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Ahmed Deedat
Ahmed Hussein Deedat (July 1, 1918 – August 8, 2005) was a Muslim apologist, writer and public speaker of Indian South African descent. He was best known for his numerous inter-religious public debates with evangelical Christians, as well as pioneering video lectures, most of which centered around Islam, Christianity and the Bible. He also established the IPCI, an international Islamic missionary organization, and wrote several booklets on Islam and Christianity which were widely distributed by the organization. He was awarded the prestigious King Faisal Award in 1986 for his 50 years of missionary work. One focus of his work was providing Muslims with theological tools for defending themselves against active Proselytizing by Christian missionaries. He used English to get his message across to Muslims and the non-Muslims in the western world.
Early Years 1918–1942
Ahmed Deedat was born in the town of, Tadkeshwar, Surat District, Gujarat, India in 1918. His father had emigrated to South Africa shortly after the birth of Ahmed Deedat. At the age of 9, Deedat left India to join his father in what is now known as Kwazulu-Natal. His mother died only a few months after his departure. Arriving in South Africa, Deedat applied himself with diligence to his studies, overcoming the language barrier and excelling in school, even getting promoted until he completed standard 6. However, due to financial circumstances, he had to quit school and start working by the time he was the age of 16.
In 1936, while working as a furniture salesman, he came across a group of missionaries at a Christian seminary on the Natal South Coast. The missionaries in their efforts to convert people of Muslim faith, would often accuse the Islamic Prophet Muhammad of having "used the sword" to bring people to Islam. Such accusations seemed to offend Deedat and were to form a major influence on Deedat's subsequent interest in comparative religion.
Deedat took a more active interest in religious debate after he came across a book entitled "Izhar ul-Huqq" (Truth Revealed), written by Rahmatullah Kairanawi, found while he was rummaging for reading material in his employer's basement. This book chronicled the efforts of Christian missionaries in India from a century earlier. The book had a profound effect on Deedat and led to the purchase of his first Bible and holding of debates and discussions with trainee missionaries, whose questions he had previously been unable to answer.
His foray into Bible Studies took a more serious turn when he started attending Islamic study classes held by a local Muslim convert named Mr. Fairfax. Seeing the popularity of the classes, Mr. Fairfax offered to teach an extra session on the Bible and how to preach to Christians about Islam. Deedat and a few others were delighted at the opportunity. However, only a few months into the project, Mr. Fairfax had to pull out of his engagement, and Deedat, who was by this point quite knowledgeable about the Bible, took over teaching the class. Which he did for three whole years thereafter and later credited for expanding his horizons significantly towards missionary work.
Early Missionary Work 1942–1956
Deedat's first lecture, entitled "Muhammad: Messenger of Peace", was delivered in 1942 to an audience of fifteen people at a Durban movie theatre named Avalon Cinema. Over time, Deedat's popularity as a public speaker grew in Durban, to the point that he was invited to speak in other cities in South Africa. A decade later he was filling City halls with audiences numbering in the thousands in cities such as Johannesburg and Cape Town.
A major vehicle of Deedat's early missionary activity was the 'Guided Tours' of the Jumma Mosque in Durban. The vast ornamental Jumma Mosque was a landmark site in the tourist friendly city of Durban. A sophisticated program of luncheons, speeches and free hand-outs was created to give an increasingly large number of international tourists often their first look at Islam. Deedat himself featured as one of the guides, hosting tourists and giving succinct introductions to the Islamic Religion and the relationship between Islam and Christianity.
IPCI and as-Salaam 1956–1986
By 1956, missionary work in the form of frequent public speaking engagements and the popular guided tours of the Jumma Masjid had begun to pay dividends. Enquiries about Islam from the general public in South Africa had started to pour in at an increasing rate. Soon it became apparent that working from the mosque office was not going to be sufficient to handle the demand for literature and to facilitate an increasing number of people showing more than simply tourist level interest in Islam.
