This is an update on the inspiring work and advocacy of Stacey Al-Mahdi in Ajax, Ontario, Canada. Stacey, a recent convert to Islam, has been actively spreading the message of God across her community, including placing posters at Ajax GO Station, bus stops, and even creatively sharing the message in local library book sections. Stacey, who grew up in a Catholic background, found herself disillusioned with the church. Over time, she felt that the spiritual essence had been lost, leaving behind only rituals, traditions, and uninspiring sermons. She would attend church sporadically, mainly for major festivals, but increasingly sought a deeper connection. After marrying a Muslim man, Stacey embraced Islam, but still struggled to find a sense of belonging. Her experiences with local mosques were painful—on one occasion, during prayer, she was segregated to a basement due to her skin color, leaving her feeling humiliated and alienated. It wasn’t until her husband encountered the teachings of Aba Al-Sadiq and "The School of Divine Mysteries" that Stacey found the spiritual community she had been longing for. She was captivated by Aba Al-Sadiq's unique ability to unify the Abrahamic faiths into a seamless, divine tapestry, also incorporating profound Gnostic wisdom. This experience transformed her perspective. Today, Stacey is a passionate advocate for social justice, spreading the vision of the Divine Just State (DJS); a community where hunger, homelessness, and racism no longer exist. She is committed to following the teachings of Aba Al-Sadiq, whom she regards as the philosopher king of our time. Her efforts echo the prophetic words of Jeremiah: “O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (Bible, Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 10, Verse 23) Stacey believes that others, too, will be drawn to this message of unity, justice, and spiritual awakening, and is determined to continue her mission in spreading hope and change throughout her community.

UPDATE - 9th of October 2024 - As we have reported previously, Reblyn Quiroz has been actively engaged in missionary work, spreading the message of the awaited Mahdi. Now, she is continuing her outreach efforts in Quezon City, Philippines, a city of over three million people, forming part of the sprawling metropolis of Manila. Despite a history marked by colonial conquests from Spain and America, along with enduring natural disasters such as landslides, cyclones, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes, the resilient people of the Philippines remain hopeful. Although many still face the grip of oppressive regimes, the predominantly Catholic nation holds firm in its faith, awaiting the appearance of a messianic savior during these challenging times. Aba Al-Sadiq, in alignment with this hope, has recently come forward as a proclaimer of truth and justice, declaring that the long-awaited salvation is now near. He calls upon the people to pledge their allegiance to this divine mission, reminding them of the prophetic promises of deliverance. The Philippine economy, heavily reliant on overseas workers, especially in the caregiving and nursing industries, reflects the compassionate and service-oriented nature of the Filipino people. In these trying times, the divine message Quiroz carries urges the people to align themselves with God’s guidance to ensure spiritual and generational salvation. As stated in scripture: “If you swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.” (Bible, Book of Jeremiah, Chapter 4, Verse 2) Reblyn Quiroz, a resident of Quezon City in the Philippines, has been diligently working to distribute flyers and introduce the people of Manila—home to over 25 million residents—to the world savior, Aba Al-Sadiq. Born into Catholicism, Reblyn's passionate belief in the arrival of a powerful Messianic figure in this apocalyptic age initially led her to embrace Born Again teachings. However, she found her soul was not at peace with her existing beliefs. After a trusted friend introduced her to the teachings of Abdullah Hashem, Reblyn was eager to investigate further. She was astonished to discover that, despite her lack of knowledge about Islam, Aba Al-Sadiq revealed a direct connection to Christianity. The teachings emphasized that God sends a Messianic figure in each age, maintaining an unbroken chain of messengers from Jesus through Peter to Mohammed and, today, through the Holy Will to Aba Al-Sadiq. Reblyn prayed sincerely every day to verify whether this call was indeed God's truth. Through her reading of the gospel, The Goal of the Wise, she found that the narrative and teachings spoke directly to her soul. Filled with faith, she made her full pledge on July 20, 2024.

The Mahdi’s Manifesto By Aba Al-Sadiq Abdullah Hashem  © 2024 Abdullah Hashem All rights reserved. All parts of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, including in the cases of brief quotations in critical reviews and other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. This manifesto may not be changed, altered or corrupted in any way shape or form. This manifesto may not be sold. First Edition: October 2024 The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light www.theahmadireligion.org To all the oppressed people around the World… To the P oor… To the O rphan… To the W idow… To the E xcluded from Society… To the R ighteous who want a change… The Power for Change is in your hands. Introduction The Jewish people have been waiting for the Messiah to appear and establish justice on Earth for 2600 years. The Buddhists have been awaiting the arrival of the Maitreya to enlighten the Earth and teach the pure Dharma for 2500 years. The Christians have been waiting for Jesus to return for over 2000 years. The Muslims have been waiting for the appearance of the Mahdi for 1400 years. And yet, when each does appear or when each had appeared, depending on the religion which you follow, (for the Christians believe that the Jewish Messiah did appear), the establishment of justice on the Earth or a Divine Just State is not something which one man can establish alone. Rather, God himself states, that even He does not change what is with a people until they change what is with their own selves (The Holy Qur’an 13:11). So change begins with us, justice and equality begins with us and a Divine Just State or a world without suffering will never be possible until we establish justice and equality amongst our own selves first. In this Manifesto, we will put forth our beliefs, outline our goals and demonstrate the most effective plan and roadmap to building a Divine Just State on Earth, leaving the rest in the hands of the believers to heed this call to action. Verily, what you have been promised has arrived. Chapter 1: Find a Leader  Every town, county, city, state, country, every corporation, company, organization, foundation, every movement, revolution, community and society needs a leader or else it is doomed to fail. A more recent example comes to mind when thinking of the 2011 Arab Spring. I was a youth who was on the frontlines of the Egyptian revolution and I risked my life to topple the Egyptian dictator Mohammed Hosni Mubarak. I camped out in Tahrir Square, I was attacked by government agents and Egyptian police forces, I had dodged bullets and engaged in deadly battles and I was arrested and tortured. In the end, we won. The Egyptian people won, and the power of the people changed history and the old Pharaoh was forced to go away. Much like the story of Moses, that old Pharaoh, Hosni Mubarak, could have been struck by the ten plagues and he still would not have given up his throne, but he stood no chance against the power and will of the people. And yet, when it was all said and done, and the dust settled and the sound of the cheering and laughter and joy had gone silent, the revolution that toppled the Pharaoh was without its Moses. With no leader to follow, the Egyptian revolution ended up being stolen by the Muslim Brotherhood, an Evil Islamic organization that had long opposed the government of Egypt. The people were left with a choice to vote for the Muslim Brotherhood Candidate Mohammed Morsi or for a candidate who was from the remnants of the former regime, Ahmed Shafik. The enthusiasm for change began to die and Morsi came to power, and a new page opened for Egypt which was worse than the page before. This was indeed the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) which stated, “ There shall not come a time upon you except that the one after it is worse. ” ( Sahih Al-Bukhari, Al-Bukhari, the Book of Trials (Kitab Al-Fitan), Hadith no. 7068 ) And indeed, after that was even worse, when Abdel Fatah El-Sisi, a military commander, lead a coup against the dictator Mohammed Morsi and came into power in 2014, and remained ever since, leading the country of Egypt into chaos and darkness. The Egyptians still say to this day, if only we had a leader for the revolution, that was our one mistake. The crowd moving without a leader was like a body running around without a head. Without an adequate leader, the people are forced to choose between inadequate ones. The feature of any truly successful nation is to be lead by the best of its people. But how does one find who is the best fit to lead? Can people actually determine who is best to lead? We have seen the choice of the people result in the rise of some of the world’s worst tyrants, such as Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. For those who believe in God, especially the God of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the choice of the people is irrelevant when it comes to a leader, in fact it is strictly prohibited. In the Hebrew Bible, God becomes infuriated with the Israelites and considers that they rejected Him when they decided to engage in choosing for themselves a leader. “So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.” (The Holy Bible, Book of 1 Samuel, Chapter 8, verses 4-7) In the Gospels too, it is clear that the people do not have the ability to correctly choose for themselves, for when they were given a choice between their savior and between a criminal, they chose the criminal over their own king and Messiah. “ And they had then a notorious prisoner, called Barab′bas. So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Barab′bas or Jesus who is called Christ?”…Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the people to ask for Barab′bas and destroy Jesus.” (The Holy Bible, Book of Matthew, Chapter 27, verses 16-17, 20) In the Qur’an as well it is said, “And if you obey most of those upon the earth, they will mislead you from the way of Allāh. They follow not except assumption, and they are not but misjudging.” ( The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 6 (Al-An’am), verse 116 ) Imam Ali (PBUH) said, “ Do not hate the path of truth because of the few that take it. ”( Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 67, p. 107 ) And so, there we see, the path of truth and righteousness is not followed by the majority, and the rule of the crowd or the mob, as Socrates (PBUH) said, will always lead to tyranny. As Socrates puts it, “ when this noxious class and their followers grow numerous and become conscious of their strength, assisted by the infatuation of the people, they choose from among themselves the one who has most of the tyrant in his own soul, and him they create their tyrant. ” ( The Republic, Plato, Book IX ) The leader then, for the believers, and for the righteous movement that seeks God’s divine favor, must not be chosen by the people, but chosen and appointed by God Himself. Men can judge only by the apparent while God is capable of choosing a leader by their inside or by their heart. “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. ” ( The Holy Bible, The Book of 1 Samuel, Chapter 16, Verse 7 ) A leader chosen by what lies in his heart rather than what comes out of his mouth is a leader that would embody all of the traits needed in a good leader; honesty, integrity, and empathy. A leader chosen by God comes with other benefits as well, for a leader chosen by God and recognized by his people as having been appointed by God, is capable of truly uniting his people, for anyone who dares to oppose him is opposing God almighty. Due to the enormous powers that this leader would yield, the fear remains that a person not appointed by God manages to rise to such position. For that reason, God would have had to have a way of clearly appointing this individual. Indeed, there is a way to recognize and confirm the identity of this divinely appointed individual.  The Will: In the beginning it was God who appoints Adam, and He states very clearly in the Qur’an: “ Verily I am making a Caliph in the land. ” ( The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2 (Al-Baqarah), verse 30 ) God made it clear He is the one who chooses the leader, and He made it clear whom his choice was. The angels had to prostrate or obey Adam afterwards. Following the appointment of Adam (PBUH), God interacted with mankind through his divinely appointed Caliph or messenger, starting with Adam (PBUH). The narrations make it clear that Adam (PBUH) named in his will the names of his successors, up until the time of Noah (PBUH), thus relaying the Divine will of God and the names of the divinely appointed chain of rulers to mankind. Abi Abdullah (From Him is Peace) said: “Verily Cain approached Seth (PBUH) and said to him: “My father gave you from the knowledge that he had, and I was older than you and had more of a right to this knowledge than you, but because I murdered his son, he became angry with me and preferred you with this knowledge over me. I swear by God, if you mention anything from the knowledge which you have inherited from your father in order that you show off in front of me and act like you are better, I shall kill you as I killed your brother.” Seth then hid everything he had of the knowledge he earned until the state of Cain and his rule comes to an end. And for that reason we practice dissimulation (taqiyah), because we have an example in the son of Adam, and Seth told his son about the Covenant in secret, and since Seth passed the Will to his son, by God, the sunnah has been to pass down the Will, scholar to scholar, and they would open the Will every year on one particular day and they would talk about how their father gave them a prophecy and glad tidings concerning the coming of Noah (PBUH).” (Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 11, p. 241)  So God appointed Adam (PBUH) and Adam (PBUH) delivered the appointment of his successors from Seth to Noah (PBUT) to the people by writing their names in his Will. As such do we find the prophets, messengers and divinely appointed figures in the Hebrew Bible, Gospels, Qur’an and Hadiths, always appointing their successors in their wills. We found Moses (PBUH) in his last testament appointing Joshua son of Nun (PBUH) and giving glad tidings of Jesus (PBUH), we found Jesus (PBUH) being appointed on the tongues of the prophets such as Isaiah and John the Baptist (PBUT) and we find Jesus (PBUH) also appointing his own successor in his will, Simon Peter (PBUH). Jesus said to Simon Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. ” ( The Holy Bible, Book of Matthew, Chapter 16, verse 19  ) We find Jesus (PBUH) giving glad tidings of the coming of Mohammed (PBUH & His Family), the promised second Paraclete or comforter, “ I am the Messenger of Allâh unto you confirming the Taurât [(Torah) which came] before me, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmed.” (The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 61 (As-Saf), verse 6) The Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) in turn also, before leaving this world and on his deathbed, dictated to Imam Ali (PBUH) his will, with which he gave a divine promise, and stated that whoever holds on to it would never go astray, “ When the time of the death of the Prophet approached while there were some men in the house, and among them was ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, the Prophet said: "Come near, let me write for you a writing after which you will never go astray.” ‘Umar said: "The Prophet is seriously ill, you have the Qur’an, so Allah’s Book is sufficient for us.