The Insight Interviews

An informative discussion with Dr. Robert Gleave (University of Exeter), on his career path, personal journey, and various impactful works.Robert Gleave is Professor of Arabic Studies in the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, UK. He researches the history of Shīʿī law, with a particular interest in legal hermeneutics. He has led international projects linked to these themes, and currently leads the SDIL project: Schooling and Deschooling Islamic Law, funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation. He is author of Inevitable Doubt: Two Shīʿī Theories of Jurisprudence (Brill, 2000), Scripturalist Islam: The History and Doctrines of the Akhbārī Shīʿī School (Brill, 2007) and Islam and Literalism: Literal Meaning in Interpretation in Islamic Legal Theory (EUP, 2012). His most recent collaborative publications are (with Kumail Rajani) Shi’ite Legal Theory: Sources and Commentaries (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press/Gibb Memorial Trust, 2023) and (with Omar Anchassi), Islamic Law in Context: A Primary Source Reader (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004).Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, this instalment in our series 'The Insight Interviews', promises to be an engaging conversation.The Insight Interviews:An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviewsView the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gpFollow us on:Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchInsTwitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchInsFacebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchInsContribute to the Shi‘a Research Institute to help us continue creating high quality research and content:https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

An informative discussion with Dr. Seyed Amir Hossein Asghari (Indiana University Bloomington), on his book, ‘Sufism and Philosophy in the Contemporary Shia Seminary’.SeyedAmirHossein Asghari, Ph.D., is a scholar of Islamic thought whose work explores the intersections of religion, ethics, and culture, with a focus on Shia intellectual and Sufi traditions. He is the author of Sufism and Philosophy in the Contemporary Shia Seminary: Scholars and Mystics (Bloomsbury, 2025), which examines debates over reason, revelation, and spiritual authority in the modern Shia seminary. His current monograph, Natural Law and Interreligious Understanding: Islamic Context (forthcoming), develops a Qur’an-based account of innate and natural-universal moral knowledge to support interfaith collaboration. Dr. Asghari has taught at Indiana University, Butler University, and Baylor University, offering courses on Qur’anic studies, Islamic philosophy, and interreligious ethics, and participates in Shia–Jewish legal reasoning dialogues.Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, this instalment in our series 'The Insight Interviews', promises to be an engaging conversation.The Insight Interviews:An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviewsView the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gpFollow us on:Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchInsTwitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchInsFacebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchInsContribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content:https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

An informative discussion with Dr. Tahera Qutbuddin (Oxford University), on her latest publication, her career journey, and what led her to the work of Imam ‘Ali.Since July 2023, Dr. Qutbuddin is the AlBabtain Laudian Professor of Arabic in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Oxford, and a Professorial Fellow of St John’s College. She teaches classical Arabic literature from its oral beginnings in the 7th century to the cusp of modernity around 1800, seeing it as a direct window into the rich culture and thought of the vast medieval Arabic-speaking world.Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, this instalment in our series 'The Insight Interviews', promises to be an engaging conversation.The Insight Interviews:An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviewsView the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gpFollow us on:Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchInsTwitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchInsFacebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchInsContribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content:https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

An informative discussion with Professor Luca Patrizi on his book "In the Presence of the King - Intermediation and Intercession in Islam”Luca Patrizi teaches Islamic Studies at the Department of Historical Studies of the University of Turin, Italy. He has been a Research Fellow at the Universities of Geneva, Sorbonne-Paris, Bonn and Exeter. His interests focus on theological and ethical issues in Islam and the doctrines and practices of Islamic esotericism. He is among the editors of the series ‘Theology and Tradition in Islam’ Studies on prophecy, transmission and spirituality for De Gruyter-Brill. Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, this instalment in our series 'The Insight Interviews', promises to be an engaging conversation.The Insight Interviews:An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviewsView the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gpFollow us on:Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchInsTwitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchInsFacebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchInsContribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content:https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

An informative discussion with Dr. Hussein Ali Abdulsater on his books "Shi'i Doctrine, Mu'tazili Theology" and "Al-Jahiz and Religious Knowledge".Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, this instalment in our series 'The Insight Interviews', promises to be an engaging conversation.The Insight Interviews:An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviewsView the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gpFollow us on:Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchInsTwitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchInsFacebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchInsContribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content:https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

