Zoheir Ali Esmail

Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD from the University of Exeter in the philosophical and mystical readings of Mulla Sadra in the context of the schools of Tehran and Qum.

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Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 3 years ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. This depends heavily on the maturity of the child, but while a child may be convinced of religion or not, they are not taken account for their actions or their beliefs until they reach an age of maturity. On the other hand, if they commit good actions with belief they will be rewarded.

May you always be successful

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Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 3 years ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. All that is expected from you is your best effort, so do not be too harsh on yourself.

May you always be successful

79551

Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 3 years ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. The purpose of every human is to purify themselves so that they increase their level of faith towards the perfection that God created them for. After this general purpose, everyone has their own purpose but that is something that is revealed to them during the course of their lives, or even at their time of death, and even if they are not fully conscious of what that purpose is, or they don't know what it is at all, it will come to pass.

May you always be successful

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Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 3 years ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. As long as your parents are within the fold of Islam, even if their faith is weak, it is good to pray for them.

May you always be successful

77817

Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 3 years ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. Mental health in Islam is termed as the struggle with the self. With self-reformation and purification, a person becomes enlightened and is adorned with beautiful character traits. Their source of strength is God and they are far away from worshipping their own egos. They are a source of blessing and peace to all those around them. Since the struggle with the self is one of the most important aspects of the spiritual message of Islam, mental health is something that is extremely important. It is unfortunate to see many Muslims chasing after mental health solutions in traditions that are sometimes even secular in their outlook which focus on the strengthening of the ego rather than humbleness in front of God, as that is usually due to a lack of familiarity with the solutions that are offered within Islam.

May you always be successful

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Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 3 years ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. There is no dichotomy between a virtuous spouse and success in the material world. In fact, the virtues taught by Islam enable the most beautiful of lives. Good character traits also include hard work, a sense of responsibility, and independence. The goal is not to hide from the world, but to have a strong enough relationship with God so as to not be stained by its negative aspects. That in itself is a journey.

May you always be successful

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Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 3 years ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. They generally prayed the 5 prayers at their separate times.

At the same time, even when the prayers of zuhr and asr and magrib and isha are combined this is still prayers 5 times a day even if the gap between the prayers is small. So it is a mistake to say Shias pray 3 times a day. The prayers are 5.

May you always be successful

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Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 3 years ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. In classical theological ruminations, a difference is drawn between those people who have understood the message of Islam and chosen to reject it, and those who don't accept it because they have not understood its message. To further categorize the second group, there is a difference between those who do not know about the truth of Islam because they haven't put the effort to research in order to find the truth and those that have. It is this last group that will not und up in hell according to those ruminations. There is also the issue of those who are mistaken in the path of life they take, perhaps because of a negative interaction with Muslims which has put them off researching Islam and those who are living the message of Islam even if they have not come into appropriate contact with Islam, and these two groups are also given the benefit of the doubt.

So in summary if a person doesn't know properly about Islam, but that is not out of a lack of searching for the truth then they will not end up in hell.

May you always be successful

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Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 3 years ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. Once somebody asked Imam Ali (as) if he had seen God. He said "Why would I worship a Lord who I haven't seen." on the further probing of the questioner as to how that was possible the Imam said: "I did not see Him with my eyes, but I saw Him with the realities of faith." The modern world is deeply affected by logical positivism, which considers only that which can be sensed by the five senses as real. With such an outlook one can never be sure about anything metaphysical, as, by definition, the metaphysical is outside of the realm of the five senses. But so too are other phenomena that we all accept to be true, such as consciousness, and this is why logical positivism is not a tenable set of presuppositions with which to understand the world.

Rather, the metaphysical is sensed by other senses within a person and in the Islamic tradition, those senses are usually called the heart. It is the heart that senses God and this is sometimes referred to as religious experience. Through the journey of faith a person becomes more and more certain about God, through a process of incremental interactions, prayer, and appreciation of His Hand in their lives. The wisdom that is contained in His religion and the inimitability of the Qur'an. In a more advanced understanding of belief, the presuppositions that a Muslim chooses to accept mean that there is no alternative other than the existence of God and through the spiritual journey they witness the truth of their progression. God Himself guides them to the paths of certainty after which there is no doubt.

May you always be successful

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Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 3 years ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. The heart is a battleground for two types of love. Love of God and love of the world. In order to remove the love of the world from the heart, the heart has to be filled with the love of God and this is the main purpose of self-purification and refinement and is the crux of spirituality in Islam. In one narration Imam al-Sadiq (as) says: "Is religion other than love." 

It is achieved through battling the ego, with knowledge, faith and action. Through knowing the self and not succumbing to the desires of the lower self. By remaining patient in trials and tribulations and increasing one's hope and closeness to God. By realizing all of the ideals of Islam, its ethics and its practices.

May you always be successful

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Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 3 years ago

Bismillah

This narration is in the context of holding a good opinion of God, and that a believer should always place their hope in God no matter how bad their situation. That does not mean that they should not be aware of God's Justice, but that they should always have that ray of hope that causes them to repent. The better opinion of God a person has, the better it is for them.

May you always be successful

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Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 3 years ago

Bismillah

Either is fine.

May you always be successful