Research › Fiqh and daily practice
23 answers in 12 recordings, 2014 to 2021. 15 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.
· Do Muslim women have to wear the niqab?
Mufti Abu Layth says that, as far as religion is concerned, he does not consider the niqab to be part of the religion at all.
“in this part it becomes then a religious statement and as far as religion is concerned I do not consider the niqab to be at all part of the religion”
3:51TranscriptCite 2018-03-08b-S01corrected
· Does the Quran actually tell women to cover their hair, or only their chest?
Mufti Abu Layth says there is nothing explicit in the Quran or the established Sunnah about covering the head: hijab is a modern term, the verse of al-Nur commands covering the jayb with the khimar women already wore, and whether the khimar itself is an obligation or a circumstance of the time is an open question.
“is there anything in the Quran and Sunnah that clearly speaks about the head covering the truth is there isn't there's nothing explicit in the or are nor in the Sun neither speaks about the head covering”
1:22TranscriptCite 2019-11-03-S01corrected
· Is it a sin for a Muslim woman not to cover her hair?
Mufti Abu Layth holds that scholars who say covering the hair is not obligatory have a valid position, that wearing hijab is a good thing as part of a woman's identity, and that not wearing it is an equally valid opinion and not a matter of going to hell, since only modesty is explicitly established in the Quran and the sound Sunnah.
“some who are but feel it's not an obligation I would say that that equally is a valid opinion as well”
9:31TranscriptCite 2019-11-03-S02corrected
· Can a husband or father force a woman to wear hijab?
Mufti Abu Layth holds that for men to coerce women into covering their hair is categorically wrong and does greater harm, and that the pressure to do so comes from male insecurity about women and from guilt imposed through fatwas, both of which he calls inaccurate and wrong.
“but to enforce that to kind of coerce people that would in my understanding be categorically wrong category wrong and you'd be doing much greater harm in my understanding”
11:49TranscriptCite 2019-11-03-S03corrected
· Is Islam supposed to feel like a burden?
Mufti Abu Layth holds that the deen is one of ease that should complement a person's life rather than impede it, and that an interpretation of Islam which burdens people with guilt and suffering is not the one the religion came with.
“this theme is one of ease this Deen should complement your lifestyle people it should never impede it”
17:02TranscriptCite 2019-11-03-S04corrected
· Why are people angry at a hijabi influencer who removed her hijab if it is her choice?
Mufti Abu Layth holds that the problem is not removing the hijab but presenting a religious image one does not believe in to gain money or status, and that such a double life inevitably collapses.
“so the problem isn't that whether you want to wear hijab or don't wager don't worry who cares and the problem is not that is it an obligate it's your private choice the problem is presenting a fake image”
7:28TranscriptCite 2020-07-02-S02corrected
· Is wearing my hijab turban-style allowed?
Mufti Abu Layth says that, according to him, a turban-style hijab is fine because covering the hair is not clearly proven from the Quran or the Sunnah.
“according to me that's fine because the covering of the hair is not clearly proven from the Quran wasana it is something part of Muslim culture”
17:42TranscriptCite 2020-07-14-S03corrected
· Do women have to cover their wrists and ankles in prayer?
Mufti Abu Layth says people should not obsess over whether a hair or some small part of the body is showing.
“the dean is natural take it naturally do not obsess over these little oh my god is this showing is that showing oh my god one hair came out two hairs came”
51:32TranscriptCite 2020-09-22-S09corrected
· Is the niqab required, and is it right to make women take it off?
Mufti Abu Layth says the face veil has no basis in the Quran and Sunnah, but force of any kind to remove it is wrong.
“that's my views on it that it has no basis but force of any kind is wrong”
6:04TranscriptCite 2021-01-05b-S01corrected
· Why do some women feel they must wear the niqab?
Mufti Abu Layth says that, although women who wear the niqab will not admit it, it is really men who have convinced them they need it.
“although even the women that wear nihab won't admit to this but really it's the men who've convinced”
6:31TranscriptCite 2021-01-05b-S02corrected
· If the hijab has become sexualised, should scholars still push it?
Mufti Abu Layth says he would argue that, under these circumstances of sexualisation, the hijab should not still be pushed forward by fatwas.
“So it's so in these circumstances should these things still be pushed forward by fatawa and you know the shar and I would argue that under those circumstances it shouldn't.”
1:24:54TranscriptCite 2021-02-02b-S14corrected
· Why are some clerics so harsh in their rulings on women?
Mufti Abu Layth says that many clergy issue harsh rulings, especially towards women, out of sexual deprivation and frustration, and that their rulings would change if they lived normal lives.
“if these moolas had access to, if they lived a normal life and had normal, healthy sexual relationships and enjoyed life, you'd see the rulings would start radically changing.”
1:16:13TranscriptCite 2021-04-06-S12corrected
· What does Mufti Abu Layth think of France banning the hijab for girls under 18?
Mufti Abu Layth says that if France has banned the headscarf for girls under eighteen it is an abhorrent breach of basic human rights that he strongly condemns, while he also opposes pressuring girls to wear it and holds that it should be a genuine choice.
“I find that really shocking and abhorrent and so in clash with the basic fundamental human rights that are a cornerstone of modern civilization.”
1:23:35TranscriptCite 2021-04-06-S13corrected
· Why did scholars say a slave woman's awrah is the same as a man's?
Mufti Abu Layth says that, if one is honest, the way most scholars of the past dealt with slave girls was simply an issue of pragmatism, realism and, he supposes, sex.
“the crux is when it comes to the crux of the mata it was simply really if we're going to be honest it was just it was an issue of pragmatism realism and just i suppose sex”
2:30TranscriptCite 2021-05-09-S01corrected
· Did scholars let slave women uncover more than free women?
Mufti Abu Layth says the claim in the books that nobody would desire a slave girl is the biggest nonsense, since men would of course desire them.
“and the most the biggest bs is people say in the books oh yeah but it's okay she's a slave girl who who would desire her”
8:21TranscriptCite 2021-05-09-S02corrected
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
