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Psychology, grief and wellbeing
109 segments in 59 recordings · 2014 to 2025 · 0 verified · 72 checked positions · wellbeing
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Click a year to jump to itLatest answer · 18 Oct 2025
18 Oct 2025MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth
LatestIs there a middle way between rejecting all hadith and accepting every hadith?
There is a middle way between rejecting hadith and hadith absolutism: Malik and Abu Hanifa distinguished Sunnah from hadith and accepted reports only if they do not contradict reason, the Quran, the living tradition or a principle of Islam. Mufti Abu Layth says Quranists should be met with love, not cornered, and recalls his own past anger.
machine4 min 54 s10:44on YouTube
Earlier answers · 108 · newest first
2024 · 3
29 Sep 2024On Current Events
LatestSpread love, and take account of the damage our words have done
Mufti Abu Layth says this deen is one of love and hope, and everyone, himself included, must reckon with the harm their words may have done.
machine1 min 30 s20:58on YouTube
5 Mar 2024Shorts
LatestWhich verse of the Quran promises more blessings for being grateful?
Mufti Abu Layth points to Quran 14:7: Allah promises abundance to the grateful, so by giving you receive.
machine59 s0:03on YouTube
28 Feb 2024Shorts
LatestA fate worse than death: each of us is a mirror for divine potential
Each person mirrors a divine potential given by Allah; do not let it go to waste and live to mourn the person you could have become.
machine58 s0:02on YouTube
2023 · 10
2 Jun 2023video
LatestWhat can the death of a parent teach us?
Mufti Abu Layth says death is the greatest admonition and grief brings families together; one lesson may be to serve those who have no one around them.
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26 May 2023video
LatestWhat is the funeral prayer and what do you say in it?
The funeral prayer is in essence a sincere du'a for the deceased; many scholars allow any du'a, in any language, across its four takbirs.
machine4 min 48 s3:14on YouTube
9 May 2023video
LatestI'm a new Muslim and my faith has crashed after the first high. What should I do?
Mufti Abu Layth says the first energy of faith always burns out, so the aim is to learn and live the faith while it lasts; at its core Islam is justice and kindness.
machine6 min 18 s2:31on YouTube
9 May 2023video
Was the Prophet harsh with people?
No: Mufti Abu Layth says the Prophet was soft and attentive with people and came from mercy, unlike harsh dawah that puts others down.
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9 May 2023video
LatestHow did the Prophet balance gentleness and strength?
Mufti Abu Layth says the Prophet was tender, kissing his children, yet firm when safety demanded, riding out alone at night to check on a frightening sound.
machine3 min 05 s10:04on YouTube
9 May 2023video
LatestWhy do religious debates make people so defensive?
Mufti Abu Layth says debates rarely change minds and feed the ego, so he prefers conversations where people can disagree.
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9 May 2023video
LatestHow do I stop worrying about the ups and downs of my faith?
Mufti Abu Layth tells the convert not to worry about turbulence in faith, which is part of the journey; faith often shows its worth later as a bedrock in hard times.
machine3 min 20 s19:33on YouTube
10 Mar 2023video
Was Imam Malik an ascetic?
No: Imam Malik was a wealthy merchant who enjoyed fine clothes and daily meat, unlike the ascetic tradition, and was criticised for it.
machine2 min 34 s23:27on YouTube
22 Feb 2023video
Is it my duty as a Muslim to preach to others?
Mufti Abu Layth says Muslims have a duty to be an example, not a duty to preach; turning religion into preaching information makes people judgmental.
machine2 min 25 s38:19on YouTube
22 Feb 2023video
What should Muslims focus on in confusing times?
Mufti Abu Layth says the best thing is to focus on yourself and be an example of light, inviting and welcoming people rather than condemning them.
machine2 min 35 s40:43on YouTube
2022 · 7
10 Dec 2022video
How did Abu Hanifa die, and what was he known for among people?
Abu Hanifa was imprisoned by the Abbasids for supporting an uprising from the Prophet's family and died, perhaps poisoned, in prison; he was loved above all for his compassion and generosity.
machine3 min 55 s41:54on YouTube
10 Dec 2022video
What did Abu Hanifa do about his neighbour who drank and sang at night?
Rather than punishing his drunken, noisy neighbour, Abu Hanifa had him released from custody and asked whether he had let him go to waste, a kindness that transformed the man's life.
machine10 min 35 s45:49on YouTube
19 Aug 2022video
LatestWhat made Salman Rushdie so hostile to Islam?
