# Is zina today the same issue it was in the past? *Is zina today what it was then? Outdated social theory and the marriage crisis* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/zs1rln2djss/s/1/ - Date: 2018-03-05 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Zina, Marriage and Relationships - Mufti Abu Layth al-Maliki (0:00–5:10) - Status: general teaching - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs1rLN2Djss&t=0s - Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/zs1rln2djss/ **Topics:** Marriage; Sexual ethics; Islam and modernity **Question as asked:** Is zina really today what it was back then? **Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Much of the inherited social theory on relationships and marriage no longer matches today's reality, and Mufti Abu Layth calls for ulama to re-examine the context with fresh ijtihad. He describes marriage today as costly and idealised, with divorce and polygamy stigmatised. **Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth holds that much of the inherited social theory on relationships and marriage no longer matches today's circumstances and that ulama should re-analyse the context and offer suitable ijtihad. **Evidence, his words at 1:17:** “we are in a huge kind of crisis almost that a lot of our theory is outdated it doesn't match what we are facing today” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs1rLN2Djss&t=77s) ## Longer summary The clip opens with Mufti Abu Layth calling it a very interesting question whether zina is really today what it was in the past, followed by some joking with the chat about creating a scandal. Returning to the point, he agrees that there is a problem today, not on the side of creed and faith but on the social and practical side of Islam, where much of the inherited theory no longer matches what people face, and says that he does not know the solution but would welcome an open and honest discussion by ulama prepared to re-analyse the context and offer suitable ijtihad. He then describes the difficulty of marriage as he sees it in the cases he deals with: getting into a relationship is hard, weddings cost as much as half a house, divorce is stigmatised, polygamy is disowned and looked down upon, and expectations are idealistic. He says people are confused between the pragmatic, functional marriages of their parents' generation and a hyper-romanticised Instagram culture that he does not think is real, which leaves people depressed and unsure when to marry. ## Sources and names cited - zina - ijtihad - ulama ## Transcript (machine tier, 0:00–5:10) [0:00] I think that's a very interesting question Xena is it really today what it was back then [Music] you see I I agree with you Ibrahim right whoops cor saying yes haha oops is trying to create a scandal but I do appreciate that I do appreciate the kind of comments shukran shukran but this is going to scandalize me it's like what's that maker auto Salah character delay if I do anything becomes a scandal of [0:39] Carter a much more ham Baba so right coming back to to this this point I would well I agree with you that today we are in a problem huge parts of the Islamic not the Creed side not the faith side but the practice the social element side of Islam is in a huge whoops I'm only joking I'm only joking relax how is it gonna become a scandal so so [1:17] the thing is look we are in a huge kind of crisis almost that a lot of our theory is outdated it doesn't match what we are facing today that comes with the bulk of Islamic rulings and teachings not teach easy teachings could cover other aspects like things like beliefs and stuff like that I'm not talking about that I'm talking more about the kind of social side things like relationships today are [1:55] massively problematic and I don't know what the solution is but I would welcome a discussion an open honest transparent discussion by Allah ma where they are prepared to kind of have to reanalyze our context and come up with suitable HD hardened right so this is the this is the understanding fakers look in our day and age if we're going to face it look marriage it's it just [2:33] does it's such I mean it's become such a headache it's not these people are gonna think I'm just kind of venting here I'm be I'm just being honest with the kind of cases that I deal with that you see first of all to get into a relationship is so hard work marriages cost so much huge costs such a big dude such a big social event people you could either buy a house or get married nowadays that's like the cost that you're looking at now okay almost half a house to be fair now [3:12] then divorces are outcasted polygamy polygamy is kind of its kind of disowned and seen as kind of like really look down upon divorces are stigmatized then we've got like expectations that are kind of very idealistic of relationships like relationships with we're confused between a eastern and western like a traditional understanding where everything was pragmatic so it didn't matter you just got on with life like [3:52] let's say the generation of our parents it was never it's just about just getting on with life and functioning so they have that pragmatism so we're confused between that and an idealist a romanticism of which is emerging with the Instagram culture of you know I'm drinking coffee with BAE or I'm having a milkshake and and every day they were at this kind of dessert place so we're kind of you know this kind of culture where everything is just hyper like romantic sighs which isn't I don't think it's [4:29] real I mean I suppose is a guy probably you never understand romance anyway but that said that that said these things are not okay maybe for some people for some time it works but it's not real you know this kind of Instagram life is not a real life so the problem is that issues people getting depressed then they don't know how to kind of cope and then when do you get married like people say you know Enoch in our societies people would say oh do you like her why [5:06] do you just get married what kind of a recipe for disaster is that so people are like look at and then young younger people at least say somebody 18 19 getting married seriously humanity humanity gives a loss on people humanity gives charity doing some great work in the Midlands helping homeless people orphans so if you if you want to get involved in some charity work reach out connect like and donate in Charlotte right so look so now you've got all of ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment Zs1rLN2Djss/s/1. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/zs1rln2djss/s/1/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.