# What did Daniel Haqiqatjou say about Yasir Qadhi calling verses mushkil?

*The clip: Haqiqatjou on Yasir Qadhi calling verses mushkil*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/vgoaxxehphk/s/1/
- Date: 2020-09-02 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Jonathan Brown, Daniel Haqiqatjou & the mushkil of mushkil | Mufti Abu Layth (0:00–2:37)
- Status: a view quoted in order to be discussed, not a position held
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGoAxXEHpHk&t=0s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/vgoaxxehphk/

**Topics:** Views on contemporary scholars; How to read the Quran

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** In a clip, Daniel Haqiqatjou argues that Yasir Qadhi's explanation of 'problematic' verses as mushkil fails, since he says mushkil classically means ambiguous, not at odds with reason or science.

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth opens a 'masala segment' on a dispute between Daniel Haqiqatjou and Jonathan Brown, referring to them by nicknames, and plays a clip of Haqiqatjou. In the clip Haqiqatjou refers to a four- or five-minute segment in which Yasir Qadhi described some verses of the Quran as problematic or bizarre, and to Qadhi's later clarification, in an interview with Mohammed Hijab, that some classical scholars also used the term mushkil for certain verses and that he meant that applying them today poses a problem, not that the verses themselves are a problem. Haqiqatjou says this is not a good explanation, because in the classical tradition mushkil means ambiguous: texts that are ambiguous in relation to one another, not texts that fail to conform to what reason or science is thought to prove.

## Sources and names cited

- Daniel Haqiqatjou
- Jonathan Brown
- Yasir Qadhi
- Mohammed Hijab
- mushkil
- aql (reason)

## Transcript (machine tier, 0:00–2:37)

[0:00] uh uh let's quickly take a look at this so there was a bit of a there was a beef people masala masala segment right so there was some beef that went on uh between danny boy and johnny why [Laughter] what's the what's the air julie

[0:28] johnny wasn't it johnny or what was it johnny wasn't it mitten in his uh old film i'm sure that was the quote so you got tony boy and danny y and they had a bit of beef going on so uh what this was about is a clip uh if i can get that clip one momento let me just see wherever put it man right so i feel this is it is this these are the things that i'm criticizing the compassionate imams for right okay dan i mean it's quite clear at least from two cases which individuals we're talking about so with

[1:08] regards to you got these statements about as a four or five minute segment where he describes some verses of the quran as problematic or bizarre and in reference he then obviously later clarified in an interview with muhammad hijab where he said that look what i meant by this you have to appreciate the audience i was speaking and the contest i was speaking uh in but also to do with that there are some verses of the quran as some classical scholars have also used the term mushkil when it comes to certain verses at a particular time to basically explain that to now explain these verses

[1:47] in its application in today's time does pose a problem not that the verses themselves are a problem so this was not an explanation okay fine he wants to explain uh problematic as mushkil uh fine but that's actually not a good explanation because mushkil when it's used in the classical tradition means ambiguous these are texts that are ambiguous with reference to each other no one said that okay this uh text is problematic uh in in that sense because it doesn't conform with what uh what we think in terms of our acl uh what's

[2:27] what uh science proves according to akl no and it's very ironic that someone like elso cody would uh appeal to this type of reasoning because his dissertation and his main focus at yale was the work of ibn taymiyah in a specific work right so that danny boy saying look uh you know mushkil yasir khadi was saying that i haven't heard that clip by the way by yasir khali but he's problematizing some verses of the quran saying that they are problematic in this

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment vGoAxXEHpHk/s/1. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/vgoaxxehphk/s/1/

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