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Salaam everyone, I've been working on an app past couple of months, and just published it. It is free, and has no ads. Here are some of the features: Qur'an with translations by Shia translators (3 english, 3 Farsi, and 3 Urdu), Aga Puya tafsir, and 4 Shia Qur'an reciters Variety of Duas and Ziyarat with multiple reciters and english translation Unofficial browsers for Shiavoice, Shiamultimedia, ShiaTV, and al-Islam.org Live Shia TV channels Compilation of links of maraji' books Prayer times and adhan, with 3 different calculation methods, 2 midnight methods, and 4 adhan recitations It is currently only available for Android, and can be found here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.husseinabdallah.shiahub Thank you

Assalam Alaikum. I just want to start by thanking Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) for pushing me foward into the right direction. I’ve accepted that the Prophets sunnah is Ahlul Bayt and that his succesor are non other then Ali ibn abi talib and his descendents (عليه السلام) coming from a salafist background, I have to be honest and say that the notion of asking people who are gone is still hard for me to accept. Nonetheless, I can’t deny the fact that the Prophet sawa instructed us to follow his Ahlul Bayt. As I mentioned in a previous post. My people are hardline salafist so and Shia Islam is a completly foreign concept to them. So theres no way I can tell anyone im close to that Ive become a Shia anytime soon. To make matters worse, there arnt really many Shia were I live in the united states. There are only two Shia mosques in a nearby city and the closest one is a 30 minute drive. I didnt even know they existed until I did some research. Due to the small amount of Shias were I live. I can only assume that everyone who attends those mosques is from the same ethnicity and probably knows each other on a first name basis. I have bad social anxiety so going there would be a huge step outside of my comfort zone. Not to mention, ive heard stories of people who became Shia and didnt feel very welcomed by their new community. Now im not expecting anybody to hug and kiss me and throw themselves at my feet. But a basic amount of respect wouldnt be a bit too much to ask for would it? As much as people like to deny it racism is a huge affliction that affects the ummah inwardly and outwardly and id be lying if I said it wouldnt hurt to turn your back on your community and risk ostracism only to be turned away by the new one. Honestly, I don’t even think I could blame my people for turning me away in a sense since A year ago, I wouldnt hesistate to do the same to another person who became Shia. Even if this were to happen I hope it wont shake my faith in Ahlul Bayt as God knows the amount of times they were Alone and people turned on them yet never waivered in faith even for a bit. Unfortunately I don’t have the patience and piety of Ahlul Bayt (عليه السلام) Maybe im being a bit too extreme and unrealistic so I hope you read this with a bit of empathy. Your prayers and advice would be very much appreciated. Jazakum Allah khaiyr

https://www.albawaba.com/editors-choice/us-scientist-accuses-Muslims-fasting-Ramadan-‘wrong’-1284527 Popular astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has gotten into hot water with Muslims on social media after telling them they are breaking their Ramadan fasts 'too soon'.

I have a few comments (or rather a stream of consciousness) to make: The Takfiri/Salafi propaganda against the Shi'as is well-known, their petro-dollar funding and their obsession with attacking Tashayyu' - even over very petty and cultural practices - is very obvious and clear, and more dangerously, them disguising themselves as mainstream Ahl al-Sunnah is a strategy they are well known for. A response to them would be a video showcasing how as a matter of fact there are many Ahl al-Sunnah schools of thought who are very much against the Takfiri/Salafi/Wahhabi mentality, both in the East and as well as in the West - including very reputable and credible Sunni scholars. This should be highlighted very much so in polemics. As a matter of fact, the paradigms of the current world are on our side, and if the views of their scholars are exposed, they can be seriously damaged - the view of Imam Khomeini (q) or even other Shi'a scholars is a joke compared to what they have in their books. I am no fan of Shirazi or Yaser Habib type scholarship and neither with their obsession of cursing the companions - it is actually sickening for me to see their arguments, relying on utterly weak and often times fabricated traditions, particularly given the historical backdrop of how the practice of cursing in Proto-Tashayyu' was foremost a reaction to the public cursing initiated by Mu'awiyah (the first to institutionalize cursing of the companions), and then this reaction developed over the centuries, with the Kaysani movement, then during the late Umayyad period and so on (the history of how this practice developed and then got attributed to Shi'I identity is a discussion all on its own). Its epitome was during the Safavid period - where it got real bad - and it then died down from the time of Ayatullah Borojerdi and of course after the Islamic Revolution. If you notice, the Salafis live foremost in history. Majority of their quotes from influential Shia scholars go back to what scholars had said centuries ago - particularly the Safavid era (like what Majlisi says, or what Karaki says or Ne'matullah Jaza'iri said, or what Mufid said, or what Saduq said and so on), or at the very earliest they rely on material from the middle of the last century (like this quote from Imam Khomeini). But, because they are engaged in propaganda, they strip these quotes and present them, and the audience has no idea about the different notions that dominated the world at those times or what were the scholarly backgrounds of these scholars (for example if you understand the era and personalities of Majlisi, Ne'matullah Jaza'iri or Karaki you will realize that what they were saying was not absurd at all for their times and the type of interpretation they were doing from the religious texts). You can very easily do the same with their scholarship if the game is being played dirty. This is similar to Islamophobes taking out laws and narrations that talk about slavery and present them - they have to resort to works written centuries ago generally to argue their case. This is polemics for you. However, that is the past, even if it was 50-70 years ago, it is still the past. Today there is no doubt that within Iran, Shia Sunni unity is promoted, including in the seminaries and it is the official state position, and there are annual unity conferences held with hundreds of Sunni scholars and influential figures invited to these conferences. There are indeed Sunni mosques in Iran where there is a significant population of Sunnis (for example, like in Shiraz, there are 2-3 mosques, most famous of them being Masjid Rasul Akram). These sort of arguments, whether Iran has mosques or not where Sunnis are leading the congregation, are petty arguments only made to appeal to the viewers emotions. There is no doubt that there are more Sunni mosques in Iran than there are Shia mosques in all of the Middle East put together - Saudi Arabia has a couple where there is a high concentration of Shi'as and that's about it. This is typical of any Muslim country today, and nothing to do with Shia Sunni unity which has been Iran's official stance. At the same time, not once did any Shi'a scholar claim that by unity we meant compromising our beliefs. This is also reflected in Iran, for example with the commemoration of Fatimiyyah which marks the attack on the house of Fatima (s). The Shias have their beliefs and they hold on to them, and yes it is not hidden that the Shi'as have issues with certain companions of the Prophet (p) and that the narrative we accept is one of usurpation of the caliphate. However, going on to say that Taqiyyah Mudarati is a type of Nifaq (hypocrisy) is also absurd. Muslims generally and practically do Taqiyya Mudarati all the time when living in the West, when engaging with non-Muslims or even when Salafis have to engage with Shi'as in the West (Taqiyya does not only concern speech, but even actions, and we all know that many Salafis consider the blood of Shi'as to be permissible to be spilled - however they cannot carry this out because of Taqiyya as their lives and the lives of their families will be endangered in the West, and they will face serious consequences if caught, end up in jail, lose their governments benefits and so on). This is specifically true for Salafis, who according to their Fiqh are more severe and aggressive than any other Islamic school of thought (even against other Sunni schools), yet they do Taqiyya Mudarati all the time in front of the disbelievers and even other Muslims who they disagree with, so that they can live in harmony without causing trouble for themselves. Their own fatwas say you cannot befriend polytheists and disbelievers, yet they do Taqiyyah all the time while living in the West pretending to be friends with the disbelievers - otherwise they know very well according to their Fiqh, they are living in Dar al-Harb/Dar al-Kufr, they do not consider the disbelievers to have any sanctity, their women can be taken as slaves, their husbands can be killed and so on and there is actually no problem with that for them. If they are following the law of the land, it is only due to Taqiyyah. These double standards should also be highlighted in polemics. As for Imam Khomeini's (q) view, there is no reason to deny what he wrote. However, you can definitely make an argument that scholars alter their opinions all the time during the course of their life. Anyone who has studied a little will see this is a very common phenomenon in scholarship, both Sunni and Shi'a scholarship. At times you can find different contradicting opinions by one scholar in various books, because they had written them over the course of their lifetime, and these opinions changed. We are not talking about a time where there is the internet, where someone could very simply go back and edit their post or article online. This is a book he hand wrote which consists of more than 1200 pages. It was simply not common for a scholar to go back and edit something they had written like that even if they altered their position - this is as I said, is very common in Sunni and Shi'a scholarship. Imam Khomeini's (q) Kitab al-Taharah was written around the 1950s, this is almost 3 decades before the revolution. His comments in al-Makasib al-Muharrama were also from the 1950s. Do we realize how much a person's opinions can change in 30 years? How can you establish that he held the same view three decades later - particularly after all what he went through and with the development and realization of his political views - when you have conflicting comments from him and the fact that he ended up becoming one of the biggest proponents of Sunni Shia unity in the Shi'I world? Finally, it should also be mentioned that the Iranian government has nothing to prove to the Sunni world when it comes to giving a lending hand to the oppressed Sunnis - of Palestine) or elsewhere - and the Middle East puppet governments and those being funded by them should die of shame for even making accusations suggesting otherwise. With the kind of connections IP has, they can very easily showcase Sunnis in Iran who have very positive things to say about the Iranian government to counter the propaganda of SDL, or perhaps even attend the annual Shia-Sunni unity conference and highlight or interview influential Sunni scholars to make their case. This I believe would be very much beneficial. Wasalam

