# What actually separates Sunnis and Shia, and is mut'ah really a Shia thing?

*What defines a sect: the Shia and the right to rule, and mut'ah as propaganda*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/wmzc28plysq/s/2/
- Date: 2021-03-15 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Why isn't Mufti from the Mu'tazilah? | Mufti Abu Layth (2:24–6:58)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmzC28PLYSQ&t=144s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/wmzc28plysq/

**Topics:** Sunni-Shia dialogue; Succession and the first civil wars; Polygamy and mut'ah

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** The Sunni-Shia split is only about who has the right to rule, the Shia holding it stays in the Prophet's bloodline. Mut'ah and wiping the feet have nothing to do with being Shia; Sunnis used them as propaganda.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says the whole Sunni-Shia split is based on who has the right to rule, the Shia holding that it must remain within the Prophet's sacred bloodline.

**Evidence, his words at 2:24:** “the whole split of sunnishi adam is based on this factor who has the right to rule and they say that it must remain within the sacred bloodline that is what defines a shia” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmzC28PLYSQ&t=144s)

## Longer summary

To explain what defines a sect, Mufti Abu Layth says the Mu'tazila, like the Shia, are a clearly defined sect whose members then disagree among themselves. The whole Sunni-Shia split, he says, is over who has the right to rule, the Shia holding that it must remain within the Prophet's sacred bloodline, which Sunnis do not believe in; Shia then differ over which line it follows, through Hasan, Husayn or the Fatimids [?], and over the imams' powers and infallibility, with practices such as praying on a stone, self-flagellation in Muharram and visiting shrines being permutations of the tradition. He says the association of the Shia with mut'ah and with wiping over the feet has nothing to do with being Shia, but that Sunnis used these points in a propaganda campaign, a theological turf war in which the public are casualties and manipulated by dirty tactics. Because temporary marriage was a social taboo, he says, it was pinned on the Shia and called prostitution, although the companion Ibn Abbas was a clear proponent of mut'ah and many after him argued it was halal before it fell out of favour.

## Sources and names cited

- Shia
- Sunni
- Mu'tazila
- Ahl al-Bayt (the household of the Prophet)
- Hasan ibn Ali
- Husayn ibn Ali
- the Fatimids [?]
- mut'ah (temporary marriage)
- Ibn Abbas

## Transcript (machine tier, 2:24–6:58)

[2:24] the silla are a clearly defined sect clearly it's like the shia they are a sect in islam that are clearly defined and then they disagree amongst themselves over things so for example the shia are based the whole split is based on on the household of the prophet inherit the right to rule this is what it's based on the whole split of sunnishi adam is based

[3:01] on this factor who has the right to rule and they say that it must remain within the sacred bloodline that is what defines a shia sunnis do not believe in a sacred bloodline these are the demarcating factors now then shia will disagree amongst themselves which part of the bloodline does it go down does it go down hassan does it go down hussein is it going to end up the fatamine or is it going to end up down here what are the rulings what what superpowers do these imams have

[3:40] are they infallible are they not infallible uh then they'll have things like you know little traditions when they pray they'll pray put a little rock and bow down on that but you know they some of them might kind of beat themselves in maharam some of them may visit certain shrines and these are permutations obviously of the shia tradition but then they may have certain so for example you could say well muta shia i've become identified with mutta temporary marriages and they've also become identified with wiping over the feet

[4:20] as opposed to wiping over socks now in all honesty these things have got nothing to do with being a shia but sunnis kind of used this to try to lay a smack down and then they bolstered it and they you know put a whole propaganda campaign behind it to highlight it so it got popular now because you see you have to understand there is you see the common public are just casualties of war nobody really you know

[4:59] they just they don't know what's going on there is a theological turf war that is taking place and the audience is the public and what these people do is they play dirty tactics and really they will manipulate the public so here let's say now temporary marriages so because this became something which uh in society people you know even though people may do these

[5:38] things but in society they look down upon it it became a taboo so therefore they whacked it on to the shia because the shiad said it was permissible anyway and starting oh look at them look at them all that prostitution allow this this was just a propaganda compe campaign muta had nothing to do with being a shia was about who gets to rule it was nothing about how you practice islam so for example ibn abbas the companion was a clear proponent of mutha he he

[6:17] argued was halal many of the people after him argue this then it falls out of flavor with many of the people but the shia continue it so they're just getting targeted as as part of this theological turf war that hey look at them look at them prostitution blah blah blah blah blah you know temporary marriages so in a similar way the material that what defined the material was the fact that they said that if a person commits a sin he is no longer a muslim this was what

[6:57] defined them they also said that god has no real control uh or does not dictate any um you see they they said that god is not in control of the kind of evil that happens in this world and also what ties into that is that god is duty-bound to serve what is always good so these few points which are a bit intricate so for example let's say you did a good deed

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment WmzC28PLYSQ/s/2. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/wmzc28plysq/s/2/

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