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Al-Bukhari, Book of Patients, Chapter 17, Hadith no. 5669) So then a few nights later, on the night of his passing, the Prophet said, “O Father of Al Hassan, bring me a pen and a paper’, so the Messenger of Allah (PBUH & His Family) dictated his Will until he came to this position where he said: ‘O Ali, there will be twelve Imams after me and after them there will be twelve Mahdis. So you, O Ali, are the first of the twelve Imams, Allah The Exalted has named you in His heavens Ali Al-Mortadha (Ali the Content), Amirul Mo’mineen (the Commander of the Believers), Al-Siddiq Al-Akbar (the Greater Truthful), Al Farouq Al-A’tham (the Greater Judge and Differentiator between truth and falsehood), Al-Ma’moun (the Trusted), and the Mahdi (the Rightly Guided). These names may not be attributed to other than you. O Ali, you are my Vicegerent/ Guardian on my own family, their living and their dead, and upon my women: Whomever I kept, she shall find me tomorrow, and whomever I divorced, I am innocent of her, I will not see her and she will not see me on the Day of Resurrection. And you are my Successor (Khalifa) on my nation after me. If death comes to you, hand it over to my son Al-Hassan, the Righteous and Benevolent. Then if death comes to him, let him hand it over to my son Al-Hussein, the Martyr, the Pure and Murdered. If death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, the Master of Worshippers, Dhul Thafant (the one with hard skin on his knees) Ali. If death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, Mohammed Al Baqir (the Revealer of Knowledge). If death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, Ja’far Al-Sadiq (the Truthful). If death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, Musa Al Kadhim (the Patient). If death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, Ali Al-Ridha. If death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, Mohammed Al-Thiqa Al-Taqqi (the Trustworthy, the God-Fearing). If death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, Ali Al-Nasih (the Advisor). If death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, Al Hassan Al-Fadhil (the Meritorious). If death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, Mohammed the Safeguarded of the Family of Mohammed, peace be upon them. Those are the twelve Imams. Then there will be twelve Mahdis after him, so if death comes to him, let him hand it over to his son, the first of the close ones, he has three names, one like mine and my father’s and it is Abdullah (Servant of God), and Ahmed (the Praised), and the third name is Al-Mahdi (the Guided) and he is the first of the believers.” (Ghaybat Al-Tusi, Al-Shaikh Al-Tusi, Vol. 1, p. 174) So there you have it, the perfectly preserved method of appointing the divinely appointed leader, through their name being mentioned in the will of the prophets and messengers before. If a leader does not have proof that his name was mentioned before on the tongue of a divinely appointed  Knowledge: The second criterion for a divinely appointed leader by God is that he has divine knowledge, knowledge that others do not have, God given knowledge and wisdom. Adam (PBUH), after having been appointed by God, was instructed to inform the angels of their names, and to name all things in the world of creation. “He taught Adam the names of all things, then He presented them to the angels and said, “Tell Me the names of these, if what you say is true?” They replied, “Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us. You are truly the All-Knowing, All-Wise.” Allah said, “O Adam! Inform them of their names.” Then when Adam did, Allah said, “Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of the heavens and the earth, and I know what you reveal and what you conceal?”(The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2 (Al-Baqarah), verses 31-33) And in the Torah it states, “And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field.” (The Holy Bible, The Book of Genesis, Chapter 2, verse 20) So clearly the person who is appointed by God is given knowledge by God and knows that which everyone else does not. Abi Abdullah (PBUH) was once asked, “By what is the companion of the matter known?” It was answered, “He is known by his tranquility, dignity, knowledge and the will.” (Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 25, p. 138) The type of knowledge which this divinely appointed person must possess is not necessarily knowledge of worldly sciences, for example, he is not expected to be a jack of all trades, the best biologist, the best physicist, and the best architect, but rather the knowledge is knowledge of religion and the unseen, spiritual knowledge. “ Imam Ali (PBUH) said, O people, ask me before you lose me. Behold! I know the paths of the heavens better than I know the paths of the earth.” (Mizan Al-Hikma, Mohammed Al-Reyshahri, Vol. 2, p. 1218) Imam Ali (PBUH) was saying here that he is more versed in the spiritual sciences than in the material worldly sciences. Spiritual science includes the knowledge of God’s jurisprudence and laws, the knowledge of the prophets, messengers and angels; and part of spiritual knowledge is the knowledge of the souls, who is good and who is bad, who is weak and who is strong, who is right and who is wrong, who is guilty and who is innocent, who is appropriate for a particular job and who is not, who has faith and who conceals disbelief. Jesus (PBUH) was able to demonstrate knowledge of this kind, “ But when Jesus felt [persistence in] disbelief from them, he said, "Who are my supporters for [the cause of] Allah ?" The disciples said," We are supporters for Allah. We have believed in Allah and testify that we are Muslims [submitting to Him].” (The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 3 (Aal Imran), verse 52) So even though they declared faith, Jesus knew what was in their hearts. Prophets David and Solomon (PBUT) ruled by their divine knowledge and they judged amongst the people accordingly and the Qa’im rules as such, through his divine knowledge which is given to him by the Holy Spirit. Ammar As Saabati reported: “I asked Abu Abdullah [as]: “On what will you rule if you are made the rulers?” He replied: “By the rule of Allah and the rule of David. And if we are confronted by a situation which we cannot solve, Gabriel will reveal it to us.” (Al-Kafi, Al-Shaikh Al-Kulayni, Vol. 1, p. 398) Other narrations state that the Qa’im will judge without asking for proof or evidence in cases, but he will rule and judge based on what knowledge is placed in his heart from God. So thus, the knowledge which accompanies the companion of the Will, is divine knowledge, knowledge that allows for the divinely appointed individual to judge justly amongst the people and place the right people in the right positions much like the Philosopher King does in Plato’s Republic.  The Banner: The third criterion by which the individual can rest assured that the person is truly divinely appointed after having heard that he is claiming his name to have been mentioned in the will of a former Prophet or Messenger or Imam, as well as having confirmed that this individual is indeed wise and holds knowledge like none other, is through the banner which he holds. Every leader or ruler or king raises a banner, every noble house has a house banner, every sports team or organization or company has a logo or banner or motto which they uphold. The same is true for the divinely appointed Caliph, his banner and slogan is ‘Allegiance is to Allah’. This means that he is calling towards the idea of the Supremacy of God, the idea that only God can appoint the leader, only God has the authority and ability to choose the ruler and every divinely appointed prophet, messenger, and imam was sent as a ruler or king, “ And We did not send any messenger except to be obeyed by permission of Allāh.” (The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 4 (Al-Nisa) verse 64) And indeed, when one looks into the Torah, Bible, and the Qur’an, we see clearly that God always appointed the rulers, and his wrath came down upon man when they refused to obey the ruler and chose instead for themselves their own rulers and guides. God appointed Adam and gave him authority over the land, God appointed Noah and gave him the entire Earth, God appointed Abraham and granted him a land for him to rule over, God appointed Moses and made him break his people free from the grasps of the false leader, Pharaoh, and lead them to the promised land, God made Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and the judges who succeeded them rulers over the Israelites. God appointed Samuel, David, Solomon and Jesus over the Israelites. He sent Jesus as a King to be obeyed but the people chose to crucify him and reject their king instead. God appointed Mohammed and the Imams as rulers over this nation of Muslims, and yet the Muslims killed them and rejected them and took Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, the Umayyads, and the Abbassids as their rulers and kings. The divinely appointed Messenger or leader always returns people to the will and to the true meaning of Islam, or submission, to submit to the divinely appointed leader or ruler, just as the angels prostrated and submitted to Adam. The divinely appointed ruler or leader becomes a compass and distinguisher whereby people come to know who is good and who is bad, who is an angel and who is a devil, for all those who prostrate to and obey and take the divinely appointed leader as a guide is like the Angels who accepted Adam’s appointment; and everyone who rejects the divinely appointed leader, out of hatred and not out of ignorance, is like Satan who refused and thought himself better. So in short, if a man comes and claims the will, and displays knowledge and calls towards the supremacy of God, then he is telling the truth, but if a man came and claimed a different system of rule for the nation of believers, for example, he calls towards a system that allows the people to choose or appoint their own leader in any way, shape or form, whether it be democracy, communism, a monarchy system or any other system other than that, then this person is a Samiri, a false prophet, an Antichrist. And the narrations state that the banner of Mohammed and Ali (PBUT) goes to the Qa’im and the banner of the Qa’im has written on it, ‘Allegiance is to Allah’.  Chapter 2: Entering a Covenant  We believe that these three criteria apply to every divinely appointed prophet, messenger, judge, king, and imam from the time of Adam (PBUH) until today. We believe that Adam (PBUH) wrote his will mentioning the names of all the divinely appointed successors until Noah (PBUH). This is because Adam (PBUH) came with the first covenant from God, the first jurisprudence and law from God, and the first set of commands. All the successors from Adam until Noah followed the law and way of Adam (PBUT). At some point human beings break the covenant established by Adam (PBUH) and they incur God’s wrath and are eliminated by the flood. Noah (PBUH) established a second covenant after that, and brought down a new jurisprudence and law and he writes a will before his death, mentioning the names of all his successors up until Abraham (PBUH). The same thing occurs, all those between Noah (PBUH) and Abraham (PBUH) follow the law and ways of Noah (PBUH) until humans break the second covenant and a punishment befalls them, this time being the confusion of languages. Abraham ( PBUH) establishes a third covenant, and comes with a new law and set of jurisprudence and mentions his successors up until Moses (PBUH). The same thing occurs, and history repeats itself, and mankind break their covenant with God and a punishment comes down. Moses (PBUH) establishes a fourth covenant and before his death, writes a will in which he dictates the names of all his successors from Joshua until Jesus (PBUT). And the same occurs and Jesus (PBUH) comes with the fifth covenant and a new set of laws, and the same occurs and he writes his will and mentions all the successors between himself and Mohammed (PBUH & His Family). And the same occurs, and Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) is sent forth with a sixth covenant and a new set of laws and rules. And the same occurs, and the Muslim nation breaks the sixth covenant through the slaughtering of the Family of Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) and the elimination, and imprisonment of all the divinely appointed leaders mentioned in his will. The muslims incurred the wrath of God and a punishment came down upon them, and there is another punishment that is yet to come down upon them for their transgression against God, through their oppression of Mohammed and his Family. And the Mahdi was sent forth with a seventh covenant and call. This is clear in the narrations that state in the time of the Mahdi, Islam would be lost, and the most evil of creatures would be the scholars and jurisprudents, and the Mahdi or the Qa’im would call to a new book and a new matter ." ( Al-Kafi, Al-Shaikh Al-Kulayni, Vol. 8, p. 308; Kitab Al-Ghayba (Book of Occultation), Al-Numani, Vol. 1, p. 236 ) Like all previous covenants, it comes with a new jurisprudence and law, and being a member of this covenant defines if a person is a believer or not, and determines if the person is to be saved or not. Believing in the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) is now irrelevant if one does not accept this seventh covenant and pledge allegiance to the Qa’im and his successors in the will of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family). We believe that the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) pointed out who his successors were very clearly. He stated in his will which we previously supplied the names of twelve Imams, starting with Imam Ali (PBUH) and ending with Imam Mahdi Mohammed Son of Al-Hassan Al-Askari (PBUH), and there has come to the Earth all of them, and no man claimed to be them or claimed their name was mentioned in the will of the Prophet Mohammed except for them. As such, the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) mentioned the names of the first three Mahdis, Abdullah, Ahmed and the third name being Al-Mahdi. In 1400 years, from the time the will was written and until now, no one has claimed to be Abdullah in the will except for me, Abdullah Hashem. No one has claimed to be Ahmed in the will except for Ahmed Al-Hassan. Both Abdullah and Ahmed have displayed divine knowledge which was attested to by thousands of people, both of us were the only people in this day and age to call towards the idea and notion of the supremacy of Allah. Every other so-called Muslim scholar and representative or leader, whether Sunni or Shia, have called towards elections or obedience to the tyrant king of their country or region, or have called to something else other than the will of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family). This makes us unique and truthful in our claim, and makes us the divinely appointed successors of our time, and the only rightful heirs to the prophets and messengers and imams, for we came with the exact same proofs and in the exact same sunnah or way as they have. We are to the Muslims what the twelve Imams are to Shia Islam, we are to the Muslim nation what the Pope is to Catholics and what the Dalai Lama is to Tibetan Buddhists and what the Messiah is to the Jews. Furthermore, because we believe that Jesus (PBUH) named his successors up until Mohammed (PBUH & His Family), we believe that the current Pope is illegitimate and the only true successor of the Prophets and Messengers are Abdullah, Ahmed, and Al Mahdi. We believe that from the time of Adam (PBUH) and until now, the divinely appointed rulers and successors have continuously been pushed away from power and authority and have been replaced by imposters and usurpers, such as the Umayyads and Abbasids whom usurped the authority of Mohammed and the Family of Mohammed (PBUH & His Family). The ultimate goal of the Prophets and Messengers and Imams was to establish a Divine Just State on Earth, one in which the authority returns to the Divinely appointed King or ruler. Abi Abdullah (PBUH) said, “Verily God made religion two states, the state of Adam and it is the state of Allah, and the state of Iblis, and if God wants to be worshipped in public, it is the state of Adam, and if God wants to be worshipped in secret, it is the state of Iblis.” (Al-Kafi, Al-Shaikh Al-Kulayni, Vol. 2, p. 372) He also said, “Our Shiites in the state of falsehood will have nothing but sustenance. Go east if you wish or west, you will not be provided with anything but sustenance.” (Al-Kafi, Al-Shaikh Al-Kulayni, Vol. 2, p. 261) Imam Ali (PBUH) said, “The state of the wicked 24 is the trial of the good.” (Mizan Al-Hikma (Scale of Wisdom), Mohammed Al-Reyshahri, Vol. 2, p. 936) Thus, there is a state of God, which existed in the garden of Eden, and it will be brought back into existence, as it is the promise of God that the state of Adam returns one day, and that is what the prophets and messengers worked for, a return to the garden of Eden at the hands of the Qa’im. A state where God can be worshipped openly through obedience and acceptance of the divinely appointed leader and representative of God. That is in fact why all the righteous return to this Earth, to support him in this goal. And the narrations are many which speak about the reincarnation of the different companions and prophets and messengers in the time of the Qa’im, to help him in the final battle against Satan and his companions, and in order to establish a new Eden or a Divine Just State. But in order to establish a Divine Just State, we had to first find a leader, and second, we have to enter into a new covenant with God, and entering into a new covenant with God requires that we find the Imam of the time, pledge allegiance to him, and then obey him in all things, and accept from him religion and the new jurisprudence and law from God. As the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) said, “Whoever dies and doesn’t have a pledge of allegiance in their neck dies the death of ignorance, and whoever dies and doesn’t know the Imam of his time dies the death of ignorance.” (Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 23, p. 94) So religion is a man, and entering into a covenant with God or being in the Wilaya of God means that you are obedient to that man. As Imam Al-Ridha (PBUH) said, “Allah said; ‘The words ‘there is no God but Allah’ is a fortified fortress, whoever says those words are protected from My punishment, but it has conditions and I am from those conditions.” (Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 49, p. 123) As such, every divinely appointed successor is a condition from the conditions of faith, in order for your faith to be accepted, you must accept God’s authority which He appoints on Earth. Abdullah, Ahmed and Imam Mahdi are the conditions for this time and age. No one is a believer except if they pledge allegiance to them and believe in them, and religion is received through them and them alone. Now once the believers unite around a common leader and a common religion with its own unique jurisprudence, yet it is still the same original religion from the time of Adam until now, the believing body and future citizens of the divine just state have a common culture. The believers are now part of one family, one tribe, the family of the Mahdi (Aal Al-Mahdi).  “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”  Chapter 3: Forging a Community  The community of believers which make up the body of believers in the call of the Mahdi (PBUH) see themselves as not only members of one faith, but members of one family, for the Qur’an said, “The believers are but siblings. ” ( The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 49 (Al-Hujarat), verse 10 ) The community of believers also view themselves as God’s chosen people, for the chosen people of God are but the people whom God has a standing covenant with, and that is us, for the Jews, Christians, and Muslims all broke their covenants with God. The community of believers see themselves as the true children of Israel. The Prophet Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) said, “I am the servant of God, my name is Ahmad, and I am the servant of God, my name is Israel, so whatever he commanded him, he commanded me, and whatever he meant for Israel, he meant for me. ” ( Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 24, p. 397 ) Imam Al-Sadiq (PBUH) also said about the interpretation of the verse in the Qur’an ‘O Children of Israel’, " It is specific to the Family of Mohammed.” (Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 24, p. 397) So now we know and realize that the promise of the return to the promised land mentioned in the Torah, the promise of the gathering of the lost tribes of Israel mentioned in the Bible, and the promise of God’s everlasting blessings and hand over the nation of Israel is actually speaking about Mohammed and his successors (PBUT). The ones who will inherit the land are them and their followers. In the Bible it says, “They were from the twelve tribes of Israel, twelve thousand from each tribe: Judah, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. After this I looked, and there was an enormous crowd—no one could count all the people! They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood in front of the throne and of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.” (The Holy Bible, The Book of Revelation, Chapter 7, verses 4-9) As such, the tribes of Israel (Mohammed’s family and Shia) gather to the Qa’im in the narrations, “ When our Qa’im (PBUH) will establish himself, Allah will gather the people of the East and West. These people will come together in one place in the same manner as the leaves gather in one place in autumn.” (Moajam Ahadith Al-Imam Al-Mahdi, Ali Al-Korani, Vol. 3, p. 100) The companions whom gather around the Qa’im are the future citizens of the Divine Just State. God is gathering them as he gathered the Israelites before in the time of Moses (PBUH). First, the Israelites took Moses as a leader, then they entered into a covenant with God by obedience to him, and the believers then left Egypt and their old lives of slavery to follow Moses (PBUH) as he leads them out of the clutch of Pharaoh and through the sea. As such, the believers in this day and age are commanded to travel to the Qa’im, even if it were on ice, or through the clouds, or even if it were at great risk to their own selves, in order that they may form a community around him and be part of the promised nation that he will lead out of slavery and into the promised land. This task requires great patience as it did before with previous prophets and messengers. The narrations state that Noah (PBUH) preached to his people for 950 years before the flood came and the believers inherited the Earth. The narrations also state that Moses (PBUH) first appeared amongst his people attempting to save them at the age of forty and led them out of Egypt at the age of eighty. As such, the call of the Qa’im requires people whom understand the sunnah of the previous prophets and messengers, and are willing to dedicate their lives, time, efforts and resources to establishing a state. Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan the Yamani said, “ I do not want anyone who gets tired or gets bored,” and he said, “Work and work and work until your breath is cut out,” and he also said, “in order to pass this, one needs patience, and then patience, and then patience, and then submission.” He also said, “The Divine Just State will never be established until it is established amongst you first, O believers.” So we believe that during this time where the believing community goes from being a diaspora or dispersed nation that was exiled by the tyrants from their land to a strong community gathered around the Qa’im, justice must be established amongst the community. The community should live by God’s rules and by being an example of, “ You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah. If only the People of the Scripture had believed, it would have been better for them. ”( The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 3 (Aal Imran), verse 110 ) We must become a true embodiment of the values and teachings of the Prophets and Messengers and Imams, and an example for all nations of what a true Jew, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, Hindu, etc. should be. Through the divine example which the community sets for the world, they will not only gain God’s favor even more, but they will gain the admiration and respect of all nations. As they demonstrate themselves to be the ideal nation and the ideal people, the ideal state and the ideal religion, they are propagating the faith in every and all ways. When people see the example of the community, they compare it to their families, their friends, their states, their countries, and they envy our nation and our people, and wish to be like us and with us. This will eventually result in the manifestation of an actual Divine Just State for the believers, where we have an actual country with actual borders. As the body is a physical manifestation of the soul which comes before it. As such, the gathering of the community serves as the archetype, prototype, and soul of the physical state and country which comes after. This great gathering will cost money, for those who migrate to the Qa’im will be many, and they will marry and they will fulfill the Adamic covenant and be fruitful and multiply, and more resources will be needed to sustain the nation. The community must emulate the previous communities and nations of the prophets and messengers. Every new member must adhere to the stipulation that Jesus (PBUH) put forth to anyone who wished to follow him. Jesus answered, “ If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (The Holy Bible, The Book of Matthew, Chapter 19 verse 21) And the poor are those poor who emigrate to the Qa’im, those believers who are the oppressed on the Earth, those who believe in the Supremacy of God. The community must live as the apostles of Christ lived, rather even more so than them if they wish to be the nation that Jesus (PBUH) returns to, “ All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.” (The Holy Bible, The Book of Acts, Chapter 4, verses 32-35) Those members of the community whom arrive must also be prepared to work serving the community in one way, shape or form. A gigantic platform should be built to spread the call, a media machine, so to speak. This will require men and women whom are dedicated to spreading the call of God and serve as writers, television presenters, editors, debaters, missionaries, etc. and it requires a system to support them. There must be believers whom are willing to cook and feed the community of saints, prophets and messengers. There must be drivers willing to take the believers wherever they need to go, cleaners willing to clean after them and maintain their properties, builders willing to build homes and offices and temples, doctors willing to heal and medicine the sick, teachers and tutors willing to teach and help the children, until there remains no job in an actual state that is not fulfilled by believers in our community. They would be the plumbers, mechanics, doctors, engineers, teachers, workers, and leaders that are needed for our divine just state. There should be no currency exchanged between the believers. All needs of any member of the community should be fulfilled for free. The value of each community member would not be determined by how much they accumulated in material wealth like the rest of the nations, but rather by how much they served God through their service to the community and fellow man. That is their worth, as the Prophet said, “Creation is the children of God, the best of you is the best to the children of God .” ( Wasa’il Al-Shia, Al-Hurr Al-Amili, Vol. 16, p. 345 ) The community of believers should work to never have any differences between them, but if they ever did, they would all recognize the authority and judgement of their leader and they would accept it. The community of believers would be like a bee hive working for a common cause, with each member willing to sacrifice himself or herself for the survival of the hive. The community members are like one family, like siblings born from the same parents, and they fulfill their rights to one another as such. They give up their physical parents and take the divinely appointed leader as their father, and they give up their physical friends, brothers, sisters, and take the believers in their place. So much so that the believer inherits from his brother in the community and in the soul world, and does not leave his inheritance for his physical family. The community serves as an ideal example of love, peace and prosperity, seeking to guide all mankind, and without causing any trouble for the country which hosts them while they are still a nationless people. They respect all the laws of the land that they are in, they show appreciation to the nation and people that hosted them, allowing them to practice their faith freely in the same way that Mohammed (PBUH & His Family) and the Muslims showed love and respect to the Ethiopian Christian King who allowed them freedom to live as a community of Muslims in his land.  About us The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light is the name of the organization formed to represent our religion and is officially registered in the United States of America with 501c3 status. We are also an officially registered charity in the United Kingdom. We are also known as The Black Banners of the East, the Ansar of Imam Mahdi and the companions of the Seventh Covenant. If you are interested in learning more about the faith or about our community, please contact us at outreach@theahmadireligion.com or visit our website https://theahmadireligion.org/

UPDATE 22nd of September 2024 - Donna Sinclair has expanded her outreach efforts in Edinburgh, Scotland, a city of over 500,000 people, to share the message of Aba Al-Sadiq. Her goal is to help people understand that he has come to deliver a new Divine manifesto, aimed at solving humanity’s problems and empowering individuals to recognize their profound opportunity to support this divine mission in establishing the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. If people truly desire a better world for future generations, they must be willing to stand apart from the tyrannical state and instead support God’s messenger. God Himself, through the Prophet Mohammed, stated: “He does not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves.” (Qur'an, Chapter 13 (Ar-Ra'd), Verse 11) Donna Sinclair from London UK, who had rejected Catholicism as she could not accept Jesus as God, later converted to Judaism but felt it was too ritualized. She felt she had found some pieces of the puzzle but it was not revealed in its entirety until she discovered the media revolution and dialogues of Aba Al-Sadiq. Blown away by Aba Al-Sadiq's ability to draw together the teachings of the Jewish Midrash, Jesus Christ, and Islam she knew she now had the ultimate truth, and realized God had never left us. In recent days, Donna, invigorated in spirit, has gone out into her local community in Falkirk, Scotland, and distributed flyers and leaflets, displaying them on lampposts with the sole intention of encouraging open-minded people to research into the call of Aba Al-Sadiq, as a solution to the multi-faceted problems of our world today.

Truth seekers across Europe, particularly in countries like Germany, are increasingly embracing the message of Imam Mahdi. The community of believers is rapidly growing, with a small but dedicated group forming. The inaugural meeting took place in January 2023, followed by two additional gatherings. The most recent meeting was held on July 20, 2024, in celebration of the Imam's birthday, which featured a special birthday cake. During this event, brothers and sisters came together to share personal experiences, forge friendships, and deepen their understanding of the call. The brothers and sisters are well-connected, and even though they are currently spread across Germany and neighboring German-speaking countries, they support each other whenever possible. In recent months, an Ansar family in North Rhine-Westphalia provided assistance to a sister from Saudi Arabia while she awaited the approval of her visa application. A young couple, Marco Spanheimer and Samantha Hiller, who recently embraced the call, were married by the Bishop of Germany, under the authority of God and the Divine King of our age, Aba Al-Sadiq. During the ceremony, they explored the significance of the sacred marital union as expressed by Imam Ali and Lady Fatima, peace be upon them. The couple is now seizing every opportunity to deepen their understanding of the divine message and call of God. Marco stated, "There is nothing more valuable than serving our Imam of the time, peace and blessings upon the Qaim and the Mahdis." Both expressed their gratitude not only through words but also by becoming more active in spreading the message. Samantha shared her happiness in being part of this family of God and her commitment to supporting the German Dawah.

