Exclusive Interview with Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq

Amid the swirl of online speculation and media controversy surrounding Abdullah Hashem and the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, the Divine Just State Magazine has undertaken a task that most outlets have conspicuously avoided: engaging directly with the wave of pointed criticism that has spread across the internet. As explored in earlier pieces - there is more to the story than the noise suggests.

On November 4, 2025, The Divine Just State magazine sat down with Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq for a thirty-minute conversation. It was an unusually candid exchange, in which we posed the kinds of questions that newcomers to the message are likely asking themselves but rarely see addressed plainly. And these are his answers.

Please pardon the nature of this question, who do you think you are and why?

“Who do I think I am?” Nothing much. I just think I’m a servant of Allah whom Allah has favoured and chosen to carry out a specific task in this day and age, and that task is to remind people about religion, to call them back towards Allah and the truth.

Why? Because I was informed about this mission by my father and my predecessor. I am his successor, that is, Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan, who sent me forward, along with my grandfather Imam Al-Mahdi Mohammed ibn Al-Hassan Al-Askary. They informed me that my name is in the will, that I was appointed by the Prophet Mohammed on his deathbed when he dictated the will to Ali ibn Abi Talib, in which he appointed after him his successors: twelve Imams, as you know, and after them twelve Mahdis. He mentioned the first three names of the first three Mahdis: Abdullah, Ahmed, who is Ahmed Al-Hassan, and Al-Mahdi, the third Mahdi.

What inspired you to found AROPL?

I was commanded to found AROPL. I was commanded to by Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan, who basically told me that we needed to form a legal body or entity in which we could operate around the world, because that is the nature of how things work in this day and age. So he asked me to look into opening up a non-profit organisation, which I did. I opened one up in the United States, based out of Nevada, but we are also registered in Chicago, Illinois, and California.

That is the reason why I founded the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, which is kind of like our official legal body with which we can do our dawa works, we can print books, and we can gather in a way that would not be threatening to the people around us.

What do Peace and Light mean to you and what prompted you to incorporate these words specifically in the name you chose for your religion?

That is an interesting question, and I do not think I have ever been asked that before. So the original name of the organisation was actually the name of: “The Mohammadan Religion of Peace.” That was the name that Ahmed Al-Hassan had suggested. He had picked that name because he wanted it to reflect the restoration of Islam, that it was a peaceful religion, unlike the dangerous and violent organisations that have been operating under the name of Islam. He wanted to restore it to its origin. I insisted at the time that it be named “The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light” because Ahmed Al-Hassan was the main character, the main founder, the bearer of the banner during this period, and so I wanted to honour him by that. I asked permission from him and Imam Al-Mahdi and they accepted.

The “Peace” aspect signifies the religion of Islam - that it is a religion of peace. We wanted to make sure that everybody was aware of our intentions and the intentions of our forefathers, the Imams and the Prophet Mohammed. I suggested to add in there, “and Light,” as a way to reflect the fact that our religion parallels and resurrects former teachings, especially the Manichaean teachings.

Your message is driven by love, unity and the desire for peace, and this resonates with many, but at the same time it attracts anger and fury from those who stand to lose their control and influence due to the divide and conquer mantra. How do you address the fear and resentment this is generating?

I think that it is very clear that all righteous movements have enemies. Any time somebody is trying to do something for the betterment of mankind, the demons, the devils, the forces of darkness will always stand in its way and try to put out the light. We have seen that from the time of Adam all the way until now, where the forces of darkness – Iblis – have fought against and basically sought to kill, crucify, imprison, and poison every single Imam, Mahdi, Prophet, Messenger, King, and Judge that has been sent forward by Allah.

For us, we believe, and I certainly believe, that I am enforced by Allah. Like Ahmed Al-Hassan said, we the Bani Hashem are not afraid of anything but God, and that all of the forces of darkness in the world can do nothing, not even shake a hair on our arms. So as long as we know that nothing happens except by the permission of God, then we should fear no one but God, and we move forward. So I do not really give much thought, really, to the forces of darkness or the people that oppose us. I think that our dawa speaks for itself. We should be confident in what it is that we teach, what it is that we are preaching, and leave the rest to God.

