Smile 2 Jannah

Zeeshan Ali, better known as Smile 2 Jannah, is an English YouTuber of Pakistani descent. He's mostly known for his videos related to Islam. He has featured in the 2023 edition of the '500 most influential muslims' (pg 199).https://themuslim500.com/books/The%20Muslim%20500%202023%20edition%20-%20Free%20eBook.pdf 
==History==
His first videos on YouTube were nasheed videos where he would just add the visuals. It was through this he worked with Muslim Belal with his early nasheeds from the Pray Hard album. He then started working with Roadside2islam editing short films and interviews, he also made a few appearances on the channel. 
In 2013 he started the Smile2jannah YouTube channel. The name was inspired by the act the Prophet (s.a.w) was said to do a lot, which is “smiling”, and the “Jannah” part was the eventual objective of the channel through teaching and educating. The early videos were Islamic themed comedy sketches. He did his own editing and filming as many YouTubers have to do initially. He did other styles of videos such as Vlogs and reaction videos. After reaching 100k subscribers he started covering more political issues, being inspired by the Daily Show format and comedians like George Carlin and Russel Brand.
==Content==
He primarily talks about current affairs with comedy. His editing style is contemporary with RGB lights in the background, quick/snappy videos with silences edited out, memes used and now well animated. He also makes it a point to post the articles/studies on the screen so people can check up what he says. He doesn’t deal with religious sectarian issues and whenever asked he says “I deal with fard (compulsory) issues which all Muslims agree with, I don’t get into controversial/sectarian issues”.
He has been featured on the following satellite channels: Islam channel, Emaan Channel, Iqra TV, Huda TV and others. He has featured on a nasheed video with Omar Esa called Asalaamu Alaikum, in which he acted the headteacher. He has featured on Ilmfeed, Islam21c, Deen Show, IERA, 5pillars Blood brothers and Youthclub Pakistan. 
In his endeavour to bring a fresh and distinctive approach to the gaming sphere, he introduced the captivating world of Gaming2Jannah, a gaming channel that stands out for its commitment to providing top-tier entertainment devoid of profanity and expletive-laden outbursts. Renowned for his sharp wit and impeccable editing skills, he infuses humour seamlessly into his content, setting a unique standard in the Islamic gaming landscape. The channel's launch coincided with a period of heightened demand for the elusive PlayStation 5, adding an extra layer of intrigue and allure to the platform. 
In addition to its primary channel, Smile2Jannah offers content in various languages, including a Hindi/Urdu version and an Arabic channel. Smile2Jannah Indonesian represents the latest exciting expansion within the S2JNews network, designed to cater exclusively to Indonesian-speaking viewers. 
He has also started a channel called Dining2jannah with the YouTuber Ali Dawah, where they review halal restaurants in terms of the typical qualities but also give Jannah points to do with there being segregation, no music playing, prayer facilities, a fully halal menu and good portions (to avoid wastage of food). 
His videos explore a wide range of topics, from addressing common questions and concerns among young people about Islam to discussing issues like depression and materialism. He also critiques Western media narratives about terrorism and shares tech news and insights into street life. Additionally, there's a separate channel called Smile2Jannah Extra that focuses on his Speakers' Corner debates and youth talks. 
==S2J News==
S2JNews.com is a prominent online news platform founded by Zeeshan with the vision of creating a centralized hub for Muslim news from all corners of the globe. This platform has been committed to delivering news regularly and unapologetically, providing a comprehensive resource for the Muslim community and those interested in Muslim-related issues. S2JNews.com made its official debut on April 18, 2023, and has since maintained a prolific presence, with a total of 58 articles posted to date. In addition to its website, S2JNews.com actively engages with its audience through social media, boasting a strong presence on Twitter, Instagram, and threaded discussions. 
==Interviews==
He has interviewed a wide variety of guests from George Galloway (politician), Frenzo Harami (rapper) to Faze Apex (gamer). He has also done current affairs related interviews eg. With the finalist of Britain's got Talent, Nabeel Abdur Rasheed. He also did one with the Muslim Asma Shuweikh who was in the media for intervening when a Jewish man and his family was subjected to anti-Semitic abuse on the London underground. He has also been interviewed by rapper and activist Lowkey for Mintpress News. 
==Podcasting==
He had a podcast called Declassified, which he launched on main podcasting platforms. He covered taboo topics and featured a wide variety of guests. It featured 10 episodes in its first season and is yet to continue. The topics discussed ranged from street life, terrorism, the occult, MKUltra, Atheism, Artificial intelligence, The war on terror. The podcast is promoted with the following mission: 
There are loads of podcasts jumping on the bandwagon. But our podcast is different. We’ve deliberately chosen guests and topics that will blow your mind. Our topics will be controversial, uncompromising and nonconformist. Expect nothing typical. We’ll bring facts, knowledge and banter to the table.
==Debates==
Zeeshan made his debut on Hyde Park Speaker's corner in 2011. He has debated ex-Muslims, Christians and agnostics. He is known for his calm conversational style of dialoguing and debating. His famous interaction with an ex-Muslim where he states he only believes that which he can see, to which Zeeshan asks if he can see his brain, to which he replies in the negative. This video has amassed millions of hits on TikTok and YouTube. His did a YouTube debate with a Ahmadi (medical professional) which also generated a lot of attention. 
==Activism==
In 2011 there was a lot of social media attention highlighting the Israel-Gaza conflict. Smile2jannah, Mohammed Hijab and Ali Dawah rented a projector van to raise awareness of the events in Gaza and went to numerous locations.
Zeeshan has also spoken at the Uighur awareness event out the Chinese embassy. 
When the special status of Kashmir was removed, Zeeshan was first YouTuber to highlight the issue to the English audience. Ever since then he has been highlighting the plight of the Indian Muslims, under the controversial leadership of Modi, via comedic critiques of far right anchors like Arnub Goswami and other serious issues like beef vigilantism and public lynching of minority Muslims. 
He has worked with the SPOT charity from the onset, which is based in Gambia and every Ramadan he raises money for them.
He has initiated several petitions for well known causes. He started one for of Bristol University who lost his job due to allegations of antisemitism.https://www.change.org/p/bristol-university-give-professor-david-miller-his-job-back He started one for a government enquiry into the lies behind the witch-hunt of Muslims institutions and teachers under the guise of the Trojan Horse. 
==New projects==
He has recently started uploading comic strips on socio-political issues. This was inspired by The Muslim Show who have been doing it for many years.
He has recently worked with film producer Rizwan Wadan who used to work for Pinewood studios and is now working on grassroots projects to help clear the misconceptions against Muslims. 
He made kurzgesagt style animation videos covering issues such as evolution, and the problem of evil. 
==Stand up comedy==
Zeeshan did his first stand up comedy performance in 2019 at Oldham, Manchester on the Night of Vocals event hosted by Emaan Channel. 
==Trivia==
 
*He visited and filmed inside London freemason lodge.
*He was the first Muslim YouTuber to make videos against far right activist Tommy Robinson.
*He was first Muslim YouTuber to raise a voice about the issue of Kashmir when the special status was revoked.
*He is of Pakistani origin
==References==
Category:News YouTubers
Category:Comedy YouTubers
Category:English YouTubers
Category:Users who joined in 2013
Category:Verified YouTubers