The first gathering of the Belgian believers in the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light took place on the 7th September 2024, over a communal meal. One believer remarked, "It was a beautiful sunny day and a wonderful gathering of the believers in Belgium. It was truly enriching to meet and exchange experiences, experiencing the wonders of fraternity, respect, knowledge, and, above all, a deep love for the Qaim, Aba Al-Sadiq." One of the more introverted sisters shared that family gatherings typically weren't her preference, as she often found herself bored or uncomfortable. However, despite not knowing most of the other believers, she felt positive and uplifted, as if she were among friends she had known for a long time. She expressed, "I love all of them very much. God bless them all and bless Aba Al-Sadiq for this day; it was a wonderful day." Another participant said, "I wish the event hadn't ended so quickly... We still have so much to share and exchange. InshAllah, we will see each other again soon." Those who gathered in Belgium included Rayane, Laure, Ulises and his wife Anais, Ibrahim and his wife Miriam, along with their children, Sofiane and Alexandra.

In the traditions of Islam, the companions of the Mahdi are unlike any companions that have come to pass. They hold a pivotal position in the end times, and are described as the vanguard who will accompany the Mahdi in his divine mission to restore justice and equity, while the earth is filled with injustice and inequity. Their steadfast belief, unparalleled dedication, and exceptional attributes have captivated wishful hearts across generations. Reflecting on this, we turn to a verse from the Quran: "He said: Ah! that I had power to suppress you, rather I shall have recourse to a strong support. " (Surah Hud, verse 80) ... Imam Sadiq says concerning this verse, “The power and strength, which is desired by Prophet Lut, is in fact the strength of Hazrat Qaem and the steadfastness of his companions.” (Kamāl al-dīn wa tamām al-niʿma, Al-Shaikh Al-Saduq, Vol. 1, p. 673) When we think of a companion, we often picture a loyal friend who stands by us during tough times. That is usually the extent of what we expect from companionship today. However, the companions of the Mahdi are far more than just regular companions—together, they form a formidable force, united in purpose and driven by a shared vision to serve and protect God’s vicegerent. They possess such deep trust, love, and loyalty that they would willingly embrace destruction for the sake of their faith. The narrations describe them as being more obedient to the Imam than a wife to her husband or a bondwoman to her master. Their relationship with the Imam is akin to a marriage to their faith and to God, driving them to do anything for His sake. They spend their nights in sleepless worship, their hearts constantly devoted to God, and during the day, they work with the fierce determination of lions. Besides the companions possessing firm faith and obedience to the Mahdi; their hearts are likened to iron, and each one is said to have the spiritual strength of forty true believers. While referring to the companions of Imam Mahdi, Imam Al-Sadiq says: “Each of them have been gifted the strength of forty men and surely their hearts are firmer than iron, and they will not sheath their swords until the time their Lord is satisfied with them.” (Kamāl al-dīn wa tamām al-niʿma, Al-Shaikh Al-Saduq, Chapter 58, Hadith 18) The number of companions: 10000, 313, 50, 12 There are three distinct groups of companions: the 10,000 warriors, 313 men and 50 women, and the 12 closest advisers. The 10,000 are described as a formidable army, capable of performing miracles and conquering cities through the sheer power of their faith. The 313 on the other hand, are the elite companions along with the 50 women. These individuals are the first to enter Paradise. As they pass in front of other nations and people during God's judgment, everyone observes them as they see these men and women with shining faces. They are considered to be the most devout, knowledgeable, and righteous individuals who will gather around the Imam when he reappears. And there are the 12, who will be the Mahdi's closest and constant companions, never leaving his side, and serving as the most trusted decision-makers. Imam Mohammed Taqi said, "Allah will gather his followers around him. Their number will be 313, the same as the companions of Badr. They will gather from different parts of the earth.’ And this is the exegesis of Allah’s Words, “…wherever you are, Allah will bring you all together; surely Allah has power over all things.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 148)."(Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 52, Chapter 31, Hadith 10) Clothes and Appearances Many Islamic traditions provide vivid descriptions of the Mahdi's companions, offering insights into their physical appearance and demeanor. These narrations, attributed to Imam Ali, depict individuals as being young with long hair, beards, and mustaches, dressed in black and carrying black banners. The accounts suggest a striking uniformity among these followers, describing them as similar in height, facial features, and clothing. These visual details not only serve to identify the companions but also emphasize their unity in supporting the Mahdi's mission. Numerous hadiths affirm this, such as:
 The Commander of the believers said on the platform of Kufa: "... his companions are those who have long hair, they are the ones who have beards and mustaches, their clothes are black, they are companions of Black Banners"
 (Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 52, p. 233) Interestingly these narrations fit the companions of Aba Al-Sadiq, who naturally immitate Aba Al-Sadiq's appearance by letting their hair grow long and dressing in black. Imam Ali narrates, ‘I am seeing them (companions of Imam Mahdi) – they are similar in colour, height, face and clothes. They are united in their hearts and are anxiously trying to search for their lost property. They are troubled and disturbed because of it. At that moment, a person from the extreme wall of the Holy Kaabah will reappear. This person will be an exact replica of the Holy Prophet in his appearance, ethics, mannerisms, beauty and radiance. These people shall ask him ‘Are you Mahdi?’ He shall reply, ‘Yes I am Mahdi.’ Then they shall all pay allegiance to him.’ (Al-Malahim wal Fitan, Al-Sayyid ibn Tawus, p. 122; Roozgaarhaai, Vol. 1, p. 416, Hadith 482) Mahdi's companions will be predominantly young, with only a few elders among them. The young are chosen to support the Mahdi as a reflection of their strength, purity, adaptability, and the symbolic renewal of the Islamic community under the Mahdi's leadership. Imam Ali said, “The companions of al-Qa'im will be young men. There will be no old men among them except like the kohl in an eye or like the salt in the food and the least part of food is the salt.”
(Ghaybat Al-Tusi, Al-Shaikh Al-Tusi, p.476; Al-Malahim wal Fitan, Al-Sayyid ibn Tawus, p.144; Ithbat al-Huda, Vol. 3 p. 517; Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 52 p. 333; Mo’jam Ahadeeth al-Imam al-Mahdi, Vol. 3 p. 102) The Chosen Ones The Mahdi's companions are not ordinary individuals; they are a select group, handpicked by God. Their souls are of returned prophets, messengers, angels, and the most pious of believers from across history. The traditions state that these companions will be drawn from diverse nations and backgrounds, transcending the barriers of race, culture and creed. The Holy Prophet prophesied, "When our Qaim will establish himself, Allah will gather the people of the East and West. These people will come together in one place in the same manner as the leaves gather in one place in autumn." (Al-Sawaeq Al-Mohreqa, p. 163; Muntakhabul Asar, p. 477) The cultural and racial diversity of the followers and companions of the Mahdi is described in many narrations and is something that makes the call particularly universal. Aminah Alamgir Aminah Alamgir, a half-Iraqi, half-American believer from Boston, shares her unique perspective: "This Hadith embodies the very essence of the community of Aba Al-Sadiq. Indeed, the community is a beautiful melting pot of East and West: it is a blend of those from the East who have lived in the West, and those with Eastern origins who have been born or grown up in the West. The community of the Qaim is a community where nations gather and live together in harmony under the shared culture of the Religion of the Qaim. It is a utopia where humans truly live as one humankind. It is paradise on earth. " Personal Stories and Quotes The believers who joined the community of Aba Al-Sadiq from around the world, already aware of their role as the companions of the Mahdi, reflected on their personal journeys and saw clear parallels between their lives and the characteristics described in the hadiths by the Ahlulbayt pertaining the comapions of the Mahdi. Here are just a few personal stories highlighting these parallels: 

Ardijan Demirovic an Albanian from New York shares a heartfelt reflection. “The believers are one. In this call, it’s impossible not to share in the pain or happiness that another believer is going through. When our brother Mamadou was in the hospital, for example, I lost sleep over his condition.” He adds that this experience reminds him of the hadith from Abu 'Abd Allah: “Believers are like brothers from one father and mother; when one of them is struck, the others lose sleep.” 
(Kitāb al-Muʾmin, The Bond that Allah has set amongst the Believers, Hadith 1)
 Mamadou Rurimwishiga Mamadou Rurimwishiga a Senegalese from Minnesota reflects, “I’ve always loved this narration because it captures the essence of our shared bond. Whether it’s clothes, money, or food, I've seen time and time again where I'm in need of something, and I find the believers rushing to get what I need with full happiness.” Sarah Batul, a Pakistani from the UK, shares her personal experience: "When I arrived in the community, the first thing I noticed was how the scriptures came to life. The ways of Jesus and his disciples, along with the traditions of Muhammad and his family, were deeply embedded in their lives." She points out how the Ansar of Aba Al-Sadiq share everything, possessed nothing , and worked toward a common goal. It reminded her of the narrations about the companions of the Riser, who would stay up all night working for the cause. Nima Firouzi, an Iranian from Germany, shares his touching story: “When I came to Egypt after searching for the truth, I knew I had found the people who fit the description of believers, those who love each other for the sake of God. The brothers eagerly jumped to do good deeds for each other, whether it was something big or even the smallest of tasks. Unlike anything I had ever witnessed, these brothers truly brought me back to life, as I had almost reached a point in my 26 years on this earth where I struggled to believe that people who genuinely want to please God even exist. So, I thought to myself, if these guys are already like this, then what must Ahmad Al-Hassan be like? I had learned and observed that people always become what they follow and look up to. Here, I saw greatness in people who had given up their ordinary lives to go into a "cave," like "the people of the cave," to be ready to support the savior. They came together from all four corners of the earth, just as I had read about the companions of the Mahdi. I am ever so thankful to Allah that He placed me next to the spirit of God within His nation so that I can be part of the greatest movement the world has ever seen or heard about.”
 The Trials and Tribulations The companions of the Mahdi will not be spared from trials and tribulations. They will be tested to the utmost, with some succumbing to the weight of the knowledge bestowed upon them and apostatizing, while others emerge stronger in their faith. The Mahdi himself will put them through rigorous tests, sifting them until only the most steadfast remain. Imam Baqir in reply to a question on when the Mahdi would come to power said, “It’s a pity that it will not be so till you are all sieved like grain is sieved to separate it from chaff. And then you are sieved again and again till there does not remain any impurity and only the clean grain is left.” (Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 52, Chapter 26, Hadith 28) The companions of the Mahdi are a testament to the power of faith and devotion to their leader. Their story is a fabric of sacrifice, steadfastness, and the unshakable conviction that justice will prevail through Gods kingdom. As the Mahdi's vanguard, they will pave the way for a new era of peace, harmony, and the restoration of the true teachings of the seventh covenant. Their legacy will resonate across centuries and inspiring future generations to emulate their unshakable dedication to the Vicegerent of God.