Among Deedat's close friends were Goolam Hoosein Vanker and Taahir Rasool, whom many refer to as 'the unsung heroes of Deedat's career'. In 1957, Deedat, together with Vanker and Rasool, founded the Islamic Propagation Centre International (IPCI) with the aim to print a variety of books on Islam and offer classes to new Muslims converts.
In 1958, Deedat established an Islamic seminary called As-Salaam Educational Institute on a donated 75-acre (300,000 m2) piece of land located in Braemar in the south of Natal province.
With these newly founded missionary organizations as his backbone, Deedat engaged into a broader range of activities over the next three decades. He conducted classes on Biblical Theology and conducted numerous lectures.[citation needed] Da`wah (inviting people towards Islam) became the dominant factor of his life, with audiences at his lectures often reaching in excess of forty thousand. He also wrote a large number of booklets, distributing millions of copies of these and other free literature across the world.
International Fame 1985–1995
By the early 1980s, Ahmed Deedat's work was beginning to be known outside his native South Africa. In 1985, for instance, he twice rented the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London to debate Christian contemporaries in front of a packed audience. His international profile was significantly boosted, when in 1986 he was awarded the King Faisal Award for his services to Islam in the field of Dawah (Islamic missionary activity). The award squarely brought Deedat into the international limelight and the attention of the Muslim communities worldwide. As a result, at the ripe old age of 66, Deedat began a new phase in his lifetime mission of empowering Muslims to preach to Christians, a ten-year long period of international speaking tours around the world. He travelled far and wide to Muslim communities from Australia at one end to North America at the other end. Some of his known tours include:
Saudi Arabia and Egypt (on several occasions)
United Kingdom (on several occasions between 1985 and 1988, including Switzerland in 1987)
Pakistan, where Deedat met Zia al-Haq,
UAE and Maldives Islands (Nov–Dec 1987), where Deedat was honored by President Gayhoom.
US Tour Number 1 (late 1986 featuring debates with Swaggart, Robert Douglas and several lectures including two in Arizona)
Sweden and Denmark (late 1991 featuring three debates)
US and Canada Tour (1994 tour featuring debate in Canada and lectures in Chicago)
Australia Tour (his last tour in early 1996 just before his stroke)
Illness and Death 1996–2005
On May 3, 1996, Sheikh Ahmed Deedat suffered a stroke which left him paralyzed from the neck down because of a Cerebral Vascular Accident affecting the Brain Stem, and which also meant that he could no longer speak or swallow. He was flown to King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, where he was reported to be fully alert and hence taught to communicate through a series of eye-movements via a chart whereby he would form words by acknowledging individual alphabets read out to him; this way he would form complete sentences.
He spent the last nine years of his life in a bed in his home in Verulam, South Africa, encouraging people to engage in Da'wah (Islam propagation). He was looked after by his wife, Hawa Deedat, and was reported to have no bed-sores. He continued to receive hundreds of letters of support from around the world, and local and international visitors continued to visit him and pay homage to his work.
On August 8, 2005, Ahmed Deedat died at his home on Trevennen Road in Verulam in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. He is buried at the Verulam cemetery. Hawa Deedat died on Monday August 28, 2006 at the age of 85, just one year after her husband at Deedat’s home.
Debates
Deedat's first well-known debate occurred in August 1981 when he debated well-known Christian apologist Josh McDowell in Durban, South Africa. Many of his debates were later broadcast online on Youtube, among other sites.
Debates with Anis Shorrosh
Deedat's memorable tussles with Palestinian-American missionary Dr. Anis Shorrosh first came to public attention when Shorrosh appeared among the audience during the Q&A sessions on two separate occasions during Deedat's summer 1985 tour of the UK (where he debated Dr. Floyd E. Clark in what is now considered another one of his early international works). Thereon ensued some back and forth between the camps of Deedat and Shorrosh and the result was two highly contentious debates, the first of which, entitled Is Jesus God?[4] took place right away in Dec 1985 at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London. The second debate was organized with much fanfare and held in Birmingham, UK on August 7, 1988; entitled The Quran or the Bible: Which is God's Word. This debate spanned a total of 240 minutes including the Q&A session.