As salaamun aleikum, As a grown adult man, he doesnt understand how someone can know someone for YEARS and still stab them in the back?? Lol, ive had it happen to me and im no one special. Stabbing me in the back only benefitted those people a teeny tiny bit, but there was MUCH more at stake in the Prophets situation. I don’t understand whats so perplexing to him..he admitted terrible things happened to the Alhle Bayt...so did he miss the point of how Shimr was on the right side for years but then ended up committing the greatest attrocity in Karbala? I mean, not burrying the Prophet, having a secret meeting, usurping caliphate, refusing Fadak,etc. are one tyoe of thing..beheading another human being, especially one as magnificent as Imam Hussein(عليه السلام) is as bad as you can get. When the grandson of the Prophet and his family are massacred, anything LESS than that is possible within all humans. What is so hard to fathom about that? Sheikh Hamza Yusuf is too smart to let this slide past him based on this reasoning. Hes studied abroad, spent time with numerous famous and educated sheikhs...I can’t believe his study into the revolution and shiaism didnt lead him to a different conclusion. Allahu alam.. W/s

Believe it or not. I found this Dua on a website, (and it has been reposted on Facebook since the original blog/link can no longer be found) and I recited it religiously everyday and within 3 months, I met the person I would marry. If you haven’t found a suitable someone and are seriously interested in reciting this dua (ONLY if you are serious) then here’s the blog post. The dua is written in Arabic. I would recommend you follow its’ instructions (Recite the Dua at least 10 times everyday and ask Allah to grant you the qualities you are looking for in a spouse.) here it is (copied from another website) Everyone desires to have a soul mate. It is not very difficult to get married, nor is it hard to find a spouse. If you are honestly seeking to settle down, have a job and live happily there is a solution to your problem. This is the golden truth that can be put to test; for Muslims as well as non-Muslims. What I am about to share with you will change your life forever insha-Allah. Even the most talented, highly educated and most resourceful people (or organizations) in the entire world can not solve this problem; nor make any such promises to anyone. You will find books titled, "Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus" but none of these books can guarantee a marriage or a spouse. However, there is one Internationally renowned book that provides the solution. In fact, it challenges mankind to apply its formula and experience the beauty and sweetness of becoming married. In as much as many have tried to "Burn" the Qur'an, accused it of spreading violence and terrorism; surprisingly it happens to be the ONLY Book on the planet Earth that teaches the message of love, affection and marriage (besides a million other great things). So are you ready to embark on this journey? Are you sincerely seeking to get married? Are you ready to apply the Quranic truth and experience its reality? Or are you just playing around? Today, hundreds and thousands of "match-makers" try and link people together. But the beauty of the Qur'an is in its simplicity. I met my wife and married her after reading this verse of the Glorious Qur'an. Let me share with you the golden verse of the Noble Qur'an that holds the golden keys to getting married. All you have to do on a daily basis is start reciting this verse from the Holy Qur'an:Rabbi inni lemaa anzalta elayya min khairin faqeer (Chapter 28, verse 24)Verse 24 is the Supplication or "Du'a" that everyone needs to read, if not memorize. Whenever, you feel lonely and full of desire for a spouse, or feel the pain of not having a wife or husband, then start reading this dua. Read it standing, sitting, walking, laying, before prayers, after prayers and in any mode of your daily activities and as many times. Below is the Arabic of what was transliterated above:رَبِّ إِنِّى لِمَآ أَنزَلۡتَ إِلَىَّ مِنۡ خَيۡرٍ۬ فَقِيرٌ۬Insha Allah within 4-months you will see the doors open and Allah ta'ala will alleviate/remove your pain by providing you with a spouse. So, what you have to do is after you read this verse a number of times; make sure to ask Allah (God) in a way similar to what follows:"Oh Allah! You have made every living thing in pairs. The sincere, beautiful and pious pair that you have created for me, please give it to me" It is recommended that one recites this verse at least 10 times and after finishing this dua ask Allah Almighty for a spouse that is kind, beautiful, soft hearted, pious, loving and a gentle soul mate. What you want in your spouse is what you should ask but if you don't ask for piety or kind heartedness then don't blame anyone but yourself.Interesting FactsYou would have to turn your attention to Suratul-Qasas (Arabic: سورة القصص‎) (The Stories). This is the 28th surah (chapter) of the Qur'an with 88 ayats (verses). Lexically, "Qasas" means to relate events in their proper sequence. In fact, this Surah details the story of the Sayyidna Musa alayhi salaam (Prophet Moses). So, here is the background to this wonderful incident as explained in the Qur'an: And a man came from the uttermost part of the city, running. He said: O Musa! Lo! the chiefs take counsel against thee to slay thee; therefor escape. Lo! I am of those who give thee good advice (20) So he (Sayyidna Musa alayhi salaam) escaped from thence, fearing, vigilant. He said: Ya Rab! Deliver me from the wrongdoing folk. (21) And when he turned his face toward Midian, he said: Per adventure my Lord will guide me in the right road. (22) And when he came unto the water of Midian he found there a whole tribe of men, watering. And he found apart from them two women keeping back (their flocks). He said: What aileth you? The two said: We cannot give (our flocks) to drink till the shepherds return from the water; and our father is a very old man. (23) So he watered (their flock) for them. Then he turned aside into the shade, and said: My Lord! I am needy of whatever good Thou sendest down for me. (24) So, why does this supplication work so well? Allah ta'ala gives the response in the Qur'an immediately after this verse: Then there came unto him one of the two women, walking shyly. She said: Lo! my father biddeth thee, that he may reward thee with a payment for that thou didst water (the flock) for us. Then, when he came unto him and told him the (whole) story, he said: Fear not! Thou hast escaped from the wrongdoing folk. (25) One of the two women said, O my father! Hire him. For the best (man) that thou can hire is the strong, the trustworthy.(26) Therefore, one can see that Sayyidna Musa alayhi salaam found a spouse and he landed himself a job. The key Arabic word to note is that after Sayyidna Musa alayhi salaam finished his dua, the response from Allah ta'ala was very fast; otherwise known in Arabic as "Bis-sura'a" (speedy). Verse 25 starts with the Arabic word "Fa Jaa'at huma...". Any verse that starts with "faa" and not "waa" is an indication that the response will be immediate.