The majority of Iranians, both inside and outside of Iran, are either not religious or have distanced themselves significantly from Islam. Many have converted to Christianity, while others have abandoned belief in God altogether, becoming atheists. Born in Iran and raised in Germany within an Iranian household connected to the local Iranian community, I understand the intense discomfort associated with Islam and its origins.  Many Iranians in the diaspora have experienced severe trauma—families torn apart or executed, personal abuse, and other forms of cruelty—often accompanied by their oppressors shouting the names “Mohammed, Ali, Fatima,” or “Hassan, Hussain.” This has led to a pervasive negative perception of Islam among Iranians, who feel that their Iranian identity, values, and original religion were forcibly usurped by Arab traditions, beginning with the brutal conquest of Iran by Omar between 642 and 651 AD. Following a period of modernization and westernization that began in the first half of the 20th century, Iran experienced a second Islamic invasion, ironically brought about by the Iranian people themselves and foreign powers in 1979. However, they were betrayed. The scholars who promised to liberate Iran from oppression and establish a “Divine Just State” where basic needs like water, gas, and other essentials would be provided by the state, turned out to be nothing more than a Trojan horse—a bubble that burst as soon as they gained power.  Are they Really doing all of this for Mohammed? After the brutal Arab conquest, many in the Middle East viewed Mohammed's religion as satanic in nature, primarily because the Arab empire forced conversion by the sword and exhibited not a trace of the morals and manners of the Ahlul Bayt in their behavior. It was only with the martyrdom of Imam Hussain that people's hearts began to change, realizing that these oppressors were likely not acting in Mohammed's name. Over time, the Persians' deep-seated resentment towards the Arabs and their conquest led many of them to accept Islam, but only under the Wilayat (guardianship) of Imam Ali. They could relate to the suffering of the family of Mohammed, who were oppressed, killed, and tortured by the Arab rulers. A similar narrative is found in the legend of the Persian hero Kaveh Ahangar, who stood up against the tyranny of Zahhak. The Persian mindset was still heavily influenced by such mythological stories. Therefore, when Islamic prophecies foretold the victory of the household of Mohammed, it provided a glimmer of hope. For the Persians, this hope represented a light at the end of the dark tunnel that Islamic history had painted for the Middle East, giving them something to hold onto. The West Empowered the Rulership of the Scholars in Iran In the late 19th century, the British quickly realized that oil would surpass coal as the primary energy source in the long run. They struck a deal with the Iranian king, securing 84% of the oil revenue for themselves, leaving only 16% for Iran. The ruling class at the time, often intoxicated by opium and with little use for oil beyond filling their Aladdin lamps, did not feel threatened by this arrangement, especially given that the Khuzestan region of Iran was practically floating on oil. The British, however, recognized the immense wealth they had gained from this deal and were determined to maintain their income at any cost. To do so, they engaged in a strategy of divide and conquer, manipulating monarchs and politicians to suppress the Iranian people's desire for democracy, which had surfaced several times over the last 100 years of Iran's history. Khomeini returns from France This democratic aspiration conflicted with the interests of the West, who feared that oil might be nationalized, with its revenues used entirely for national purposes instead of the 50/50 standard split that had finally been negotiated by Iran and the West. This notion was highly unsettling to both the British and the Americans, who saw their interests at risk. The conflict of interest within and outside the country grew, as the Iranian people became increasingly aware of the exploitation of their resources by the West. However, the Western powers did not relent. The clerics, staunchly opposed to democracy in any form, became increasingly important to Western interests. This led to significant support for Khomeini, who was helped to rise to power with the backing of the West. But once Khomeini became the leader of Iran, he completely reversed his stance, betraying everything he had promised to the Western powers. Unfortunately, it was not just the Westerners who witnessed Khomeini's turnabout; his own people also felt betrayed, as an iron fist came down hard on the Iranians, leaving behind a traumatized nation. Rulership is for the Scholar? Since when? After the occultation of the 12th Imam, Mohammed ibn Hassan al-Askari, a period of uncertainty and darkness ensued. The followers of the Ahlul Bayt were left confused, not knowing whom to follow after the Imam's disappearance. In response to this confusion, they developed a concept that has evolved into what is known today as "the guardianship of the scholar" or "Welayat-e Faqih" in Arabic. This concept gained significant prominence in Iran, particularly as it became the basis for the dictatorship of the Grand Ayatollah, who rules the country while claiming he will step aside upon the reappearance of the 12th Imam. However, the idea of "Welayat-e Faqih" is not unique to Iran; it is a common practice among Shia communities worldwide. Given the absence of a present Imam, but with the understanding that "whoever dies without knowing the Imam of his time will die the death of ignorance," Shia communities have placed their guardianship in the hands of scholars. These scholars are viewed as intermediaries between the community and the 12th Imam, even though none of them have direct contact with him. Nevertheless, rumors persist within the community about certain individuals meeting the 12th Imam behind closed doors. Anyone who identifies as a Shia is expected to choose a "Marja-i Taqlid" or "source of emulation"—a scholar to emulate to correctly perform religious practices and rites. When asked how to choose a Marja, people often respond, "the most knowledgeable one." This response often leaves people puzzled, as determining who the most knowledgeable scholar is can be a daunting task. Moreover, the belief is widespread that without choosing a Marja, one's acts of worship are not accepted, further reinforcing the idea that "whoever dies without knowing the Imam of his time will die the death of ignorance." Thus, the chosen Marja essentially becomes the Imam of the time for that individual. The real issue arises when this concept leads to the elevation of these scholars to a status akin to that of the 12 Imams. According to hadiths, the only figures whose absence causes all acts to be unaccepted are the 12 Imams. By placing the Marja in such a position, these scholars are elevated to a rank that was traditionally reserved for the Imams, leading to this theological catastrophe. Imam Ja’far Al-Sadiq said,“… As for those among the jurisprudents who are guarding themselves, safeguarding their religion, opposing their desire, and obeying their (Mawla) Master, then it is for the common people to imitate them…” (Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 2, p. 88) Statements like this are often used to support their position, but the last part of the second statement is usually left out when scholars talk about their own role. “And they (the jurisprudents) are more harmful to the weak ones of our Shia than the army of Yazid was to Hussain son of Ali (pbut) and his companions, or they take away from them their lives and money … And those evil scholars, that claim to be loyal to us and hostile to our enemies, cause doubt and ‘Shubha’ (what seems like the truth) to enter the weak ones of our Shia, so they misguide them and prevent them from reaching the real truth.” (Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 2, p. 88) They find very little to forcefully prove and interpret their point, but the opposition has an ocean of narrations. Abu Dhar said, "I was with the Prophet (pbuh) one day and I heard him saying: "There is something I fear for my Ummah more than the Dajjal." It was then that I became afraid, so I said: "Oh Rasool Allah! Which thing is that?" He (pbuh) said; "Misguided and astray scholars.” (Musnad Ahmed ibn Hanbal, Ahmed ibn Hanbal, Part 5, p. 145, 21334-21335) We could go on like this forever, but the reality is that we don't even need to go that far. A simple question like, “Who gave you the authority to elevate yourselves to such positions?” should be enough to shatter this deceiving construct of theirs. If they give themselves titles like “Hujjatullah” (the Proof of Allah) and “Ayatullah Al-Uzma” (the Greater Sign of Allah), which are titles of the noble Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, then they must provide proof for such claims. Not to mention that they have turned Ali’s honored position with Allah into a mere juridical title. In what holy scripture are they mentioned? Where is the command to obey them as our guardians? When did the Ahlul Bayt ever mention that these scholars would own a country to be handed over to the 12th Imam upon his reappearance? In what divine narration do we find that the scholars are the ultimate authority in religion, without being accompanied by a prophet or messenger to serve as the living source of their faith? The absolute audacity was displayed by the first Supreme Leader of Iran, who stated, “Preserving the Islamic Republic is more important than preserving a single individual, even if that individual is the Imam of the Time.”  This bold and baseless statement implies that they would even disregard the 12th Imam for the sake of preserving their state, effectively placing restrictions on Imam Mahdi by suggesting he must accept their state and keep it intact, or else he is deemed useless for the Islamic world. But what if Imam Mahdi intends to destroy and wipe out the current system of Iran? This line of reasoning leads to the rejection of anyone who claims to be the Mahdi unless he emerges from their own ranks. And when questioned, they claim there is still a long time before his reappearance. This is a shameless act of degrading the Ahl ul-Bayt to a powerless position. No matter how many Iranian-produced weapons they name Khaybar, Zulfiqar, Moharram, or Qaim, it doesn't change the fact that they only express loyalty to the 12th Imam if it aligns with their interests.  The saying of Imam Ali, “You know well that I am more deserving of the caliphate than anyone else. By God, as long as the affairs of the Muslims remain in order and there is no oppression except to myself, I will continue to show patience,” is prominently displayed on Khomeini’s homepage, with the attribution misleadingly applied to himself. For Khomeini’s followers who audaciously place this corrupt figure—who even condoned the fondling of children in his teachings—on the same level as Imam Ali, here’s a lesson: The caliphate is granted either directly by Allah or through the will or prophecy of a messenger. In reality, Khomeini oppressed and unjustly killed many people, driving countless Iranians, both inside and outside of Iran, away from Islam, leaving them with nothing but hatred for anything associated with the religion. While the state of Iran claims a caliphate, albeit without explicitly using the term, it fails to uphold the true essence of what it represents. A Holy Money Printing Machinery The scholars of Iran contribute nothing but traditional practices, storytelling, fatwa issuance (formal rulings or interpretations on points of Islamic law), instructions on how to pray, guidelines for fasting during Ramadan, and, notably, the collection of Khums (a fifth of every Muslim's income, unless they are poor, which must be paid to the state of Islam) and Zakat (a specific portion of wealth donated annually to charitable causes). These money-hungry scholars did not come to better the world as the prophets and messengers did. They claim to reserve a portion of the collected money for the reappearance of the 12th Imam, while in the meantime, they take what they need for their own lives and distribute the little that is left to poor believers and the state. Anyone familiar with how these scholars live and the conditions of the countries they reside in should recognize this claim as a lie. If they were truly representatives of the 12th Imam, they would establish a divine, just state; yet, all we see from them is oppression. Currently, there are about 50 Marja-i Taqlid in the world, with the most prominent being Ali Khamenei and Ali Sistani—one leading Iran and the other leading the Shia in Iraq, with followers worldwide. A well-known Iranian documentary series, released 14 years ago by Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, contains leaked information from an employee in Khamenei’s household. It details the daily routine of this powerful Marja, along with his preferences for food and luxurious activities. He owns 100 horses valued at 40 million dollars, with special cabins made to transport them by airplane. Caviar from the Caspian Sea, ring-necked pheasant meat from Shiraz, ostrich meat, and quail meat frequently appear on his dinner table. He has a pipe collection of 200, worth 2 million dollars, with the most expensive costing 250,000 dollars. He also owns 300 rings, with the most expensive valued at 500,000 dollars, and a collection of 170 walking sticks, many of them antiquities, altogether estimated at 1.2 million dollars. The list goes on, including costly evacuation plans, an entourage of paid doctors following him everywhere, and an underground clinic beneath his house. He even has a personal comedian and poets. He has a collection of 120 robes that are nothing more than costumes resembling Prophet Muhammad's outfit, worth $400,000, with the most expensive one costing $30,000. Does this sound like someone who represents Prophet Muhammad in our time? Sistani, on the other hand, is a reclusive figure, almost to the point of complete withdrawal from public life. This only fuels the rumors surrounding him, giving him an air of mysticism and suggesting ties to the 12th Imam. I have never even heard his voice. Yet, he was the driving force behind the elections in Iraq, having his followers vote for the current ruling party—a completely un-Islamic process and, from a Shia perspective, entirely haram.  Sistani wields significant influence over the Shia community in Iraq, the largest religious group in the country. The Washington Institute for Near East Policy published a paper in 2006 titled " The Last Marja , " which stated: "The most accurate estimates of Sistani’s wealth indicate his annual income is between $500 million and $700 million, and his worldwide assets exceed $3 billion." How can a religious leader live like that when, according to the Planning Ministry, "25% of Iraqis—11 million people—live below the poverty line," as reported by "The Media Line"? When have you ever heard of religious authority being divided among 50 men, none of whom can truly claim superiority because they lack contact with the true leader of their faith? Where they differ in jurisprudence? Where someone can only reach this position after attaining a certain age, scholarly degree, and with the consent of others who have already reached this status? In this corrupt system, whoever has more followers earns more money and rises in rank within the Shia world. As a good friend of mine once said, “Even the Mafia works for their money, but these guys do absolutely nothing and earn enormous amounts.” On top of that, regular scholars receive a salary from the state of Iran—not just the scholars from Iran but also imported students and scholars who come to promote their cause—while the rest of the country drowns in poverty. Another significant income source is the shrines of the Imams and their family members, where believers go on pilgrimage and donate money for good luck and the acceptance of their prayers. Where does this money go? Nobody really knows. But it’s likely spent on the lavish decoration of the shrines, so that pilgrims are awed by the beauty and continue to visit—and, of course, on the scholars of Islam. The shrine of Imam Ridha in Mashhad, in particular, generates revenue of $571 million a year solely from pilgrims' spending. They tell people to come to the shrines to request intercession from the Imams if they are sick, hoping to be cured of their diseases. However, when they are sick themselves, they seek out the best doctors, regardless of the cost. Poverty in Iran today Considering the dire conditions in Iran and Iraq, where people struggle to meet their basic needs, it’s sickening to think that these states profit so much off the backs of the most generous and self-sacrificing individuals who ever lived. Throughout Iran, they’ve built small shrines for the family members of the household of Muhammad, where people also donate their money to a “divine” cause. And let's not forget the grandiose shrine they built for Iran's first leader, Khomeini. The hypocrisy continues with the establishment of agencies, hotels, and scholarly approval of prostitution around the shrines of the Imams in the name of Islamic temporary marriage (Mut'ah). This has led to the city of Mashhad, where the shrine of the 8th Imam is located, being nicknamed the “Thailand of the Middle East.” They even built an enormous waterpark for the entertainment of pilgrims and sex tourists. The establishment of such things costs enormous amounts of money, yet there doesn’t seem to be enough for the poor. Extreme Shame on Those who Should Know Better Lacking steadfast proof for their position, these people resort to speaking ill of the members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, despite the overwhelming evidence in the narrations. The recognition of Ahmad Al Hassan as the Yamani and Aba Al-Sadiq as the Qaim is so well-supported that it could fill an entire book. The divine appointment through the will of Prophet Mohammed, the knowledge capable of transforming the world into a paradise, and the banner of "Allegiance is to God" should be enough to believe. Instead, these people should take a hard look at their own countries, particularly Iran, which suffers from the highest drug addiction rate on the planet, with drugs flooding the streets, the highest inflation rate in the world, and the highest rate of people converting to other religions among Muslim countries. This is all due to the evil actions of their leaders, who are wolves in sheep’s clothing, daily confronted with the reality of Ahlul Bayt, where one would argue that they should know better than what their hands bring forward. These leaders have caused wars across the Middle East, destroyed lives, and left their own people hungry while funneling billions into weaponry and their own pockets. They have learned nothing from the Ahlul Bayt  and have never truly loved them. If they had, their actions would speak louder than their words. Claiming to be followers of the Ahlul Bayt comes with responsibilities, the first of which is compassion and care for your fellow human beings. From speaking with all types of Iranians—whether peace-loving, intellectual, or human rights activists—everyone says the same thing: “There is no negotiating with this gang of scholars; the only way to rid ourselves of them is by force.” Imam Ja'far Al-Sadiq said: "When the Qa'im (the Mahdi) rises, there will be nothing between him and the Arabs and the Persians except the sword; he will take it by the sword and give it by the sword.” (Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 52, p. 389) Imam Ahmad Al-Hassan said: “Have you asked the family of the Prophet about the scholars of the end times before you ask the scholars of the end times about the family of the Prophet?”