Debate with Jimmy Swaggart
Deedat's most famous moment came when he managed to land a debate with televangelist Jimmy Swaggart at a time when Swaggart was one of the leading faces of Evangelical Christianity. The debate entitled Is The Bible the Word of God?, was held in Swaggart's hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana in November 1986 at the University of Louisiana, where it was attended by about 8,000 people.
Deedat never managed to truly capitalize on the international fame of his opponent, however, when over the following six months and subsequent five years, Swaggart was caught twice in damaging sex scandals and lost most of his international following and stature as a tele-evangelist. The debate, however, did capture the imagination of the Muslim world and the Muslims minorities in Europe and North America.
Other Notable Debates
In Oct–Nov 1991, Deedat toured Scandinavia where he held three debates and several speeches. Two of these debates where held on successive nights against Pastor Stanley Sjöberg in Stockholm, Sweden. The first of these was entitled Is the Bible the True Word of God? and the second debate was Is Jesus God?. Deedat then traveled to Denmark where he debated Pastor Eric Bock in Copenhagen in a debate entitled Is Jesus God?
Deedat and the Pope
In 1984, he challenged John Paul II to a public dialogue in the Vatican Square, but the Pope responded that he only agreed to a closed conference in his cabin. However, Deedat wrote back that he insisted "that such meeting should be public,". When the Pope stopped answering, Deedat distributed a pamphlet in January 1985 headlined His Holiness Plays Hide and Seek With Muslims.
His Writings and Speeches
Deedat published and mass produced over one dozen palm-sized booklets focusing on the following major themes. Most of Deedat's numerous lectures, as well as most of his debates in fact, focus on and around these same themes. Often the same theme has several video lectures to its credit, having been delivered at different times and different places.
Is the Bible God's Word?
What The Bible Says About Muhammad
Crucifixion or Cruci-Fiction?
several smaller spin-off titles on specific aspects of Crucifixion
Muhammad: The Natural Successor to Christ
Christ in Islam
Muhammad The Greatest
Al-Qur'an the Miracle of Miracles
Capitalizing on his popularity in the Middle East following his receipt of the King Faisal Award, Deedat secured a grant to print a collated volume of four of his popular booklets. 10,000 copies of this book titled The Choice: Islam and Christianity were initially printed on April 1993 in a very high quality HB 'silk paper' edition with a striking burgundy cover with gold embossed title. This book was very popular in the 1990s, often available for free at missionary outlets across North America. Subsequently, several printing houses offered to print more and within two years, by June 1995, another 250,000 copies had been printed in several print runs across the Middle East.
Later, a second volume in plain PB entitled The Choice: Volume Two featuring six more of Deedat's booklets collated together was also published. Deedat also widely promoted a South African printing of The Holy Qur'an translation by Abdullah Yusuf Ali with commentary and detailed index. This was widely made available at subsidized costs to the general public and is often mentioned in Deedat's speeches.
Deedat also produced a booklet entitled "Al-Qur'an: the Ultimate Miracle" featuring the theory of 'the Number 19' that was popularized by Arizona-based Egyptian computer analyst Dr. Rashad Khalifa. However, this booklet was later withdrawn from circulation after Dr. Khalifa publicly disclosed some controversial beliefs including his rejection of the entire Hadith literature of Islam.
Criticism
Deedat's debates and writings have been labelled a form of apologetics by Lloyd V. J. Ridgeon, professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Glasgow.
Muslim scholar Farid Esack has criticized Deedat, comparing him to such fundamentalists as Rabbi Meir Kahane and Jerry Falwell, and writing:
Deedat's multitude of anti-Christian, anti-Jewish and anti-Hindu videotapes have told us all that there is to be told about the other, and we are comfortable with that. There are times, of course, when questions surface about the importance of correct dogma, about the importance of labels to a God whom we believe sees beyond labels and looks at the hearts of people. Instead of pursuing these questions, we hasten back and seek refuge in "the known." We order another of those Deedat tapes.
