Research › History and the Prophet's life
22 answers in 14 recordings, 2018 to 2023. 20 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.
· How did the Golden Age backlash and the clergy contribute to Muslim hostility to reason?
Mufti Abu Layth says the backlash against the philosophy of the Golden Age and the institutionalisation of religion among the clergy produced a culture in which the idea that the deen need not make sense became a tool of control.
“this concept of well who said the Deen is supposed to make sense to you this culture is a powerful tool to control people”
58:04TranscriptCite 2018-04-09-S11corrected
· Why people fabricated hadith: good intentions, false memories, money and politics
Mufti Abu Layth says some people fabricated teachings with good intentions, saying they lied for the Prophet rather than against him.
“believe it or not people have done this it's like some of them used to say that we don't fabricate again the profit we fabricate for the profit”
8:16TranscriptCite 2019-09-28-S02corrected
· Why didn't Ali take back Fadak when he became caliph?
Mufti Abu Layth says it is a huge question mark that Ali never took Fadak back during his caliphate.
“I feel that this is a huge kind of it's a huge question mark that why did I leave this is such a big deal”
23:46TranscriptCite 2020-02-28-S05corrected
· What did Mufti Abu Layth think of Mu'awiya?
Mufti Abu Layth says he highly respects Mu'awiya and likes his statesmanship, calling him cut out to rule.
“some people are cut out to rule and I would feel that Mario was one of those people that was cut out”
34:46TranscriptCite 2020-02-28-S11corrected
· 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
· Will there be a video on the Zaydi and Ibadi sects?
Mufti Abu Layth says the Sunnis, the Shia and the Ibadis, who cannot tolerate each other, would never have co-conspired over the original Kaaba and would have exposed each other.
“they would never have agreed like they you know cannot tolerate each other. Um so they would never have co-conspired to arrive at the original Kaa.”
25:43TranscriptCite 2020-08-04-S06corrected
· Were the hadith about the black flags against the Abbasids?
Mufti Abu Layth says the hadith that the Mahdi's army will come with black flags were, if anything, part and parcel of Abbasid propaganda rather than directed against the Abbasids.
“the mahdi's army will be coming with the black flags so i don't think they would have served auntie uh if anything they were part and parcel of the abbasid propaganda”
25:41TranscriptCite 2020-08-24-S07corrected
· Is al-Aqsa really in Jerusalem?
Mufti Abu Layth says that in his understanding al-Masjid al-Aqsa, the farthest point, would have been in the heavens, not Jerusalem.
“i've never believed that was muslim al-aqsa anyway muscle axot in my understanding would have been the farthest point would have been in the heavens”
1:55:49TranscriptCite 2020-08-24-S27corrected
· Is it right to build very elaborate mosques?
Mufti Abu Layth says mosques should really have structures that harmonise with the local geography.
“whereas really they should have structures that harmonize with the local local kind of geography”
1:16:36TranscriptCite 2020-09-22-S13corrected
· What does Robert Hoyland's In God's Path say about how Islam spread?
Mufti Abu Layth says he accepts Hoyland's point that Islam's capacity to integrate is a key aspect explaining its spread.
“and this is what explains the proliferation of islam i feel that too is uh a key aspect i i do accept that point as well”
1:36:17TranscriptCite 2020-09-22-S16corrected
Mufti Abu Layth says that under Muawiya's rule things were actually very stable, with renewed expansion and an improving economy.
“But, on on the flip side of the coin in under Muawiyah's rule things were actually very stable. And there's once again expansion. There's there's the economy improves for Muslims.”
27:40TranscriptCite 2020-10-16-S08corrected
· Why did Muawiya make Yazid his heir?
Mufti Abu Layth says he feels that the recognition of Ziyad as Abu Sufyan's son was a political move.
“And then somebody tells him that, you know, he's the alleged son of Abu Sufyan. He's your alleged brother. But really, I feel that this was a political move.”
31:36TranscriptCite 2020-10-16-S09corrected
· Why does Mufti Abu Layth admire Muawiya?
Mufti Abu Layth says he admires Muawiya because he feels Muawiya knew how to handle people.
“You know, one thing people ask me, why do you admire Muawiyah on? I do I won't lie. I do admire Muawiyah on. I admire him because I feel that he knew how to handle people.”
32:04TranscriptCite 2020-10-16-S10corrected
· What kind of ruler was Yazid?
Mufti Abu Layth says he feels Muawiya's ultimate grave mistake was placing Yazid as his heir.
“But what I feel an ultimate grave mistake of Muawiyah on was placing Yazid as his heir.”
35:11TranscriptCite 2020-10-16-S11corrected
· Was Yazid a kafir, and is it right to curse him?
Mufti Abu Layth says he does not curse Yazid or encourage people to curse him, because he does not believe in a culture of cursing.
“I don't believe he was a kafir and I don't I don't curse him I don't encourage people to curse him I but that's generally I don't believe in a culture of cursing”
58:13TranscriptCite 2020-10-16-S16corrected
· Which civil war did early Muslims mean by 'the fitnah'?
Mufti Abu Layth says the numbering of the early fitnahs is sometimes quite arbitrary, and not everybody agrees on which they call the greatest.
“sometimes it's quite arbitrary it's not a a clear you know not everybody's in agreement in what they call the greatest fitnner”
8:24TranscriptCite 2020-10-27-S02corrected
· Umayyad, Abbasid and Zubayrid politics behind the recording of history
Mufti Abu Layth says that the Abbasid movement, when it rose to overthrow the Umayyads, was a Shia movement.
“But initially the Abbasid movement rose like when it rose from and to overthrow Bunny, it was a Shia movement.”
39:25TranscriptCite 2021-02-02b-S07corrected
· Is Jerusalem really a holy city in Islam?
Mufti Abu Layth holds that from an Islamic viewpoint Jerusalem was never as sacred as it is now held to be, that its glorification began when the caliph Abd al-Malik built the Dome of the Rock as a rival to Makkah, and that in his understanding al-Masjid al-Aqsa, 'the farthest', was in the heavens rather than in Jerusalem.
“al-aqsa the farthest point is not jerusalem why is that the farthest point on earth so the al-aqsa would have been in the heavens in my understanding”
14:15TranscriptCite 2021-05-17-S04corrected
· How did Abu Hanifa die, and what was he known for among people?
Mufti Abu Layth says the feature that most made Abu Hanifa's legacy glow and won people's hearts was his compassion and generosity towards students, teachers and people in need.
“the thing about Imam one of that that really stands out was his compassion for people you know this is what really won the heart of so many people around him was his compassion”
42:15TranscriptCite 2022-12-10-S09corrected
Mufti Abu Layth says he doubts Malik stayed away from the mosque because of ill health, since he kept teaching at home for hours until his death.
“some people say maybe it was because he his health was really bad after the beating and I doubt it I mean it could be but then he used to teach at home”
55:33TranscriptCite 2023-03-10-S12corrected
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