In a room buzzing with anticipation, a man cloaked in black takes his place atop a striking black-and-gold pulpit. He declares himself the divinely appointed successor of the Prophet Mohammed and the true inheritor of the religion of Islam. But this isn't your typical mosque gathering. Scanning the audience reveals something radically different: women from all walks of life fill half the seats, and not a single one is wearing a hijab—the head covering traditionally considered obligatory by Muslims worldwide. What’s behind this bold departure from tradition? The man at the pulpit is none other than the Mahdi, the figure destined to revive and renew Islam. And he’s doing just that, starting with a bold and controversial claim that has sent shockwaves through the Muslim world: the hijab, he asserts, was never a religious obligation. God allows women freedom to choose whether to wear it or not. This is more than a statement; it’s a revolutionary shift in the understanding of women’s rights and roles within religion, challenging centuries of corrupt dogma. Women's Rights and the Challenge of Islamic Law It’s no secret that Islam, as it is commonly practiced today, struggles with a bad reputation when it comes to women’s rights. The Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research acknowledges this, noting, “Often, misrepresentations and misconceptions about how women are treated by Sharia are used to advance the notion that Islam is misogynistic.” But is this truly a matter of misinterpretation by average Muslims, or is there something more at play? Are the so-called scholars of Islam pulling the strings behind the scenes? To unravel this, we need only look at some well-known cases. Scholarly fatwas on women’s issues range from the mundane— like prohibiting women from plucking their eyebrows —to the repulsive, such as permitting child marriage , and even the bizarre, like suggesting a husband can eat parts of his wife’s body in dire circumstances . While many Muslims are accustomed to ignoring these more extreme clerical decrees, a problem arises when such fatwas are enforced on a societal level. A prime example is the compulsory wearing of the hijab in Iran. In late 2022, Iran witnessed a wave of anti-government protests over the compulsory hijab, sparked by the death of Jina Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman. She died after being beaten by the Gasht-e Ershad, Iran’s “morality police,” tasked with enforcing strict dress codes and behaviors supposedly rooted in Islamic law. These laws, defined by jurists claiming authority in Islam, led to protests that resulted in over 500 deaths and thousands of arrests. This is just one example where religious authorities have sanctioned violence against women under the banner of Islamic law. In 2016, Pakistan’s Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), a body of non-working scholars advising the government on Islamic legal matters, issued a shocking ruling: it is permissible for a husband to "lightly" beat his wife if she disobeys his commands, including refusing sex or not dressing as he desires. Violence against women, even when it leads to death, is often justified in so-called Islamic nations, with Pakistan leading the world in annual honor killings. And, according to a Pew study, a significant margin of Muslims in Muslim-majority nations believe that honor killings are justified in some circumstances. Elsewhere, women face severe restrictions. In Saudi Arabia, women are bound by Islamic dress codes and must obtain male guardian consent for most legal actions, including travel and education. This country was famously the last on earth to allow women to drive.  In 2017 the head of fatwas in Saudi Arabia’s Assir governorate at the time, Saad al-Hijri, was caught on video arguing that women should not drive because their brains shrink to a quarter the size of a man’s when they go shopping. The nation only reversed the ban women driving in 2018, with Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States admitting , “The majority of the members of the Council of Senior Scholars in the Kingdom agree that Islam does not ban women from driving. This was a societal issue.” This inconsistency highlights a deeper issue: those with positions of power in religion are often guilty of equating cultural biases and personal opinions with divine law.  Afghanistan provides another grim example, where the Taliban, since its takeover in 2021, has banned women from attending school beyond the sixth grade. Despite these harsh realities, many point out that this is not what Prophet Mohammed taught. Indeed, the Prophet's teachings starkly contrast with the actions of today’s so-called Islamic authorities. Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan has stated that 99% of what is known as Islam today is false and that reality is apparent. The religion of Prophet Mohammed has been corrupted, particularly regarding women’s rights. Instead of elevating women as the Prophet did, clerics have systematically eroded their rights, often reducing them to less than what non-Muslim societies offer. This is not just a misunderstanding—it’s a blatant distortion of the Prophet's true legacy. Prophet Mohammed: An Advocate for Women In an era where women were often silenced and sidelined, Prophet Mohammed emerged as an advocate for their rights. Imagine a world where daughters were buried alive simply for being born female—a practice so brutal yet tragically common in pre-Islamic Arabia. The Prophet Mohammed stood firmly against this, putting an end to female infanticide and taught that every child, regardless of gender, was a divine blessing. But his monumental impact didn't stop there. At a time when women were seen as little more than property, Mohammed shattered societal norms by granting them the right to inherit property—a radical shift that gave women financial independence and security. This is a right which Western women did not achieve until many centuries later. The Prophet Mohammed lived by the values he preached and spoke highly of the women in his household, crediting his wife Khadijah not only for her unwavering support but for her wealth, which played a crucial role in spreading his message (Shajara Tuba’a (Blessed Tree), Al-Shaikh Muhammad Mahdi Al-Hairi, Vol. 2, p. 233). The Prophet also honored his daughter Fatimah Al-Zahraa with the profound statement, “Verily, Fatimah is nicknamed ‘the mother of her father’” (Al-Khasa’is Al-Fatimiyah, Shaikh Mohammed Al-Baqir Al-Kajouri, Vol. 1, p. 126), a testament to her importance in both his life and the spiritual heritage of Islam. Even more remarkable, Mohammed didn't just talk about women's rights—he included women in the very heart of his community. He welcomed female disciples, honored female martyrs, and even had women who took up arms and fought in battle alongside him. Mohammed’s divinely inspired actions advanced women’s rights were nothing short of revolutionary.  So what about today? When the topic of mistreatment of women in Islam comes up, Muslims are quick to remind you of what an advocate the prophet was in his day and age for women’s rights and inclusion. However, today’s scholars and clerics do not seem to continue his legacy. The way they distort and tarnish the Prophet Mohammed's message makes it evident why the narrations state that the scholars of the end times are the enemies of Islam . Today, the only person truly upholding Mohammed's legacy regarding women is the Qaim of the family of Mohammed, otherwise known as the Mahdi, Aba Al-Sadiq. Meet the Women Behind the Revolution  In 2023, Aba Al-Sadiq addressed a provocative question in an episode from his series, "The School of Divine Mysteries: Can Women be Prophets?" His answer was a resounding yes. He explained that a prophet is simply someone who receives divine revelation, and the scriptures reveal many instances of women who communicated with God. He cited examples like Deborah, a judge who led the Israelites after Moses; Mary, the mother of Jesus, who received revelation through the appearance of an angel; and Lady Narjis, who followed a divinely inspired dream to find the Imam of her time. Aba Al-Sadiq emphasized that the distinction between male and female prophets lies not in their spiritual status but in the roles they played in society. In fact, some women, he asserts, have been better and closer to God than men. In fact, he asserted that some women have been closer to God than men, reinforcing that God judges by faith and sincerity, not gender. "The potential is open for all of mankind based on their sincerity to reach through and go to the highest ranks that they can achieve," he declared, challenging long-held beliefs perpetuated by non-working scholars who have strayed from the true teachings of Islam. “And then here we have non-working scholars deciding from their own selves to come to the conclusion that it's not possible…” This refreshing perspective on gender equality is just one piece of evidence pointing to Aba Al-Sadiq as the Mahdi, who, according to narrations, will gather both men and women in his close circle. “The Mahdi will rise up … along with 313 men and fifty women without any previous arrangement among themselves, like separate clouds clustering in the sky, one after another.” (Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 52, p. 223) Certainly, we find women from this group of trusted advisors in the Mahdi’s household. Aba Al-Sadiq’s family has a strong presence of women. In addition to two sons and two biological daughters, he raised two adopted daughters from a young age alongside his wife, Norhan Hashem. Like the Prophet Mohammed, who began his mission with the unwavering support of his wife Khadijah, Aba Al-Sadiq’s call has been significantly supported by Norhan. Perhaps few people are aware of what an important role she has played in spreading this faith. Since 2011, she has served as the main translator of Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan’s works from Arabic to English, opening the door for a global audience to understand and embrace the teachings of the faith.  Prophet Mohammed taught that seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim and Norhan’s story just goes to show how impactful a woman with knowledge and an education can be. But her contributions extend far beyond her many works. Since the rise of the Black Banners in 2015, Norhan has served as the “Mother of the Believers,” the first lady of the Qaim’s community, and a role model to all women who entered the Call.  Aba Al-Sadiq and Lady Norhan Hashem at the 2024 Academic Conference at the AROPL Headquarters Another key female figure in the community is Hadil El-Khouly, a human rights activist who has known Aba Al-Sadiq since 2008. Hadil works with Amnesty International and serves as the Human Rights Outreach Coordinator for the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light. Through her work, she advocates for oppressed members of the faith worldwide, from freeing believers wrongfully imprisoned in nations like Algeria and Iran to coordinating with the United Nations to secure the release of 104 asylum seekers detained in Turkey in 2023. Her efforts are focused on defending the rights of believers who are persecuted for their faith, particularly in so-called Muslim nations where the scholars oppose the Qaim’s revival of true Islam. Hadil explains, “For [the scholars], you cannot believe in the Mahdi and advocate for women’s rights. These two things clash. Their ‘Imam al-Mahdi’ is an Imam who will come and confirm the status quo. That’s it. If the Imam comes with a message that’s revolutionary or that changes the status quo, the scholars would tell you no. They don’t want an Imam Mahdi who advocates for women’s rights.....What we have learned in the dawa is that women, just like men, have the ability to elevate spiritually and reach the highest of ranks. Some women are even higher than men in spiritual ranks, as we know from the story of Zainab and even Fatima Al-Zahra, who was higher than many prophets. This directly clashes with mainstream Muslim scholars who teach that women are categorically inferior by nature and therefore can never be equal to men in their understanding of religion, let alone their standing in society.” Hadil El-Khouly speaking at the UK FoRB Forum on April 25, 2024 As for the idea that female companions will join the Qaim, Hadil explains that while they are aware of the prophecies, they would reject women who speak out on issues Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan has denounced. She highlights that he has strongly condemned many of the core abuses women face in the Muslim world, such as child marriage, female circumcision (FGM), and domestic violence. But his advocacy for women doesn't stop there. In 2015, Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan made a groundbreaking statement about the rights of husbands and wives. He declared that, contrary to popular belief, wives are not obligated to do housework or childcare. In fact, a woman has the right compensation for performing those tasks. This stance places him at odds with the scholars as Hadil notes, “Their “Imam al-Mahdi” would not speak up or would not speak for women’s rights or any of these issues so of course when the dawa comes and it challenges that then they would have to fight it and speak against it.” Hadil has the unique distinction of being dubbed “a woman worth 1,000 men” by Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan. She works tirelessly, putting her professional skills to use for the cause, and she is not alone. According to the narrations, 13 of the 50 female companions of the Mahdi will be on the front lines of the battlefield, acting as medics (Mustadrak Safinat Al-Bihar, Ali Al-Namazi Al-Shahroudy, Vol. 4, p. 90). There are women already fulfilling this role, in a sense, serving as doctors within the community of the Qaim. Aliaa Shareef, a Swedish general practitioner and Vanessa Debora Gardea Vega, a cardiologist from Mexico both heard the Call and jumped at the chance to join the community of Aba Al-Sadiq.  