Mufti Abu Layth suggests that Rushdie's hostility to Islam is rooted in an unresolved resentment of his father, who embraced his Muslim identity and moved to Pakistan.
machine9 min 13 s15:50on YouTube
19 Aug 2022video
Why did Salman Rushdie write The Satanic Verses?
In his personal opinion, Rushdie wrote the novel chiefly as defiance of his father, did not expect the backlash, and has since been abandoned even by the left he championed.
machine7 min 56 s44:48on YouTube
19 Aug 2022video
LatestWhat does holding on to bitterness do to a person?
After jokes about Rushdie's marriages, he says bitterness consumes the person who carries it and hurts those around them, and prays for such hearts to be healed.
machine3 min 56 s56:41on YouTube
16 Apr 2022Positive Faith
LatestAm I only praying because I fear God will punish me?
Mufti Abu Layth says praying only out of fear of punishment is unhealthy: salah is devotion that benefits us, bringing structure and order into our day.
machine8 min 20 s0:38on YouTube
8 Jan 2022video
Why does Mufti Abu Layth say he wronged Dawah Man?
Mufti Abu Layth says he wronged Dawah Man by picking on him repeatedly although Dawah Man never publicly criticised him, breaking his own rule, and he wishes him well despite their differences.
machine4 min 05 s0:00on YouTube
2021 · 34
29 Nov 2021video
LatestIs it wrong to joke about people who are seriously ill with covid?
Do not make fun of people who are ill with covid: it is a roll of the dice, as a neighbour's sudden death showed, and it should make us grateful.
machine5 min 17 s0:14on YouTube
25 Oct 2021video
Should I debate Quranists?
No: arguing never changes anyone's mind and only breeds hatred, so give your view if asked and see Quranists with compassion. He finds their case weaker than they think, since fiqh was built on the living tradition, not on hadith.
machine5 min 45 s7:07on YouTube
4 Jul 2021Shorts
LatestIs it wrong to want to be rich?
Wanting to be rich or to build a lucrative business is not wrong in Islam. The balance is to hold wealth in your hands and not in your heart, keeping your purpose.
machine59 s0:00on YouTube
26 Apr 2021MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth
What was Lupe Fiasco's childhood like?
The guest describes growing up in Chicago in a family of martial arts, music and engineering, giving up chess over a hadith, and turning to rap when he could not learn the clarinet.
machine7 min 43 s6:52on YouTube
26 Apr 2021MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth
How did Lupe Fiasco go from science to rap?
The guest says he wanted to be a rocket scientist but struggled with maths, and signed a record deal straight out of high school.
machine4 min 27 s15:14on YouTube
26 Apr 2021MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth
Do we think in words or in images?
The guest argues that shapes are more fundamental than words or pictures; Mufti Abu Layth says words are also reductive, forcing profound things into limited form.
machine7 min 48 s26:43on YouTube
26 Apr 2021MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth
Is it normal for faith to keep changing over a lifetime?
Mufti Abu Layth says faith is a lifelong journey and iman an organic process, not a fixed mould to be fitted onto everyone.
machine1 min 18 s42:17on YouTube
26 Apr 2021MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth
LatestDo obscene or blasphemous thoughts during prayer ruin my salah?
Intrusive or blasphemous thoughts in prayer are not a reason to worry: noticing them is a sign of faith, as a hadith says. Mufti Abu Layth adds that jinn in the Quran means the unseen and possession stories are folklore.
machine7 min 40 s1:31:29on YouTube
26 Apr 2021MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth
LatestAre young people today facing an existential crisis?
The guest says most people face a crisis of purpose rather than of existence, urges anyone with suicidal thoughts to seek expert help, and says young people can find value without conventional success.
machine7 min 48 s1:37:14on YouTube
26 Apr 2021MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth
Is Lupe Fiasco retiring from music?
The guest says he is not retiring but reorganising his life at forty around the metaphor of a garden, preparing for major technological change.
machine3 min 39 s1:58:29on YouTube
13 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
Should my faith make me happy?
Yes: Mufti Abu Layth says faith should make you happy, not hateful or bitter, because Islam is meant to complement daily life.
machine2 min 38 s29:29on YouTube
13 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
What is the most important thing to get right in life?
