Looking for a Shaykh to guide me and answer questions

[CatholicRevert]

Salam everyone

i was  a Traditional Catholic for a time but recently embraced Islam. I’m leaning in a Shia direction at the moment as Shi’ism seems to put much more emphasis on philosophy and reason than Sunni Islam which is extremely important to me.

However, there’s no Shi’i mosque near me. I’m looking for a Shaykh to guide me and answer basic questions I have( preferably someone who has training in philosophy)

If anyone can give suggestions or contact info I’d really appreciate it

[Ashvazdanghe]

2 hours ago, CatholicRevert said:

Salam everyone

i was  a Traditional Catholic for a time but recently embraced Islam. I’m leaning in a Shia direction at the moment as Shi’ism seems to put much more emphasis on philosophy and reason than Sunni Islam which is extremely important to me

Salam Welcome to Islam .

2 hours ago, CatholicRevert said:

However, there’s no Shi’i mosque near me.

You have not mentioned your country & region anyway you can ask help from brother @Abu Hadisister @Hameedeh & @Haji 2003 .

2 hours ago, CatholicRevert said:

I’m looking for a Shaykh to guide me and answer basic questions I have( preferably someone who has training in philosophy)

you can check Spirituality & Philosophy category  in https://www.al-islam.org/taxonomy/term/6 & Sheikh dr . Shomali

Mohammad Ali Shomali

Hujjat al-Islam Dr Mohammad Ali Shomali is a graduate of the Islamic Seminaries of Qum and has also both a BA and an MA in Western Philosophy from the University of Tehran and a doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Manchester. He is the Head of the Hawza Ilmiyya of England, the editor-in-chief of two journals, and has been very active in interreligious dialogue.

https://www.al-islam.org/person/mohammad-ali-shomali

The Bezel Of The Wisdom Of Infallibility In The Word Of Fatimah

Hasan Hasanzadeh Amuli

https://www.al-islam.org/bezel-wisdom-infallibility-word-fatimah-hasan-hasanzadeh-amuli

Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr

Quote

Ayatullah Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr (Arabic: آية الله العظمى السيد محمد باقر الصدر‎) (March 1, 1935 – April 9, 1980) was born in al-Kazimiya, Iraq to the prominent Sadr family, which originated from Jabal Amel in Lebanon. In 1945 he moved to the holy city of Najaf where al-Sadr would spend the rest of his life. He was a child prodigy who, at 10, was delivering lectures on Islamic history. At eleven, he was a student of logic. He wrote a book refuting materialistic philosophy when he was 24. Al-Sadr completed his religious studies at religious seminaries under Ayatollah al-Khoei and Ayatollah Muhsin al-Hakim, and began teaching at the age of 25.

https://www.al-islam.org/person/ayatullah-sayyid-muhammad-baqir-sadr

 https://www.al-islam.org

Murtadha Mutahhari

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Ayatullah Murtaza Mutahhari was born on February 2nd, 1920, in Farīmān, close to Mashhad in Eastern Iran. He began his formal religious studies at the teaching institution in Mashhad where he discovered his great love for philosophy, theology, and mysticism that came to shape his entire outlook on religion. He later went to Qum where he was able to benefit from the instruction of a wide range of scholars. He studied Fiqh and Usul with Ayatullah Hujjat Kuhkamari, Ayatullāh Sayyid Muhammad Damad, Ayatullāh Sayyid Muhammad Ridha Gulpayagani, and Hajj Sayyid Sadr al-Din al-Sadr as well as Ayatullah Burujerdi. His prime mentor in Qum was Ayatullah Ruhullah Khumayni. Source: http://ijtihad.ir/ScholarDetailsen.aspx?itemid=326

https://www.al-islam.org/person/murtadha-mutahhari

[guest 2025]

Salam, and welcome to our humble forum. It's good to have you here.

Sheikhs are easy to get a hold of through the phone. You just need to find a mosque, call them, and arrange a phone appointment. 

I recommend this place: Islamic Insititute of America. And their number is (313) 432-8722. 

Btw if philosophy is what you're interested in, then Murtadha Mutahari and Allama Tabataba'i are legendary philosophers. To the extent where the latter was, if my memory isn't failing me, rewarded a PhD degree from France despite never having set foot in the country. He rejected it of course.

I would look into Mutahari first though since he was a student of Tabataba'i and can serve as a bridge to the more complex.