Aliaa explains that walking with the Qaim has allowed her the freedom to be respected simply as a human being. “I feel Muslim women are living in even worse conditions than the women who lived in the pre-Islamic era. With the Qaim, I'm valued as a human being; there's no difference between me and a man or any other woman except in my level of faith. No one can judge my faith except God and the Qaim. So I'm not judged, not looked at as a second-class citizen. I'm not evaluated based on my look. I'm truly respected for my humanity.” Vanessa shares a similar sentiment, stating that her desire to do God’s will compelled her to join the Qaim: “I got inspiration because I know Aba Al-Sadiq is the actual messenger sent by God. I wanted to join his call because I searched other religions and asked God about Aba Al-Sadiq. I love my profession, but for me, the most important thing is what God wants from me, and I am certain that God wants me to be part of the Qaim’s rise.” Faithful women have forged the foundation of the Qaim’s community, and one of the most notable pillars is a woman named Bibi Zohra, a 70-year-old widow who made the bold and courageous choice to leave everything behind and migrate to the Mahdi back in 2016. She is the matriarch of a tribe of over 40 family members who have all served by the Mahdi’s side for the better part of a decade.  Bibi Zohra publicly speaks out on the "Mahdi Has Appeared" satellite channel in the Urdu language, calling people from the Indian Subcontinent towards the Mahdi. She is a living example of how the Mahdi gathers people of all ages, genders, and religious backgrounds. Caroline Hören and Hadil El-Khouly at CESNUR 2024 Conference Some might find it surprising that a young German woman from an atheist background is now urging others to embrace the message of the Prophet Mohammed, but that’s precisely Caroline Hören’s story. Caroline found herself knocking at the Mahdi’s door in 2011 after actively searching the world for the truth. She now serves as one of the heads of Security at the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light’s UK headquarters. Carolin e acknowledges that Aba Al-Sadiq’s inclusivity is logical, given that he is the savior for all mankind, not just the men: “I think that there is a general problem for women to play important roles in religious organisations. Not only in the Muslim world - where obviously women have very little influence - but also for example in the catholic faith where all bishops and priests are male by default. And the Mahdi will solve this problem just like he solves all other injustices and problems in the world. There are for sure some traditional Muslim men who find it strange that the Mahdi has women by his side who play an important role in the rise. But overall I see that it makes sense to people - of course the savior of all of mankind doesn’t just come for men. He comes for all people and he treats all people equally. So if men can work and support the Mahdi, women will have the same opportunity.” The opportunity for women to serve has always been present in the ministries of true prophets,  even when history has failed to record it accurately. In his book, "The Goal of the Wise", Aba Al-Sadiq discussed one such example: Mary Magdalene. According to several apocryphal texts, which the Catholic Church excluded from the Bible, Mary was the closest and most faithful of Jesus’ disciples. The early church downplayed her importance and even portrayed her as a prostitute for centuries until correcting this historical inaccuracy in 1969. Aba Al-Sadiq has revealed even more about her. Due to her undying devotion and faith, Mary went on to play a crucial role in propagating Jesus’ ministry after the crucifixion. She was a messenger of Jesus, and the Qaim similarly has women in the role of reaching out to believers worldwide. One woman who performs this task is Ailia Muhammad, a former Twelver Shia who joined the community of Aba Al-Sadiq over a decade ago. Now she works to spread the Call as a show presenter and coordinator of the outreach department for the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light. She is quick to note how different God’s system of justice is from the corrupt alternatives. Ailia Muhammad, AROPL Lecture Series, 2023 “Our roles or places in society are either established by a system of God or by an ungodly system. A system of God allows that everyone is free and living to their full capacity. Women in both Eastern and Western society testify to being placed in suffocating positions.” As a person speaking to new believers who enter the call every day, Ailia is witnessing firsthand how much the stance of the Mahdi is resonating, “I have seen women from almost every kind of social structure enter this call. Some came from extremist religious backgrounds, some from liberal households; some are professionals with full-time careers, and others are housewives. All of them were dissatisfied with the world they came from and found solace in the freedom found for women in the Divine Just State—a place where women are treated as exactly what they are: human beings with the potential to reach the highest of places. The Mahdi comes to establish peace and justice, and Aba Al-Sadiq has woken both men and women up to realizing our potential to reach anything, our opportunity to be part of creating a better world, and our human right to serve God alone as His people.” A Call for All Growing up as a devout Catholic, I never imagined that my journey would lead me to the community of the Mahdi. But here I am, drawn by a sincere search for God that brought me into the embrace of Aba Al-Sadiq’s teachings. Over the years, I’ve had the honor of being a part of the community of the Qaim. As one of his disciples, I can personally attest that his doors are open to all who seek truth, without reservation. In 2023, I was invited to appear as a guest on Aba Al-Sadiq’s series, "The School of Divine Mysteries." My presence as a woman, and one without a hijab, sparked criticism from some viewers. But this is where Aba Al-Sadiq’s courage and commitment to equality truly shine. His decision to feature female students isn’t just symbolic; it’s a testament to his unapologetic stance that God’s call is universal, cutting across gender, background, and societal expectations. Tiffany Oldani learns from Aba Al-Sadiq on the School of Divine Mysteries, 2024 As a former Catholic, I can’t help but draw parallels between Aba Al-Sadiq and Jesus Christ, who defended his female disciples against those who sought to silence them. In Aba Al-Sadiq, I see that same spirit—a leader who, through his actions and teachings, is not just transforming the opportunities for women like me but is also inspiring us to draw ever closer to God. As he so beautifully said, “[God Almighty] doesn't look at the bodies, but He looks at the souls, and the potential is open for all of mankind based on their sincerity to reach through and go to the highest ranks that they can achieve.” And isn’t that the true justice of God? In a world that often judges by appearance, status, or gender, Aba Al-Sadiq reminds us that the divine measure is faith alone. And in that, there is hope for us all.

All major world religions would agree that dreams are a way for God to communicate with us. They provide us with information and knowledge of the unseen, glad tidings, and even warnings of what’s to come. On a higher note, dreams are the language of God in which He speaks to His creation and more precisely to His chosen prophets and messengers. The Importance of Dreams in the Bible and the Quran The entire history of Egypt during the time of Joseph and Akhenaten was shaped by a dream. Joseph interpreted a dream for Akhenaten, predicting 7 years of abundance followed by 7 years of famine in Egypt. This interpretation was pivotal, leading Akhenaten to believe in Joseph and embrace Monotheism, abandoning polytheistic deities and opposing the priests of that era.  In the Bible, we read in Genesis, "And they said to him: 'We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter for it.' So Joseph said to them, 'Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.'" (Bible, Book of Genesis, Chapter 40, Verse 8) In the above story, these types of dreams served as warnings. Another type of dream brings glad tidings, such as Joseph's dream of seeing the planets, the sun, and the moon prostrating to him. Some dreams even appear as commands, like Abraham's dream that is recorded in the Quran:  "Then when the boy reached the age to work with him, Abraham said, 'O my dear son! I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice you. So tell me what you think.' He replied, 'O my dear father! Do as you are commanded. Allah willing, you will find me steadfast.'" (Qur'an, Chapter 37 (Al-Saffat), Verse 102) In addition to that, Prophet Muhammad had said that the true dream or vision is the final and remaining part of prophethood ("The Goal of the Wise," Door 24, p. 283). It is also one of the signs that a person is a true Messenger from God. As mentioned in the Bible,  "Listen to my words: When there is a prophet among you, I the Lord reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams." (Bible, Book of Numbers, Chapter 12, Verse 6) In Proverbs, it says: "Where there is no vision, the people perish..." (Bible, Book of Proverbs, Chapter 29, Verse 18) In fact, many parts of the Bible are actually dreams. As in Samuel, "Samuel said to Saul, 'Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?' 'I am in great distress,' Saul said. 'The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.'" (Bible, Book of Samuel, Chapter 28, Verse 15) Or in the Book of Job, "For God does speak—now one way, now another—though no one perceives it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds." (Bible, Book of Job, Chapter 33, Verses 14-15) Dreams have long been seen as a means of divine communication, alerting individuals to potential missteps in their lives. In the biblical story of Job, for example, terrifying dreams served as more than mere nightmares. These visions were perceived as a method through which God conveyed the need for self-reflection and change.  And in Matthew 1:20, "But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.'" (Bible, Book of Matthew, Chapter 1, Verse 20) Here in this example, after this dream, Joseph listened to the Angel, who told him not to fear marrying Mary because it was all part of God’s plan. By believing his dream, Joseph helped fulfill an important prophecy concerning the birth of Jesus.  Dreams also hold significant importance in Buddhism. In Mahayana Buddhism, some schools believe that the dream world is as real as the waking world. According to the Prajnaparamita Sutra and related texts, dreams ( svapna  in Sanskrit) are classified into five categories. 1. Dreams caused by physical imbalance (kāyavaiṣamya), where hot vapors dominate, leading to dreams of fire, yellow, and red. 2. Dreams caused by cold vapors, leading to visions of water and white. 3. Dreams caused by windy vapors, leading to visions of flights and black. 4. Dreams reflecting thoughts and reflections from the day, where one re-sees what was seen and heard. 5. Dreams sent by gods to teach about future events. Thus, in Buddhism, dreams are a crucial aspect of understanding the mind, gaining insight, and even foreseeing significant events. Another notable example of the importance of dreams in Buddhism is the story of Queen Maya, the mother of Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha). Before his birth, she had a vivid dream in which a white elephant descended from the heavens and entered her side. This dream was interpreted by Brahmin scholars as a divine sign that her child would become a great leader, either a universal monarch or a fully enlightened Buddha. Dreams of the Companions of the Qaim Aba Al-Sadiq underlines the importance of dreams and confirms that they have an important role in God's religion. An entire chapter of the Goal of the Wise is dedicated to the topic of dreams, with several of Aba Al-Sadiqs companions sharing dreams they had about this faith. Since the beginning of the call, believers have testified that they have had dreams confirming its truthfulness. Therefore many of his companions pay attention to their dreams and share them with each other. The following is a selected dreams from one of the companions of Aba Al-Sadiq. Nima Firouzi “It happened around October 2014, before Aba Al-Sadiq announced his vicegerency. “Aba Al-Sadiq was standing surrounded by people that were harassing him. He stayed patient. And suddenly the clouds above our heads opened up and I saw a golden bracelet descending from the sky. A voice appeared from the sky saying, "Whoever this bracelet fits on his ankle is the rightful owner of it." Many people tried to put it on without success. The only one it fit was Abdullah Hashem. As he placed it on his ankle, a flash of bright light and a heavy sound emanated from Abdullah. When it settled, I saw that he had turned into a king, complete with crown, scepter, and robe. All those who had harassed him felt ashamed. However, he did not punish them but rather raised their heads and forgave them. As I saw this, I shouted, "This is my brother Abdullah!" When I woke up, I went upstairs to him. We sat down, and I started by saying, "I had a dream last night, and I have good news for you." He looked at me with a big smile on his face. I wondered about his reaction, and he said, "Don't worry, just continue." So, I continued telling him the dream. When I finished, he said, "I had a dream last night too. I heard God's voice telling me that you would bring me glad tidings, and my wife is a witness to that, as I told her my dream before you told me yours." I had goosebumps all over my body. In conclusion, we can clearly see how God can use dreams to guide people to the straight path or to warn them of future events. Brother Nima’s dream shows us how God can even inform us about the coming of the Savior of mankind, preparing our hearts to accept and pledge allegiance to him.

