Divine Justice

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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 years ago

Allah knows best how to weigh all aspects of a person's nature, intentions, capability, understanding, opportunities, knowledge, weaknesses and so forth. So, in the next life, Allah will judge absolutely justly, and no one will look at how Allah judges in the next life and say that Allah has been unfair. We will also understand better why people are judged as they are, since sometimes a small action may lead a person to jannah and someone who seems good on the surface may end up in the other place. 

However, having genuine wilayah (allegiance) to the Imams will, inshallah, aid a person in helping to attain a higher spiritual station, benefit from their intercession, and allow us to be with them in the next life. 

Most non-Shi'a today are not directly rejecting the Imams; rather, they are just following what they grew up with or what society says around them. This is different from someone who, for example, rejected Imam 'Ali (A) to his face. As is narrated from Imam Rida (A): "May Allah have mercy on the one who keeps our [teachings] alive... for if the people knew of the virtues of what we say, they would have followed us."

It is important not to be arrogant in one's faith, since even if a person believes in the Imamate, they may still suffer from misconceptions about what is true and be informed in the next world about those things that they thought were correct, which were not. Inshallah Allah would also be merciful about that. However, we can, God willing, pray that Allah guides us to what is most true. 

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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 3 years ago

Qur'an 2:7 says: "Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing, and there is a covering over their eyes"

This refers to the loss of the ability to perceive the truth, especially about matters of the divine, truth, or right and wrong. (It does not refer to physical seeing and hearing, but rather seeing and hearing as metaphorical faculties for understanding. Similarly, the heart here is understood as a spiritual organ which perceives the truth.)

Although the verse attributes the sealing of the heart and ears to Allah, it is generally understood to mean that human beings bring this upon themselves through repeated transgression and obduracy against the truth, or denying the truth for personal gain. For instance, in the time of the Prophet (S), some of his enemies were trying to kill him or torturing the Muslims. Over time, this eats away at the capability of the heart (or other faculties) to perceive the truth, until it becomes blocked.

The verse does not specify who is covering their eyes, only that they are covered, and this suggests that they themselves are drawing blinders over their ability to perceive. (In the time of the Prophet (S), some people did this directly - for instance, plugging their ears when around the Prophet (S); today, some people do this by intentionally only going to media websites which reflect their views and ideologies and refusing to consider that they could be wrong.)

Some people who hold there is a reality to deeds in the unseen world would say that the performance of certain transgressions leaves an impact on the spiritual heart - that is to say, people plug up their hearts (ears, etc) through wrong deeds, just like one might plug up a drain over a long time through running detritus through it and not cleaning it out (through repentance and good acts). 

So it is a matter of cause and effect, or action and reaction, based on our own free will. 

However, Allah is the ultimate doer of all acts and all chains of cause and effect ultimately go back to Allah since Allah is the ultimate power in the universe. Furthermore, all things happen with Allah's permission and within the framework of what the divine decree allows, as well as the physical and spiritual laws of the universe. So for these reasons, the sealing is attributed to Allah. 

As for whether Allah intends for all of us to go to heaven... as one of the few creatures around us with free will, heaven and hell are possibilities for all of us, although we can be certain of Allah's justice, and hope for Allah's mercy and the intercession of the Prophet (S) and awliya (A).

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 3 years ago

Allah's love to us does not need to be proven after He created us from nothing and granted us life and all bounties of life. Allah (SWT) gave human beings the option and ability to be good or otherwise. Allah does not force us to be good nor to be bad but He helps us if we want to do good and leaves us if we want to do bad. Those who do bad and oppress others will face the result of their deeds while the oppressed will be compensated by Allah for their sufferings.

Wassalam.

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 4 years ago

Allah never sends on His creatures sufferings but He always showers us with His blessings and mercy and bounties. Your sexual desires are your own desires and never imposed on you by Allah. If you feel lonely because of your sexual desires, you should deal with the reason of your loneliness. If you are a follower of the Ahlul Bayt as you wrote, you need to read about their teachings in this matter to really follow them. 
 Wassalam.

