Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light

The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL; Arabic: دين السلام والنور الأحمدي), also known simply as the Ahmadi Religion, is a post-Islamic new religious movement derived from the Twelver branch of Shīʿa Islam. It's considered to be one of the emerging apocalyptic or "doomsday" movements from the Middle East. The leader of the religion is Abdullah Hashem, an Egyptian-American who claims to be the Qāʾim Āl-Muḥammad and to have been appointed by name in the will of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and also spreading the authentic message of Ahmed al-Hasan, who claims to be the prophesied Yamani.
Ahmed al-Hasan, a Shīʿa Muslim from Basra, Iraq, claimed to be the Yamani during the 2000s. He adopted the epithet, becoming "Ahmed al-Hassan al-Yamani". He went into hiding in 2007, following the January 2007 Battle of Najaf. After the disappearance of al-Hasan, who is believed to be the prophesied Yamani by the AROPL, and the first of 12 Mahdis who was appointed in the will of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. A group known as the "White Banners" or "Office of Najaf" emerged, sharing messages attributed to him that some followers rejected as inauthentic. This led to a split, with Egyptian-American disciple Abdullah Hashem accusing the White Banners of fabricating messages under Iraqi government influence. Hashem's faction, now known as the "Black Banners" (AROPL) and based in the United Kingdom, opposes the White Banners, who excommunicated him in 2015 and 2023. While both groups venerate al-Hasan, they interpret his role differently. AROPL has the largest international following, while the White Banners remains primarily an Iraqi-based faction.
In 2015, Abdullah Hashem announced that he was the Qāʾim Āl-Muḥammad ("the one who shall rise of the family of Muhammad"), succeeding Ahmed al-Hasan. He and his followers linked the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to a widely circulated Shīʿa prophecy predicting the emergence of Imam al-Mahdī after the death of a King of Hejaz named "Abdullah". They further interpreted King Fahd's name and eye condition as aligning with these prophetic descriptions, reinforcing their claims. Hashem, who was 32 in 2015 and of Egyptian descent, also connected his identity to prophecies about the Mahdi emerging from Egypt. The AROPL believes that the ancient Egyptian religion was originally aligned with Islamic monotheism. Citing Muhammad's "will", which allegedly mentions figures named Ahmed and Abdullah, AROPL asserts this refers to both Ahmed al-Hasan and Abdullah Hashem. The group claims al-Hasan personally identified Hashem as the Qāʾim of the family of Muhammad, meeting three divine criteria: being named in the last will, possessing exceptional knowledge, and advocating for God's supremacy over human rule. These same criteria, they argue, validated al-Hasan's role as the prophesied Yamani.
The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light preaches tolerance and contains features of religious syncretism. Some beliefs and doctrines of Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light are:
Abdullah Hashem's The Goal of the Wise (translated into English in 2022) presents a theological framework that blends elements of Twelver Shīʿīsm, Islamic esotericism, Christian Gnosticism, Western mysticism, and conspirituality narratives. His teachings follow a dispensationalist model, where human history unfolds through six divine covenants, culminating in a seventh initiated by Ahmed al-Hasan, leading to the emergence of the Qāʾim.
Hashem offers unconventional religious interpretations, suggesting that Adam's "original sin" involved a past incarnation of Fatimah, Jesus survived the crucifixion by exchanging souls with Simon of Cyrene, and Mani was the offspring of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. His beliefs incorporate reincarnation, soul transmigration, and the Raj’a (Great Return), where present-day believers are seen as reincarnations of past prophets and messengers.
His cosmology includes Samarat, a Purgatory-like transitional realm between incarnations, an Earth-based Heaven, and a Sun-based Hell, with an even worse fate for the most corrupt souls. He dismisses evolutionary theory, instead proposing that pre-Adamic extraterrestrial beings once inhabited Earth. Hashem also claims that Iblis (Satan) was responsible for creating human bodies, while the family of Muhammad shaped their souls.
Incorporating conspiracy beliefs, Hashem asserts that figures like Zeus, Confucius, and Alexander the Great were divine messengers. He also claims that U.S. President George Washington was actually Adam Weishaupt, the founder of the Illuminati, and suggests that U.S. President George W. Bush is linked to the British occultist Aleister Crowley. Additionally, he attributes supernatural powers to the Qāʾim, stating that he possesses the ring of King Solomon and commands the jinns. Hashem further ties astrology to personal destinies, associating himself with the planet Mars and linking Iblis to the star Sirius.
In the United States, AROPL is registered as an organization in Reno, Nevada. It is also registered in the United Kingdom, where it is headquartered near Manchester. Regional leaders of the Ahmadi Religion are known as "bishops". They currently live in exile due to persecution, and include:
The religious group has been persecuted by police and government authorities in Algeria, Azerbaijan, Iran, Jordan, Malaysia, Sweden, Thailand, and other countries.
On 24 May 2023, 104 AROPL members seeking asylum at Kapıkule on the Bulgaria–Turkey border were detained and violently harassed by Turkish authorities.
In July 2023, eight AROPL members in Malaysia were arrested by police at an LGBTQ gathering. Datuk Dr. Nooh Gadot, Chairman of the Muzakarah Committee of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs Malaysia (MKI), announced during the committee's meetings from June 26 to 28 in 2023 that AROPL is considered a deviant sect and does not align with orthodox Islamic doctrine.
In 2022, AROPL published the official gospel of the religion, titled The Goal of the Wise (Arabic: غاية الحكيم). The book, which has 40 "doors" or chapters, has been translated into Arabic, Urdu, Malay, Spanish, French, German, Turkish, Azeri, and Persian.