Have you asked Imam Mahdi about the scholars of the End Times, before you asked the scholars of the End Times about Imam Al-Mahdi? In Islam, scholars are revered to be highly respected individuals who are thought to have extensive knowledge of Islamic teachings. They have a profound impact on shaping the beliefs and practices of the Muslim community across the world. Their interpretations of religious texts and traditions influence how individuals perceive and practice their faith. I think we can all agree, it is a responsibility of utmost significance, one that should not be left to those whose connection with God is deemed inadequate. Would you entrust your beloved children in the hands of negligence? Or your hard-earned business to the hands of incompetence? Just as one would carefully select a trusted adviser for matters of great importance, then would it not be wise to extend the same expectation to those who are chosen as our spiritual guides? This is a matter that should not be taken lightly, especially when such a pivotal role wields the power to determine our ultimate fate - whether it be salvation or damnation. It is concerning to think that the Prophet himself mentioned those whom Muslims regard as knowledgeable to be ignorant. This fact alone raises questions - why is there a plethora of unfavorable narrations circulating the subject of religious authority? Why do Muslims differ among themselves about which Hadith is authentic? And who truly knows what the prophet said? Questions that take sincere reflection. How is it that those who are seeking closeness with God put their faith in the very hands of those that the prophet himself warned us against? Let us look at some of what the prophet said about the scholars of Islam in the end of times. Prophet Muhammad said: “Almighty Allah will not take back knowledge after having bestowed it on you. However, He will take scholars, together with their knowledge, from within their communities and take their souls. All that remains will be an ignorant body of people. The people will ask them about their religious needs, and they will issue fatwas (religious opinion on a matter) in the light of their own ideas and desires and will both deviate themselves and lead others into deviation.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Al-Tajrid Al-Sarih, Hadith 2174) The Prophet said: “A time will come when there will be nothing left of Islam except its name, and nothing will remain of the Qur'an except its letters. Their mosques will be full of people, but they will be empty of guidance. Their scholars will be the worst people under the heavens; strife (fitnah) will come from them and return to them.” (Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 52, p. 190-191) Scholars who lack true knowledge and humility pose a significant threat to Islam, contributing to the state of confusion and division within the Muslim community. When ignorance clouds judgment and prevails, the so-called guidance offered by such non working scholars falls into misguidance, causing their followers to stray from the authentic teachings and principles of the very prophet they yearn to draw close to - Prophet Muhammad and his Holy Household .  Aba Al-Sadiq noted that scholars have significantly corrupted their religion by engaging in practices not instructed by the prophet. They have dismissed the Torah and the Gospels, deeming them entirely corrupt and ignoring their texts, including the truths within them. This has led to a disregard for the prophets and messengers associated with those texts. Consequently, people have deviated from the true path, choosing to follow their scholars instead of Muhammad and his family. The prophet said: "There will come a time when the worst creatures under the heavens will be scholars. From them, there will be misguidance and misguiding others." (Musnad Ahmed ibn Hanbal, Ahmed ibn Hanbal, Hadith 22723) It's troubling to see the non working scholars in Islam, due to their lack of proper knowledge, inadvertently keeping their followers in a state of ignorance. As Jesus said, it's the blind leading the blind, “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” (Bible, Book of Matthew, Chapter 15, Verse 14) Scholars, without an understanding of the Quran and hadith, spread misguided teachings. This results in entire communities embracing beliefs that miss the true beauty and wisdom of Islam. When leaders are not well-informed, they cannot guide others effectively, leaving everyone stuck in the dark and unable to grow and learn in their faith. Aba Al-Sadiq said, “The scholars act as a drug, a depressant, something which causes the populations to remain in a state of sedation and deep sleep. They don't issue fatwas to rise up against the oppression, rather they issue fatwas that you should never go out against the ruler or against the leader and that you have to be patient. And they teach the population that they should focus their hopes on a world that's yet to come - the Hereafter; and don't worry about this physical world.”   These scholars prevent people from taking action against injustice. They tell them to be patient and focus on the afterlife rather than trying to improve their current situation.  In the past the scholar Ibn Taymiyyah, during the Mamluk era, did not condemn the rulers even though they did not implement Sharia law. He believed that obeying the rulers was necessary to maintain social order, even if their governance was not in line with Islamic principles. This is in complete contrast to Islamic figures like Imam Hussein, who fought against tyranny and oppression, demonstrating that true faith involves standing up for justice in this world.  Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh Today, so-called scholars such as   Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh , the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, has consistently urged Muslims to obey the ruler. He not only works closely with the king but he also is paid by the government.  Furthermore, we frequently see this with many of their rulers, similarly supporting the Saudi government, which has faced criticism for human rights violations. Despite these issues, he emphasizes the importance of order and unity under the leadership of the non working scholars interpreting hadith and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad to suit the ruler's agenda. Many non-working scholars are even appointed by the government through a ministry of religious affairs. In Egypt for example, Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar since 2010, willingly supports the state and has cooperated with various governments, including those of Mohamed Morsi and Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Similarly, in Azerbaijan, religious figures also align with political leaders. Sheikh-Ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, who has led the Caucasus Muslim Board since 1980, maintains a strong relationship with President Ilham Aliyev. In fact, in Azerbaijan, religious leaders and figures need to be state approved and state appointed.  These scholars and rulers should be rejected, following Prophet Muhammad's instruction to question religious scholars who are at the feet of political rulers. There are many narrations that have warned the people against such treachery: "Narrated Ka'b bin Malik: The Messenger of Allah said: 'Two hungry wolves sent in the midst of a flock of sheep are no more destructive to them than a man's greed for wealth and fame is to his religion.'" (Al-Mu’jam Al-Kabeer, Tabarani, Hadith 10350) This complicity with oppressive regimes not only distorts the teachings of Islam but also keeps followers ignorant and submissive to the ruler; meanwhile, leading the people to unwittingly elevate their scholars to positions of complete authority, relying solely on them to dictate what's permissible (halal) and forbidden (haram), and what's morally right or wrong.  “Abi Basir said I asked Abu Abdullah peace be upon him about the words of Allah ‘they took their rabbis and monks as Lords apart from Allah’ he said ‘by Allah they did not call them to worship themselves and if they had called them to worship themselves they would not have responded. But they made lawful for them what was forbidden and forbade for them what was lawful and so they worshiped them unknowingly.’” (Bihar Al-Anwar, Al-Allamah Al-Majlisi, Vol. 2, p. 98) It is a pure irony that many scholars preach that the ultimate sin, or haram, is shirk—the practice of associating partners with God—while simultaneously positioning themselves as the ultimate authorities on what is halal (permissible) and haram (forbidden). In doing so, they often assume a role that can be perceived as representing God, despite having no divine authorization to do so. How can they claim to pave the way for the Mahdi when there are thousands of scholars, each interpreting thousands of hadiths according to their own understanding and evaluations?   Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh In the early 2000s, a prominent Egyptian scholar, Sheikh Mahmoud al-Habbash , issued a fatwa suggesting that women could breastfeed adult men to establish a familial bond, thereby allowing them to interact more freely in certain social contexts. Fatwas on issues such as spatial segregation, women attending funerals, and women driving, among others, are equally contradictory and upsetting.  Many people mistakenly believe that religious scholars throughout history have always been the first to support appointed prophets, messengers, and Imams. They assume that these scholars, with their extensive knowledge of scriptures and prophecies, could easily identify and anticipate the next vicegerent of God. However, a closer examination of historical events reveals a completely different reality. Aba Al-Sadiq  said, “The Mahdi will not have a more evident enemy than the Muslim scholars. In the same way that the most evident and prominent enemies of Jesus were the rabbis, who were supposed to be the first people to pledge allegiance to him, and who were supposed to be the guardians of religion and the ones who called people towards him, yet they fought him. In the same way, the people who are supposed to be the guardians of religion—the scholars of Islam—are actually the traitors and the ones that fight the Mahdi. We have a plethora of extremely interesting narrations that describe the scholars of Islam as traitors. They are described as being the most evil of creation. Another narration describes them as being more dangerous to Muslims than the Dajjal (Antichrist) himself.” Aba Al-Sadiq has challenged the misguided dependence on non working scholars and urged believers to seek guidance directly from the family of Prophet Muhammad. The family of Muhammad warned that the scholars of the end times are the worst under the sky, calling them traitors and saying they are more dangerous to our ummah than the army of Yazid and even the Dajjal. We should always turn to the timeless wisdom of those closest to God - Prophet Muhammad, the Imams, and the Mahdis. His powerful statement resonates:  “As my father, Imam Ahmad al-Hassan, the Yamani, advised: 'Have you asked the family of Muhammad about the scholars of the end times before you ask the scholars of the end times about the family of Muhammad?'"  The appointment of authority is solely for God and only God's vicegerent can truly guide the people. Seeking knowledge from God's appointed vicegerent is crucial for maintaining the integrity of the faith and ensuring that the community is guided in the right direction. Only through divine leadership, can proper guidance, unity, enlightenment and our purpose be achieved.

In secular countries, religion does not play a role in the governing of society. Instead, that role is fulfilled by institutions of a non-religious nature. Government departments and agencies create and implement man-made laws. The rule of law is upheld by law enforcement agencies and the judiciary, who form the last line of defence and the foundation of the rule of law and order.  But what happens when the very institutions assigned to the duty of upholding the laws suffer corruption? When the institutions that were created to uphold the law, break it themselves? The Judge and the Billionaire In the United States, the highest court of the land is the Supreme Court. The judges are the decision makers and their conduct is held to the highest standards, and rightly so. If the judiciary is corrupted, then the entire justice system is brought into disrepute. How can the courts enforce the laws when they are the ones who are breaking it themselves? This is why the case of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas of the US Supreme Court is so interesting. On the 6th of April 2023, ProPublic, a non-profit newsroom that investigates abuses of power, published a shocking article titled “ Clarence Thomas and the Billionaire ”.  The article set out the relationship between Justice Thomas and US billionaire Harlan Crow, a donor of the US Republican Party. It details decades of luxury gifts that were given to Justice Thomas including annual holidays, flights aboard his private jet and yacht, and how virtually every year, Thomas has accepted luxury trips without disclosing them. These trips do not appear anywhere in his financial disclosures.  What was behind Justice Thomas’ decision not to disclose these trips, even once over the past decades? No formal charges of wrongdoing have been proven at this time. However, the accusations were serious enough to lead Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York to introduce articles of impeachment against Judges Thomas and fellow conservative supreme court justice Samuel Alito, for failure to provide such disclosures. Clarence Thomas is not the first judge to face accusations of improper conduct. In 2019, Texas District Judge Rodolfo Delgado, was convicted  of one count of conspiring, three counts of Federal Program Bribery, three counts of Travel Act Bribery, and one count of Obstruction of Justice.  During the investigation by the FBI, it was found that the judge had, in addition to other misdeeds, been accepting bribes for agreeing to release three clients of an attorney on bond in cases pending before his court. The numbers involved are surprisingly low. The first two bribes totaled $520 and the third $5,500. He also attempted to obstruct justice when he learned of the police investigation by contacting the attorney and providing a false story about how the payments themselves.  The Corruption of the Anti-Mafia In an article titled ‘ The rise and fall of an anti-mafia hero ”, we learned about the case of former judge Silvana Saguto who was found guilty of corruption. She began her career in 1981 and became an icon for the role she played in 1986–1992 Maxi-Trial investigating Cosa Nostra, during which she sentenced the Corleonesi mafia clan boss, Totò Riina, to life imprisonment. She later became the president of the Department of Preventative Measures, a special court with the power to assign persons to temporarily manage property and other assets seized from the mafia. Through a web of family ties and acquaintances, Saguto was able to assign confiscated assets to a group of people in exchange for money, favours and gifts.  The extent of Saguto’s misdeeds did not stop there. She was able to use corrupt law enforcement individuals to start investigations into legitimate entrepreneurs with a view to seizing and diverting their assets and businesses worth millions of euros. Those asserts were returned to the individuals once she was removed from office, but the companies were stripped of their value as a result of years of mismanagement and wrongdoing by the administrators.  What has been surprising in this case is that Saguto was supposed to be part of the so-called anti-mafia. However, her exposure reveals that even the judiciary is not immune to such corruption.  Bribes as a Way of Life A report published by the Premium Times on 1st March 2024 titled “ Corruption in Nigerian Judiciary is extensive-UNODC ” , set out some of the challenges facing the Nigerian judiciary. It quoted the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes as saying that corruption is prevalent in the Nigerian judiciary and that 20 percent of those who had contact with the judiciary, were confronted with a request for the payment of a bribe. A comparative 2020 study referenced in the article mentioned that both male and female judges were party to such behaviour though, males were far more likely.  Other accusations include the abuse of the principle of judicial precedent. That is, where the lower courts follow the rulings of the higher courts. The article quotes a former member of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, who says that you can see five different decisions of the Supreme Court all on one issue that are contradictory.  Corruption in Numbers The corruption of the judiciary clearly garners headlines. However, such cases are not as commonly heard in the media as is that of corruption of law enforcement agencies. Corruption of law enforcement agencies is a global phenomenon and one that has been documented by the World Metrics Org . There is a general picture of corrupt conduct and poor public perception. Some of the statistics they offer are as follows:  "In 2020, the number of police officers arrested in the United States for corruption-related offenses was 1,175." "According to Transparency International, 24% of respondents claimed to have paid a bribe to police in the previous 12 months in a global survey." "According to Human Rights Watch, corrupt police committed 2,300 documented extrajudicial killings between 1988 and 2002 in Nigeria." "In 2019, Serbia saw 69 convictions related to police corruption." "More than half (51%) of Romanians believe that the public police force is the most corrupt institution in the country, according to a 2018 survey." The numbers around the world are shocking and vary greatly. The question is what amount of corruption is acceptable? In the context of the role of law enforcement, this number should be nothing more than zero.  Where do we go from here? It is clear that there is corruption in many, if not all, levels of law enforcement across the world. That the last line of defence has potentially been compromised in such a way, and at the highest level of law, is a shocking indictment of the level of corruption in the End Times.  It brings us back to a quote of Ahmed Al-Hassan: “For me it represented the corruption of salt for everything corrupted can be fixed by salt but what if the salt goes bad?" (Sermon of the Story of Meeting Imam Al-Mahdi, Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan) Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan spoke these words when describing the situation of the non-working scholars of religion. Those who were entrusted with the religion, to safeguard it for the weak, but instead abandoned their duty. Choosing instead to pursue the material desires of worldly life. Forsaking those entrusted to their care. Instead, leaving them to the wolves.  Based on the evidence? The conduct of the judiciary is no different to that of the non-working scholars.