Research › Belief and theology › Jinn, angels and the devil
36 answers in 14 recordings, 2017 to 2021. 26 with a checked position in his own words.
Indexed so far: 259 of 1,859 recordings (1,904 answers, 2014 to 2025). Anything below may change as the rest are indexed. Limits of the data
Oldest first. A checked position shows what he holds, then the sentence he says, word for word from the transcript, with its moment. Years without one list the answers that have not been checked yet. Recordings not yet indexed may hold more.
· If jinn do not possess people, what is ruqya for?
Mufti Abu Layth holds that the Quran's healing is for what is in the hearts, meaning disbelief and superstition, and that ruqya and the taught du'as are a scaffolding Allah gave to steady people's iman because humans fall easily into superstition.
“so it is a scaffolding it's like a Zimmer frame to help you walk until you can walk”
1:37:16TranscriptCite 2017-09-20-S20corrected
· Is the evil eye real in Islam?
Mufti Abu Layth says believing in superstitions such as the evil eye causing harm contradicts the tawhid of Allah.
“so believing in these kind of superstitions contradicts the towhead of Allah it contradicts the Sunnah of the messenger of allah”
4:53TranscriptCite 2018-02-13b-S01corrected
· Did someone really do magic on the Prophet?
Mufti Abu Layth says the incident of magic being done on the Prophet in Madinah is falsely attributed.
“this a falsely attributed incident that the Prophet had magic turn onto him this is not only a blast blasphemous it is dishonorable”
6:50TranscriptCite 2018-02-13b-S02corrected
· Why does it matter whether people believe in jinn possession?
Mufti Abu Layth holds that the belief in possession must be confronted because it exposes Islam to mockery and underwrites an industry of beatings, sexual violence and financial exploitation, for which Islam itself will be blamed by coming generations.
“why is this so important to tackle this topic it's important because one the mockery that is being made out of Islam”
34:00TranscriptCite 2018-04-15-S09corrected
· If exorcisms and ruqya sometimes work, does that prove possession is real?
Mufti Abu Layth holds that the placebo and nocebo effects, demonstrated in Ted Kaptchuk's sham-treatment study, explain why people genuinely feel better or worse after exorcisms and ruqya, and that some would have recovered anyway.
“so when people are going through gin exorcisms or rupiah or things like this things can actually work”
44:21TranscriptCite 2018-04-15-S11corrected
· If jinn do not possess people, what is ruqya for?
Mufti Abu Layth holds that the Quran's healing is for what is in the hearts, meaning disbelief and superstition, and that ruqya and the du'as taught against omens are a scaffolding, like a walking frame, that steadies people's iman because the human mind clings to ritual.
“rukia and these things have been set as a scaffolding with a large name to guide people to a pure Iman so it is a scaffolding it's like a Zimmer frame to help you walk until you can walk”
46:16TranscriptCite 2018-04-15-S12corrected
· What magic means: fantasy magic versus illusion, and the Arabic sihr
Mufti Abu Layth says the issue is fantasy magic, which people find absurd until somebody stamps religion on it.
“this is Magic which we all consider to be absurd up until the point somebody stamps religion on it and then all of a sudden it becomes okay”
1:15TranscriptCite 2018-04-15b-S01corrected
· Three kinds of what was called magic: mind control, potions and illusion
Mufti Abu Layth says that today we have explanations of how the potions once seen as magic actually work.
“remember they may believe that it's blessing but today we've actually got explanations of how they work”
9:34TranscriptCite 2018-04-15b-S02corrected
· Magic in the Quran: Musa and Pharaoh's magicians, an illusion
Mufti Abu Layth says the claim of any fantasy magic is absolutely absurd.
“so this is what magic in essence was and how it was now the claim for any fantasy magic is absolutely absurd”
10:13TranscriptCite 2018-04-15b-S03corrected
· Was magic done on the Prophet? Why he rejects the report
Mufti Abu Layth says he considers the reports of magic being done on the Prophet an affront to the honour of the Prophet.
“like this to this extent I consider this an affront to the honour of the Prophet Muhammad”
19:16TranscriptCite 2018-04-15b-S04corrected
· Where the story came from: polemic, the poisoning report and the ajwa dates
Mufti Abu Layth says he believes the story of magic being done on the Prophet is definitely misconstrued.
“one understanding you've heard is that this is a misconstrued event I believe it definitely is misconstrued”
25:03TranscriptCite 2018-04-15b-S05corrected
· Why great scholars accepted it: sectarian turf war with the Mu'tazila
Mufti Abu Layth says the narrative that the Prophet had magic done on him was retrospectively reinforced to support a sectarian turf war with the Mu'tazila.
