# If reason judges religion, whose reason counts, and what about rituals? *Answering the objections: scaremongering, rituals, 'whose reason', and Malik's rule* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/uuldzklvxvo/s/16/ - Date: 2018-04-09 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: The Role Of Reason In Religion - Mufti Abu Layth (1:14:24–1:17:02) - Status: general teaching - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuLDZkLvxvo&t=4464s - Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/uuldzklvxvo/ **Topics:** Reason and revelation; The Maliki school; Schools of law and following them **Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** The concept of ritual must make sense, not every detail; the shared judgement of a healthy mind is the standard; and, by Malik's rule that only the Messenger's words are beyond rejection, following a school is not belonging to a cult. **Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says that the concept of ritual rather than its details must accord with reason, that the shared judgement of a healthy mind is the standard of reason, and that following the Maliki school does not make one a cult member, since Malik taught that everyone's words may be rejected except the Messenger's. **Evidence, his words at 1:14:51:** “the concept of ritual is what you make sense of as to the actual rituals it's fine” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuLDZkLvxvo&t=4491s) ## Longer summary Mufti Abu Layth says the scaremongering must be ignored: those who do not want to question may stay at that lower level of iman, but they should not prevent others from aspiring to the higher level Allah commands. To the objection that rituals are not derived from reason he repeats that the concept of ritual is what must make sense, not each detail, and he dismisses the reductio that reasoning would lead one to stop praying, since nobody thinks that way. To 'whose reason?' he returns to the Hinduism example: people accept intersubjectivity and the healthy mind's judgement there, and should not be swayed by opinions that merely became popular over time. He cites Imam Malik's saying that everyone's words are taken and rejected except the Messenger of Allah's, and says that although he follows and teaches the Maliki school with passion, having studied the other schools, this is Malik's own teaching: Islam is a tradition, not a cult. ## Sources and names cited - Imam Malik - only Allah and His Messenger are authorities in matters of religion - Maliki school ## Transcript (machine tier, 1:14:24–1:17:02) [1:14:11] because people are gunning down this kind of scarecrow this kind of like straw man of religion that you are putting up and it is being ridiculed day in day out the number of X Muslims is massively disproportionately on the increase because people religion doesn't make sense to people so this is why this scare mongering we need to ignore that yes if people don't want to look if people say I don't want a reason I don't want a question that's fine that's your choice I accept that that's that lower level of Iman that's your faith fine but [1:14:51] don't prevent people too from aspiring to the higher level of Iman that Allah told them to aspire to so that's the important kind of message here and and as to these kind of criticisms where people say things like well one rituals were yre by that like this and well that's not it's not it's not meant to be like the concept of ritual is what you make sense of as to the actual rituals it's fine people go over if I use my article then I don't want to pray but that doesn't make any sense because that's not see this kind of ad absurdum that I'm gonna argue this ad [1:15:29] absurdum till it gets absurd like oh so then I'm not gonna want to do anything but that's not what people that's not how people think most people don't think like this the most reason and then people say but whose reason Oh so is it your uncle is it your uncle who's up culture let's go back to that Hinduism how is it wrong Oh moussaka your uncle my uncle why is the overly you can accept intersubjectivity you can accept a healthy mind and judgment and now you've got a problem with it and let's not be swayed by just a democratic kind of [1:16:07] opinion held by certain people over time look Allah and His Messenger on Authority Imam Malik said cool Ouya dooming holy he were you rod Allah saw a bottle cover he said everybody we accept and reject except the Messenger of Allah this is our this is how we understand Islam I am I personally stick to I mean I do follow the school of Medina the Maliki method I've studied different methods I'm passionate about the Maliki method you know I teach the Maliki method for I mean I will resume I used to teach it I will resume teaching it and I'm very [1:16:45] passionate about it but it doesn't mean even the Malik this is Imam Malik teaching you these are the principles that look it's not about like having it we're not a cult it's like somebody said to me oh well if that's the case you know you and what's shocking is when people want to refute me this is this is a this is the logic people have so what they'll do is they'll find a scholar that I've spoken highly of and I got aha so like okay recently I don't know if you guys have watched but there was this whole thing about I had tackled I was asked a question about this tree in the time of the Prophet that apparently ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment UuLDZkLvxvo/s/16. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/uuldzklvxvo/s/16/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.