The Stephen Roth institute for the study of contemporary antisemitism and racism calls Deedat "anti-Jewish" but does not elaborate. In France, his books have been forbidden for sale and distribution since 1994, alleging it to be violently anti-western, antisemitic and inciting to racial hate.
Following his 1981 debate with Deedat, Josh McDowell released a book which included criticism of a number of Deedat's arguments, from a Christian perspective. Deedat responded to part of McDowell's book in chapters 17 and 19 of "Crucifixion or Cruci-fiction".
In his last tour to Australia, the publicity resulting from the presence of Deedat caused Franca Arena, member of the Legislative Council of the government of New South Wales to comment in her speech concerning racism:
“ Of course, other victims of racism are often Australians who are visibly different, especially women who wear Muslim attire. While I condemn such attacks, I also condemn attacks against Christians by Muslims who come to Australia to sow the seed of religious hatred. In this regard I refer to Islamic evangelist Sheik Ahmed Deedat, a South African who, on Good Friday, spoke about Easter, indulged in bible-bashing and incited racial hatred. I am all for freedom of speech, but our leaders should show some understanding and, above all, respect for the views and beliefs of others. Australia can do without people like Sheik Deedat. I do not know why he came to Australia or why he adopted such a confrontationist approach on Good Friday at a big public meeting at Sydney Town Hall when he disparaged the Christian faith. I certainly do not support such an approach.
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Zakir Naik unnatural successor to Deedat.
Deedat was not salafist in his beliefs. Naik is a Salafi muslim.
Deedat was a Sunni while Naik was a Wahhabi.
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Zakir Naik
Zakir Abdul Karim Naik (born 18 October 1965) is the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), which is a non-profit organization that owns Peace TV channel based in Mumbai, India. A prominent Muslim figure in the Muslim world, Naik is also a public speaker and a writer on the subject of Islam and other comparative religion.
Naik originally began his career as a medical doctor, having attained a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) from the University of Mumbai. After being inspired by Ahmed Deedat, Naik began part-time, and later switched to a full-time career, by giving Islamic speeches to the public.
Zakir Abdul Karim Naik was born on 18 October 1965 in Mumbai, India. He attended St. Peter's High School (ICSE) in the city of Mumbai. Later he joined the Kishinchand Chellaram College and then studied medicine at Topiwala National Medical College and Nair Hospital in his native city and received his MBBS degree from the University of Mumbai. In 1991 he started working in the field of Da'wah Islam.
Naik says he was inspired by the late Ahmed Deedat, who had been active in the field of Da'wah for more than 50 years. According to Naik, his goal is to "concentrate on the educated Muslim youth who have become apologetic about their own religion and have started to feel the religion is outdated", He considers it a duty of every Muslim to remove perceived misconceptions about Islam and to counter what he views as the Western media's anti-Islamic bias in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks upon the United States. Some of his articles are also published in magazines like the Islamic Voice.
Anthropologist Thomas Blom Hansen has written that Naik's style of memorizing the Qur'an and hadith literature in various languages and related missionary activity has made him extremely popular in Muslim and non-Muslim circles. Many of his debates are recorded and widely distributed in video and DVD media as well as online. His talks are usually recorded in English, to be broadcast at weekends on several cable networks in Mumbai's Muslim neighborhoods, and on the channel Peace TV, which he co-promotes. Topics he speaks on include: "Islam and Modern Science", "Islam and Christianity", and "Islam and secularism".
Apart from IRF, Naik is also the founder and chairman of the Islamic International School (IIS), Mumbai. He is also the founder of Peace TV Network.
