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... Answer updated 1 year ago

The short answer is, the Prophet (S) did it.

A slightly longer answer is: It is narrated that Imam 'Ali (A) was asked the meaning of the first prostration. He replied: It signifies saying O Allah, you created us from this – meaning the earth. The meaning of lifting the head is from it, You brought us forth. The meaning of the second prostration is to it You will return us, and the meaning of lifting your head again is and you will bring us forth from it again.

This is referring to the Qur'anic verse: ‘From it (the earth) We created you, to it We shall return you and from it We shall bring you forth once again’ (20:55).

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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 happens sometimes.

It is your decision whether to stay in the marriage, or pursue separation.

Some factors to take into consideration are:
* whether or not you hope to bear children
* how important physical intimacy is to you (it is important to most people, but some people choose to remain in a marriage without physical intimacy)
* whether you fear you might fall into sin in this type of situation
* whether the marriage is working out in other ways (such as emotionally or practically - with emotional considerations such as, do you love each other, are you dedicated to each other, do you feel bonded with each other, do you feel like a family, do you have future plans for yourselves as a family that you are both working towards, etc.)

Often in these cases, where there is an absence of attraction from one side from the beginning, the underlying relationship in the marriage fails to develop and the relationship breaks down (whether that results in actual divorce, or just living like roommates - usually with a fair degree of tension - or just a marriage on paper).

This is unless there was a prior agreement to have a marriage with little or no physical intimacy and they have other reasons why they want to be together and the marraige works for them.

Maybe your husband might also have a sense of what should be done - it is ideal when it is joint decision.

Sorry to hear about your challenging situation and wishing you the 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... Answered 1 year ago

Yes (if the narrations are correct).

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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

In addition to what has already been said, one thing to consider is that when a man or woman is put in a situation where they feel their sexual performance is being tested, it sometimes does not go well, because they feel self-conscious and under pressure to perform, and consequently are too stressed or awkward to engage with the situation.

This is rather different from a situation where two people commit to a marriage, commit to working through any sexual difficulties on either side (including any long-term medical, psychological, or psychiatric interventions), and focus on enjoying their relationship with each other in a holistic manner with an attitude of love and support, which is a less threatening sort of situation, and one that is more likely to nurture a long-term good relationship.

Wishing you both the 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

The Qur'an speaks of some people other than prophets who receive inspiration or messages from God; for instance, the mother of Moses, who is told to put Moses in the river; or when the angel Jibra'il appeared to the Virgin Mary.

So in and of itself, receiving a message from God does not classify a person as a prophet in a traditional theological sense.

Sometimes, there is an expectation that prophets, by definition, are those who are supposed to take the message and then instruct others to act on it in a new way (such as to encourage people to board Noah's ark), or may present a revealed scripture; for instance, the Qur'an.

According to Twelver Shi'i hadith, the Imams had access to knowledge transmitted through God through various means, and this enabled them to serve as representatives of the Prophet's teachings, to better explain them according to the times, and to demonstrate their authority after the time of the Prophet (S) to those who doubted them.

However, they never claimed to be prophets and throughout Twelver Shi'i hadith, there is an emphasis that the Prophet Muhammad (S) is the final prophet. Rather, their role was to explicate the teachings of the Prophet (S) in the best and most accurate manner. They also did not provide a new scripture to the people. So they are not classified as prophets.

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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 some varying views among ulema on these matters, so if you have a genuine interest in pursuing parapsychology research and would like a solid fiqh view, it is good to sit down with a jurist and discuss your plans.

Hiring someone to perform a work adds another dimension to the fiqh discussion since it falls under the subject of transactions, and so you should discuss whether or not it is considered a legitimate or allowable transaction according to that jurist. There are certainly different scenarios one could envision, e.g. hiring someone who asserts they are psychic and depending on their personal perceptions is a different sort of transaction from hiring someone to operate some sort of sensor equipment or special camera.

There may also be some ethical considerations. For instance, seeing as most human beings do not like to be the subject of scientific research without their permission, possibly some jinns feels the same way. These things might sometimes be discussed as well.

 

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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

If you haven't already, and if you are comfortable doing so, you could try telling her that you feel hurt and uncomfortable when she says bad things about your dad or family. That might be more effective than telling her she is committing a sin.

Usually, it is considered irresponsible for a father or mother to say bad things about each other to the children (unless it is an urgent or important issue) because it is psychologically and emotionally harmful and makes the children feel a conflict of loyalty between them.

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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

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... Answer updated 1 year ago

Muslims do not currently agree in their views on the theory of evolution. Some reject it entirely; some accept it in part (evolution for everything except the creation of Adam); and some accept it entirely. In the latter two cases, evolution is seen as being part of the divine plan.

There are some things in the Qur'an that would seem to concord with some basic ideas of the theory of evolution, such as the statement that Allah created all living things from water; while at the same time, there is no requirement that these things necessitate accepting the theory of evolution, and they can be understood otherwise.

Some of the objection to the theory of evolution in prior decades was due not only to a belief in creationism, but also because the theory of evolution was associated with the West, and so imposing the theory was perceived as a sort of cultural attack. This is less of a concern today as the theory of evolution has become more commonplace.

There is, in any case, no reason in the Qur'an to reject the idea that, regardless of how they were initially created, plants and animals have evolved over time.

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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

Good question - here is a previous response to it:

https://www.al-islam.org/ask/does-the-quran-say-anything-to-suggest-that...

If you have any further enquiries, feel free to ask!

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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, although it could happen sometimes. But there are limitations.
 

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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

Short answer:

The things that are created in these two ayat are different. 41:10-11 refer to the creation of the earth (ard) and the things upon it, which is done in 4 days, whereas 41:12 refers to the creation of the seven heavens (samawat), which is done in 2 days. So altogether they add up to 6 days.

There are also other ways these ayat are understood, beyond a literal interpretation of "days".

Long answer:

"Day" is usually taken to refer to a time period in general, rather than a "day" in the sense of one rotation of the earth since our measurements of time rest on the physical world, and there was no such thing as an earth-day before the creation of the earth and sun. That said, a narration ascribed to Imam al-Baqir (A), in response to an enquiry about how a "day" could be meaningful before creation, says that time is also measured in an area of existence near Allah, and therefore is not only reliant on the physical world.

Some people maintain that the expression "two days" (or "two periods") refers to spiritual and physical aspects of creation, or that "days" refers to distinctly different stages of creation, rather than timespans.

Some people also understand "four days" with respect to the earth to refer to the four seasons, insofar as they are equal in length and relate to sustenance.

For instance, in Tafsir al-Qummi, "two days" is explained as "the beginning of Creation and its end", and "four days" is explained as "the four times when Allah brings out the world's means of sustenance... spring, summer, autumn, and winter."

If one is taking a numerical approach to "days", however, Qur'an 41:10-41:12 outline the creation of our world as follows:

41:10 - the earth (ard) in 2 days
41:11 - mountains, sustenance, and blessing in 4 days
41:12 - the heavens (samawat) in 2 days

Elsewhere, the Qur'an mentions that the world was created in 6 days.

From this, it can be understood that the 4 days in 41:11 include the 2 days mentioned in 41:10. That is, the earth and its features were, altogether, created in 4 days. Then, the heavens were created in 2 days. Altogether, these sum up as 6 days - or, rather, spans of time.