In 2007, 63 members of Messiah Foundation International fled from their homeland, Pakistan, and arrived in India. They were seeking asylum. They staged a protest against the Pakistani government and its inclination towards strict Wahhabi Sharia and apostasy law. There was a very strong growing fear that they would be granted the death penalty for their belief system, which is not Islam.

In 1980, His Divine Eminence Lord Ra Riaz Gohar Shahi had been in vigorous spiritual retreat in the forest of Lal Bagh, Sehwan, in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. HDE Gohar Shahi decided to live in those forests as a hermit forever, and recollected that He never thought of going back into the world and living a worldly life. Soon after, [following a conversation with God], HDE Gohar Shahi came out of the forests of Lal Bagh and made a makeshift hut in front of the Jamshoro Textbook Board. He spent a considerable amount of time there. Later on, HDE Gohar Shahi moved to an area called Latifabad in Hyderabad, Sindh.

HDE Gohar Shahi then started to raise awareness of the spiritual sciences and Sufi doctrine among followers of different denominations and sects in Islam. His Divine Eminence initially contacted the religious scholars considering they had a little knowledge, so it would be relatively easier for them to understand what HDE Gohar Shahi had to say to them in regards to spirituality and the Sufi doctrine. However, as His Divine Eminence Gohar Shahi recollected, the religious scholars were, somehow or other, disinterested in Sufi doctrine. They seemingly maintained to proclaim that they are religiously firm believers in Sufi doctrine and sainthood; but when it came to adopting the Sufi doctrine practically, and an invitation of self-mortification, self-denial, purification of the Self and heart was extended to them, they came up with a very hypocritical and diplomatic answer.

In a nutshell, the religious scholars practically refused the Sufi doctrine; although they maintained to say that they believed in Sufi doctrine and sainthood.

HDE Gohar Shahi then invited the young generation, considering that they were still not that sinful and they had lively hearts. The layers of sins, which everybody has on their hearts, would have been less for the youth. Given the fact that they were still in their 20s and 30s, they wouldn’t have sinned as much as those have done who were in their 50’s and 60’s.

HDE Gohar Shahi said that the youth duly accepted the invitation from HDE. They embraced HDE Lord Ra Riaz Gohar Shahi’s call. They started to practise spirituality.

Sufis are famous for extending love and peace to members of all religions and faiths. A Sufi can sit with a Hindu and would not hate to eat with him. A Sufi can sit with a Christian and respect his religion and culture, but at the same time, will not manifest any negative influence or attitude. A Sufi embraces all religions, all people.

But HDE Lord Ra Riaz Gohar Shahi’s message was extraordinary. It was not simply a traditional Sufi message. It was something beyond spiritual intelligence of a religious scholar.

The message of HDE Gohar Shahi was so broad and so generous, that even a dedicated sinner failed to make an excuse. Lord Gohar Shahi did not ask anybody to leave anything to practise the Sufi doctrine. There were no buts and ifs. There were no conditions or prerequisite for anybody to come into the fold of Sufi doctrine.

To people who were alcoholics and who thought that they wouldn’t be able to quit drinking, Lord Ra Riaz Gohar Shahi said, ‘Never mind. I am not asking you to quit alcohol. Drink alcohol, and at the same time, I’m just giving you a simple, spiritual methodology whereby you are to concentrate upon your heart. You will absorb the light of God’s name. As soon as God’s name starts to articulate in the chambers of your heart, divine light will start to be produced and generate. That divine light will then mix in your bloodstream, rendering blood to become entwined with the divine energy. When the blood is purified and oxygenated with divine energy, all sorts of impurities will be thrown out.’

This is exactly what happened. The heart of someone who was an alcoholic was initiated by HDE Gohar Shahi – and a few weeks later, they came and they were not holding a bottle of alcohol. A beautiful smile was dancing on the lips of HDE Gohar Shahi. Even knowing everything that happened, His Divine Eminence asked, ‘You’re not drinking alcohol anymore? What happened?’

The person would say, ‘Lord, every time I want to drink alcohol, I throw up. I don’t know what is wrong!’

Then HDE Lord Ra Riaz Gohar Shahi would explain what was going on. ‘You are throwing up any impure thing because your blood is now purified.’

This was something extraordinary. I would call it Sufi Doctrine Plus.

Traditional Sufism

In Sufism, the Grand Sheikh is Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani. He is the one who sets the rules in spirituality. He is the one, without the permission of whom, an individual cannot be awarded sainthood. Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani said, ‘You will not be initiated in spirituality until even the last bite of prohibited food in your body is removed completely.’

This is Sufism. In order to adopt Sufi doctrine, you need purification first. By this token, those who have developed a habit of drinking alcohol and cannot quit it because they are afraid they won’t be able to cope with the withdrawal effects – such individuals would have been left deprived even if their master would have been the Grand Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani.