Lectures and debates
Naik has held many debates and lectures around the world as well as in Mumbai, India. One of Naik's most cited debates took place in Chicago in April, 2000 featuring William Campbell of Pennsylvania, USA on the topic "The Qur'an and the Bible: In the Light of Science". On 11 February 2011, the Oxford Union invited Dr. Zakir by a satellite link for a debate under the name Islam and the 21st century followed by questions and answers session .
Naik also stated that "despite the strident anti-Islam campaign, 34,000 Americans have embraced Islam from September 2001 to July 2002." He cited an article by Edward Said published in the Time magazine, which said that 60,000 books about Islam and the Orient have been written between 1800 and 1950 alone.
In a lecture at Melbourne University, Naik argued that only Islam gave women true equality. He stressed the importance of the headscarf by arguing that the more "revealing Western dress" makes women more susceptible to rape.
On 21 January 2006, Naik held an inter-religious dialogue with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The event was about the concept of God in Islam and Hinduism, the aim being to bring understanding between the two major religions of India, and at best to point out the commonalities between them. It was held in Bangalore, India with up to 50,000 attending at the Palace Grounds.
In a lecture delivered on 31 July 2008 on Peace TV, Naik stated, regarding 9/11: "it is a blatant, open secret that this attack on the Twin Towers was done by George Bush himself", to give Bush reason to attack and control oil-rich countries.
On 7 March 2010 Naik participated in a live discussion with Soha Ali Khan and others on a TV show We The People on NDTV.
On 12 February 2011,Zakir Naik addressed the Oxford Union via video link from India.
Peace conferences
Every year since November 2007, Naik has led a 10-day "Peace Conference" at Somaiya Ground, Sion, Mumbai. Lectures on Islam have been presented by Naik as well as twenty other Islamic scholars from around the world. Another prominent personality was the Malaysian politician, Anwar Ibrahim in 2008.
During one of the lectures at the Peace Conference, Naik provoked anger among members of the Shia and Sunni communities, when he mentioned the words "Radiallah ta'la anho" (meaning 'May Allah be pleased with him') after mentioning the name of Yazid I and made remarks that the battle of Karbala was political. Others, however, believed the comment was blown out of proportion.
In November 2009, the IRF organized a 10-day international Islamic conference and exhibition titled 'Peace – the solution for humanity' at the Somaiya grounds in Mumbai. Lectures on Islam were presented by Naik as well as thirty other Islamic scholars from around the world.
Writings
In 2007, the Saudi publishing house, Dar-us-Salam Publications, published two titles written by Naik, entitled "The Concept of God in Major Religions" and "The Qur'an and Modern Science: Compatible or Incompatible?".
Biological evolution
On the issue of the theory of evolution, Naik commented that it contradicts Islam since it remains "just a theory and not a fact". According to Naik, scientists "support the theory, because it went against the Bible – not because it was true." According to Naik, there are hundreds of scientists and Nobel Prize winners who speak against Darwin's theory.
Visit to New Zealand and Wales
In 2004, Naik visited New Zealand and then the Australian capital at the invitation of Islamic Information and Services Network of Australasia. At his conference in Melbourne, senior Age writer and columnist Sushi Das commented that "Naik extolled the moral and spiritual superiority of Islam and lampooned other faiths and the West in general", further criticizing that Naik's words "fostered a spirit of separateness and reinforced prejudice".
In August 2006, Naik's visit and conference in Cardiff (UK) were the object of controversy, when Welsh MP David Davies called for his appearance to be cancelled. He argued that Naik was a 'hate-monger', and said his views did not deserve a 'public platform'; Muslims from Cardiff, however, defended Naik's right to speak in their city. Saleem Kidwai, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Wales, disagreed with Davies, stating that "people who know about him (Naik) know that he is one of the most uncontroversial persons you could find. He talks about the similarities between religions, and how should we work on the common ground between them", whilst also inviting Davies to discuss further with Naik personally in the conference. The conference went ahead, after the Cardiff council stated it was satisfied that he would not be preaching extremist views. Khushwant Singh, a prominent Indian journalist, politician and author argues that Naik's pronouncements are "juvenile" and said that "they seldom rise above the level of undergraduate college debates, where contestants vie with each other to score brownie points". Singh disagreed with Naik's statement that "Western society claims to have uplifted women. On the contrary, it has actually degraded them to the status of concubines, mistresses, and society butterflies who are mere tools in the hands of pleasure seekers and sex marketers". Singh wrote: "Dr. Naik, you know next to nothing about the Western society and are talking through your skull cap. People like you are making the Muslims lag behind other communities." Singh also noted that Naik's audiences "listen to him with rapt attention and often explode in enthusiastic applause when he rubbishes other religious texts".