“even the Prophet had magic done unto him you see this was retrospectively reinforced as a narrative to support the sectarian turf war that was going on”
35:15TranscriptCite 2018-04-15b-S06corrected
· Harut and Marut, and how magic 'splits' people
Mufti Abu Layth says nothing like the doll-and-needles understanding of magic has come from the Quran and Sunnah.
“this is our understanding of magic nothing like that has come from the Koran asana”
42:58TranscriptCite 2018-04-15b-S07corrected
· The seven ajwa dates hadith as hyperbole
Mufti Abu Layth says that in his understanding the hadith of the seven dates was hyperbole emphasising the benefits of dates.
“in my understanding this hadith was hyperbole it was it was just hyperbolic he was emphasizing the benefits of date of date”
44:16TranscriptCite 2018-04-15b-S08corrected
· Exploitation by 'babas', and the solution: proper help and mental health
Mufti Abu Layth says the solution is to seek proper help from one's social network or the relevant professional.
“the solution is to seek proper two things want to seek proper help from either your social network or from if it's a health issue”
48:51TranscriptCite 2018-04-15b-S09corrected
· Did Musa's staff really turn into a snake?
Mufti Abu Layth says that in his understanding the staff of Musa was not an actual snake but was described as though it were one.
“now in my understanding that it was not a snake okay when he threw the thing it was not a snake but it was described as though it was a snake”
1:17TranscriptCite 2018-04-20-S01corrected
· Should a person accused of magic be killed?
Mufti Abu Layth says that this is unfortunately the state of Muslims and why they are a laughing stock.
“you would see the fire but you're just blowing into cold ashes this is the state of Muslims unfortunately you know so this is why we are a laughing stock”
10:09TranscriptCite 2020-06-01-S03corrected
· Does the Quran mention the evil eye?
Mufti Abu Layth says the Quran has never once mentioned the evil eye, only envy, which is a different word.
“the quran has never ever spoken of the evil eye”
3:17TranscriptCite 2020-11-15-S02corrected
· Why did so many cultures believe in the evil eye?
Mufti Abu Layth says the evil eye is nonsense and does not have a reality.
“obviously the evil eye is nonsense it's bs it does not it doesn't have a reality”
26:02TranscriptCite 2020-11-15-S04corrected
· Is the evil eye based on science?
Mufti Abu Layth says that in antiquity the evil eye was regarded as science, built on the belief that the eyes emit rays, a theory since debunked.
“people were coming from this backdrop that this is how the eyes work so to them this was science”
39:49TranscriptCite 2020-11-15-S05corrected
· Confirmation bias: reading the evil eye into the Quran
Mufti Abu Layth says people approached the Quran with a confirmation bias, already believing in the evil eye, and so found it in verses that do not mention it.
“there is not one verse in the quran that mentions the evil eye but they approach this trying to find it”
41:06TranscriptCite 2020-11-15-S06corrected
· Does Surah Yusuf prove the evil eye is real?
Mufti Abu Layth says Jacob told his sons to split up at the gates to look out for them, not because of the evil eye, which makes no sense since they had already been to Egypt.
“split up because if you are gonna go then go like that because he's trying to obviously look out for them the evil eye makes no sense”
54:49TranscriptCite 2020-11-15-S07corrected
· Are the hadith about the evil eye authentic?
Mufti Abu Layth says the hadith on the evil eye are baseless and all problematic.
“it was something that was necessary and we don't find it so the ahadith are baseless they're all problematic”
1:06:33TranscriptCite 2020-11-15-S08corrected
· Is Surat al-Falaq about protection from the evil eye?
Mufti Abu Layth says that in Surat al-Falaq one seeks refuge from the harm envious people act out, not from an evil eye.
“it's the acting out that you're seeking refuge from”
1:09:35TranscriptCite 2020-11-15-S09corrected
· Is the jinn exorcism and ruqya industry a fraud?
Mufti Abu Layth says the exorcism and ruqya industry is largely fraudulent and drenched in abuse, and he cites al-Jahiz's observation that no Mu'tazili, who rejected possession, was ever afflicted by a jinn.
“the bulk of them are utterly fraudulent right maybe some of them are sincere and just delusional”
45:32TranscriptCite 2020-11-21-S09corrected
· If you deny the evil eye, why do you cite scholars who believed in it?
Mufti Abu Layth says the evil eye was the science of the day, based on the belief that the eye shoots out rays, rather than a matter of religion for them.
“the evil eye was something that was the science of the day and age”
1:47:10TranscriptCite 2021-01-12-S28corrected
How many of these answers cite each (guest speech left out). Cited means named as evidence or discussed, not necessarily accepted: open the answers to see which.
These answers state a view in order to discuss it, often to reject it. They are never read as his position.
Cite a statement by its id: Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment id, with the date and the address of its page. Citation formats
