Ask A Question About Islam And Muslims

16 Questions

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. 

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).

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.

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.