Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 09:40, 12 March 2010
Template:Infobox revolution biography Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi (Urdu:ریاض احمد گوھر شاہی; born 25 November, 1941) is a Muslim Sufi, author, spiritual leader and founder of the spiritual movement Anjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam.[1] Central to his beliefs and teachings is the concept of divine love and non discriminatory approach to God regarding caste, creed, nation or religion. According to Shahi, every human has been gifted with an ability to develop spiritual power to approach to the essence of God. Shahi was born in Pakistan, in the village of Dhok Gohar Shah in the district of Rawalpindi.
Biography
Shahi was born on 25 November 1941, in Dhok Gohar Shah. He is the fifth generation of the Sufi and spiritualist Baba Gohar Ali Shah.[2]
At the age of twenty, when Shahi was the owner of F. Q. Steel Industries, he started to search for spiritualism amongst the saints and dervishes of the time. Eventually, upon becoming disillusioned with the saints and dervishes he encountered, and being disappointed in not receiving spiritual benevolence, he returned to his work. Gohar Shahi then married and had three children.[2]
According to Shahi, at about the age of thirty four Bari Imam appeared before him and said: "My son your time has come, you must go to the shrine of Sultan Bahu to receive the Sacred Inner Dimensions of Spiritual Knowledge." Gohar Shahi then left his work, family and parents and went to Shorkot, where he read the book Nurul Huda (Light of Guidance),[3] written by Sultan Bahu. He then went to Sehwan Sharif for self-mortification and peace of heart, and spent a period of three years in the mountains of Sehwan Sharif and the forest of Laal Bagh in self-purification.[2]
Literary works
Gohar Shahi authored a number of books and treatises, including one based on Sufi Poetry known as Taryaq-e-Qalb, roughly translating to "The cure for deceased hearts" and one of his most prominent books includes 'Deen-e-Ilahi'. Works by Gohar Shahi include:
- Rouhani Safar (Spiritual Journey)
- Menaara-e-Noor (Minaret of Spiritual Light)
- Roshnaash (An Induction)
- Tohfa-tul Majalis (Gift of Congregations)
- Deen-e-Ilahi (Urdu: دین الہی and The Religion of God)[4]
In addition, Messiah Foundation International considers Shahi to be the founder of the Goharian Philosophy of Divine Love, a set of principles the organization is based on.[5] The magazine authored by Shahi, Hatif-e-Mehdi was banned in Pakistan for allegedly containing material offensive to the religious feelings of Muslims there.[6]
Sufi views
A number of orthodox theological scholars condemned the teachings of Gohar Shahi and criticized him heavily not just in Pakistan but throughout the world. However, some Sufis, including Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, Nazim al-Qubrusi, and Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri praised Shahi.[7] Kabbani always used to sit beneath the feet of Gohar Shahi to give him respect and show fervor for him.[7]
Claims and criticism
Gohar Shahi claimed to have met with Jesus in America.[8] Shahi's supporters claim that his likeness appeared in the moon, sun, nebula star and the black stone of Makkah,[9] and that these alleged images induced greater legal and religious opposition.[10]
Opposition towards Gohar Shahi and his followers stemmed from claims made by Shahi and his followers that were strongly opposed by orthodox theologians in Pakistan and abroad.[11] Shahi was accused of claiming the status of prophet and Imam Mehdi, but Shahi denied such accusations.[1][11]
Shahi faced strong opposition from different religious leaders and orthodox theological scholars,[11] and his teachings have been condemned by Muslim religious leaders and the Pakistani government.[12]
Many attempts were made on Shahi's life, including a petrol bomb attack, thrown into his Manchester residence,[13] and an attack with a hand grenade during the discourse at his home in Kotri, Pakistan.[13] A high price tag was put on his head in Pakistan.[13]
Shahi's books were banned by the Government of Pakistan,[12] public meetings are not allowed to his followers[10] and no press coverage is allowed to either Gohar Shahi or to his followers due to charges of blasphemy law violations. Several cases were filed against Gohar Shahi and his followers.
Gohar Shahi was booked in 1997 on alleged charges of murdering a woman who had come to him for spiritual treatment;[1] Gohar Shahi, and many of his followers,[14] were later convicted under Islamic blasphemy laws[11][15] by an antiterrorist court in Sindh.[16] Gohar Shahi was convicted in absentia[15]—as he had previously fled to England [14]—resulting in sentences that totaled approximately 59 years.[11] In February 2002 prior to any decision on appeals filed with the High Court of Sindh , Ardeshir Cowasjee claimed in an article he wrote in Dawn the Pakistani newspaper that unnamed people that he said identified themselves to him as office-bearers of the All-Faith Spiritual Movement told him that Gohar Shahi died abroad, this report was unconfirmed.[11]
Disappearance
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. |
Gohar Shahi was reported to have "mysteriously" disappeared in 2001, in London, UK, which some followers took to be similar to occultation. Rumors regarding the disappearance spread, and while some thought he had died, some followers believe that he is to return soon, according to the prophecies of the Mehdi. Followers parted into two organizations after the alleged disappearance, one remained to be Anjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam, whilst Younus AlGohar, a disciple of Shahi who has said that Shahi merely disappeared [17] formed Messiah Foundation International, claiming to be under the guidance of Shahi. This group of followers deny the demise of Shahi, and relay his apparent warning prior to the disappearance that he'd disappear one day but that he would return. International Spiritual Movement Anjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam, assuming he had died, built a tomb for him at the Markazi Aastana in Kotri,[11] where devotees perform pilgrimage to the building. Gohar Shahi's family still resides in Kotri, including his wife, five sons and a daughter.
References
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Resources from Wikiversity
- ^ a b c "Gohar Shahi, chief of Anjuman-e-Sarferoshan-e-Islam, granted pre-arrest bail". Dawn newspaper. November 18, 1997. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
- ^ a b c "About Gohar Shahi". goharshahi.net. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
- ^ "Books of Sultan Bahu". hazratsultanbahu.com. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
- ^ Staff. "The Religion of God - Divine Love" (Flash player). goharshahi.com. Retrieved March 12, 1010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) Flash player version to read online. - ^ "The Goharian Philosophy of Divine Love". Retrieved February 25, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dateformat=ignored (help) - ^ "Banned magazines to be seized", Pakistan Press Foundation, Karachi, August 20 2005, retrieved Feb 24, 2010
{{citation}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b "Shaikh Hisham's Meeting with Gohar Shahi". via Google videos. Retrieved March 7, 2009.
- ^ "Jesus meets Gohar Shahi in America". sarkarriaz.com. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
- ^ "Predicament of Ahamadis in Pakistan, (pdf download)". Ahamaddiya Muslim Community. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
- ^ a b "10 held for raising slogans in favour of Gohar Shahi". Dawn newspaper. June 26, 2002. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g ""The Man in the Moon" by [[Ardeshir Cowasjee]]". Dawn newspaper. February 10, 2002. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
{{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help) - ^ a b "Pakistan's Supreme Court upholds ban on a Shahi disciple's book". The Daily Times. July 8, 2004. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
- ^ a b c ""Who is Holiness"". via Yahoo Geocities. Retrieved March 9, 2010.
- ^ a b "Int'l Religious Freedom Report - May, 2001". The Persecution.org. May 1, 2001. Retrieved March 9, 2010.
- ^ a b "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices by United States of America". U.S. Department of State. February 23, 2003. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
- ^ "U.S. State Department Religious Freedom Report 2000". U.S. Department of State. February 23, 2003. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
- ^ "Croydon religious leader faces life in Pakistani jail for his beliefs". Your Local Guardian. September 30, 2009. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
External links
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