Abbas Di Palma

as salam alaikum

What has been widely and most-authentically reported from the Prophet and the Ahl al-Bayt is the istikharah performed by du'a that also can be preceded by two-rakat salat.

With prayers for your success.

as salam alaikum

The Qur'an does not ascribe such attribute to the Prophet. There are other attributes that Allah uses to describe the noble Prophet like "gentle" (ra'uf) and "merciful" (rahim).

With prayers for your success. 

as salam alaikum

Shi'a authentic spirituality does not fall under the category of "sufism" as it is widespread nowadays. Shi'a spirituality is based on a deep understanding  of the Qur'an and Sunnah and it includes taqwa, zuhd, dhikr and love for Allah in the way practiced by the Imams and their followers. Concepts and practices that have been introduced later on are not part of the spiritual Shi'a legacy.

In other words the purification of the soul according to Quranic teachings and Prophetic Sunnah as transmitted from the Imams is endorsed but no innovations should be introduced in it.

This does not tantamount to deny the possibility of mystical experiences by the believer but rather it confirms it as Allah wills.

With prayers for your success.

as salam alaikum

There is no fixed number to establish a mutawatir narration; rather mutawatir narrations are those narrations whose number of chains of transmission denote certitude. It is possible that a particular tradition may denote certitude with a particular number of isnads but another tradition may need a different number of chains. Some scholars put a fixed number of isnads in order to establish the tawatur, so it depends on the criterion that the scholars use and accept.

A mutawatir narration is a report whose truthfulness cannot be rejected due to its degree of certitude; therefore it does not depend on its availability on Shia or Sunni books. However one example found in both Shi'i and Sunni books is the prophetic hadith: "Whoever lies about me deliberately, let him takes his place in hell".

With prayers for your success. 

as salam alaikum

scrupulously performing wajibat and abstaining from muharramat are the best way to start to control low desires.  It follows to perform supererogatory acts whereas possible and to intensify our inner qualities (like sincerity, reliance on Allah, patience, hope, etc...) in our daily lives in the light of Islamic teachings and the Islamic way of life.

With prayers for your success.

as salam alaikum

thinking about the greatness and power of Allah removes despair in His mercy. Allah is far greater than any deficiencies we may attribute to Him; He is Self-Sufficient and He does not need anything/anyone that may cause Him to oppress His devout servants.

Sometimes we face difficult situations with wider meanings than the ones we ascribed to them but if we believe in Him and aim towards our final and everlasting abode, we will be satisfied by the fact that all troubles are temporary and they soon will end insh'Allah.

Personal attitude and positively moving forward even in harsh circumstances are key-factors to see Allah's mercy in action in the wider picture.

With prayers for your success.

as salam alaikum

the hadith related to the aforementioned statement goes as follows: "The Ihsan is to worship Allah as if you see Him; and even if you do not see Him, He is seeing you" (reported by al-Bukhari, al-Majlisi and others...).

The hadith says "worship Allah AS you see Him..." therefore do not imply physical or imaginative sight. Rather it refers to the awareness of His might and greatness, to know that He is watching over us and we are bound to fulfill our duty in front of Him and for Him. It is an attitude that should move and shake the heart to get more closeness to Him insh'Allah. It does not refer to depict a picture of Allah in ourselves as He is far above of any thought and limits.

With prayers for your success.

as salam alaikum

Allah is All-Powerful and He does whatever He wishes. Therefore He created the universe because He willed, and so it was.

With prayers for your success.

as salam alaikum

the Qur'an is a miracle for past, present and future generations and its being in form of a book makes it reachable to every human being. Of course it must be understood and that is why knowledge has been made compulsory in Islam.

Other miracles would have been witnessed only by a group of people. Also, in modern times could have been falsified by the use of technology. On the contrary a book divinely preserved and passed down both orally and scripturally generation after generation do not present such problems.

Similarly, the crucial hadiths necessary for salvation have been passed down through divine providence and tawatur.

With prayers for your success.

as salam alaikum

from a psychological perspective, even the mere presence of a person of the opposite gender have a particular influence that mold behavioral tendencies and attitudes that not necessarily relate to lust. That is also why many Islamic places, and traditional societies in general, always had a specific code to limit promiscuity and social contact between genders. 

There is no problem in dealing with the opposite gender in the prescribed shar'i way and in case of necessity as long as all Islamic etiquettes are observed but one should try as much as possible to move forward what Allah has commanded in all circumstances.

With prayer for your success.

as salam alaikum

if by "little late" is meant that your parents miss the best time for prayer (waqt al-fadilah), meaning just as enters the adhan time, there is no problem in praying at different times as long as everybody prays before sunset. However it would be appropriate to pray Jama'ah and even better to pray Jama'ah at the mosque if there is the possibility.

With prayers of your success.

as salam alaikum

the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence are related to practical laws and therefore they are not directly linked to doctrinal and theological issues (although sometimes we see some affiliations).

Theologically, Sunni schools can be divided in three main branches: Ash'aris, Maturidis and Ahl al-Hadith.

The Sunni-Shia debate have been dealt in different way by different scholars belonging to these branches. Therefore the judgment more often goes back to ulama, or groups of ulama, and not to the schools themselves. Also, it may depends on what Shi'i trend they refer as their judgments may differs from a Shi'i approach or group to another.

We certainly see some Sunnis very staunch against Shi'ism while others are more tolerant. The same goes for the Shias towards Sunnis. So it is prudent not to generalize and analyze single groups and opinions from case to case.

With prayers for your success.