An informative discussion with Dr. Najam Haider on his books “The Origins of the Shi’a” and “The Rebel and the Imam in Early Islam”Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, this instalment in our series 'The Insight Interviews', promises to be an engaging conversation.The Insight Interviews:An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviewsView the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gpFollow us on:Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchInsTwitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchInsFacebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchInsContribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content:https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

An informative discussion on Dr. Thijl Sunier's book “Making Islam Work - Islamic Authority among Muslims in Western Europe” published by Brill Press. Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, this instalment in our series 'The Insight Interviews', promises to be an engaging conversation. The Insight Interviews: An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviews View the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gp Follow us on: Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchIns Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchIns Facebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchIns Contribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content: https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

An informative discussion with Dr. Mohammed Rustom of Carleton University. Hosted by Dr. Cyrus Zargar, of the University of Central Florida. The Insight Interviews: An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviews View the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gp Follow us on: Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchIns Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchIns Facebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchIns Contribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content: https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

An informative discussion on Dr. Richard McCallum’s book “Evangelical Christian Responses to Islam” published by Bloomsbury Press. Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, this instalment in our series 'The Insight Interviews', promises to be an engaging conversation. The Insight Interviews: An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviews View the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gp Follow us on: Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchIns Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchIns Facebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchIns Contribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content: https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

Syed Muhammad Rizvi, Principal of Shia Research Institute, interviews Dr. Saiyad Nizamuddin Ahmad, The Prophet Muhammad University Professor of Shia Islam Studies at Florida International University. They discuss his intellectual journey and his extensive work in translating Nasir al-Din al-Tusi's Tajrīd al-Iʿtiqād (Abstracta Theologica) which is forthcoming with the Shia Research Institute. This conversation sheds light on the rich intellectual history of theology in the Shiʿī tradition in which these two scholars engage in a fruitful and intellectual exchange. The Insight Interviews: An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviews View the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gp Follow us on: Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchIns Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchIns Facebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchIns Contribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content: https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

An informative discussion on Dr. Nebil Husayn’s book “Caliphate and Imamate : An Anthology of Medieval Muslim Texts on Political Theology” published by Cambridge University Press Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, this instalment in our series 'The Insight Interviews', promises to be an engaging conversation. The Insight Interviews: An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviews View the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gp Follow us on: Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchIns Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchIns Facebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchIns Contribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content: https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

An informative discussion with Dr. Cyrus Zargar’s book “The Ethics of Karbala – Myths, Modernity, and Virtues of Nobility” Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, this instalment in our series 'The Insight Interviews', promises to be an engaging conversation. The Insight Interviews: An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviews View the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gp Follow us on: Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchIns Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchIns Facebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchIns Contribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content: https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

An informative discussion on Dr. Mahjabeen Dhala’s book “Feminist Theology and Social Justice in Islam - A Study on the Sermon of Fatima” Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, this instalment in our series 'The Insight Interviews', promises to be an engaging conversation. The Insight Interviews: An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviews View the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gp Follow us on: Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchIns Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchIns Facebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchIns Contribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content: https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

An informative discussion with Dr. Muhammad U. Faruque on his book “Sculpting the Self - Islam, Selfhood, and Human Flourishing" Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, this instalment in our series 'The Insight Interviews', promises to be an engaging conversation. The Insight Interviews: An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviews View the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gp Follow us on: Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchIns Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchIns Facebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchIns Contribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content: https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

An informative discussion with Dr. Alessandro Cancian, on his book “The Emergence of Shi'i Sufism - Sultan 'Ali Shah Gunabadi and His Commentary on the Qur'an” Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, this instalment in our series 'The Insight Interviews', promises to be an engaging conversation. The Insight Interviews: An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviews View the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gp Follow us on: Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchIns Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchIns Facebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchIns Contribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content: https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

An informative discussion with Dr Hannah-Lena Hagemann on her book “The Khārijites in Early Islamic Historical Tradition” Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, this instalment in our series 'The Insight Interviews', promises to be an engaging conversation. The Insight Interviews: An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviews View the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gp Follow us on: Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchIns Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchIns Facebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchIns Contribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content: https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

