The AMI Podcast

Al-Mahdi Institute
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The AMI Podcast

AMI Podcasts explore a range of different topics including the latest cutting-edge research within the field of Islamic Studies, book reviews by prominent authors and academics, and discussions among scholars of diverse faiths and denominations within Islam.

  1. 6 DAYS AGO

    Similar Questions, Different Answers? Reading the Sunni and Imami Hadith Corpus Together by Dr Belal Alabbas

    On Tuesday, 26th November 2024, Dr Belal Alabbas presented a research seminar at AMI entitled ‘Similar Questions, Different Answers? Reading the Sunni and Imami Hadith Corpus Together.’ In his presentation, Dr Alabbas addressed the phenomenon of contradictions in hadith within both Shia and Sunni traditions. He examined the methods and approaches employed by Imam Al-Shafi'i to address this issue in his book ‘Ikhtilaf Al-Hadith‘ and compared them to the methods and mechanisms adopted by Sheikh Abu Ja'far Al-Tusi in his book ‘Al-Istibsar fima Ikhtalafa min Al-Akhbar‘. Dr Alabbas attempted to draw comparisons between their solutions to the problem of conflicting reports and contradictions, concluding that there is a significant level of similarity in their approaches and methods. However, differences were observed, attributed to their respective doctrinal and intellectual foundations, such as the role of ‘qiyas‘ and the concept of ‘taqiyya‘ in resolving contradictions among narrations and hadith.

    36 min

  2. DEC 13

    Sufism, Shi’ism & Mysticism: Connections, Controversies and the School of Najaf with Dr Amir Asghari and Dr Zoheir Esmail

    What connects Sufism, Shi’ism, and Mysticism—and what sets them apart? In this episode of 'The AMI Podcast,' Dr Zoheir Esmail is joined by Dr Seyed Amir Hossein Asghari, a Research Associate at Baylor University, to delve into the similarities and ongoing controversies within these areas of Islamic thought. Together, they explore the historical debates between the School of Najaf (School of Integration) and the School of Separation, the roles of dreams, intellect, and revelation, and the interplay between philosophy and spirituality in Islam. Tune in to discover the debates within Shia Islamic scholarship, unravel the mysteries of spiritual growth, and learn practical methods for inner transformation. Key topics include: The Differences between the School of Najaf (Integration) and the School of Separation Connections between Shi'ism and Sufism The Importance of Self-purification in Islamic Tradition Philosophical approaches to understanding God Modern Approaches to Spiritual Awakening

    1h 4m

  3. DEC 12

    Taymiyyan Design Discourse: A New Islamic Approach to Design-Based Theism by Jamie Turner

    In this thought-provoking seminar, Jamier Turner delves into the evolving formulations of the design argument among Muslim thinkers, focusing on a non-Paleyan approach inspired by the ideas of the 14th-century theologian, Ibn Taymiyya (d. 1328 CE). Turner challenges traditional Paleyan models, often criticized for their vulnerability to Darwinian objections, by presenting a Taymiyyan framework emphasising non-inferential, metaphysical causality in nature's design. Discover how this innovative perspective circumvents the challenges faced by Paleyan inferences while maintaining compatibility with scientific explanations of biological phenomena. Turner also addresses three critical objections to the Taymiyyan model and explores its potential as a robust defense of design-based theistic belief.

    31 min

  4. DEC 2

    Book Talk: Hadith Transmission and Confessionality by Dr Hossam Ouf

    In this insightful book talk, Dr Hossam Ouf, a Research Fellow at the University of Tübingen, presents his book, "Hadith Transmission and Confessionality: Al-Bukhārī’s al-Jāmiʿ aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥ and al-Kulaynī’s al-Kāfī in Sunni and Twelver Shi'i Hadith Scholarship." Dr Ouf delves into the pivotal role of Hadith transmission in shaping the theological and identity frameworks of Sunni and Shia traditions. By comparing the works of Imam Al-Bukhari and Al-Kulayni, this research fosters dialogue and understanding between these two major Islamic schools of thought. Written in German, Dr Ouf’s research supports the growing field of Islamic theology in Europe, addressing key challenges in fostering understanding and collaboration.

    10 min

  5. NOV 12

    The Hidden Struggles of Muslim Women in the West with Dr Shabana Mir and Dr Muhammed Reza Tajri

    Join Dr Muhammed Reza Tajri and special guest Dr Shabana Mir, Associate Professor at the American Islamic College, for an insightful discussion on the challenges faced by Muslim American women on college campuses and Muslim women across the West. Drawing from Dr Mir's acclaimed book, 'Muslim American Women on Campus,' this conversation delves into themes of surveillance, cultural identity, Western perceptions, and the layered significance of the hijab. Discover how young Muslim women navigate and assert their identities, resist stereotypes, and find resilience in a complex socio-political landscape. Tune in for an enlightening exploration of identity, agency, and strength in the modern world.