Fatwas
In August 2008, Darul Uloom Deoband issued a fatwa stating: "The statements made by Dr Zakir Naik indicate that he is a preacher of Ghair Muqallidin. One should not rely upon his speeches."
In 2008 the Lucknow-based cleric Abul Irfan Mian Firangi Mahali issued a fatwa against Naik, describing him as a "kafir" (non-believer) and stating in the fatwa that Naik should be ex-communicated from Islam. He argued that Naik is not an Islamic scholar, his teachings are against the Quran, that he insults Allah and glorifies Yazeed, the killer of Imam Hussain", and that Naik had supported Osama bin Laden. Naik, however, has said that his speeches have been misquoted and he has downplayed the fatwa. The All-India Sunni Board and Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani Foundation defended Naik.
Views on apostasy
Naik has stated that any Muslim is free to convert out of Islam if the person so chooses, but added that if a Muslim converts and then speaks against Islam it should be considered as treason. Naik stated that under Islamic law this is punishable by death. During a question and answer session at Naik's lecture on May 29 on the Maldives, a 37-year old Maldivian citizen named Mohamed Nazim stood up and announced that he was struggling to believe in any religion and did not consider himself to be a Muslim. Nazim further asked what Naik's verdict would be under Islam and in the Maldives. Dr Naik responded that he considers the punishment for apostasy does not necessarily mean death, since Muhammed was reported in the Hadith scriptures on some occasion to have shown clemency towards apostates, but added that if a Muslim apostate speaks and propagates against Islam under Islamic Shari’a rule then the apostate should be put to death.
Mohamed Nazim was reported to have been arrested and put in protective custody by the Maldivian Police. He later publicly reverted back to Islam in custody after receiving two days of counseling by two islamic scholars, but was held awaiting possible charges.
Views on terrorism
Naik's views and statements on terrorism have at times been criticised in the media and by the United Kingdom Home Secretary. In a YouTube video speaking of Osama bin Laden, Naik said that he would not criticise bin Laden because he had not met him and did not know him personally. He added: "If he is fighting the enemies of Islam, I am for him. If he is terrorizing the terrorists, America, the biggest terrorist, I am with him. Every Muslim should be a terrorist. ... A terrorist is a person who causes terror. The moment a robber sees a policeman he is terrified. A policeman is a terrorist for the robber. Similarly every Muslim should be a terrorist for the antisocial elements of society, such as thieves, dacoits and rapists. Whenever such an anti-social element sees a Muslim, he should be terrified. It is true that the word ‘terrorist’ is generally used for a person who causes terror among the common people. But a true Muslim should only be a terrorist to selective people i.e. anti-social elements, and not to the common innocent people. In fact a Muslim should be a source of peace for innocent people."
Debate with Hindu leaders
Naik argued in his writings that Vedas and other Hindu scriptures allude to the coming of Muhammad. This evoked strong criticism from Hindus in general and Arya Samaj in particular, who consider Vedas to be revealed texts. Because Naik claimed to have defeated Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in a debate, he was challenged to debate Arya Samaj on this issue. After he refused to officially respond, a detailed rebuttal of Naik's views along with the details of communications with IRF was made online by Arya Samaj.
