Dr. Esmail qualified as a chartered accountant before pursuing full-time studies in the seminaries of Syria and Qum for a period of 12 years. During that time, he was awarded a doctorate from the University of Exeter with the thesis title: Between Philosophy and ʿIrfān: Interpreting Mullā Ṣadrā from the Qajars to Post-Revolutionary Iran.

He returned to the UK in 2020 and taught a number of traditional and academic, graduate, and postgraduate courses including transcendental philosophy, logic, contemporary thought in the Muslim world, and human rights and Islam. He also teaches the whole spectrum of Islamic studies at various levels privately. His research interests include mysticism, spiritual psychology, transcendental philosophy, early Islamic history, Quranic exegesis, and hadith.

Dr. Esmail is dynamically involved with the Muslim community in the UK and internationally. He has an active telegram channel in which he posts lectures and thoughtful content from a Shii perspective which can be found at the following link: https://t.me/zoheiresmail