I come from a very small Welsh village with a very small Welsh city with a small mosque in it. None of the brothers there, despite saying they need to find me someone to marry were serious on helping, so I signed up to a very famous Muslim matrimony site. Having followed Catholicism since turning to religion, marriage was important to me as a young man and I didn't really like the prospect of being a Muslim bachelor, since as an atheist I enjoyed the company of the opposite gender. After discussing what my future wife and I wanted in a spouse, the important topics one should discuss and after seeing a picture, I met my future wife with her mother at a public space, a week or two later I went to see her at her home with her mother and wali present. By that point it was quite obvious we were all happy to precede, then a bit later, maybe a few weeks later we had the nikah by which point I had more than enough to give as a mahr and financially support my wife. Four years and two kids later, we are still as happy as we were on that summer's day, masha'Allah alhamdulillah. Every avenue of finding a spouse has pros and cons, some more significant than others.

You mentioned the qualifications that must be present in the person who lead the prayer. What are they?- He must be adult, sane, devout, just, and not rebellious against the injunctions of God; he should also be of a legitimate birth, and male, where the worshippers are male. Can women conduct congregational prayer?- Yes, it is permissible for women to join in congregational prayer behind a male Imam. A woman can also lead the prayer for other women. However, when a woman leads the prayer for other woman, [she must not stand ahead of them; rather she must stand in the same line]. https://www.Sistani.org/english/book/49/2407/

So I'm curious to know if other former Sunnis on here would describe themselves as retaining certain practises from before, or having previous Sunni influences which impact their Tashayyu. People born and raised as Shias ultimately had a different experience to us and have a certain culture you could argue or understanding how things are done, which we had to learn to embrace. For instance, personally speaking when praying privately, I tend to omit the 2 lines about Imam Ali ((عليه السلام)) from the adhan and iqama - not because I disagree or not believe in these statements, rather because it simply is not part of the adhan or iqama. As former Sunnis can attest, there is this endeavour or striving many have to attempt to follow Islam as authentically as one can. So, if this was not at the time of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) and the likes of Bilal (رضي الله عنه) did not say it, I don't feel comfortable in doing so if I'm being honest. When it comes to combining prayers, I fully accept it is permissable and I get it. I too do so. But I also like to space them out and pray separately. It is a shame how many Shia almost dogmatically pray 3 times, even watching live prayers from Najaf and Karbala they do so. It is permitted yes, but not wajib. I wish our mosques and centres would switch it up sometimes as a reminder that it is superior to do them separately, if not a more consistent Sunnah of the Prophet and Imams as. A typical Shia prayer timetable, be it a mosque website or app, only shows 3 prayer times. I have to go to a website which mentions all 5 according to Jafari madhab to find out the times, again this is a shame as some of us want to know when to pray Asr or Isha specfically. Praying on a turbah, yes this Earth is superior to all others but the actual Sunnah of the Prophet saw was to pray directly on Earth, or small palm leaf mat (khumra). I switch it up, sometimes I pray on turbah, other times I use my khumra, sometimes I pray in my garden, prostrating on soil. As a general question to others on here and I do not mean it in a judgemental way, but ask yourselves, when was the last time you remember prostrating on soil? It is a beautiful sensation/smell and a great reminder of our mortality. If not humbling. For Ashura, I am as saddened and heart broken as anyone else, but cannot bring myself to vividly and physically express my grief, other than watery eyes. If feeling compelled out of a need to conform with others, I'll lightly tap my chest in rythmn with others, but I do not feel comfortable doing so again, maybe some Sunni influences on my part. The concept of ghayba was something I also struggled with previously. I do believe and accept it, but naturally one gets doubts and whispers as we all do from time to time. But I do feel peace knowing that I recognise the Imam of my age. I guess people forget suddenly becoming Shia and accepting wilayat of Imam Ali (عليه السلام) and the other believes does not mean you shake off or abandon, completely one's former influences or practises. Since becoming Shia I basically feel my understanding of my deen has improved. I do not feel I converted per se, rather adopted a different, albeit more authentic madhab.

