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 19 hours ago

This question is somewhat vague (for instance, what is "true nature" and "commonly understood"), but I'll give it a go.

As a general rule, the way that things outside the immediate material realm work are somewhat different from what is commonly understood, because we as people have difficulty grasping them. (In fact, we as people also have difficulty grasping things that are very large or very small, even in the material world.) So with respect to the way these things work, what is commonly understood (or even ever understood by the vast majority of people) is lacking.

There are some videos on YouTube,  etc, these days, by Muslims (usually, Salafis) claiming to talk about how black magic is done, signs of black magic, etc. These videos are true in some ways and not true in other ways. So it is best to be skeptical about them, or not watch them at all. 

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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 5 days ago

In al-Kafi, it is related that Imam al-Sadiq said that the Prophet said: "Recite the Qur'an according to the tones and sounds of the Arabs. Beware of using melodies belonging to people who transgress or commit misdeeds. For, after me, different peoples will chant the Qur'an in a singing and cooing fashion. The monks' incantations are also not allowed for it, for their hearts are facing the wrong way, as are the hearts of those who admire them." 

So this is the general idea of maqamat, which are the traditional musical modes of the Arabs, although not exactly mentioning maqamat in detail.

http://shiaonlinelibrary.com/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%AA%D8%A8/1123_%D8%A7%...

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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 2 weeks ago

Anything that occurs depends on the permission of Allah. 

As for whether the Imams can exert control over the natural world, through the permission of Allah, within Shi'ism, there are varying views. Some scholars hold that they have the capability to affect the natural world in any way. Others say they have this ability in special cases where a supranatural act (karamat) is called for. Still others reject this idea as heterodox (ghuluww). 

I personally hold the first view.

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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 2 weeks ago

It is good etiquette to begin and end a du'a with salawat and inshallah it may assist with your du'a being answered. However, du'as are also answered without salawat (Allah is not miserly!), and you can say your du'a with or without salawat. 

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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 month ago

This is a reference to the premodern medical theory of the four humours, which dates back to Aristotle. The idea behind this is that an imbalance in the four humours could lead to being unwell or different types of temperament. 

As for variances between the seasons, I think this originates in a couple pre-existing models (which are not necessarily separate); that is to say, the text interacts with the ideas of the time and does not present something new. One is that, in traditional Chinese medicine, there are different recommendations for different times of the year. A somewhat less complex system is found in some countries (for instance, "hot" and "cold" foods), but I suspect it may simply be an idea that spread regionally and that is referenced here. The other is that, in the premodern era, medicine was often tied to astrology, and monthly recommendations can also be seen in this light. 

May Allah always grant you good health!

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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 month ago

It is permissible to discuss menstruation.

Attitudes towards menstruation are largely cultural. What is the right approach depends on circumstances. In general, with social media, regardless of the topic, it is good to discuss things for a good reason (so, for instance, in this case, trying to break cultural stigmas and taboos about menstruation). It is not good to discuss things for the wrong reason (for instance, trying to gain attention or monetization through discussing menstruation by coming across as edgy or rebellious). Frequently, with social media, people have mixed intentions. Part of wisdom in life is sensing when it is good to respect social expectations and when it is good to break 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 month ago

Yes it is ok to take breaks.

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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 month ago

Yes. 

However, it is good to keep in mind that some religious practices that are very emotional, crowded, or energetic (such as visiting the holy sites on Arbaeen) which are fine for most people may be overstimulating and trigger mental health episodes in someone vulnerable, even if one hopes for blessings and healing through them at the same time, and they can also bring healing. Also, sometimes, mental health conditions are masked as excessive religiosity and piety which are then inadvertently encouraged by people around them.
So it is good to be thoughtful about what is most appropriate to do if there are special circumstances.

Of course this is not about converting specifically but just about being mindful of one's practices when there are special circumstances.

On the other hand, some mental health conditions push people to consider spiritual matters more deeply than they would have otherwise. 

May Allah grant them healing and inshallah also intercession of Ahl Al Bayt (a). 

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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 month ago

All Muslims belong to one sect or another, even if they are not aware of it. (Or, sometimes multiple sects) The beliefs and practices they have learned reflect the views of a certain group.

Because Sunnis are the majority, usually "simply Muslim" means "Sunni". (That is, there is no neutral zone.) Of course, within Sunnism there are also varying groups. 

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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 month ago

I think perhaps the question is about a cloth stuffed animal. Anyway, yes, it is ok to have a stuffed animal. 

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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 2 months ago

There are some narrations attributed to Ahl al-Bayt (A) about beautifying handwriting, which I will paste below (even if, given my dismal handwriting, it is somewhat hypocritical). Calligraphy can be seen in the light of this ethos. Most Shi'a value calligraphy as an art. 

The pen - Shi'i narrations usually say that the first creation is the light of the Prophet (S). The idea that the pen was the first thing created is also mentioned in some narrations (although I am not sure offhand if they also appear in Shi'i sources). Shi'i narrations also describe the pen as being created of light and as an angel. Some people (especially with a philosophical perspective) may try to combine all these views (that is, it is all essentially the same thing that was created; for instance, it was the active intellect), although in my view it's fine to treat them as separate things, and to say the light of the Prophet (S) was created first. 

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Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Split the nib of your pen, thicken its blade, slant it to the right and you will beautify your handwriting.’

Imam Ali (AS) said to his scribe Ubaydullah b. Abd Rafi, ‘Put cotton flake in the inkpot, keep the nib of your pen long, leave space between lines and join up the letters because this is most suited to creating beautiful handwriting.’

The Prophet (SAWA) said, ‘Good handwriting increases the clarity of truth.’

The Prophet (SAWA), regarding Allah’s verse “or some vestige of [divine] knowledge”, said that this means handwriting.’

Ata’ b. Yasar narrates, ‘The Prophet (SAWA) was asked about handwriting and he said, ‘It was (first) taught by a prophet and those who were with him learned it.’

Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘Handwriting is the hand’s tongue.’

[reproduced from The Scale of Wisdom: A Compendium of Shi'i Hadith]

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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 2 months ago

I guess you are asking whether the Qur'an says this.

Breaking it down:

* Muslims tend to read the Qur'an as supporting the existence of outer space
* The Qur'an does not specify whether the earth is static or not (changing or unchanging). 
* The Qur'an does not specify that the earth is flat. See: https://www.al-islam.org/ask/does-the-quran-say-anything-to-suggest-that...
* I don't think that the mechanism of the production of light of the sun is clearly mentioned in the Qur'an. Some take the subtle phrasing of an ayah to refer to the reflection of sunlight from the moon, but this could be open to interpretation. 
* The Qur'an does not specifically say that the ocean is impenetrable.
* From an earthbound perspective, the sun and moon appear the same in size; however, even back in ancient Greece, it was understood that the sun is physically larger than the moon, so it isn't just a new idea that one is bigger than the other. In any case, the Qur'an does not directly mention the relative sizes of the sun and the moon.

To read more on scientific worldviews in the Qur'an, I'd suggest reading an in-depth tafsir of associated ayat. For instance, Tafsir al-Mizan is a good choice since the author had an interest in traditional astronomy. Also, The Study Qur'an contains a variety of views on ayat related to natural phenomena, as well as an essay on scientific tafsir of the Qur'an. 

If you have any specific questions about specific ayat, feel free to ask!