    45 min

  6. NOV 1

    Book Talk: Controversies in Formative Shi’i Islam: The Ghulat Muslims and Their Beliefs by Dr Mushegh Asatryan

    Among the various Muslim communities that were articulating their doctrinal positions in the early Islamic centuries, one in particular was known derisively as the Ghulat ('extremists'). This was owing to their specific interpretation of Islam, which included an 'extreme' devotion to the Shi'i Imams and the family of the Prophet, and controversial religious ideas, such as the transmigration of souls into other human or sub-human forms. Widely active in Iraq in the 8th and 9th centuries, the Ghulat developed a complex worldview and produced a rich religious literature. Until now, understanding of this community has mainly relied on sources produced outside of the group, which are inaccurate or polemical in nature. This book looks at newly recovered primary texts in order to study the Ghulat first hand. Mushegh Asatryan examines the development of the Ghulat writings, situating the community within a broader historical context and offering a comprehensive survey of their distinctive cosmology. Through his detailed analysis, the book offers insight into the formation of one of the earliest religious traditions in Islamic history and the nature of the community in which texts were produced and circulated.

    5 min

  7. OCT 25

    Book Talk: Divorcing Traditions: Islamic Marriage Law and the Making of Indian Secularism by Dr Katherine Lemons

    Divorcing Traditions is an ethnography of Islamic legal expertise and practices in India, a secular state in which Muslims are a significant minority and where Islamic judgments are not legally binding. Katherine Lemons argues that an analysis of divorce in accordance with Islamic strictures is critical to the understanding of Indian secularism. Lemons analyzes four marital dispute adjudication forums run by Muslim jurists or lay Muslims to show that religious law does not muddle the categories of religion and law but generates them. Drawing on ethnographic and archival research conducted in these four institutions-NGO-run women's arbitration centers (mahila panchayats); sharia courts (dar ul-qazas); a Muslim jurist's authoritative legal opinions (fatwas); and the practice of what a Muslim legal expert (mufti) calls "spiritual healing"-Divorcing Traditions shows how secularism is an ongoing project that seeks to establish and maintain an appropriate relationship between religion and politics. A secular state is always secularizing. And yet, as Lemons demonstrates, the state is not the only arbiter of the relationship between religion and law: religious legal forums help to constitute the categories of private and public, religious and secular upon which secularism relies. In the end, because Muslim legal expertise and practice are central to the Indian legal system and because Muslim divorce's contested legal status marks a crisis of the secular distinction between religion and law, Muslim divorce, argues Lemons, is a key site for understanding Indian secularism.

    7 min

  8. OCT 18

    Book Talk: An Anthology of Qur’anic Commentaries Vol 2: On Women by Dr Karen Bauer

    This second volume in the series focuses on a critical and contentious theme: Women in the Qurʾan and traditional Qurʾanic commentaries. It comprises analysis of the female subject in the Qurʾan, annotated translations of Qurʾanic commentaries spanning twelve centuries, interviews of contemporary Muslim scholars and extensive introductory materials, which frame the work throughout and render these technically complex materials accessible to the reader. On Women begins with a critical introduction to the study of women and gender in the genre of Qurʾanic commentaries. A unique prolegomenon then follows key Qurʾanic terms in a chronological sequence, showing how the Qurʾan's world view on women developed from the earliest Meccan revelations, when women were addressed only implicitly as a part of households or in the course of anti-pagan polemic, to the period of the final revelations in Medina, when women were addressed directly as pious and social subjects. The remainder of the volume translates, critically annotates, and analyses interpretations of six select Qurʾanic verses on women. These verses, chosen because of their relevance to women's lived experience, speak of the creation of humankind beginning with a single soul (Q. 4:1); the exemplary figure of Mary, the mother of Jesus (Q. 3:35-6); women's status in marriage (Q. 4:34); women's legal testimony and hence legal capacity (Q. 2:282); and 'veiling' as it relates to Qurʾanic norms of modesty (Q. 24:31). While highlighting variation, continuity, and plurality in the genre of Qurʾanic commentaries, Volume II goes beyond medieval interpretive paradigms to include perspectives marginalised by that tradition, such as the voices of women themselves.

    13 min
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Ratings & Reviews

3.7
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

AMI Podcasts explore a range of different topics including the latest cutting-edge research within the field of Islamic Studies, book reviews by prominent authors and academics, and discussions among scholars of diverse faiths and denominations within Islam.

Information

  • Creator
    Al-Mahdi Institute
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    239
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Al-Mahdi Institute
  • Show Website
    The AMI Podcast

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