How do you feel about all the negative press aimed at you and your movement?

I think it is to be expected. I think people are afraid of that which they are ignorant of, or that which is unknown, or that which is new. So I am not angry. I do not face it with resentment. I am not taking it personally, I am not offended by it. I understand. I just hope that after all of the dust settles, people take the time to actually investigate and see our call for what it is.

Why are you doing this? Do you have something to gain?

Not really. My life is at risk. I recognise that there have been people who have made far less significant claims than I am making, and they have been killed for it, they have been imprisoned for it, they have been harmed by it. I do not think that I have anything to gain except for ridicule and mockery from the people. But what I am hoping to gain is the salvation of souls. This is what I am looking for. I am looking to accomplish my mission with Allah, but in terms of gaining something material or physical – I do not think so. I do not own anything at all. I think everybody who deals with me knows that I have no houses in my name, I have no properties in my name. I never have had since the beginning of the dawa until now. Basically, everything that I own, I have given to the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, and that is the same thing that my followers do who live with me and abide with me. We are doing this purely for the pleasure of God and to carry out His will.

What is your objective with all that you are doing?

My objective? I think, Sermad, that from the time of the Prophet Mohammed’s advent, God had intended for him and his successors to be the rulers over the Muslim nation. After his death, the Muslims turned against him and turned against his family. They stole and usurped the caliphate, the kingship, the leadership, the Imamate from Prophet Mohammed’s family: Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, Al-Hassan, Al-Hussain, and the nine Imams that came after that, right up until this very day and age. So my objective is to enlighten people to the fact that history has been distorted, that religion has been distorted. It has been corrupted. It has been stolen by people that have proclaimed themselves to be representing Islam but actually they were the enemies of Islam, i.e. Abu Bakr and Umar and Uthman, the Bani Umayya, the Bani Abbas. Those actions that have happened over the course of history – like terrorist attacks that have taken place in the UK and the US and all over the world – none of this represents Islam. It is all based on corrupt, false teachings, and the only way out of this mess, the only way for peace between the Muslims and the non-Muslims, and the only way we can obtain the pleasure of Allah, is to restore Islam to its roots, back to what God had originally intended it to be.

He intended it to be a religion that followed the successors of the Prophet Mohammed, and one of them is Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan. He is with us right now. I’m trying to enlighten people to the fact that God left a rope to mankind and they are called the Ahlul Bayt. We have an opportunity right now to correct the course of history.

If you could have one wish come true, what would it be?

To see Mohammed and the family of Mohammed ruling over the Islamic nation. That would be the one wish that I would have, that I would love to see come true, and I expect to see it come true because that is God’s promise. We are lucky enough to be a part of that promise of God come true, because in it there will be great peace and prosperity for mankind.

What do you have to say to all of your critics, to those who have chosen to make an enemy of you and to those who want you to stop all of this?

Don’t hold your breath.

What is your motivation to carry on with your mission?

The Will of the Prophet Mohammed. Knowing that the Prophet Mohammed, on his deathbed, wrote something and the people actually did not carry out that will. That is my motivation. It is Mohammed - that name that brings great comfort to Muslims and great hatred to the enemies of Islam, that name of that man who is the best of all mankind, the perfect caliph or representative of God, that shining light, that beacon of hope for humanity. He left a will and he wanted out of all things – out of all the things in religion – he just wanted us to hold on to his successors after him, and nobody did that. So that is my motivation.

Does anything scare you about what you are doing?

Does anything scare me about what I am doing? No. 

The only thing that would scare me is if I was not doing what I am doing. Sometimes I think about all of the people who are unaware, still in darkness, and have not heard about this message, and I thank God so much for having had mercy on me and guiding me to the truth, because if it was not for Him, I would still be ignorant like the rest of mankind. I am in everlasting gratitude to Him for that. So that is what scares me, to not be in the place where I am and to not be doing what I am doing now.

How do you feel about the death threats and threats of violence directed at you and those who believe in you?

