The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light: An Islamic Millennial New Religious Movement

ABSTRACT: The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) is a millennial Islamic new religious movement with roots in Imami ("Twelver") Shia Islam. This article details a 2024 research visit by scholars of new religious movements and human rights professionals to learn about the group. Based on their presentations, conversations with members, and analysis of their sacred text, The Goal of the Wise , I identify four major themes in the movement's theology: messianism, dispensationalism and covenantal theology, social teachings regarding the Divine Just State, and transmigration of the soul. I argue that the movement's millennialism functions as a form of progressive restorationism, and I conclude with a brief comparison of AROPL to the rise of the Baháʼí Faith.