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 4 years ago

1. Life includes tests. Different persons have different tests. Having a child with disability is a test for the parents just like other tests for other persons.

2. Those who are born with disability are also been tested but Allah compensates them with great gifts in this life and mainly hereafter.

 Wassalam.

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 4 years ago

Allah does not like bad deeds and ordered people to avoid and refrain from any bad deed but He does not force people to do good and refrain from bad as He has given every human being the intellect and ability to opt. Allah did not stop Cane from killing his brother Able, nor stopped the criminals from killing the pious. Every one takes his decision on his own and will get the result of his own act.

'Wassalam.

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Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 4 years ago

Allah (SWT) has promised in Quran to respond to the supplications (Your Lord said: Supplicate to me, I will respond to you). (Sura 40, Verse 60).

No supplication can go with out respond as far as it is for a permissible cause. The point is : When is the time that we see the response of our supplications?

We want to see it soon because we don't know the future and we think that it is good for us now, but Allah (SWT) knows everything including the future and the results which will happen if we get what we supplicated for. He knows that some wishes can be harmful under certain circumstances, that is why He does not grant it in the wrong time because He does not want to harm us. Some of our wishes can be delayed to be fulfilled for long time till Allah (SWT) knows the time when it will not be harmful for us to get it. Some wishes can be harmful for us all our life, so, Allah (SWT) grants us His response in the hereafter with great reward and ample bounties. Hadeeth says that when the believer sees the response of his supplications in Paradise, he will wish all his supplications  should have been postponed till hereafter.

Believer should continue supplicating all the time and under every circumstance, with full confidence that Allah (SWT) will definitely respond and grant him the best in the suitable time which is known to Allah (SWT).

Wassalam.

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Allah (SWT) created all His creatures for showering on them His countless bounties and unlimited Mercy. We read in Qur'an:  (Except those on whom Your Lord Has bestowed His Mercy, and for that He did create them). (Sura 11, verse 119).

Allah never created people to send them to hellfire, except those insist on criminal acts and continue committing injustice and die on such criminal acts.

Allah, The Most Merciful, The Most Compassionate gives every human being thousands and thousands of chances to believe in thr Truth and do good then enter the Paradise.

Allah (SWT) Has promised every one who believes in Him as The One God to go to Paradise as the Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) said: Paradise is the ultimate place for all believers in Allah الجنة للموحدين.

It is not correct the think majority of people since the time of Adam were atheists or non believers. Majority of human beings are believing in The One God which is part of the instinct knowledge even if the cultures and titles are different.

'The Mercy of Allah is much more greater than what we think and He will deal with His creatures with His great Mercy except the enemies of Allah.

'Wassalam.

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Allah (SWT) has promised in Quran to respond to the Du'a (supplication) and there is no Du'a with out response. (Your Lord said: Seek from me, I will respond to you) وقال ربكم ادعوني أستجب لكم(Sura 40, verse 60). 

We do not know how and when the respond will come. Allah (SWT) knows the best time and best way to respond to any Du'a. Our expectations are according to what we know, but Allah (SWT) knows everything and He is The Most Merciful, The Absolute Wise, so we should leave it to Him. Our mercy on the oppressed can never be more than Allah's mercy on them. He will definitely compensate  them in the best way in the best time. 
'Wassalam.

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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 5 years ago

Bismilla

Thank you for your question. Both well being and difficulty are types of ordeal that a person is tested with, in the same way that wealth and poverty are both tests but in different ways. While difficulties require patience, well being requires thankfulness (which means not only being thankful with the tongue but using their opportunities to fulfill the goals Gid has set out for a human). Those that do fulfill this responsibility will be rightly rewarded in the next life, in the same way that those who are patient through their trials will be rewarded.