The death threats that are directed towards me do not cause me to lose any sleep, to be honest with you, because I am a firm believer that every person’s moment of death is written for them and nobody can do anything to make that come an hour earlier or delay it an hour. So when we are meant to die, we are meant to die, and when that hour of death comes upon me I would be most grateful and hopeful that it comes, and I expect it to come at the hands of an enemy. That enemy would have played his role in helping me achieve what I want to achieve, and that is martyrdom in the sake of Allah. So I will be very happy when that moment comes, and I will be very happy that I get to return and meet Allah, to join the light and see my beloved ones, my ancestors, the Imams, the Mahdis, the prophets, the messengers. So I am not very fussed about that.

As far as my followers go, the death threats that are occurring against them, I think that it is a great crime for any human being to threaten another human being, especially when it is due to the fact that it is because of their beliefs. I think every human being has, by nature, the God-given right to choose to believe whatever it is that they want to believe in. I do not think that anybody should be threatening anybody if they choose to believe or not to believe in any religion. Religion is something that is sacred, that is secret between a person and the Lord. Nobody gets to judge that.

What makes you stand out from the crowd (i.e. all other religious leaders)?

I think there are a few very big differences between us and the rest of the leaders.

One is that we have the will of the Prophet. Nobody else has that. No other religious movement on the face of the planet, besides us, can say that they are drawing their authority directly from the Prophet Mohammed. And we have proof to back that up: that is the Will. Nobody can state that at all, and that is something which is very special and unique to us.

The second thing that makes us especially unique is that we are the only people on the planet that are calling towards the supremacy of God. This idea is very unique in this day and age. While all other religious authorities and leaders of all other sects and religions are calling towards democracy or socialism or communism or whatever other type of political system, we are the only people that are saying, “Hey wait a minute! It was God who appointed the Imams. The Imams were supposed to rule. It was God who appointed the prophets; the prophets were meant to rule. God said in the Quran that He did not send a single prophet except that they were to be obeyed.”

So we are the only people that are holding on to this core tenet of faith, which is actually the most important of all tenets, and without it there is no wilaya. So this is the second thing which makes us incredibly unique.

The third thing is that we are the only people on the planet, the only religion on the planet, that, I think, is humble enough to say, and righteous enough, and honest enough to say, “Hey you know what? The majority of these other religions that are existing with us right now, they are not all wrong. Actually, they have a lot right, and a lot of truth in them." And we recognise that their founders, their leaders, the prophets, the sacred figures that are the symbols and heads of their religions, are actually symbols in our religion as well. Like the Prophet Buddha, Zoroaster, Socrates and Plato, and Krishna and Arjuna. All of these individuals are prophets in our religion, and this is something that exists within the narrations and the holy texts of Islam.

The Sunnis and the Shia over all this past period could have very well vocalised some of these points - I am not drawing it out of thin air. These traditions existed, the Imams that came before me, they spoke about this. And yet the people wanted to separate and steal the followers or the people only for themselves, and so they hid these truths that we are now resurrecting. So those are just a few points, but I think really almost everything about our religion is very unique and it stands out from the rest.

Politically, what do you stand for?

I stand for the idea that only God can appoint a leader, a ruler. That means that man should not be involved in politics, that God is the one who knows what is best for us. I think that one of the greatest crimes of humanity, or that a person can commit, is actually to involve himself in something which he or she is ignorant of. I think that the Quran is clear that if you follow most of the people they will lead you astray. I think that the greatest minds in Western thought, such as Socrates, they warned very much against democracy and they said that most people follow falsehood. If you had a side that had more people, and those people represented the majority, if they chose falsehood in a system like democracy, then falsehood would overrule. It would run. Any system that allows something which is not true, or false, or harmful to society to win just because more people want it, that’s an unjust system; and so we have many warnings. 

Our prophets and messengers, they showed us that this was a very dangerous path. The choice of the people is wrong. We see that in the example of Jesus and Barabbas, when Pontius Pilate put them forth to the crowd and he asked the crowd to choose one of them to be released, the people chose Barabbas instead of Jesus. So the people will always choose the criminal, they will always choose the tyrant, they will always choose that which is evil because evil and falsehood, like Imam Ali said, is sweet while the truth is bitter. Most people love falsehood and they want that which is sweet and that which is fleeting. 