Try never to be hurtful or hateful; Mufti Abu Layth says that validates your Islam as a human being, and that disliking what people do is not the same as hating them.
machine2 min 39 s1:46:01on YouTube
13 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
LatestCan the soul travel into the spiritual world through meditation or dhikr?
Mufti Abu Layth says such practices may work for the dedicated, and that the soul is not inside the body but a non-local consciousness the brain connects to, like a phone picking up a signal.
machine9 min 10 s2:24:10on YouTube
13 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
LatestAre many people's frustrations really about unmet sexual needs?
Mufti Abu Layth says much bitterness comes from unmet sexual needs, that Islam itself does not see sex negatively, and that Freud should be judged on his ideas, not his character.
machine9 min 11 s2:43:47on YouTube
13 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
Is the pursuit of knowledge a deeper drive than sex?
Yes for the conscious mind, Mufti Abu Layth says, which is driven by curiosity; and the fact that being is intelligible, as DNA shows, points to a creator.
machine2 min 37 s2:59:31on YouTube
13 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
Is it wrong for a Muslim to want to make money?
No: Mufti Abu Layth says make money and enjoy what it brings, but do not love money for itself, and remember that giving opens the way to provision.
machine13 min 08 s3:08:42on YouTube
13 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
I don't feel spiritual in Ramadan; am I a bad Muslim?
No: Mufti Abu Layth says not feeling Ramadan's atmosphere is no reflection of your faith, since worship is not measured by how good it feels.
machine2 min 38 s3:34:59on YouTube
6 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
How often does Mufti Abu Layth change his views, and is that a weakness?
Mufti Abu Layth changes his views when evidence is compelling and says developing one's opinions over life is a sign of intelligence, not weakness. He advises viewers to do the same.
machine6 min 14 s1:35:40on YouTube
6 Apr 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
Donors, deathbed remarks and 'no hatred': an invitation to the critic
Mufti Abu Layth says he dislikes his critics' conduct but has no hatred for them, and invites the critic to a dialogue on MindTrap.
machine7 min 44 s3:45:06on YouTube
2 Mar 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
Has Islam become a religion about Muhammad rather than the religion he brought?
No: there is a deep human need for a human archetype, not someone to pray to, and for Muslims that is the Prophet. He adds that his own life changed in the Prophet's mosque.
machine4 min 21 s55:37on YouTube
16 Feb 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
Does Islam teach us to show affection?
There are countless hadith on showing compassion and affection, he says, but he cannot follow the question about Raja Dahir.
machine1 min 56 s2:26:50on YouTube
9 Feb 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
What qualifications does Mufti Abu Layth have?
Mufti Abu Layth lists degrees in psychology and education, an alim and mufti course and ijazahs, but says degrees mean little to him.
machine3 min 03 s1:07:37on YouTube
9 Feb 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
LatestWhat accent does Mufti Abu Layth have?
Mufti Abu Layth says he has no set accent, and that in Britain one can usually hear a caller's ethnicity in the texture of their voice.
machine3 min 14 s1:38:06on YouTube
9 Feb 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
Is it wrong in Islam to want to be rich?
Mufti Abu Layth says Islam is not against wealth; what is haram is arrogance and looking down on others, and he encourages people to make money and enjoy it.
machine10 min 52 s1:44:53on YouTube
19 Jan 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
Does joking and laughing a lot mean I lack high aspiration?
Mufti Abu Layth rejects a preacher's claim that joking and laughing show low aspiration, calling laughter the very definition of happiness and joy.
machine4 min 49 s29:53on YouTube
19 Jan 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
People are cruel: complaints used to try to stop a retreat he spoke at
Mufti Abu Layth recounts how a self-styled journalist tried to get a 2016 retreat he spoke at cancelled by complaining to the venue and the police.
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12 Jan 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
Staying positive: the 'Super Mario effect' and Pogba's advice
An interlude on positivity: learning as a game and a footballer's advice on gratitude and goals.
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12 Jan 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
What was the hardest time of your life?
Mufti Abu Layth names his arrest as the most overwhelming time of his life: it left an imprint, but he says he came back stronger and many opportunities followed.
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12 Jan 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
Two to three months in prison: learning, poetry and the humanity of inmates
A personal story: prison was bearable, even fruitful, and he found a humane side in feared inmates.
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12 Jan 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
Is tahajjud the best way to get close to God?
