Muhammad Qasim ibn Abd al-Karim (born 5 July 1976), also known as Muhammad Qasim and Qasim Khawabi, is a Pakistani Islamic figure who is claimed by some in Pakistan and Southeast Asia to be the

Mahdi The Mahdi () is a figure in Islamic eschatology who is believed to appear at the Eschatology, End of Times to rid the world of evil and injustice. He is said to be a descendant of Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad, and will appear shortly before Jesu ...

. He is known for claims of his true dreams ().

Biography

Early life and appearance

Muhammad Qasim ibn Abd al-Karim was born on 5 July 1976 in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, into a purported Sayyid Qureshi family. According to his own biography, Qasim used to play with toys with the names of

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

and the

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

prophet

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

on them. As such, Qasim is believed to have nurtured a deep love and attachment to God and Muhammad from an early age.

Dreams and predictions

Before the age of 17, Qasim said he saw some important dreams. After 17, he claimed to see God in a veil and started having many religious dreams. Qasim started sharing his dreams in 2014, He never wanted to share them, but he claimed that it was God and Muhammad PBUH who instructed him to do so in his dreams. After Qasim began sharing his dreams, he often faced troubles and difficulties, which led him to stop. However, he stated that Muhammad PBUH again appeared in his dreams and instructed him to continue sharing them. Qasim claims that it is only God who will make these dreams come true and serve as their Advocate. He also emphasizes that those who fabricate lies in the name of God or Muhammad PBUH are under the curse of God. Initially receiving barely any attention, though later becoming popular, he claims to have been told by God that he would lead the

Ummah ' (; ) is an Arabic word meaning Muslim identity, nation, religious community, or the concept of a Commonwealth of the Muslim Believers ( '). It is a synonym for ' (, lit. 'the Islamic nation'); it is commonly used to mean the collective com ...

against the forces of evil. His supposed dreams include a war between India and Pakistan, the destruction of Turkey and Saudi Arabia, and

World War III World War III, also known as the Third World War, is a hypothetical future global conflict subsequent to World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). It is widely predicted that such a war would involve all of the great powers, ...

, around when Qasim emerges to save the world. However, these dreams have been controversial among orthodox

Pakistani Muslims Islam is the largest and the state religion of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan has over 231.69 million adherents of Islam (excluding the administrative territory of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan) making it the second-large ...

Supporters and outreach

Qasim's supporters consider him to be the

and he has developed only a few hundred people of following, particularly in parts of Pakistan, Indonesia and Malaysia, Bangladesh, United states and United Kingdom. Qasim's dreams are available in a number of languages. AI-generated voices of Islamic scholars such as Yasir Qadhi, Mufti Menk, Zakir Naik and others were created by individuals posing as supporters of Muhammad Qasim to bolster claims that he is the Mahdi. Muhammad Qasim has publicly rejected these allegations.

Legal issues

In January 2022, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department reportedly had to take strict action against Muslims in the state who were involved in the teachings of Muhammad Qasim. According to Malaysian news outlets, he was arrested in July 2024 for teaching without a license, but was later released following legal proceedings. After the events, Malaysian outlets apologized for incorrectly stating that he claimed to be the Mahdi.

Claims and denials of association

The Indonesian organization End Times Movement (Gaza) is believed to be preparing for the Last Hour based on the dreams of Muhammad Qasim. The group's leader Diki Candra affirms Qasim to be the Mahdi. Muhammad Qasim has no official spokesperson and has personally denied any association with Diki Candra, Awais Naseer, Osama Altaf, or others falsely claiming links to him. He does not endorse their actions or statements.

Notes

References

{{Reflist Mahdism