The difference in trial is decided by God, who will only put a believer in the best situation for their progression. Fairness here is not that everyone has the same trial, but that everyone is given the best opportunity according to their constitution. A person tested with difficulty may succeed where they would have failed with ease, and vice verca. However, what is more usual in life is that people are tested with a variety of circumstances some of which are difficult and some of which are easy. A person that has no difficulty in life whatsoever is perhaps one who is lead astray, as another function of well being is to distract those with a bad end.

For a deeper look into the philosophy of trial please see these podcasts:

https://anchor.fm/zoheir-ali-esmail/episodes/Episode-75-51-261-263-Ordeals-part-1-of-3-eb0tbj

https://anchor.fm/zoheir-ali-esmail/episodes/Episode-76-51-264-268-Ordeals-part-2-of-3-eb29it

https://anchor.fm/zoheir-ali-esmail/episodes/Episode-77-51-269-276-Ordeals-part-3-of-3-eb3rb7

May you always be successful 

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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 5 years ago

I will leave this for someone else to answer fully but I just wanted to point out that the grass is always greener on the other side, sometimes some people seem to be enjoying themselves a lot or to "have it all" but in fact they are very unhappy. For instance, there are some people who are exceedingly rich but suffer from drug addiction, loneliness, family breakdown, etc. Does their wealth help them to avoid suffering from poverty? Certainly. Does it bring them full happiness beyond that? Not in and of itself; once a person's basic needs are met, happiness comes from other things. 

There are "religious" people who are happy, "religious" people who are unhappy, non-religious people who are happy, non-religious people who are unhappy, etc. It is true that the Muslim world is having a particularly difficult time these days (due to the global economic/political arrangement) but this is something new and not the same throughout time relating to being religious or not. 

While it is certainly possible for a practising Muslim to be in a very difficult situation, at least, adhering to shariah will help avoid certain things that can make life worse, such as suffering from alcoholism (inshallah at least it is avoided). Also, faith is usually a resource that people draw on in times of difficulty. 

Also it is true that it can be difficult to be a minority, and so being a practising Muslim in a country where you are a minority can add certain stresses, at the same time there are usually some advantages you get from that that others lack even if it seems like everyone else is having an easier time because they don't have to worry about prejudice, etc. 

Also there is a difference between being religious in name versus in ethics and principles. Some people call themselves "religious" because they do the outer aspects of Islam (such as reciting prayers on time or fasting) but they do not embrace the ethics and ideals of the Prophet (S), such as kindness, compassion, generosity, humility, forgiveness, standing up for justice, contributing to society, bravery, etc. Generally those values are what make individuals and the people around them happy. Of course one should embrace both the outer aspects of Islam and the ethical or inner aspects. 

As for complaining to Allah... it doesn't affect Allah if we complain to Allah. Even if, say, you are fishing and not catching enough fish, and you stand in front of the ocean and complain to the ocean, it doesn't affect the ocean, because the ocean is giant and you are not. And Allah is vaster than the ocean. However it is not healthy for ourselves to be angry at Allah for a long time. Still it is fine and even good to tell Allah that you are having a difficult time or are in pain or are suffering or feel lack and in need of a change. Sometimes Allah just wants us to ask!

Anyway everyone goes through hard times, particularly right now a lot of people are going through tough times, I hope things get better for you if you are having a difficult time. After every winter, there is a spring!

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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 years ago

The hardships and tests we face - God willing - refine us not only as human beings but increase our spiritual understanding and capacity to behold the divine. This is one reason why human being agreed to accept the responsibility of free will - with it comes a risk (hellfire) but also great potential.

Ideally the main goal of the material existence (as I understand it) is for human beings to deepen their inherent spiritual understanding as much as possible. A child and an adult may both go to jannah; however, depending on their experiences (as not everyone grows throughout a long lifespan), they may end up with a different inherent capacity to perceive the divine there. (One might equate that with "higher in jennah")