Night prayer is one good way, he says, but God is always with you; if your lifestyle does not suit it, another practice that works for you is fine.
machine1 min 57 s2:54:37on YouTube
5 Jan 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
LatestHow do I deal with toxic people and negativity around me?
Leave toxic groups and block negativity, since people can never be pleased; he adds that he finds most religious circles toxic.
machine5 min 22 s31:00on YouTube
5 Jan 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
How can I make the new year a more positive one?
His tips for the year: speak positively, smile, leave toxic circles and start something new, whether a skill or an investment.
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5 Jan 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
A preacher's video on masturbation: would you do it in front of your parents?
Mufti Abu Layth plays and mocks a preacher's anti-masturbation video built on the question of whether you would do it in front of your parents.
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5 Jan 2021Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
Is anal intercourse with my wife haram?
Mufti Abu Layth says no sahih hadith makes anal intercourse with one's wife haram, and that preachers should stop guilt-tripping people over private matters.
machine7 min 28 s2:23:10on YouTube
2020 · 20
21 Nov 2020video
What did classical scholars say about whether jinn can harm or possess people?
Imam al-Shafi'i rejected the testimony of anyone claiming to see jinn, Ibn Hazm forbade adding to what Allah said about them, and al-Tahawi held that Satan can only insinuate, not harm; what is called possession is mental illness, and accepting it would void responsibility.
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27 Oct 2020Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
LatestHow do I heal my inner child, and how should I raise my children?
Mufti Abu Layth says we are an extension of our inner child and that reconnecting with it can be unnerving but healing; with children, go with your heart and build a qualitative bond.
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27 Oct 2020Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
Mufti Abu Layth's sixth-form story: walking out and landing a college place by mistake
Mufti Abu Layth tells how walking out of sixth form with a friend led, by a case of mistaken identity, to a place on a business course the same day.
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27 Oct 2020Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
How do I stop hating people who hurt me?
Mufti Abu Layth advises keeping hatred to a minimum, of men or anyone, because hate is baggage that harms the person who carries it.
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27 Oct 2020Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
Mufti Abu Layth's chat round: Birmingham over London and channel housekeeping
Mufti Abu Layth picks Birmingham over London and handles housekeeping in the chat.
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27 Oct 2020Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
Do people with schizophrenia have real religious insight?
Mufti Abu Layth says an overlap between such disorders and religiosity is plausible, but it would be a correlation, not proof of cause.
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24 Aug 2020Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
Is it OK for Quran teachers to beat students?
Beating students is categorically haram; he says even a classical manual for teachers forbade forceful discipline of children.
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24 Aug 2020Monday Nights with Mufti Abu Layth
Does giving charity protect me from bad things happening?
Yes: he says giving brings good back, beginning with family, and recalls receiving much more after giving when money was tight.
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14 Jul 2020live stream
Does 'leave what makes you doubt' mean I should always follow the strictest opinion?
No: he reads it the opposite way, since nothing should be made binding unless proven with certainty; it is a general rule about dubious matters, not a call to strictness.
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14 Jul 2020live stream
Why does the Quran talk about something as small as the Prophet's dinner guests?
They are not trivial: the verse teaches that small transgressions like imposing on people matter, and such etiquettes build a healthy society.
machine6 min 51 s1:06:38on YouTube
14 Jul 2020live stream
Does Islam want me to sacrifice sleep?
No: Islam emphasises being effective, not losing sleep, and you can get your full sleep and still be effective.
machine2 min 22 s2:10:55on YouTube
10 Jul 2020MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth
Are people basically good, or is the system the problem?
Mufti Abu Layth sees goodness in people despite immorality; the guest says the problem is a system run by corporations, not individuals.
machine3 min 54 s1:08:50on YouTube
10 Jul 2020MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth
Does the Quran motivate people through self-interest?
Mufti Abu Layth suggests, tentatively, that even the Quran motivates through self-interest; the guest distinguishes healthy from harmful selfishness.
machine5 min 09 s1:59:04on YouTube
2 Jul 2020video
Why are people angry at a hijabi influencer who removed her hijab if it is her choice?
The problem is not the hijab but duplicity: Mufti Abu Layth says building fame and income on a religious image one does not believe in is a double life that inevitably collapses, and he advises against living fake lifestyles.
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26 Jun 2020MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth
Does prayer have to be physical, or is remembering God enough?
The guest is not against the physical form of prayer but says it is only an expression; the one necessary component of salat according to the Quran is conscious connection with God, so one may pray sitting or while travelling.
machine2 min 34 s2:42:40on YouTube
20 Jun 2020video
Why did Mufti Abu Layth change from how he looked and spoke in his old videos?