So we stand for distancing ourselves from politics and we stand for surrendering our will to somebody who is divinely appointed, that philosopher king, the individual who can intellectually beat everybody else and has the answers to all things and has with him the Spirit of God.

You talk about establishing the Divine Just State and you have compared it to Plato’s Republic. What makes you the ideal candidate to establish it and lead it?

I don’t think that I am establishing it, nor am I running for office in order to lead it. I think that it was already established as a system from the time of Adam up until now. It was something that was disregarded by mankind. They put and established new systems that God never put into existence. So I am not establishing anything. God is the One that established it when He said “Verily, I am making a caliph in the land” and He appointed Adam. So that’s one. Two, actually, I’m not leading it in this particular day and age. Imam Al-Mahdi Mohammed ibn Al-Hassan Al-Askary, the 12th Imam, is leading it. I am just a mere servant of his and helping to call towards his right.

Do you have a message to any other established globally recognised leaders?

Fear Allah. Fear God. Fear God because deep down inside they know that they have no idea what they are doing. They know that the seat that they are sitting in is too big for them and it was not meant for them.

What is your message to the people of the world?

My message to the people of the world is to return back to Allah and return back to their nature, their fitra. To ask themselves a question, and that is: do we really believe in the Bible? Do we really believe in the Torah? Do we really believe in the Quran? Do we really believe that God is still alive? Would God leave mankind without a rope? Are the prophets dead? Is prophethood dead? Is prophecy dead? Is Imamate dead? Are there no more doors that are open between us and God? Do we really believe in that? Review themselves and search for the truth. Be fair to themselves before the day comes where their life will be over and they will not have a chance to repent. They will regret, very much so, not having found the Imam of their time.

It is actually one of the things that the Prophet Mohammed made abundantly clear. He gave a very clear warning in the narration where he said, “Whoever dies and does not know the Imam of his time has died the death of ignorance,” and so every human being has to find that living proof, that Imam of their time.

What is your message to those who are suffering in this current world?

The relief is coming and it is coming very soon, actually sooner than they think, because the more people that hear about this call, whether they accept it or not, the proof is being established and God is removing any excuse that people have in order that He may now send forward the relief and the troops.

Since you are a Godly figure, what is your message to those who are actively worshipping and serving satan?

I think I have to be careful in answering that because I think that the question itself, the statement that you make, is true. Most of the people are actively worshipping Satan, even though they consider themselves to be Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus. But at the same time, I think that the overwhelming majority of them are good people that are just astray. I think that they have been deceived by their idols, their scholars, and their pastors and their priests.

My message to them would be that if you obey somebody and that somebody is appointed by God, then you are worshipping God. This is what the Ahlul Bayt said. If you obey somebody who is not appointed by God, whether they be a political leader or religious leader, then he is appointed by the devil and by you obeying him then you are worshipping the devil. These are not my words, they are the words of Imam Al-Sadiq, these are the words of the prophets and messengers. I think they ought to be very careful. I think they ought to be very wary about where they are getting their religion from and where they are getting their directions from. They should ask themselves, are we really worshipping God or are we worshipping the devil?

Who or what do you see as your greatest opponent or nemesis?

Ignorance.

Will you ever stop what you are doing, and if so, when?

When I am dead. Then I will stop.

What would you do with yourself if, for whatever reason, your current activities were completely halted?

My assumption is that no matter what it is that God allows to happen, even if it were to halt my activities, I would consider it to be a temporary halt; something which was an obstacle, or an obstacle in the apparent, that was placed on my road only to enable me. Just like when Joseph was put into prison, this halted certain activities for a while, but it actually opened the door for others, right? And eventually led to him being enabled. When Jesus, even, was crucified according to the religion of Christianity, I mean, what happened after that? Even his death did not stop him, but rather, it enabled the religion after him to prosper and to spread all over Europe. So no matter what comes against us, come hail or high water, I think that it is all part of God’s plan and all of it is welcome.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?

I hope that we are all enjoying the fruits of our labour and we are all enjoying a Divine Just State. A state where the believers can actually have peace and prosperity, and a state actually led by God Almighty.