Congratulations to ShiaChat members who were Popular Contributors from May 1 to May 15! @Propaganda_of_the_Deed @aaaz1618 @Ibn al-Hussain @Islandsandmirrors @Zellali @7ssein @Shia farm girl @realizm @Ibn Al-Shahid @ali_fatheroforphans @Ali~J @Faruk @SoRoUsH @AbdulKarim313_Austin/Nola

Congrats to ShiaChat members who were Popular Contributors April 16 - 30! @Propaganda_of_the_Deed @OrthodoxTruth @ali_fatheroforphans @7ssein @Ali~J @aaaz1618 @BowTie @AmirioTheMuzzy @3wliya_maryam @Islandsandmirrors @ireallywannaknow @Bakir @Nevsevug @aaljibar Thank you to Team members who were popular contributors April 16 to 30. @starlight @Ashvazdanghe @Qa'im @Akbar673 @Abu Hadi @Heavenly_Silk @Sirius_Bright @Hameedeh @ShiaChat Mod @notme @Hassan-

Why do people lose faith when they live around non-Muslims? My faith actually gets stronger around non-Muslims.

The root of this issue (in my experience) is that the Ahmadis preach a milquetoast cookie-cutter Islam. The motto is "Love for all, hatred for none" - which if you think deeply enough about, is entirely meaningless, because love (wala') for anything would denote dissociation (bara') of its opposite. It's a slogan that is sweet to the ears, but it has no reality in anyone's life, let alone in the Qur'an. For Ahmadis, the Prophet Muhammad (s) was a pacifist; a Mahatma Ghandi figure, which is easily challenged the moment you open a book of history or hadith (or even parts of the Qur'an). So as soon as an Ahmadi investigates his religion, or comes in contact with missionaries, he has a crisis of faith, because Islam is not what he was taught.

I have left polemics many years ago as it does not heed any results and my energy and time is better spent elsewhere. Most Muslims today could give two damns about these discussions and more fundamental discussions regarding religion, God, metaphysics, spirituality, ethics and law need to focused on - these guys do not have anything substantial to offer in those areas as they are stuck in history and their lives are an inconsistent mess, predicating classical interpretations on the modern world. These guys will comfort the Sunni laity by quoting the theoretical and/or taqiyyah/maslaha-based opinions of their Salafi scholars saying that the disbelievers in the West are in an 'ahd with us and hence the laws of a harbi do not apply on them. However, these things like "you have to follow the law of the land" () are said due to maslaha, to keep people at bay and to be able to live and survive, otherwise they know there is no 'ahd here. An 'ahd is done by a Wali Amr and the Imam of the Muslims on behalf of the Muslims. Who is their Wali Amr who has done such an 'ahd with the disbelievers of the West on behalf of all the Muslims of the world? King Salman? The paradigms have all changed. Are they recognizing modern nation states - democracies or kingdoms - as jurisprudentially justified, let alone be representative of the Muslims? In addition, such an 'ahd cannot occur for more than a number of years (usually a decade) before falling back to the primary ruling of wujub of offensive war, so even if there was any 'ahd it is long expired (please show us where this 'ahd is in the first place and what were the conditions of this 'ahd - an 'ahd cannot even allow certain conditions such as the permissibility of the disbelievers to insult Islam and the Muslims or things which allow them to weaken the Muslims and blaspheme against the Prophet and so on - the West thrives on being able to say and do all these things). Even if we were to agree with them and say there is some sort of hypothetical 'ahd which Shar'an necessitates peace, such an 'ahd has long been broken by many of the Western countries due to their foreign and domestic policies and warfare against Muslims and Islam as a whole (both inside and outside their countries). Ibn Taymiyyah: أن ناقض العهد و المرتد المؤذي لا ريب أنه محارب لله و رسوله فإن حقيقة نقض العهد محاربة المسلمين و محاربة المسلمين محاربة لله و رسوله As for one who violates an 'ahd and an apostate who causes disturbance, there is no doubt that they are Muharib against Allah and His Messenger. The mere reality of violating a contract ('ahd) is doing Muharabah against the Muslims and Muharabah against the Muslims is Muharabah against Allah and His Messenger. Also they make it sound like as if Da'esh scholars had some different Fiqh revealed to them from the heavens. Da'esh scholars and their Fiqh is primarily based on classical opinions in Sunni Fiqh, derived from the same traditions and verses of the Qur'an. It would be absurd (I.e. taqiyyah) for a Sunni to say that Da'esh ijtihad is not valid, justified and hujjah. As for his point about living in the past - yes that is an issue if you bring past opinions of Shi'a scholars as arguments, because Shi'a do not believe in taqleed al-mayyit in jurisprudence, let alone theology (where they generally do not accept taqlid at all). Past opinions are irrelevant if ijtihad has been done and scholars have arrived at new conclusions - both in jurisprudence and theology. For example, I could care less what Majlisi or Ne'matullah Jazairi had to say about the Sunnis - it is very clear their living contexts and as well as Akhbari methodology heavily influenced their opinions and comments on this subject. No, I didn't forget - I wasn't trying to explain every single verse in the Qur'an (there are about 26 in total). This has a similar explanation as what I had written earlier. La'inun does not mean someone who just sits there and verbally sends la'nah. Linguistically it means Allah expels and dismisses those who conceal the truth, He removes them from His mercy, and so does a group of creation (we do not know if this is angels, humans, or both) who expel and dismiss such individuals as well. If you want to take it as a verbal pronouncement of "Allahuma-l'an" then you would have to assume the same meaning for both Allah and this group of creation (the meaning is nonsensical in the case of Allah since he does not verbally supplicate for them to be removed from His own mercy). Wasalam

Seriously Youtube comments on videos about Shia are a highly toxic cyber wasteland of hate and ignorance. You think who or where are these people in real life? People saying the most vile things and confidently stating that Shia are not Muslim. I also see the same faces/users literally on any anti Shia video. These people have no lives.