The change in his look and views came gradually over more than a decade through study, reading and new circles, not from any event or loss of faith. His personality, he says, was always the same; the old clip only shows the serious speaking style he was taught.
machine17 min 59 s2:32on YouTube
25 May 2020video
I stopped praying because it feels mechanical and forced; will I go to hell?
Pray out of gratitude and connection, not fear of hell, and do not develop hatred for the prayer even if you slack or combine prayers; each person's journey is their own. The Prophet told a Companion who slept past dawn simply to pray when he wakes.
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19 Apr 2020MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth
Isn't it better to feel guilty when sinning so that you repent?
The guest says most scholars hold watching pornography is haram and people should not watch it, while academically the evidence resembles Imam Ahmad's 'I dislike it but do not say it is haram'.
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19 Apr 2020MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth
Does Islam teach us to feel guilty?
Mufti Abu Layth says guilt-tripping is not an Islamic concept but one taken from the Judeo-Christian tradition, and the guest says forbidding evil applies only to what the texts clearly prohibit.
machine5 min 14 s2:36:00on YouTube
19 Apr 2020MindTrap with Mufti Abu Layth
Does making people feel guilty about pornography make things worse?
Mufti Abu Layth says telling people simply not to watch pornography is unrealistic and that guilt-tripping over what is not categorically haram may add to depression; the guest likens past bans on television and the internet.
machine3 min 57 s2:41:14on YouTube
2019 · 10
9 Nov 2019From the Mind of a Mufti
What does Mufti Abu Layth think of Shaykh Imran Hosein?
Mufti Abu Layth has not watched much of Imran Hosein but finds him preoccupied with doomsday culture, which he opposes. Islam, he says, is about optimism and seizing the day, as the hadith about carrying on planting when the Hour comes shows, and doom and gloom can fuel death cults.
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3 Nov 2019Ponderings on the Holy Quran
Is Islam supposed to feel like a burden?
The deen is one of ease and should complement a person's life rather than burden them with guilt and suffering. An interpretation of Islam that weighs people down is, in Mufti Abu Layth's view, not the one the religion came with.
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19 Sep 2019Responding to Refutations
How should Muslims respond to ex-Muslims who hate God?
Meet hatred with love: hating God does not harm God, so there is no need to abuse such people. Many ex-Muslims are hurting, and Muslims can stay their friends.
machine4 min 55 s19:20on YouTube
18 Sep 2019From the Mind of a Mufti
Why do people assume music must be haram before looking at any evidence?
People come to Islam with a prior picture of what religion must be, which includes sacrifice, suffering and asceticism and excludes entertainment, and this backdrop rather than the texts drives their judgement that music is haram. Even with no hadith against it, music would be forbidden on that basis.
machine7 min 54 s52:08on YouTube
21 Aug 2019From the Mind of a Mufti
How should I deal with religious circles that pressure me into beliefs?
Leave the judgmental bubble of religious circles and be true to your faith and yourself rather than letting people bully you into beliefs. He cites a shaykh attacked for calling for updated thinking and Usama Canon's regret at having deprived himself for fear of what others said.
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4 Aug 2019From the Mind of a Mufti
Can people be moral without religion?
Yes: humans know that killing is wrong without scripture, which came to reinforce it, and secular European societies have reached ethics without God. He strongly disagrees with deriding that.
machine5 min 44 s19:02on YouTube
1 Aug 2019On Current Events
Do you need to appear perfectly pious to be a good Muslim?
No one needs to pretend to be pious; being genuinely human makes the deen more workable, while sanctimonious fake preaching drives people from faith.
machine6 min 07 s25:17on YouTube
25 Jul 2019Ponderings on the Holy Quran
How should Muslims respond to an ex-Muslim who criticises the Quran?
Attack the argument, not the person: Mufti Abu Layth says a genuine seeker deserves respect, that the claim itself is false, and that Muslims who call the Prophet a mercy to the world must show it in how they respond.
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25 Jul 2019Ponderings on the Holy Quran
What does the Quran say about how a divorce should end and about a divorced woman's future?
At the end of the iddah the couple must either reconcile or part with kindness before witnesses, and Mufti Abu Layth reads the promise that God makes a way out and provides from unexpected places as reassurance to the vulnerable party that she need not accept oppression for shelter. The objector, he says, skips all of this.
