimony of Iman does it not actually demonstrate because the

[1:00:03] ability to doubt something is what leads you to a more certain understanding like if I what is the alternative I just blindly follow like what is why are you so scared of doubt when Ibrahim Ali Salaam in the Quran asks Allah probably are any kafir to him how do you do these things I would like to I will have taught me do you not believe but I were lacking Lilith - Allah be but I have some turbulence for peace for tranquility in my heart and what does the Prophet saying a hadith that Ibrahim

[1:00:41] had doubt 100 Lehr be shocked and we are more deserving of such a doubt like if it's going to lead to a pure pristine understanding of of Allah and Islam then we are more deserving of it so yes there are these things the other criticism is you get an absurdity it's like I need to clarify these people say over not everything in Islam is gonna make sense you know and they will transmit so they're going to first of all resort to a hadith no it's not a hadith but an ether of of Sedna Ali

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment UuLDZkLvxvo/s/12. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/uuldzklvxvo/s/12/

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