2010 exclusion from the UK and Canada
Naik has been denied entry into the United Kingdom and Canada since June 2010. He was banned by the Home Secretary Theresa May. He had arranged to give talks in London and Sheffield. May said of the exclusion order regarding Naik, "Numerous comments made by Dr Naik are evidence to me of his unacceptable behavior". She noted statements from Naik such as, "every Muslim should be a terrorist". Naik's full quote is: "Every Muslim should be a terrorist. A terrorist is a person who causes terror. The moment a robber sees a policeman he is terrified. A policeman is a terrorist for the robber. Similarly every Muslim should be a terrorist for the antisocial elements of society, such as thieves, dacoits and rapists".
Naik believed that the Home secretary was making a "political decision and not a legal one". It was reported that Naik would attempt to challenge the ruling in the High court. His application for judicial review was dismissed on 5 November 2010.
Influence as revealed by published newspaper rankings
On 31 January 2010, the Sunday Express published The Indian Express list of the “100 Most Powerful Indians in 2010”. It ranked Naik at 89. Of the Muslims in this list, Naik was the only Islamic preacher. The other Muslims were a political secretary, a politician, a government official, a business magnate and three film personalities. He was the third most influential religious figure listed in 2009, whereas in 2010 he rose to become the highest placed religious leader at No. 89 followed by Jaggi Vasudev at 94, Baba Ramdev at 99 and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at 100.
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Questioning the “vision” behind Zakir Naik’s “Peace”
By A. Faizur Rahman
Chennai witnessed a rare show of Shia-Sunni unity when the Chief Qazis of both these communities lodged a joint complaint with the authorities against Dr. Zakir Naik’s Peace Exhibition and had it shifted from Chennai to the outskirts of the city. The Qazis had actually wanted a total ban on the exhibition but the organisers managed to get permission, apparently after accepting to abide by the strict conditions imposed by the law enforcing agencies. The case of the Sunni Qazi was that Zakir Naik showed disrespect to Prophet Muhammad while the Shia Qazi objected to Naik’s eulogizing of Yazeed, who, according to the Shias, was responsible for the assassination of Iman Hussian, the grandson of the Prophet.
To be fair to Zakir Naik, the “disrespect” he showed to the Prophet was unintentional and a genuine slip of the tongue for which he promptly apologised. But his remarks on Yazeed were certainly unwarranted given the uneasy peace that exists between the Shias and the Sunnis. Well-known Islamic author Maulana Waheeduddeen Khan commented in an interview to NDTV that Zakir Naik, not being a scholar of Islam, should not talk about the intricacies of Islamic theology. But unfortunately, the televangelist does not confine himself to his strong point, which is, his verbatim imitation of Ahmed Deedat in debating aggressive Christian missionaries. He seems to be oblivious of the damage he may be causing to the Muslim community which may end up paying the price for his needlessly polemical attacks on other religions groups.
Naik must also take cognizance of the fact that the moderate majority of the Muslim community is upset with him for promoting Salafism in the name of Islam. The recent debate pertaining to his “Peace” conference on Twocircles.net was reflective of this perception wherein many Muslim writers condemned the streaks of “extremism” and “Salafism” inherent in the “vision” that is propagated through the Peace Convention. A dispassionate analysis of the ideology of those behind the concept of this exhibition certainly gives the impression that the accusations against this event are not without basis.
For instance, according to its organisers the “Peace Exhibition” derives its theological legitimacy from the official patronage of a diehard Salafi ideologue, the late Ibn Jibreen. The official “Peace” website (http://www.peacevisionofislam.org/) proudly proclaims: “Peace exhibition concept has been endorsed by Shaykh Abdullah Ibn Abdur-Rahman al-Jibreen, a member of the General Presidency of Islaamic Research, Iftaa, Call and Propagation, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” A scanned copy of Ibn Jibreen’s handwritten certificate is displayed prominently on this website as if to over-awe the Muslim masses into visiting the exhibition.
