Askimam responsds to Mufti Abu Layth Maliki

Couple of things:

1. I selected 'male' but it's addressing me as 'sister'. What?

2. I agree with Muadh_Khan. Deobandis show so little effort in anything beyond "preaching to the choir". We have a sense of manifest destiny, that if anyone has sense, their sense and Allah will guide them to us, but we have to make no effort on our part.

This is one of the reasons I also dislike refutations/rebuttals and other fiqhi proofs which tautologically are rooted in South Asian sources (like Fatawa-e-Alamgiri/Fatawa-i-Hindiya). There isn't an established fiqhi precedent/reason to categorically reject them (because they are sound), but I think it's good for the community if we stop that.

South Asians have a number of troubling aspects to our history:

Most peoples who accept Islam take on the culture (somewhat) of the people from whom they heard the message of Islam.

South Asians got Islam from Arabs and Persians. Yet culturally they shifted towards the Hindus, Buddhists, and other South Asians (including non-Islamic or pre-Islamic Persian culture which survived in India). Then they were influenced by the various Turko-Mongolians from Central Asia who themselves (and to their credit) shifted towards the Persians/Arabs who taught them Islam.

That's bad! And there's no excuse for it, no point in nit-picking, because everyone outside of South Asian influence sees it (meaning South Africans won't be too unbiased either).

It gets worse. The India worth emulating, the ancient India which was closer to monotheism (by way of various pantheistic ideologies, still kufr but at least it wasn't idol-worship and also liked math/science/astronomy, and weren't as big on magic/astrology/persecution of women), is not the Indian culture we adopted. We adopted things from the codified, solidified full blown polytheistic, idol-worshipping, caste-system Indian culture. The ancient gurus (before 2000 years ago) tried to do math, science, and philosophy. The current gurus (since approx 2000 years ago) try to do perversion and fraudulent miracles and start cults.

And without a doubt these differences (between South Asian culture and the rest of the world) in worldview make themselves evident in virtually all South Asian scholarly works.

For non-South Asians, interacting with South Asians has a been a complete turn off. They run from the South Asians and go to the Arabs... who in the West are normally peddling some form of ghayr-muqallideen-ism (*cough*) these days. That's the best and only proof anyone needs. What use are the rebuttals of an Urdu-speaking Mufti in Karachi (speaking rhetorically, I am in Karachi right now, no offense intended) when the parties who are objectively positioned to judge the issue (reverts from outside the region entirely) all will agree that South Asian Islam looks and behaves differently from Arab culture? Including those aspects of Arab culture which became part of the Islamic tradition? So many reverts who become 'ulema therefore go to the Arab world. Islam in South Asia has become "South Asian Islam", we make up the majority everyone likes to pretend doesn't exist because we're embarrassing, particularly in our doctrinal arrogance which reflects our very real cultural arrogance (so real, many of us don't even realize it exists, nor are we capable of realizing... like Americans who cannot fathom that America isn't the greatest country in history and think it was established as a Christian nation, when it was anything but).

Getting back to the issue at hand, proofs should be rooted to the foundations of the Hanafi 'ulema. You can't end the trail in a text produced in South Asia. That will bridge the gap to the non-Deobandis quite effectively. Simple step, let's start doing it.

As for all those other points, they should always be on our mind. South Asians will not stop at defending South Asian (non-Arab, non-Islamic) influence on South Asian Islam, but will also be utterly ruthless in condemning all other kinds of cultural encroach... even when it's not a case of encroach but a case of a non-Muslim culture adopting Islam and still hanging onto their culture. That's the height of hypocrisy.

One example is quoting South Asian 'ulema about their opinions which are not legally rooted in any evidence outside South Asia. Well, no one cares what we think is good or "becoming". They want to know what the Arabs of the 7th century thought, the Sahabah. With proof. Not the opinions of South Asians who don't resemble them except for their beards.

What do the reverts think? Better to be influenced by a triumphant Judeo-Christian civilization, which is Abrahamic, than a polytheistic Hindu/Vedic one. How many 'ulema from around the Muslim world do not dress like the Arabic Sunnah? Okay, some go for the Persian look, but that Persian look evolved from the Arabic base along different lines since the original Persian culture was almost completely displaced... so that Persian/Turkic look of the Safavids/Ottomans is rooted in Arab culture.