In Sufi doctrine, before you are actually initiated in spirituality, you have to go through a vigorous form of austerity, self-mortification, denial of the Self and self-negation. You spend twelve years in hermitage under auspicious supervision of a spiritual master.

Today, nobody wants to go to a jungle and live a life of hermitage for twelve years. You have to go through a lot of physical turmoil and endurance. You quit your family, you leave your home and your cosy bed. You make the jungle your abode. You have to be patient with the weather, with any scorpions, snakes and all sorts of different insects that might come in your way. After twelve years of vigorous austerity and self-denial, you will be accepted as a novice in spirituality.

So, admission into spirituality is not for everyone. It is for those only who are determined. This kind of determination is not to be found these days, because people do not want to love God. What people have on their mind is comfort and luxury of the world.

We are living in a society where demand for becoming Godly and desire of loving God is almost zero.

The Sufi doctrine is the knowledge of eminence with the help of which you will walk upon the divine pathway granted to Prophet Adam. Realistically speaking, it is not for everybody. It is for dedicated practitioners of hardship. Not even spiritual doctrine can straighten up anybody today. This is because people have lost desire of God’s love, God’s nearness and God’s proximity. People want luxury and comfort. People have become so intolerant.

It is not just that people want to become billionaire or millionaire overnight. I have seen people who want to become a saint of God overnight. You can’t become a father or mother overnight; it takes nine months for a baby to grown in the womb.

You cannot become a billionaire, millionaire or saint of God overnight.

However, the thought process of people has changed. They want an expressway in every walk of life. They want to expedite the process of spirituality.

I went Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. We bought the tickets. For every ride we went to, there were 400-500 people in the queue. [A friend] said to me, ‘Let me get some express tickets.’ When we got the tickets for the express entry, even in that queue, there were 150 people.

Because of the inventions and scientific revolution, the thought process of human beings has changed dramatically. They want to apply the same rule to everything, even spirituality.

When a four-year-old girl sees a twelve-year-old girl, she complains, ‘She has long hair. How come I don’t have long hair?’ You reply, ‘Well, she is older than you, that is why she has long hair.’ She says, ‘But you said that I am not a baby anymore. I want to have long hair.’ You cannot convince her. She doesn’t understand. She wants to have everything overnight. This is not just a baby; everybody in this world has the same thought process today. They want to become Data Ali Hajveri, Ghous-e-Azam overnight. They want to become Bu Ali Shah Qalandar overnight. 

Having said all this, I want to tell you: if you think any religion can help you today, you are daydreaming. Not even spiritual doctrine can help you today because of its rules and regulations, because of its established methodology which has been practised for centuries.

There was no Sufi who became a Sufi simply because he used to to a mosque five times a day. There is no Sufi who became a Sufi without spending time in the jungle. There is no Sufi who became a Sufi without going through the process of self-mortification, self-denial and purification of the Ego.

You must go to a jungle to purify your Ego. This is the rule and regulation of the established Sufi doctrine. The same Sufi doctrine practised by Imam Abu Hanifa, Hassan Basri, the Grand Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani and every other saint – whether it be Khwaja Gharib Nawaz, Khwaja Ghesu Daraz, Amir Khusro, Nizamuddin Auliyah, Baba Farid or Data Ali Hajveri. All spiritual dignitaries go through this process of self-denial and self-purification.

The Sufi+ Doctrine

However, today, you do not want to go to a jungle. Secondly, there is no spiritual master. 

HDE Lord Ra Riaz Gohar Shahi introduced a newer form of Sufi doctrine. This proves that HDE Gohar Shahi is Imam Mehdi. The spiritual freedom of the type of changes in spirituality that His Divine Eminence has brought about was not even given to any prophet or even the Grand Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani.

It is the spiritual exemption from going into the jungle, of purification of the Self. It is the fact that in the light of HDE Gohar Shahi’s Sufi doctrine, you don’t have to purify your Ego beforehand. You can be accepted and initiated into spirituality. Whilst your heart is being purified, HDE Gohar Shahi will make sure that at the same time, your Ego is being purified also.

This is great. This spiritual exemption was not granted to anyone, barring none. This alone is enough to prove the fact that Lord Ra Riaz Gohar Shahi is the Awaited One (Messiah/Imam Mehdi/Kalki Avatar).

The Real Imam Mehdi

You will see many pseudo-claimants of the office of Mehdihood, but it is just a hoax.

Prophet Mohammad said, ‘God has given to me three types of knowledge. One knowledge is for common folks, the second knowledge is for the elite, and the third knowledge is for myself only.’

In the absence of the knowledge of the heart, you can become a Muslim, but you cannot become a Momin (true believer). If you do not become a Momin, then all your fasting and obligatory worship is futile and unacceptable in the eyes of God. Without becoming a Momin, you can’t practise Islam. In the Quran, worship and fasting were made obligatory upon Momins, not Muslims.

I invite those objecting to my statement that there is no Islam without Prophet Mohammad to study a particular Prophetic Tradition, which goes to all people who want to become a true Muslim, including the Companions and Household of Prophet Mohammad.

Prophet Mohammad said, ‘Not even one of you can become a Momin until you love me more than your parents and the entire humanity.’  

So when you cannot become a Momin without loving Prophet Mohammad more than anybody else in the world, is it not justified to say that Islam does not exist without Prophet Mohammad’s love? Without becoming a Momin, your worship is gone, even though you go to a mosque five times a day. It is all useless. Prophet Mohammad said, ‘Salat (a form of worship) is not accepted without the presence of the heart in Salat.’

Imam Mehdi is the saviour of humanity. Imam Mehdi is the unifier.

To Wahhabis, the Taliban, ISIS and Ahmadis: before you think your leader is Imam Mehdi, do you think Prophet Mohammad and God would send somebody as Imam Mehdi who cannot turn you into a Momin? Half of the rituals of worship were addressed to Momineen, not Muslims. What kind of Imam Mehdi is Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani, when he did not have the knowledge of turning his followers into Momineen as per Quran? The Taliban think Mullah Omar is Imam Mehdi or Abu Bakr al Baghdadi is Imam Mehdi.

Imam Mehdi is not coming to cut the throats of people. He is coming to connect men with men and then men with God. Peace and love will prevail with the auspicious presence of Imam Mehdi in this world.

How can God send somebody as Imam Mehdi who does not have even the second type knowledge which was given to the elite of the Muslim Nation, with the help of which their worship would reach God? What kind of Imam Mehdi is Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani, Mullah Omar or Abu Bakr al Baghdadi when they do not have presence of the heart, when their heart is not initiated with God’s light?

‘And whosoever’s chest is opened by God, so that he absorbs Islam in his chest, that person is granted God’s light. Doomed and destroyed are those in the hearts of whom God’s name does not enter.’ – Quran 39:22

Whether or not you are misguided depends on your heart. If your heart is able to absorb God’s name, you are Momin. If your heart rejects God’s name, there is no doubt that you are destroyed and misguided. Whether or not you pray will or go to a mosque will not determine your faith.

What will determine your faith is the acceptance of non-acceptance of God’s name in your heart.

HDE Gohar Shahi has brought down the knowledge of the heart, which removes layers of sins from the heart. The knowledge of the heart illumines you heart with God’s light.

HDE Lord Ra Riaz Gohar Shahi said, ‘Knowledge of Sharia hardens the heart. Knowledge of spirituality will soften the heart.’

It is quite evident today. Individuals who call themselves the Islamic State, Taliban and Al-Qaeda practise Islamic Sharia – and you can see how hard they are by their heart! They are chopping heads off and killing innocent human beings.

This is the proof that HDE Gohar Shahi is Imam Mehdi. All the followers of HDE Gohar Shahi all over the world – including people of many different religions – don’t hate anybody. They love the entire humanity.

Whether you commit adultery, drink alcohol or are gay, His Divine Eminence Gohar Shahi and His doors are open to all. Faith has to do with the soul, not your body.

If your body is gay, it is not going to affect your heart or the relationship between you and God. Whether you have committed adultery will not determine your relationship between your soul and your God.

We have no problem with homosexuals, people who commit adultery, people who dance, people who don’t follow any religion or atheists. We’re simply extending the message of love and peace to all human beings on Earth – whether they are straight or gay; whether they have a sexual relationship with their wife or their partner; whether they practise a religion or they don’t practise any religion at all; whether they believe in God or don’t believe in God at all.

We want to give humanity a spiritual benefit with the help of which your mind, heart and soul will become sound. This is the Sufi Doctrine Plus.

Sufi doctrine is not going to produce results today because in the Sufi doctrine, the prerequisite is the purification of the Self – which is the hardest thing to do in spirituality.

If Imam Mehdi Lord Ra Riaz Gohar Shahi came to this world with the precondition that He would bless people if they go and stay in the jungle for twelve years – which is a must in Sufi doctrine – then Imam Mehdi’s advent would not please anybody, because nobody wants to go and live in a jungle for twelve years.

Imam Mehdi has come with a lot of exemptions and a bundle of glad tidings. Whoever you are, wherever you are, however you are, if you want to love God, look at the Moon. If you don’t want to look at the Moon, visit the website and look at the picture of His Divine Eminence Gohar Shahi. Whisper the name of God three times, after which HDE Gohar Shahi promises to supervise you until you reach God.

You cannot call it Sufi doctrine. Sufi doctrine is not as generous as the Goharian Philosophy of Divine Love.

When the doctrine of His Divine Eminence Gohar Shahi – in which there are no conditions – was promoted in Pakistan, the religious scholars were unable to grasp the meaning of this spiritual, divine generosity. They started to denounce HDE Gohar Shahi’s teachings. They became so hostile that they declared the followers of Imam Mehdi Gohar Shahi as rigid infidels. Life was becoming more and more difficult for the followers of HDE Gohar Shahi.

They practised love and peace. Enlightenment of the heart gave their heart and soul so much awareness of spirituality that they started to respect all prophets, messengers and saints – not just saints in Islam, but the saints in Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity and Judaism.

I give you an example from HDE Gohar Shahi’s book, The Religion of God (Divine Love). If people believe someone to be a saint of God for any reason – maybe he worked a miracle or did something extraordinary – and you have an issue and you think, ‘This man is not Muslim, this man is a sinner; therefore, I don’t think he is a saint of God,’ His Divine Eminence advises his followers, ‘Do not dismiss anybody’s claim of sainthood.’

Don’t think that just because he is a Hindu, he cannot be a saint of God or that just because he is a Christian, he cannot be a saint of God. HDE Gohar Shahi says that God can grant sainthood to anybody. Do not ever dismiss a claim made by any individual who come from any religion. Look at how broad His message is, how generous He is and how vast His mental approach is. HDE Gohar Shahi thinks that God can grant any man to be his saint. He is not going to ask you whether or not God should award somebody to be a saint of God.

So we are being taught by His Divine Eminence to respect all religions. We are being taught that even a Hindu, Christian, Catholic or Jew can be a saint of God. This fills with our heart with respect for all human beings.

These hearts, tamed and purified by HDE Gohar Shahi, can never accumulate intolerance or hatred for any individual, whether that individual practises any religion or he is an atheist. We do not discriminate in dispensing love to human being. Whether you are a Christian, Jew or atheist, our love does not know discrimination.

Our love is free from any religious or spiritual prejudice. Our love for human beings is genuine, sincere and is based on purification of the mind, soul and heart.

Opposition of The Sufi+ Doctrine

When this doctrine of love started to gain attention of people in Pakistan, the sectarian elements – especially the Salafi and Wahhabi movements in Pakistan, who are funded, sponsored and taken care of by Saudi Arabia – became very hostile to the message of HDE Gohar Shahi and to His Divine Eminence Himself.

Wahhabis said that if HDE Gohar Shahi sets a foot in Saudi Arabia, God forbid, He may be assassinated. This was the intensity of their enmity against HDE Gohar Shahi. Because HDE Gohar Shahi’s message is so broad, beautiful and it is for all human beings without any religious prejudice, bias or discrimination, Pakistani Muslims turned against His followers and Him.

63 members from the group of HDE Gohar Shahi fled from Pakistan and arrived in India. In order to make sure that they are not sent back to Pakistan, they set their passports on fire, due to which they had to stay in Tihar Jail for four years. After this, the United Nations issued them with refugee status and United States of America and Canada accepted them. This was in 2007.

The Wahhabi doctrine directly contradicts with the Quran and mainstream, traditional Islam. The aim of Wahhabi Sharia is to derive traditional Islam and the Quran – and destroy it.

According to Wahhabis, if you do not worship and fast, you are an infidel. According to Prophet Mohammad, your actions will be judged on your intentions. According to them, your intentions will be judges on your action. Their understanding is quite the opposite of Prophet Mohammad’s.

Secondly, Wahhabis do not accept that they need Prophet Mohammad or any saint as an intermediary. Abdul Wahhab Najdi says, ‘There is nothing that distinguishes Prophet Mohammad from any other common man.’ He thought he had exceeded Prophet Mohammad in piety.

He is not the only one. There is an Indian scholar, Ashraf Ali Thanvi, who said he saw in a dream that Prophet Mohammad was limping on the As-Sirat and he saved Prophet Mohammad from falling down. A Wahhabi scholar, Abdul Rasheed Gungoli, wrote in his book, Taqwa-tul-Iman, ‘If you are in Salat and a thought of Prophet Mohammad crossed your mind, your Salat is impure. In order to nullify the effects of the thought of Prophet Mohammad, think about a donkey instead.’ This is extremely blasphemous to Prophet Mohammad.

Wahhabis are dedicated enemies of Prophet Mohammad.

Wahhabis say that if a Muslim does not offer Salat and does not observe Ramadan, he should be killed; his property should be forfeited; his mother, wife, daughters and sisters should be taken from him and Wahhabis can rape them. It is permitted for them to do it. This is Wahhabi belief system. They are not human beings, let alone Muslims.

The world needs to know more about Wahhabism in order to know who the terrorists are.