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Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi ریاض احمد گوہر شاہی | |
|---|---|
 Gohar Shahi during an event held inPakistan | |
| Born | (1941-11-25)25 November 1941 |
| Disappeared | 2001 |
| Organization | Messiah Foundation International |
Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi (Urdu:ریاض احمد گوھر شاہی) (born 25 November 1941) is a spiritual leader and founder of the spiritual groupsRAGS International (now known asMessiah Foundation International)[1][2][3] andAnjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam.[4][5][6]
He is the author of a number ofUrdu books on topics relating to spirituality, the most successful among these beingDeen-e-Ilahi "The Religion of God" (2000), which was republished byBalboa Press, a division of Hay House and translated into English and other languages by Messiah Foundation International in 2012.[7][8]
RAGS International was renamed toMessiah Foundation International in 2000.[6] MFI reports that Shahiclaimed to be theMahdi,Messiah, andKalki Avatar.[9][10][11] Shahi disappeared from public view in 2001. There have been claims that he died in that year or in 2003, but these are unconfirmed.
Shahi was born on 25 November 1941 in the village ofDhok Gohar Shah in the district ofRawalpindi ofBritish India. He is a fifth generation descendant of theSufi Baba Gohar Ali Shah.
At the age of twenty, when he was the owner of F.Q. Steel Industries, Shahi began to search forspirituality. Eventually he became disillusioned in this search and returned to work. Shahi then married and had three children.[12]
In 1975, he went toSehwan for self-mortification; he spent a period of three years in the mountains of Sehwan Sharif and the forest of Laal Bagh in self-purification, "for the sake of God's love".[13]
| Formation | 1980 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit organisation |
| Headquarters | London,United Kingdom |
Official language | Urdu & English |
Co-Founder | Younus AlGohar |
| Website | http://www.goharshahi.us/ |
Shahi became popular as a Sufi preacher inPakistan during the late 1970s. He formedRAGS International andAnjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam in 1980.[14] Of the two organisations, RAGS International is still active asMessiah Foundation International whereas Anjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam was reported to have been dissolved and banned in Pakistan in 2011.[15][16][17]
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The CEO of Messiah Foundation International isYounus AlGohar. Shahi claimed to have met withJesus Christ in 1997.[18]
Lebanese American mysticHisham Kabbani has sat at his feet, learned from him, and praised him.[19] Singers such asNusrat Fateh Ali Khan andGhulam Farid Sabri have been presented[according to whom?] the message of Shahi.[citation needed] Some singers such asAziz Mian andRahat Fateh Ali Khan have performed atShahi related events.[20][21][22]
He and many of his followers[23] have been convicted under Islamicblasphemy laws[24] by an antiterrorist court inSindh.[25] After he fled toEngland, Shahi was convictedin absentia,[23][25] receiving sentences that totaled approximately 59 years.[24]
Shahi was reported to have disappeared in 2001, inLondon; afterwards, sightings of him were reported around the world of people claiming to have met and received spiritual guidance from him.[26]
In February 2002, prior to any decision on appeals filed with theHigh Court of Sindh,Ardeshir Cowasjee claimed in an article he wrote for the Pakistani newspaperDawn, that unnamed people who identified themselves to him as office-bearers of the All-Faith Spiritual Movement told him that Gohar Shahi died abroad, but this report was unconfirmed.[24]
There have been rumours of him dying, with some sources reporting that he died in 2001 and others saying he died in 2003. According to thePakistani Press Foundation Shahi died in 2001.[9] An article from 2006 in theSunday Telegraph reports that Shahi died in 2003,[9] and a 2009 article inYour Local Guardian also says that he was reported to have died in 2003.[27] However, none of these reports have been confirmed, as there is no body.
On the other hand, the Indian news agency PTI reported in 2008 that Shahi was based in the United Kingdom after being convicted of blasphemy by the High Court of Sindh.[9] This view is supported by theIndian Express which reported in 2008 that Shahi had fled to the United Kingdom and was presently based there.[28]Zee News also supported this claim.[14] The Hindustan Times has reported that he is "serving a life term".[29] TheSunday Leader in Sri Lanka stated that Shahi disappeared in 2001 and sightings of him were thereafter reported around the world.[26]
Of the two factions of Shahi's followers, theAnjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam had asserted that Shahi died, and built a tomb for him at the Markazi Aastana inKotri, where devotees performedpilgrimage.[24] The MFI, in contrast, declares that he merely disappeared.[27]
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The teachings of Gohar Shahi have been a source of controversy. Manymainstream Muslimscholars have condemned his teachings as blasphemy.
