Amina Inloes

Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the Islamic College in London and also the Managing Editor of the Journal of Shi'a Islamic Studies.

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Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answered 1 year ago

It is mentioned in La'ali al-Akhbar (vol 3, p 413) and attributed to Imam al-Baqir (A) that the angel Jibra'il told the Prophet (S) that the planet Venus (the evening star) would descend on Friday night on the house of the person whom Fatima (A) should marry. The people waited to see who it was, and it was the house of Ali (A).

This narration is provided as part of the explanation of the origins of the tasbih of Fatima al-Zahra (A).

I am personally not aware of any chain of narration for this and therefore, without a chain of narration, it would not be classified as authentic.

Allah knows best.

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Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answer updated 1 year ago

You are not allowed to pray for your death. Death will come when it comes.

Pray instead that Allah helps you to stop the sins or shows you a way to end them (for instance, if someone has an addiction, this could be an intervention that actually works), forgives the sins, and heals any harm to yourself or others they may have caused. If it is possible to make adjustments to your life to reduce or avoid the sins (such as moving to a different place or household), also do that.

Allah is all-powerful and things that seem like miracles happen!

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Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answered 1 year ago

Shura, as done during early Islamic history, is not the same thing as modern voting, a modern parliament, or modern democracy. Modern democracy developed recently in history, and some Muslims back-project it and claim it has roots in Islam by saying it is like shura. However, modern democracy is different from shura, and this is not an accurate analogy; rather, it is a form of apologetics.

In any case, the Shii belief is that the succession to the Prophet (S) was appointed by Allah and people did not have the right to choose it - neither by shura nor by a one-person-one-vote system - just as people do not have the right to choose how many times a day they say formal prayers, or what month to fast in.

However, Allah has not appointed specific individuals to be our political leaders presently, so we use other systems of governance and selection of leaders.

Furthermore, when you read the history of what actually happened during the selection of the first three caliphs, you see that some things happened that were questionable or politically motivated for an agenda, and it was not that everyone got together and simply discussed with sincerity and equality who should be the next leader. The scenario was different for each caliph. When you read what happened, you see it is nothing like voting today where every person has a single vote and the majority wins. You can look into that in history books.

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Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answered 1 year ago

You don't lose anything by studying and praying. Even if you do not get into the institute, you still retain the knowledge that you learned, as well as the discipline and willpower you strengthened by studying. You also still enjoy the benefits of prayer such as an increased closeness to Allah.

However, when something doesn't work out repeatedly, sometimes it is not meant to be. While there is no harm in continuing to try to get into the institute, it would be good to also look for other options or opportunities (and to pray to also have other options and opportunities). Maybe there is something better out there that you would not have seen before, or something related to your life path that is meant to be somewhere else.

Insofar as you have been studying very hard and are determined to succeed, I am sure you are qualified for many institutes and many things.

With duas for your success, wherever it may lie!

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Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answered 1 year ago

No one agrees on this or knows for sure. A literal reading of hadith indicates he is a real person. However, possibly some things were foretold in a way we could understand which is metaphorical. 

When it is time, we will know.

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Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answered 1 year ago

Allah knows best who is going to hell or not, and no one here can answer that question for anyone.

Even if you do not wear hijab, it is more appropriate to wear clothing that is longer than shorts to respect the value of modesty. 
 

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Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answered 1 year ago

It is not required to have a shaykh to perform an Islamic marriage ('aqd, nikah). 

However, in most cultures, a religious, spiritual, or community leader customarily performs a marriage. This lends a certain sanctity to it, and also gives it a social and communal recognition and situates it into the tapestry of the community, moving it from merely a private relationship to a communal one.

It also adds an extra security or safety network in case there are, later, questions or difficulties about the marriage. 

In my observation, Islamic marriages which are conducted privately by the bride and groom, or informally (say, by the bride and groom's friend) and which are done outside of a social structure often do not seem to have the longevity of marriages which are done by a third party who is recognized by the community.  Or, sometimes there is something about the situation that is not quite right. 

Exceptions  apply of course. This is not a matter of halal or haram, merely an observation.

If one is planning to get married without a shaykh or religious leader involved, a good question is why - is there a genuine reason why this is being done, and is all well? Or is there something not quite right about the situation that they don't want someone to know about, that might later resurface and cause problems in the marriage? 

Just some thoughts. Wishing everyone the best in their marriage life!

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Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answered 1 year ago

There are several surviving recitations (qira'at) of the Qur'an with very minor differences (mostly related to pronunciation such as a vowel sound or dots). Most of them are unused.

The differences typically have little impact on the meaning, although may be considered in jurisprudence or tafsir.  

This is not considered to be tahrif (alteration) of the Qur'an, especially since it is nearly inconsequential. 

In Sunni hadith, the Qur'an is said to have been revealed in seven dialects (ahruf).

The Shi'i view is that there is only one original correct revelation and recitation, even if, in reality, there exist multiple qira'at
 

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Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answer updated 1 year ago

This is a popular idea mentioned historically by some Sunni and Shi'i authors. However, it factually seems unlikely. Many of these sources, such as Tarikh Baghdad, are not always reliable.

Sometimes these ideas come about as a way of honoring a person or to convey some theological ideas (such as the link between Jesus (A) and the Prophet (S)). 

Ages ascribed to him by historians as well as narrations range from about 80 years old to 500 years old, with 250-300 years being a common account. So, it is not certain when he was born, or whether or not he had an unusually long lifespan. What can be deduced is that, at least, he was long-lived. 

God knows best. 

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Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answer updated 1 year ago

Do you think you might have an allergy to some things on other people (such as cologne, pet dust, laundry detergents, foods, etc) which become magnified when you are in a crowd close together, or some things at the mosque (carpet, dust,  mold/mildew, etc)? 

And could there be a psychological reason too, such as social anxiety? 

Anyway I hope you are able to find a cure for your itching, inshallah. 
 

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Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answered 1 year ago

This is excessive.

Jahannum is like a rubbish heap and the people who are in the worst space of jahannum are trash - that is, those people who have no redeeming qualities and no hope of improvement because they have destroyed themselves. For instance, despots who wantonly rape, torture, and kill; or people who cheat the poor and live lavishly and show it off in their faces. 

Allah mentions in the Qur'an those people whom He does not love (oppressors, etc), and from this list, we can get an idea of some of the biggest things that lead people deep into hell. Clothing style is not mentioned on this list. 

However, one should remember, in the hereafter, our outer deeds are weighed along with our intention. So a person might do something that seems small in this world, but it would become big there because of their intention. So, for instance, if someone wears a certain clothing style with the goal to challenge or mock Allah and to spread a destructive ideology, this would be something very serious. Conversely, Allah might forgive a major sin like murder because He understands the circumstances. 

So we cannot say 100% what are the results of our actions, but, in general, the worst parts of hell are for the people who do the worst things, like Firawn. 

Some people say things like what you say based on some narrations which, when you dig into them, are rather questionable. 

People focus on the outer more than the inner because it is apparent and because people have other challenges that relate to being a social being or controlling their own nafs, but Allah takes the whole picture into account.

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Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answered 1 year ago

No, it is customary. It is not haraam to wear other colours, but sometimes people impose restrictions or expectations and are judgmental towards other beyond what Allah requires.