An informative discussion with Dr George Warner, on his book “The Words of the Imams - Al-Shaykh al-Saduq and the Development of Twelver Shi’i Hadith Literature”. Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, this instalment in our series 'The Insight Interviews', promises to be an engaging conversation. The Insight Interviews: An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviews View the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gp Follow us on: Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchIns Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchIns Facebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchIns Contribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content: https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

An informative discussion with Dr. Farah Kawtharani on her book, "Political Thought in Contemporary Shi’a Islam". Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, this instalment in our series 'The Insight Interviews', promises to be an engaging conversation. The Insight Interviews: An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviews View the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gp Follow us on: Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchIns Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchIns Facebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchIns Contribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content: https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

Timestamps listed below An informative discussion with Dr. Mojdeh Shariatmadari, Founder and Director, Alaa Cultural Institute Tehran. The topic of discussion will be the role of psychology and its study in Islam and Shi'ism. Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, this instalment in our series ‘The Insight Interviews’, promises to be an engaging conversation. 00:00 / Beginning 00:29 / Guest Introduction 02:15 / Discussing the link between psychology and spirituality 03:13 / Her journey to Islamic and Shia spiritual psychology 05:54 / Looking at the Shīʿī duʿāʾ corpus 07:02 / What is spiritual psychology? 08:01 / The Age of Insanity: Modernity and Mental Health by John F. Schumaker 09:49 / Breaking down spiritual psychology 10:10 / Divine love in Shīʿism and its connection to the subject 10:20 / Viewing Wilāya as a divine friendship 10:55 / Love of ʿAlī is a part of faith - ḥubbu ʿAlī min al-īmān 12:27 / Whoever loves you (the infallibles), loves God - al-Ziyāra al-Jāmiʿa al-Kabīra 12:52 / Wilāya as the most significant differentiating factor in Shīʿī spiritual psychology 15:44 / The role of duʿāʾ (supplication) in spiritual pyschology 17:19 / Is there such a thing as "Islamic psychology" and how can we define terms? 21:47 / Discussing the earliest written work on Islamic spiritual psychology 24:35 / Abu Zayd al-Balkhī and his 9th century work on mental health 27:24 / What is unique about the Twelver Shīʿī concept of saʿāda (flourishing) 30:16 / Theory of the personality in Islamic spirituality 32:14 / What exactly is spiritual flourishing? 34:17 / Dr. Martin Seligman's theory of well being 36:15 / Mourning for Imam Husayn and its connection to well being 43:44 / Loneliness and Islamic Spiritual Pscyhology 49:12 / The relationship between wilāya and inner peace 55:03 / How would Shīʿism treat the concept of grief and loss? 58:15 / Grief treated through the lens of religious history 59:05 / Conclusion The Insight Interviews: An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviews View the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gp Follow us on: Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchIns Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchIns Facebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchIns Contribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content: https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/

An informative discussion with Dr. Aun Hasan Ali, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies, in the Department of Religious Studies, at the University of Colorado Boulder. The topic of discussion will be his latest book, ‘The School of Hillah and the Formation of Twelver Shi‘i Islamic Tradition‘, which provides the first extensive overview of the contribution of Shiʿī scholars who belonged to the school of Ḥillah (a city in Southern Iraq). This city and the scholars who hailed from there went on to become some of the most prolific producers of knowledge who had a lasting impact on the formation of Twelver Shīʿism. Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, this instalment in our series ‘The Insight Interviews’, promises to be an engaging conversation. Dr. Aun Hasan Ali is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at CU Boulder. He received his PhD from McGill University’s Institute of Islamic Studies. His research centers on Islamic intellectual history and he is the author of various publications. The Insight Interviews: An informative series of academic discussions, taking a deeper dive on a variety of unique topics. Learn more at https://shiaresearch.ca/insight-interviews View the series playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgu_sYFBPFVV5yBiwTU9snnvMmMlw41gp Follow us on: Instagram: https://instagram.com/ShiaResearchIns Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShiaResearchIns Facebok: https://facebook.com/ShiaResearchIns Contribute to SRI to help us continue creating high quality research and content: https://shiaresearch.ca/donate/