Claims made by Shahi and his followers have been strongly opposed by orthodox Islamic theologians inPakistan and abroad.[24] Shahi has been accused of claiming the status of aprophet.[4][24] His teachings have been condemned by Muslim religious leaders and the Pakistani government.[30][31]
Shahi also predicts that the world would end in the year 2026 due to a comet heading towards earth.[1][2][3] He claims the comet will be the cause of "total destruction" though mentions that "in order to intimidate [mankind]… God plans destruction on a small scale".[32]
Many attempts were made on the lives of Shahi andYounus AlGohar including apetrol bomb thrown into AlGohar's residence inManchester, where Shahi stayed when he toured theUnited Kingdom.[33][34] A man attempted to attack him with ahand grenade during a discourse at his home inKotri,Pakistan.[34] A bounty was put on his head in Pakistan.[34]
Shahi's books have been banned by the government of Pakistan,[30] and his followers are not allowed to meet in public.[35]
Gohar Shahi claimed to have met withJesus inAmerica.[18] Shahi's supporters claim that his face became prominent on the Moon, Sun, nebula star and theBlack Stone in Mecca,[25] and that these appearances are signs from God that Gohar Shahi is the awaitedImam Mahdi,Messiah, andKalki Avatar.
The alleged images induced greater legal and religious opposition.[35] Shahi has also supported this claim, saying that God had revealed the images of Shahi on theMoon and various locations, for which Shahi himself was not responsible, and if questions should be raised, they should be raised to God.[36] Messiah Foundation International asserts the alleged images to be signs from God, pointing to Shahi being the awaitedMahdi; they quote religious texts[37] as well as sayings from the likes ofNostradamus,[38] andJa'far al-Sadiq to support it.
Journalists inPakistan asked Shahi,
"Many believe that you are the Mahdi, and God has revealed signs unto them which say that you are the Mahdi, but you do not officially announce that you are the Mahdi. Why?" Shahi gestured towards himself and answered, "Does Imam Mahdi not know the law of Pakistan? He knows that the law of Pakistan declares that 'whosoever claims to be the Mahdi, put him in jail'. I have given the signs of his [Mahdi's] characteristics, which the Mahdi knows and none other. Now, it is up to people to recognise him and believe him".[36]
On 18 November 1997, after appearing in court before Justice Rasheed A. Razvi of Sindh High Court Hyderabad Circuit, Shahi said, "The only justification to be Hazrat Imam Mahdi is the mark on [one's] back which can prove his existence".[4]
Of the groups following Shahi, Messiah Foundation International claims that Shahi is the awaited Mahdi, Messiah, and Kalki Avatar whileAnjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam did not. According to MFI's website, Shahi is the Awaited Messiah, but they deny the notion that Shahi is another form of Jesus and claim that Jesus has also returned to support the Mahdi.[39]
Gohar Shahi authored a number of books, including one based on Sufi poetry known asTaryāq-e-Qalb which translates to the "'Cure of Hearts'". One of his most prominent books isDeen-e-Ilahi (The Religion of God).
Works by Gohar Shahi include:
| Title | Urdu | Translation | Date | Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taryāq-e-Qalb | تریاقِ قلب | The Cure of Hearts | 1976 | Sufi poetry |
| Menāra-e-Noor | مینارہِ نور | The Minaret of Light | 1980 | mysticism, spiritualism |
| Roshnās | روشناس | The Induction | 1982 | mysticism, spiritualism |
| Rouhani Safar | روحانی سفر | Spiritual Journey | 1986 | autobiography |
| Tohfa-tul Majālis | تحفةُ المجالس | The Gift of Congregations | 1988 | mysticism, spiritualism |
| Deen-e-Ilāhi | دینِ الٰہی | The Religion of God[40] | 2000 | mysticism, spiritualism |
On 17 May 2012, Messiah Foundation International republishedThe Religion of God withBalboa Press.[41] As of 1 June 2012, it was #5 on the publisher's Best Sellers' List.[42]
Messiah Foundation International considers Shahi to be the author of the "Goharian Philosophy of Divine Love", a set of principles upon which the organisation is founded.[6] Shahi has also authored a monthly magazine,Hatif-e-Mahdi, which is banned in Pakistan for allegedly containing material offensive to the religious feelings of Muslims there.[43]
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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