Well? The answer is it's just the South Asians! And Southeast Asians (Malaysia/Indonesia/etc). Although the former are more arrogant about it. When you are outside of the culture, you simplify it. Our complicated protests ("but it's not really Hindu culture, it's a joint culture which evolved in line with Shari'ah principles, blah blah") are to no avail. To everyone else, we look and act like Indians and you could hardly tell us apart in dress, speech, or any other aspect of culture. A half-naked Christian is seen as more worthy of emulation than a fully-clothed Hindu (in some cases we emulate pre-Islamic Persians more than modern day Persians themselves do! And ancient Vedic (Indian) and Avestan (Persian) culture were both branches of Indo-Iranians, so it's the same root in the end anyway).

I would say our justifications are legally solid (ironically because Shari'ah allows a strong element of cultural relativism which justifies our shunning of polygamy, adoption of non-Arab dress, non-Arabic language, extreme patriarchal views, etc), but the fact that Deobandis and other South Asians try to present them as more than legally solid, as if we have monopolized authenticity, turns everyone else off. That's all we have! License, permission, excuse, *NOT* endorsement from the Qur'an or Sunnah because we weren't there in the liftime of the Prophet (saw)

.

Sorry, just trying to be as blunt as possible, and I know this is a little off-topic. The least we can do is go the extra mile and compensate for this bad image by routing our proofs out of South Asia to their origins. Easy step to take, will go a long way.

Also deciding on what is the strongest opinion of a madhab is a huge task, you can't just state what it is, because then people can reject it as easily as you've stated it, especially if they're of the madhab you're speaking on behalf of! The fault for that misunderstanding will be on us, not them. All that stuff we take for granted as "goes without saying", now needs to be said, and we have no one to thank for that lack of trust but ourselves (and our parents and grandparents, basically the last century or two of people has been pretty bad by the standards of Islamic history with a few exceptions).

Mufti Abu Layth Maliki has been sent to Jail in UK

update from Administrator on his facebook (20FEB2015):

Salam Folks/Friends,

Suffice it to say that to Allah alone belongs all praise.

As some of you are aware that my family and I have undergone some testing times due to my incarceration for several weeks, nevertheless as always one is eternally grateful to Allah in recognising the blessings and benefits which come with each calamity, amongst which have been to meet some incredible people and the opportunity to share their stories.

It has however, been equally pitiful and disappointing to hear some Muslims having been taking great pleasure in learning about my misfortunes and my family's suffering and what's amusing is that this is apparently done so in the name of the Deen. My response is to them is Allah teaches us:
وتلك الأيام نداولها بين الناس

"And those dates we shall revolve amongst people"

You too shall undoubtedly have your fair share of trials and calamities to befall you. And as the Hadith teaches us: "those who endeavour to dishonour a believer, Allah will dishonour them in their homes and amongst their families.

May Allah protect us all from such futile actions. Ameen.

For those who've asked regarding my incident; it related to a matter over 3 years old, where a friend had returned to find his wife and children missing, the authorities didn't appear too interested nor helpful, I'd attempted to help by asking an officer if he could arrange mediation for me. A year and a half later I was asked by the police to be a witness against this officer for misconduct, only when I refused, they put some petty trumped up charges of aiding and abetting a misconduct against me.

If attempting to help a distraught Muslim father reconnect with his children was my mistake then given the chance I would do it again and again, for such are the teachings of this Deen.

Now as to those who simply wish to engage in gossip and rumours, as I always say: Don't worrrry abouut it!

My oblivious nature to your existence whilst your immense fixation about me serves as a consoling compliment.

To all whom have continued to keep me and my family in their duas, I'm truly indebted and eternally grateful. May Allah forever keep you smiling. Ameen.

There will continue to be a release of audio/video clips over the next few weeks for you to benefit from iA. Including a seerah + fiqh course.

So watch this space!

‪#‎aaarrriiitteeee‬

Ws
Yours Truly
Mufti.

What Mufti Abu Layth Maliki fails to discuss on facebook:

Was he or was he not working for British Government in their war on Terror and undermining Muslims?
Did he or did he not commit a crime by asking for Police records to be made available to him in a text message?

Askimam responsds to Mufti Abu Layth Maliki

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Insights to a personal journey: An interview with Mufti Abu Layth

Mufti Abu Layth Maliki has been sent to Jail in UK

What Mufti Abu Layth Maliki fails to discuss on facebook: