Nahiem Ajmal

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Nahiem Ajmal
نهيم أجمل
Nahiem Ajmal.jpg
TitleShaykh, Mufti
Personal
Bornc. 1979 (age 42–43)
ReligionSunni Islam
NationalityBritish
Alma materUniversity of Damascus, Jamia Darul Uloom, Karachi
OccupationIslamic scholar, YouTuber, tutor
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2012–present
Subscribers28.5k[1]
(22 August 2021)
Total views9,229,755[1]

Nahiem Ajmal (born c. 1979), more commonly known as Mufti Abu Layth, is a Birmingham-based British Muslim cleric.[2][3] Many consider him to be one of the UK's most notable online Imams,[4] who makes use of social media to challenge traditional views of Islam.[2] In doing so he has received much criticism from more conservative Islamic scholars.

Education[]

Ajmal studied Islamic theology first in Damascus and then in Karachi, where he memorised the Qur'an.[5] He speaks five languages, including Urdu and Arabic.[6]

Views[]

Jurisprudence (Fiqh)[]

Although he is classically trained in the Maliki tradition, Ajmal does not subscribe to any particular school of thought nor identifies with any particular Islamic denomination.[7] Despite his education, he prefers to disregard many of the more traditional codes by which Muftis are expected to abide by,[8] for instance not wearing an Islamic dress and drinking (a non-alcoholic drink) from a pint glass.[9] He is known to employ a satirical approach to fiqh that appeals to many Muslims, shunning mainstream, widely held positions. In particular, he is known for issuing fatawa (Islamic legal opinions) on social media where he has a large following. This is especially the case on his weekly Fatawa streams titled, "#MondayNightsWithMufti Q&A Live and Unrestricted", where internet users barrage him with questions on various subjects.[10]

Some of his more famous verdicts include his permitting of sexual intercourse with dolls, that Muslims are permitted to smoke Cannabis and the permissibility of celebrating non-Muslim holidays such as Christmas and Halloween.[11] Other verdicts ascribed to him are that pre-marital masturbation is permitted for personal pleasure and that it is permitted to have tattoos.[12] Indeed, he speaks on a variety of issues, ranging from the historical differences between the Awza'i and Maliki schools, through to giving rulings on cryptocurrencies.[13]

He has criticised Imams as being quite dull or preachy.[4]

Theology[]

In his sessions he also answers theological questions, such as, "Do we accept mutawatir hadith if they contradict the Qur'an?"[5] He rejects the Second Coming of Jesus and also rejects belief in the Muslim Anti-christ.[12]

Politics[]

Similar to Usama Hasan, Ajmal supports peaceful relations between Israel and Palestine via a Two-state solution. However he takes this position as a realistic and practical solution, and not as an ideal. He believes instead that the most ideal ("utopian") solution to the conflict is the restoration of rights, property, land, freedoms and dignity to the Palestinians, with immediate effect. It is in the absence of such an ideal proposal, that he suggests the two-state solution, arguing that such a pragmatic attempt at resolution is not un-Islamic. He argues to this effect that Islam has for a long time had the goal of mitigating suffering and establishing justice, even at times with compromise.[14]

Ajmal has been invited to the White House in recognition of his anti-terror work.[15] He has received a positive character reference from Usama Hasan of the now defunct Quillium Foundation.[12] He has also been described as a key figure locally in the UK's counter-extremism Prevent strategy.[16]

Criticism[]

Due to some of his views, he has caused a great ruckus in the Sunni Muslim community, earning himself scathing criticisms and denunciations. His verdicts are considered highly questionable by mainstream scholars, attracting scrutiny from the likes of Abdus Shakur Brooks, a Canadian Maliki. Hanafi scholar Mohammad Yasir, known for his support of traditional views, has condemned him, refusing to call him by his Arabic name. Mohammad Yasir has labelled Ajmal "Dajjal" due to Ajmal's satirical approach.[17][18] Others accuse him of "mocking the deen" and have stated he has "no gheerah", with some criticising in particular his choice of topics in his live streams, especially when he covers topics like sexuality.[18]

In addition to this, he has further been criticised for his alleged advisory role with the now defunct Quillium Foundation.[12]

Controversy[]

During the Park View School Trojan Horse scandal, Ajmal was a part-time tutor at the school. In a statement, the police revealed however that Ajmal was involved in Prevent. After this was revealed, Ajmal was promptly suspended by the school. The police's statement, Ajmal argued, had jeopardised his safety.[16]

This is the Trojan Horse school, run by senior staff who were people of potential interest to the police. For obvious reasons I didn't tell them about my other works. It was grossly negligent to share such data on potential terrorists with them and it clearly compromised the people concerned for potential manipulation by groomers.

— Ajmal's statement quoted by the Telegraph[16]

In 2015, he was jailed for six months for misconduct in public office, where he assisted in trying to access restricted information about the location of another man's wife.[12][15][19][20]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ a b "About Mufti Abu Layth". YouTube.
  2. ^ a b Dalvi 2018, p. 67.
  3. ^ Kesvani 2019, p. 23.
  4. ^ a b Kesvani 2019, p. 27.
  5. ^ a b Kesvani 2019, p. 25.
  6. ^ Oldham 2014.
  7. ^ Kesvani 2019, pp. 24–26.
  8. ^ Dalvi 2018, p. 70.
  9. ^ Kesvani 2019, p. 24.
  10. ^ Dalvi 2018, pp. 68–69.
  11. ^ Dalvi 2018, p. 68.
  12. ^ a b c d e Hussein 2018.
  13. ^ Dalvi 2018, p. 69.
  14. ^ Ali & Stuart 2013, pp. 58–59.
  15. ^ a b Cartledge 2015.
  16. ^ a b c Gilligan 2015.
  17. ^ Dalvi 2018, pp. 67–69.
  18. ^ a b Kesvani 2019, pp. 25–26.
  19. ^ "Crooked policeman drove Ferrari to work in Birmingham". BBC. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  20. ^ "Birmingham police officer sentenced for misconduct". BBC. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2021.

References[]

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