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4 Mar 2019Quick Fiqh!
Is my prayer valid if I pray in a bikini or swimwear?
On the Maliki view of Qadi Isma'il, which he finds strong, her prayer would have been valid, since covering is an obligation separate from salah; it is still not something he recommends. Either way nobody has the right to attack her.
machine10 min 18 s0:38on YouTube
2018 · 12
24 Dec 2018From the Mind of a Mufti
Was Hijab right to show David Wood no respect in the debate?
Hijab's aggressive, loud and condescending manner, which he justified by Wood's record of bigotry, was used by non-Muslim commenters as ammunition and made Muslims look rowdy, while Wood stayed composed. Mufti Abu Layth sees it as damned if you do, damned if you don't.
machine6 min 31 s21:22on YouTube
31 Aug 2018From the Mind of a Mufti
An imam faking his tarawih recitation: a memory from Mufti Abu Layth's hifz days
A personal story: as a teenager memorising the Quran, Mufti Abu Layth caught a village imam faking his tarawih recitation and told him privately that misleading people with the Quran was wrong.
machine13 min 18 s0:00on YouTube
20 Apr 2018From the Mind of a Mufti
Can people with very different religious views still talk with respect?
People who disagree on many things can still sit together, talk with respect and enjoy each other's company, and Mufti Abu Layth says this is the conduct Muslims need to return to, in line with the Prophet's great character.
machine1 min 53 s3:57on YouTube
15 Apr 2018Debunking Myths On: Jinns, Magic, the Evil Eye, and Superstitions
What medical conditions could have been mistaken for possession in the past?
Conditions such as palinopsia, where after-images persist, and Charles Bonnet syndrome, where people see faces, teeth and buildings that are not there, have known brain causes today but would once have looked like demons. Oliver Sacks's patient knew her visions were unreal, unlike the persecutory beliefs of psychosis.
machine3 min 58 s36:39on YouTube
15 Apr 2018Debunking Myths On: Jinns, Magic, the Evil Eye, and Superstitions
LatestWhy do cases of 'possession' in Muslim communities so often involve women with trauma?
Because, Mufti Abu Layth says, such cases are usually breakdowns of a psyche tormented by control, suspicion, forced or cousin marriages and abuse, which the stigma around mental health stops families from acknowledging, so they call it jinn or magic. The hadith that every disease has a cure means go and find it.
machine3 min 55 s55:02on YouTube
15 Apr 2018Debunking Myths On: Jinns, Magic, the Evil Eye, and Superstitions
How does Mufti Abu Layth explain an exorcist who says he is possessed by a jinn?
As displacement of guilt: the exorcist's 'jinn' professed sexual love for him, which Mufti Abu Layth reads as the man projecting desires he could not reconcile with his religious identity onto a jinn. He says the man may sincerely believe it, but belief does not make it true.
machine3 min 56 s1:01:35on YouTube
15 Apr 2018Debunking Myths On: Jinns, Magic, the Evil Eye, and Superstitions
Exploitation by 'babas', and the solution: proper help and mental health
Magic healers exploit desperate people; seek real help from your network or professionals, and communities should take mental health seriously.
machine5 min 06 s46:15on YouTube
9 Apr 2018The Voice of Reason in Islam
Will using reason make me lose my faith?
No, Mufti Abu Layth says: fearing that reason leads out of Islam betrays a lack of belief that Islam is true, and doubt that leads to a more certain understanding is legitimate, as Ibrahim's request to see how Allah revives the dead shows.
machine2 min 36 s58:44on YouTube
13 Mar 2018Islamic Eschatology
We are all seeking the truth: disagree without takfir
Muslims should be able to disagree about Islam without insults or takfir, since everyone is seeking the truth.
machine2 min 37 s29:23on YouTube
13 Mar 2018Islamic Eschatology
Give glad tidings, make things easy: the hadith behind his approach; do not intimidate
The Prophet's instruction to give glad tidings and make things easy is the pillar of Mufti Abu Layth's approach; intimidating people into beliefs contradicts it, and learning Islam for oneself is what kept him in it.
machine3 min 56 s1:43:54on YouTube
13 Mar 2018Islamic Eschatology
Rashid Rida at Deoband: how scholars disagree with adab
Rida and Kashmiri held opposite views on the return of Jesus yet honoured each other at Deoband; Mufti Abu Layth says this is how scholars should disagree.
machine2 min 36 s1:50:28on YouTube
13 Feb 2018video
What happens if I miss a prayer?
A missed prayer is made up; Mufti Abu Layth says to stop obsessing over punishments and just pray the obligatory prayers, even late or together. He cites the Prophet telling a companion whose people slept past sunrise simply to pray when he woke up.
machine6 min 54 s0:00on YouTube
2017 · 4
29 Sep 2017From the Mind of a Mufti
Is cyberbullying and attacking someone's honour haram in Islam?
Harming the honour of a Muslim is graver than destroying the Kaaba, Mufti Abu Layth says citing a hadith, and bullying, cyberbullying and maligning people are haram. A crime goes to the authorities; a haram act is for God alone to judge.
machine6 min 16 s40:31on YouTube
20 Sep 2017Debunking Myths On: Jinns, Magic, the Evil Eye, and Superstitions
Why are so many 'possessed' people in the community women?
Dissociative disorders that look like possession occur mostly among women with histories of trauma, excessive control, pressured or forced marriages and childhood beatings. The psyche breaks down under such treatment just as the body reacts to injury.
machine2 min 37 s1:45:48on YouTube
20 Sep 2017Debunking Myths On: Jinns, Magic, the Evil Eye, and Superstitions
Could a jinn fall in love with my spouse and break up my marriage?
No: a jinn, created from fire, would belong to a domain of life as alien to us as extremophile bacteria, which do not fall in love or envy marriages. Blaming jinn or magic for a failed relationship comes from the stigma Muslims attach to mental illness.
machine2 min 37 s1:48:25on YouTube
20 Sep 2017Debunking Myths On: Jinns, Magic, the Evil Eye, and Superstitions
How does Mufti Abu Layth explain an exorcist who speaks as his own jinn?
The exorcist's 'jinn', which declared its love for him, is read as displacement of guilt: a religious man projecting feelings he could not own onto a jinn, believing it sincerely without it being true. People must own their failed relationships instead of blaming jinn.
machine5 min 12 s1:51:02on YouTube
2016 · 3
21 Dec 2016video
What is the reward of sitting in a gathering of remembrance?
Gatherings for remembering Allah bring tranquillity, mercy and forgiveness, even for someone who only happened to sit with them.
machine4 min 15 s3:57on YouTube
21 Dec 2016video
Should religious Muslims focus on avoiding sin or on doing good?
Focus on building up the good, not on sins: the salaf rarely said haram, things are permissible by default, and the deen should be made easy.
machine8 min 07 s31:58on YouTube
21 Dec 2016video
How can I help someone stop drinking without pushing them away?
Drinking is unacceptable, but like any addiction it needs wisdom: offer an alternative and help with the person's problems, as Abu Hanifa did with his drinking neighbour.
machine10 min 20 s1:03:05on YouTube
2015 · 3
6 Apr 2015video
Why was Mufti Abu Layth sent to prison?
Mufti Abu Layth was charged with aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office after contacting a police officer to arrange mediation for a friend whose children were missing, and served about seven weeks of a six-month sentence. He says he did nothing wrong and was treated unfairly for refusing to testify against the officer.
machine2 min 38 s0:10on YouTube
6 Apr 2015video
What was Mufti Abu Layth's time in prison like?
Contrary to expectation it went well, and he is grateful for the insight it gave him into people from all walks of life whom he would never otherwise have met.
machine2 min 35 s2:48on YouTube
7 Mar 2015video
How did Abu Hanifa deal with his drunkard neighbour?
Abu Hanifa never rebuked his drinking neighbour but bailed him out of jail and asked whether they had let him go to waste, and the man changed his life. Good character carries a message further than one can imagine.
machine4 min 55 s0:01on YouTube
2014 · 2
2 Jul 2014video
How did Mufti Abu Layth become a mufti?
It was not planned: an interest in Arabic and the Quran grew step by step, taking him from self-study to Syria and then Pakistan, where he trained as a mufti.
machine6 min 16 s0:11on YouTube
18 Jan 2014video
What practical techniques help me memorise the Quran?
Understand the words and translation first, keep a fixed place and a time that suits you, familiarise yourself with each verse before a break, then memorise the verses cumulatively, practise them in salah and recall them at night before reading to your teacher. In the hadith, Ali went from struggling with four verses to recalling forty.
machine5 min 38 s8:00on YouTube