Assalamualaikum, My dad's been sick for two weeks. The day he got sick, one of my moms co-workers was getting divorce because her husband is leaving with another lover. (Yes this is relevant please keep reading) She was devastated so everyone was comforting her. Another one of my mom's coworker friends called her to see where she was because she wanted to go to the lady and console her. My mom said she was in the car with my dad. Of course dad asked who it was, what they wanted, what happened (in a negative tone, the usual ) and then when my mom told him, his answer was "that's what happens to women who care more about their social life than their home life." (I partially agree but only towards this one lady, because I remember her son used to be in first grade and all the time his nose would be running, he would be wearing old, torn uniform, and his hair would be disheveled, and they're bloody rich so it wasn't an issue like that (her job is apart of her social life. She only does it for her friends. Which is completely fine but it's not fine how she treated her kid and ignored his needs)) Anyways, my mom didn't reply. However, this gave him a chance to of course bring her into this saying all these women working in this particular place, this is how they turn out to be ( of loose character) , blah blah. The husband is leaving, not her. Shes devastated. He's abandoning his kids too so how is he any better? He kept spewing ill words to the work place (my mom is a , teacher. A teacher. Of first graders. ) Of course my mom didn't take that for long and asked him what he meant. Causing the fight because "he's never wrong". Now he says" I got sick on the day of the fight. Means I got sick because of you" (at my mom) saying my mom has done black magic on him because they had a fight 2 weeks ago. I'm done. Honestly, I don't know how she can talk to him straight face. I'm so done. I hate him. I don't care what he provides for, what he does, because he does it as a "religious duty" From God. Not because he's our father, I'm sure he believes he loves us, but I don't want this love. I'm done because this is honestly a normal thing to happen every 1-2 months. Im sick and tired of it. After all this, nawozobillah, if my mom were to actually do something wrong, I wouldn't even care. I'd still side with her. He doesn't deserve her. At all. I've taken this for 18 years. Came in between when it used to get physical till I was 14. It only stopped being physical not because he started fearing God or because he thought he was morally wrong but because my brothers started calling him out on it and he got scared they might spill to someone out of the family or worse, leave him in old age. If he thinks they're going to keep him in old age, he's in for one hell of a ride later. But Im done. However my mom can't leave him due to financial issues. I'm 18, I have three younger brothers (13, 10 and 9). And here divorce is "ASTAGHFIRULLAH HOW DARE SHE". So, is there any way that I can read something, and secretly pray that actually works and changes him. Anything anyone has actually seen work? Like we're asked to read "nasrum minallahe wa fata un Kareem" when we want to be successful or repeat some specific word. Can someone tell me something for my situation? Jazakallah Khair.

I disagreed with their very first video titled British Shi'ism Exposed to begin with which then led to SDL making a response and now IP has dragged themselves into something they clearly have no expertise in. They made major factual mistakes in that first video and misrepresented the view of classical Shi'I Fiqh regarding Sunnis - somehow they had a problem with the one view that said unity is a political strategy (which it is and there is nothing wrong with that). Anyways, I commented on that video on this forum when it was published here many students in Qom were against it (due to the fact that it had major mistakes). My only suggestion for them is that they either do not engage in such polemical videos, or if they wish to do so, they should first study their own books and Fiqh properly or get someone who is truly well-versed to help them with these videos. What Imam Khomeini says in his Kitab al-Tahara is nothing unique to him, that is the view held by a thousand years of Shi'I scholarship. The only way any sort of unity is possible without it being a political strategy is by altering one's theological belief - something most Shi'as are not going to do, and hence the Shi'a (and Muslims at large) shall continue to live a contradictory life in the modern era (I.e. their practical behavior today does not match their tradition). PS - The Arabic misunderstanding at 3:35 is not something trivial. His whole rebuttal was based on his understanding of that one line which he says means "even if", and he completely misunderstood it because it means "even though" or "although". This reflects extremely poorly on him as a seminary student as someone who cannot even get basic Arabic right, or upon whoever is verifying the content of these videos and in fact his whole attempt to somehow save Imam Khomeini (q) from what he said goes down the drain. Yes Imam Khomeini (q) is literally saying they are to be treated pure - apparently - even though in reality they are more dirty than pigs and dogs. Just like Khu'I says they are to be dealt with as pure - apparently - even though in reality they are disbelievers (kafir), because they do not accept the Wilayah. This is simple classical Shi'I theology 101. I mention terms like "classical" or "traditional", because there have been new interpretations that have been offered, but those scholars often get pushed aside as "liberal", "reformists", "neo-liberals" and so on, so there is no point mentioning those interpretations or the names of those scholars. Wasalam

Meaning of Layl 1) Shaykh Tusi in his al-Tibyan (v. 2, pg. 136): و الليل هو بعد غروب الشمس، و علامة دخوله على الاستظهار سقوط الحمرة من جانب المشرق، و إقبال السواد منه، و إلا فإذا غابت الشمس مع ظهور الآفاق في الأرض المبسوطة و عدم الجبال، و الرواسي، فقد دخل الليل Layl is after the sun sets. The sign of sunset is the disappearance of the eastern redness and the appearance of darkness from it. However, if the sun disappears while the horizon is visible on plain lands without any mountains and hills, then Layl has entered. 2) Allamah Tabrisi in his Majma' al-Bayan (v. 2) says the same as above: إلى وقت دخول الليل و هو بعد غروب الشمس و علامة دخوله على الاستظهار سقوط الحمرة من جانب المشرق و إقبال السواد منه و إلا فإذا غابت الشمس مع ظهور الآفاق في الأرض المبسوطة و عدم الجبال و الروابي فقد دخل الليل‏ If we did not have contradictory reports on the matter some saying Maghrib is sunset while others saying disappearing of the eastern redness, the Shi'a scholars would have had no reason to say that though Layl here means sunset, it can be certainly ascertained once the eastern redness disappears. But, because of the existent of contradictory reports, one of the reconciliations many scholars gave was that when the Imams (a) say Layl or Maghrib is when the disk of the sun disappears, it is referring to when a person is on plain lands without any mountains and hills, but when they mention the disappearance of the eastern redness it is referring to when one is on land which is mountainous and they cannot see the horizon. This reconciliation is being witnessed in the above two statements by Tusi and Tabrisi and as well as in the words of other scholars which I have not quoted - otherwise it is clear that as per the Arabic word, layl means after the disk of the sun has set (I.e. after sunset). Wasalam

I took shahada a year ago with people I've lost contact with. There is no mosque to attend. I've studied Islam online and prayed by myself. The closest masjid is in a neighboring city I can't travel to due to the lack of a car or other transportation. I'm trying to get what I need financially to move but am failing to be to save any money. I've tried to find Muslims to have a prayer group with but they don't exist in the area.

Everyone, thank you very much for your help. @Heavenly_Silk It won't stop meowing, so I put an old flannel piece in its box and it snuggled against it and fell asleep. @Propaganda_of_the_Deed We don't get any kitten milk where I live.I followed an emergency recipe and made something out of baby formula and egg yolk and tried feeding it with a syringe but it wasn't very easy. I think the mother came to feed it once during the day and we are hoping it would come in the night too. It's less than 24 hours old.It won't even open its eyes. Let's pray he makes it.

Oftopic: Originally the Hanafi and Maliki madahib are no property of Ahl as-Sunnah. Both founders supported uprisings of Zaidi Shia Imams and the Hanafi madhab started as the madhab of the Mutazilites. Lot of Sunni's are not aware of these developments. Let alone about Hanafi scholars who also believed IN the 12th Imam and his Occultation. Sectarian boundaries aren't as black-white as we think when we study our history thoroughly.

Assalam alaikum dear brothers and sisters and may the blessings and mercy of Allah be upon you all. I saw another user make an introduction, so I thought I would too. I came to Islam as the light at the end of the tunnel and attended the only mosque in my Welsh county, slotting by default into hanafi ideology. I moved to a England and to larger Muslim and mostly Indian/Pakistani community after marriage. Despite members of the Welsh community telling me that the community in this English city was better, it became quite clear, quite quickly that they weren't right. Increasingly isolated by both the community and the hanafi school, particularly hadiths, increasingly ashamed by terrorist attacks and sectarianism, after three years as a Muslim I felt at conflict with myself. I really struggled as I felt between two cultures, the culture of Islam and the culture as a British white man, and I didn't slot into either. I came to this religion because I saw inclusion of the Abrahamic narrative, inclusion of white people, people from Asia, Africa and elsewhere, I saw Islam as the final message of God, one of salvation, hope and solace. I did not see these things being practiced. I grew up respecting people of all faiths and views, and I hold that stance to this day. Muslims are Muslims, I see beyond the sects, if you love Allah and His messenger and you uphold the principal of peace, charity, kindness and so on, then who am I to hate you or be a takfiri on you!? I attended a salafi mosque on Ashura, because it was the only one that did English sermons, I saw a congregation humiliate a student (who I assume was Iranian by his accent) for asking why nobody mentions Hussain on such a day. I also saw brothers stand up and defend a man who had been arrested and later charged for trying to buy firearms for terrorism in a sting operation on a separate day. I myself had been targeted for not doing footsy during prayer with the person next to me. I continued to see this idiotic approach to people who follow the Ahlul Bayt, it trickles down from adults to kids, my nephew said that Shi'ites worship Ali, astaghfirullah. He said his friend at school told him. I corrected him. I used to have an Instagram account where I posted lessons and tidbits that might inspire people to be peaceful and good, I had even aspired to train to become an Imam and open a mosque, it would have been, to my knowledge, the first to feature a prayer room where women prayed behind men and not closed off in a tiny 2nd class room upstairs. It would be one of only a few where management would have not been of one school of thought, but many, where women would play an important role and where counselling services would take place for domestic violence and mental health... All sounds great, but because of my own mental health, I did not feel I could take on such a task. What did come out of Instagram was that I was responsible for reporting somewhere between 30-50 Daesh inspired or far right inspired profiles which as a result were removed, alhamdulillah. Anyway, for a long time I felt unhappy, with people, with the thought that people churn out such nonsense, whether it is about people or even things like hadiths. Andwe are expected to just take it all as gospel because an Imam said it, a sheikh said it, a pillar of the community said it. I started following the maliki maddhab, but now I don't adhere to any ideology as such. People might erroneously say I cherry pick, but picking the truth isn't always the easy option, so I hardly call that cherry picking. I seek truth and logic according the the Qur'an and if that comes from Ammar Nakshawani, so be it, if it comes from Abdal Hakim Murad, so be it. So why am I on Shiachat? Because first of all I want to meet like minded people in my area, and second of all, because I respect you and care for you as fellow Muslims. I just can't live a life spewing hate, teaching my children to hate and expect the world to be a better place for it. It does nothing here on Earth and it does nothing up there in Jannah either. Apologies for the novel, but at least I used paragraphs hey! Oh Lord send Your peace and blessings upon Muhammad and his family. May You always be pleased with us, keep us firm upon your truth and your religion. May we be standing together and may you always allow the light, wisdom and intellect to exist in this world so that we learn to love and put down our hatred, as although we are different people with different opinions and of differing backgrounds, we are all in need of Your light, all in need of Your mercy and all in need of Your pleasure with us. Forgive us all for what we say and do, what You know but we don't of the things we do to displease You. Oh Lord, send Your peace and blessings upon Muhammad and His family.

Assalamu Alaikum, My birth name is [edit], but my Muslim name is Ali Alcazar. I was born in Jacksonville, FL. I'm an American of mainly British, German, and Spanish descent, and a small percentage of Native American. I was originally brought up as a nondenominational Christian, then I switched over and became a Roman Catholic at age 18 in the year 2014. Since then, I grew increasingly interested in learning about Judaism and Islam. After feeling strong sympathy for the Shia due to the importance of Ahlul Bayt and the endless persecution they go through, and after finally realizing that the doctrines of the trinity and the incarnation didn't make any sense, I decided to convert to Shia Islam. I took my Shahada at a Shia mosque last year at Chinese New Year night in the year 2018. Unfortunately, I currently live far away from a Shia mosque, but at least I've learned how to pray from apps and YouTube videos with instructions for Salah. Please keep me in your prayers as I'll be keeping our community in my prayers. Thank you.

Complete disagree. Just because a Man is married to a Woman does not in any way give him the authority, nor the permission to inflict pain upon his wife. A wife is taken in trust from her father and one of the key responsibilities is to be her protector from harm. To rape her is a violation of that right. Anyone that would rape his wife, does not hold any love or affection for her. That man is no higher than an animal. Why do people need a hadith or Quranic verse to convince them when basic human decency can provide the answer?

It's not necessarily problematic, because in the end, what really matters is your standpoint in many aspects of life (and not so much the cause or reasoning which is more linked to your faith and beliefs). You can be a good person for several reasons. Conflict with atheism tends to be more of a social problem than an individual one. This means, it's common to see an atheist committed to a set of moral values he believes in. However, it is not possible to expect this from a society. I am assuming your atheist friend is a good person, believes in certain moral human values, and just merely doesn't believe in doctrine per se. Take care anyway, friends do influence us and its important to be a bit critic of what they say.

Ramadan Kareem everyone, Hope you all are doing well in this blessed month, I would like to talk about something that a lot of people tend to struggle with - and that is motivation. Being motivated isn't just about gaining motivation from others or hearing spoken words or watching an inspirational video; no ones going to motivate you other than yourself. Receiving motivation from others isn't enough. You can motivate others and they'll feel inspired, but its all up to them if they act upon it, rather than just listening. I feel like most people nowadays just listen but not take action, including those like myself. In life, we can only suffer and go through pain to get where we want to be; we must go through many trials and difficulties to reach our goals. And a lot of people don't want to have to face that, so they choose to delay and procrastinate. We've all been there. As I mentioned in another post, I used to always give up when it came to my health, you know why? Because I listened to others and not myself. Some people would say that I didn't need to lose weight and others would say I should; and I didn't know who I was meant to listen to. That's why when it comes to achieving your goals, only listen to what your mind tells you and don't listen to what others need to say. A lot of people will bring you down, say stuff that'll make you feel worthless and hopeless, because they think you will never be able to succeed. I never thought I'd able to shed a lot of pounds until I motivated myself regardless of what people had to say. In the end, all that pain and suffering was truly worth it. You've finally reached where you wanted to be, that's when you'll look back and realise the amount of effort you chose to put to make your dreams a reality. You thank Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) because He willed you to get there and He knew that you wouldn't give up. @Ruqaya101 @2Timeless @ali_fatheroforphans @Sumerian @Gaius I. Caesar @Islandsandmirrors @Tima @strength=Abbas @Bakir

Salaam, I've just created this new account for identity purposes. If the mods think this is too inappropriate then I guess it will be removed... This is the first time I've ever told anyone about this. Straight into it. When I was about 9 years old, my brother was about 13. One day he called me into my parents bedroom and he locked the door. He told my Mum that we would be playing a game. But no. He lied down on the bed and removed his clothes and told me to take mine off. He was my older brother and at the time I didn't see anything wrong with it, so I did. He then told me to start touching his pe*is and basically give him oral sex. I didn't want to but I just thought it was a game. Then after sometime he made me lie down and said he was going to lick me as well. But when he did, I started laughing and told him that it was tickling me, he stopped obviously so no one heard me. Then the worst happened. He told me to go on all fours, then he penetrated me. It hurt so bad, I said that I wanted to go downstairs but he said that he would give me sweets if I stayed, so I did again I just thought it was a game. He started again and it hurt me but I didn't say anything. Soon he asked "Can you feel anything wriggling". Remembering this now is so disgusting. I said no. But eventually he finished. After he said not to tell anyone because it was "our secret little game". But he never did it again. So for a few years I didn't tell anyone anyway. But somewhere along the line I learned what he was actually doing to me. So the reason for not telling anyone changed. I felt embarrassed, ashamed and dirty. I was scared that I would be punished for not telling anyone before. Ever since I learned that it wasn't a game we played I've felt uncomfortable and really impure, anxious and sick around him. There wasn't really enough space growing up and me and him shared a room, God forbid he ever did anything to me while I was asleep. Fast forward today and I still haven't told anyone. Now I know if I told someone then he would basically get disowned. But I haven't been able to bring myself to do that. It would destroy everything my parents have worked for and that would be selfish. My parents would be mentally destroyed. So I'll just keep this with me for the rest of my life. My question is, has anyone been through or known anyone who has been through something like this? I've been finding it really hard to cope recently, I just feel so ashamed around him now. He must know that I still remember but I don't know if he even remembers still... What should I do?! PS: Mods I understand if this does not get approved but if there is a way with censorship then please censor away...

Salam sister, I read your post and it broke my heart. I just wanted to say that don’t ever think that you are evil or impure or less than anyone because of this terrible event that happened to you. It is only those with strong faith and strong character that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) chooses to test with these difficult tests. In the end, you as a creation of Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) are defined not by what happens to you, but by how you choose to react to what has happened to you. As to whether you should speak up about this or not, this is probably something you need to think about and ask Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) to help you make the right decision. If you believe that this is an ongoing issue with your brother and he may be doing this to other young girls, then for sure I would speak up about it and this is your duty so that other girls will not have to go through what you are going through. If u believe this was an isolated incident and he never repeated this with you or anyone else, to the best of your knowledge, then it is your choice whether you want to tell or not. Like I said above I would think about it and ask Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) to guide you in making the right decision. It is a clear fact, from hadith, that anyone who had thulm(oppression) done to them has a right to speak about it publically and confront their oppressor publically because it is this right that will save others by discouraging people who are thinking about doing injustice from actually doing it, because they will fear their acts being exposed. How to exercise this right within the context of a family situation is a little more complex, but the right is still there regardless and noone would be held blameworthy before Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) for exercising that right. This applies to your situation because definitely, without a doubt you were the victim of oppression. It would be a big tragedy if u let this incident shape your life in a negative way and let this event deprive you of a happy marriage and family life in the future. InShahAllah you will able to make the right decision then, hopefully someday soon, put this in the rearview mirror and move on to live a happy and productive family life. I also wanted to say that any potential husband who would hold this against you is not worthy to be married to you.

Salam unfortunately he caused a big trauma in your heart & mind but you don't do any sin & you are clean & pure because you were immature & didn't know the ruling

im so, so sorry. you are not impure!

I have already replied to this.You should really get over the habit of repeating yourself.

Anyway there is something that "Sunni defense" seems to not understand. Yes we do takfir on most of their revered figures but when we are talking about "Shia Sunni unity" this is more about common political goal than anything else, we have different beliefs and we will not change that for please them.

Imam al-Baqir (‘a) and Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) were asked about the permissibility of praying optional prayers in congregation during the nights of Ramadan. They both narrated a tradition of the Prophet (s) where he said: • “Verily, the offering of nafila(recommended prayers) in congregation during the nights of Ramadan is aninnovation… O people! do not say nafila prayers of Ramadan in congregation…. Without doubt, performing a minor act of worship which is according to the sunna is better than performing a major act of worship which is an innovation.” [al-Hurr al-`Amili, Wasa’il al-Shi`ah, volume 8, page 45]

My TSH levels is at 10, while everything else is normal. Thyroid issues run in my family, unfortunately. I have no symptoms other than chronically dry skin and weight gain. Hope I don’t have hypothyroidism, but we will see.

Respect to IP for the large amount of quality videos btw !

Let's keep hiding it and soon our grandchildrens have no anymore knowledge of our position of these personalities and instead they will become those who protect their wrongdoing. If we keep hiding, we are going one day to forget what is reality.

Salam, There is an underlying issue as to why men are so demanding when it comes to sex. Unfortunately, we consider this topic to be “taboo”, but we need to discuss it. Pornography is affecting our community at large, both the youth and the elders. It’s a sad reality that the majority of men out there are addicted to pornography, and they are exposed to different kinds of videos which force them to explore new creative ways of having sex. The porn industry is a male-dominated industry, and it simply aims to fulfil the male fantasy of sex. There is evidence that the majority of the content is written and produced by men. It’s an industry which eroticises women’s inferior status to male power. Men are starting to neglect the emotional aspect of sex and are becoming very demanding. In some extreme cases, heavy consumption of porn can be one of the reasons for men raping and abusing women. @Islandsandmirrors even gave an example of a case where someone’s husband demanded sex, despite all the pain she went through. I know some will say that men are born this way, but it still doesn’t justify this in any shape or form. Our attitude towards women is a product of how the media portrays them – as sexual objects and toys. In Islam, we are not told to have this attitude. Imam ‘Ali ((عليه السلام).) says, “When you intend to have sex with your wife, do not rush because the woman (also) has needs." Just ponder over this hadith, what is our Imam (عليه السلام) teaching us? Doesn’t pornography contradict all this? The link between pornography (including other videos etc.) and this attitude men have is obvious. What are your thoughts?

@Propaganda_of_the_Deed Any other animal lovers! SOS! A cat left her new born kitten outside our kitchen this morning. We kept it in a cardboard box all morning hoping she would return to feed it but apparently she has abandoned it. What should we feed him? We don't get special liquid baby cat food/milk where we live. Shall I give it diluted cow milk through a syringe? Help, If it dies my kids will start Muharram in Ramadan.

Alhamdulilah, Thank you to the entire Shia chat team. May Allah reward you all for your efforts in maintaining a platform for Muslims to share their thoughts and passion for understanding our beloved religion, Al Islam. And may Allah reward those coming here seeking to find closeness to Allah. SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi

I been doing it with my salawats. Hope it works, Lord knows I need the help.

Put it into my wallet on Monday, and I've been reading 40-30 times after every namaz, inshallah something happens.... Thanks for posting...

Yes, but it is our duty to forbid evil and enjoin good every day of the year, be it Ramadan or not. Islam is a very comprehensive religion.

The Ramadan color theme represents a dark blue moonlight during nighttime (midnight blue), the time we’re up eating and doing prayers. Black could also be night, but that’s for the Muharram theme. Dark blue is also a good contrasting theme (brighter colors like orange and pink don’t work very well, I’ve spent lots of time testing them). A color change makes the month feel special on the site. We used this same color scheme for Ramadan last year, and there weren’t complaints then (also not for the 15 years light blue was the default theme, which I made green, and surprise, people complained about that change back then too!). One thing I’ve learned as an admin is that not everyone will be happy, and people resist change (even temporary ones like this) as a default gesture. Lots of time and effort is put into site work like this, and I appreciate these special moments. Ramadan Mubarak everyone!

Keep a piece of blank white paper between your phone and back cover. In case you are traveling or forget to take khaake shifa, this paper can be used for prostration.

Assalam alaikum, I pray you are all in good health. I hope this is okay to put up, if not, accept my apologies. I joined this site to gain a little network of people who I could potentially make friends with. I am a Welsh born and raised 27 year old convert to Islam living in Lancashire, I am a Muslim first and foremost and after five years of studying the religion and encountering issues with people, I do not ascribe to any particular ideology, especially those that have parts that go against the Qur'an and the virtues of a Prophet, peace be upon them all. I say this because the maddhab I entered has contradictory elements to the two things I mentioned. I am looking to make and meet friends from Lancashire, Manchester, West Yorkshire or that general area. Anyone from these areas on here? Due to my ideological stance and my mental health (anxious, not psychotic, don't worry!), making friends has been very hard, I have had more glares than handshakes. I have never wanted to be treated exceptionally, my status as a convert means nothing, I don't want special treatment, I just want to be treated as a Muslim should be treated by another Muslim. I may be talking to an empty room, but I would like to find someone like-minded and mature. Someone who does not hate the others within our religion, I see many people on here who are very decent in this manner. Masha'Allah the attitude on here is better than a lot of Sunni attitudes regarding yourselves. I have come to follow and respect the scholarly opinions of people like Sheikh Hassan Farhan Al-Maliki, Dr.. Adnan Ibrahim, Ammar Nakshawani and some maliki scholars. Ayatollah Khamenei is someone I respect in global politics too. In terms of religious books besides scripture, I enjoy reading Ali ibn Hussain's works. Being a father to two very young children, my interests and hobbies take a backseat, but I like different cultures, cuisines, language, foreign language films, football, history and current affairs and travel (though I haven't done much recently). I say an empty room because I am not a typical Muslim in today's society I feel, when I hear of people with similar mindsets it fills me with joy, but they are always several thousands of miles away. I only ask for one friend, not hoards, my anxiety makes large crowds difficult, but one is okay. I feel I cannot completely talk to my Sunni friend about this, he is a very mature and understanding convert like me masha'Allah, but some topics I feel I should not mention in case I anger or upset him. Anyway, I don't know if this post is appropriate, but I don't know how else to reach out to people, until they make friendship apps for lonely and insecure Muslims, what else can I do? So if boxes are ticked or you know someone who sounds ideal, let me know somehow. Jazak Allahu kheir.

Not necessarily true. Evidence from Qur'an and hadith I believe suggests that there were many 'humans' before our Adam ((عليه السلام)).

It's not about knowing the answer to these questions, which every Muslim can memorise and parrot back while sitting in the comfort of their homes. It's more about the spiritual state and degree of Imaan of a person. Would our souls still be strong enough after having experienced the trauma of separation from the bodies in which they resided during our entire worldly life? Had we spent time thinking of and reflecting upon our physical death and time in grave while we were in dunya? Enough time that now we are finally in our grave it doesn't make us scared and upset to the level that we forget who our Lord is? What was the instinctive response of our souls to the difficulties of dunya?Was it to turn to Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) and Imam (عليه السلام) for help and guidance for every need and want? Did we spend every second of our time in the dunya being God conscious? If we have answered yes to the last two we can hope that our souls will turn to Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) and Imam (عليه السلام) in that very difficult time too.

Your last statement in your post reminds me of an incident that happened to me a few years ago. I had a work colleague at that company (I don't work there anymore) and we were working on the same project so we used to talk. As with most people, our conversations revolved around work and I would ask him where he worked before he came to that company. He was vague for a while and then after a few months of working with him, he confided in me that he used to work for the CIA in PsyOps (The Psychological Operations unit of the CIA). He was vague about this and didn't tell me for a while, because despite what many people outside the United State think, even within the US the CIA has a very bad reputation for being an immoral and shady organization and most people who work for them will never admit it. I'm surprised he did. Anyway, I asked him, because he worked in Psyops and I had read about past CIA operations within the US like 'MKUltra' and I asked him if they had ever been successful in inventing a 'brainwashing machine'. He nodded his head, very casually and said they did, and pointed to the T.V. that was mounted in the corner. I kind of laughed and didn't really think about his statement for a few years and then started thinking about all the proliferation of media that has happened in the last few years and the fact that most people are looking at a screen (either a phone, tv, computer) for the majority of their waking hours. Then I started to think about who produces the vast majority of the content they are looking at and what types of effects it must have, the repetition of looking at things over and over again that people instinctively will reject (like graphic violence and strong sexual content) but then after a while it becomes 'normal'. This is exactly the kind of brainwashing I think this guy was talking about. I honestly don't know what the solution is except to say that if some content is against your morals as a Muslim, to not watch it, period. It is sometimes hard to avoid but we need to try to do that. Most people don't, unfortunately.