Exoteric knowledge explains methods of physical cleanliness and the physical form of worship, while esoteric knowledge concerns itself with inner purification and the inner form of worship. The Anti-Christ would be confined to exoteric knowledge of Islam only and he would not be blessed with the esoteric knowledge which connects man with God; therefore, he would be ungodly and inhumane. He and his followers would appear to be religious but their hearts would be darkened.
His Divine Eminence Lord Ra Riaz Gohar Shahi declares,‘ The exoteric knowledge without esoteric knowledge is nothing but mischief.’
The Anti-Christ, being so perfect in the exoteric practice of the religion, will seem to be a devout worshipper of God; he will abide by the Sharia( religious law) recognised by modern Muslims, perform prayers perfectly, recite the Koran and observe fasts. In this way, he will deceive the masses and draw the ignorant clerics of the end times towards him.
Prophet Mohammad warned his companions,‘ Beware of the ignorant scholar.’ They asked,‘ How can a scholar be ignorant?’ The Prophet replied,‘ An ignorant scholar is one on whose tongue is knowledge but who is dark by the heart.’
[ TIRMIDHI; BUKHARI; AL HINDI( KANZ- UL-AMMAL)] Such scholars in the last days, deprived of the crucial spiritual knowledge, would fall prey to the deception of the Anti-Christ.
The Anti-Christ is mentioned as riding a donkey; this refers to the Anti-Christ’ s close relation to the Devil and the fact that he would have the power of the Devil at his disposal. He would indeed have‘ infidel’ written on his forehead, but only those with their spiritual eyes open would be able to see it.
THE ANTI-CHRIST: A SUFI?
Recently, some non-Muslim scholars claimed that Imam Mahdi and the Anti-Christ are one and the same and that the Anti-Christ shall be a Sufi. To furnish their argument, they noted that Prophetic Traditions predicted the Anti-Christ would claim to be God. This claim that the Anti-Christ would be a Sufi is gravely misleading propaganda.
Sufism is the only sect within Islam that believes that man can find union with God. Neither Wahhabis nor Shi’ ites have this concept in their belief system. In Sufi teachings, there comes a point in a seeker’ s life- after vigorous spiritual austerity- where they find God and God begins to reside within them. Sufis believe that it is not wrong to call a man who has reached this stage as God( it is understood that the man himself is not God, but rather that he has a divine presence within him, granted to him by God).
The notion of the Anti-Christ being a Sufi couldn’ t be further from the truth. Sufism, being the mystical interpretation of Islam, is the one denomination that has historically embraced non-Muslims and Muslims alike. True Sufis have shown themselves to be peace-loving and completely tolerant. For example, the famous Khwaja Gharib Nawaz in India was popular with Muslims and Hindus alike.
Sufis like those who follow His Divine Eminence Gohar Shahi not only believe in godliness of the preeminent Sufis, but also in the Holy Trinity. Sufis exhibit respect for all religions and recognise that God has the ability to guide whomsoever he wishes regardless of whether or not they are Muslims.
It is the Sufis who are most persecuted by the followers of the true Anti-Christ. This is because the ideology of Sufism is the exact opposite of what the Anti-Christ and his followers project.