It would be interesting to know from the “Peace” group their justification for seeking and trumpeting the endorsement of a cleric who is well-known for his extreme views. Surely, they cannot feign ignorance of the ideology of this “Noble Sheikh” who once praised Osama bin Laden saying, “Osama was mujahid in the path of Allah before. And he had major efforts in the land of Afghanistan. May Allah give him success and make him victorious and make victory happen by him. Until now he is still participating in Jihad.” (See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5TvlNECROM)
Presented below is a comparative analysis of Prophetic statements and some of Ibn Jibreen's radical pronouncements extracted from the book Fatawa Islamiyah collected by Muhammad bin Abdul Aziz Al-Musnad.
This book, published by Darussalam, contains fatwas by five authorities namely,
1. Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz
2. Muhammad bin Salih Al-Uthaimeen
3. Abdullah bin Abdur Rahman Al-Jibreen
4. Permanent committee for legal rulings (Saudi Arabia)
5. Fiqh Council of Saudi Arabia
Husband not obliged to pay for wife’s treatment:
In one of his fatwas Ibn Jibreen says, “ It is not an obligation upon the husband to pay the cost of his wife’s treatment, nor the cost of the medicines, nor the doctor’s fee, because this not part of her normal essential needs; rather it is something temporary, so it is not required of him.” But if he pays “it would be an act of generosity, virtue, and righteousness.” (Volume 5, p.184)
Compare this to the kindness of our beloved Prophet who said: ‘The most perfect of the believers in matters of conviction (eeman) is he who is best in conduct (khulq), and the best of you are those who are best to their wives” (Tirmizi). In another saying the Prophet said, ‘The best dinar a man spends is the dinar he spends for his family” (Muslim).
It is the belief of Muslims that those who differ with the Prophet’s understanding of Islam (particularly when it is made known through an authentic report) commit kufr, the most blasphemous of all crimes in the eyes of Allah.
Associating with non-Muslims:
Prophet’s greatest qualities included his humanitarianism and mastery of interpersonal skills which has been praised by the Quran in following words: “It is part of the mercy of Allah that you (O Prophet) deal gently with them (the people around you). Had you been severe or harsh-hearted they would have broken away from you.” (3:159).
It was this concern for peaceful coexistence with all human beings that made the Prophet repeatedly underscore the importance of neighbourliness and the value of preserving friendship. He said:
“Make good neighborly connections with one who is your neighbor, for you will then be a (true) Muslim, and keep good company with one who keeps company with you, for you will then be a (true) believer.” (Tirmizi, Ibn Majah).
In fact, such has been the emphasis placed by Islam on the rights of a neighbour, the Prophet once feared (in a report that is found in both Bukhari and Muslim) that neighbours would be granted inheritance rights in the properties of Muslims along with their legal heirs. No wonder the Prophet instructed the Muslims saying, “When you cook broth, increase its water and give some of it to your neighbour” (Muslim). It may be noted here that in none of the aforementioned reports the Prophet differentiates between a Muslim and a non-Muslim neighbour. In other words, a neighbour is a neighbour and, insofar as a Muslim is concerned, he/she enjoys all the rights conferred on him/her by Islam irrespective of his/her religion, caste, colour or social status.
The Quran goes a step further and says, “Repel evil with goodness; then will he between whom and you was hatred become as it were your friend and intimate” (41:34).
But the endorser of Zakir Naik’s “Peace” seems to differ with the universalism of the Quran and Prophet. Reproduced below is another fatwa by Ibn Jibreen in the form of a reply to a question about associating with non-Muslims.
“Q: I am living in Jordan in a house populated mostly by Christian brothers, and we eat and drink together. Is my prayer invalid, and is my living with them permissible?
(Ibn Jibreen): “Before answering your question I would like to make a point: I hope that it was a slip of the tongue when you said “I live with Christian brothers,” for there is absolutely no brotherhood between the Muslims and Christians…..So it is not permissible for the Muslims to describe the disbeliever- whatever his brand of disbelief, be he Christian, Jewish, Magian, or apostate- as a brother; so beware my brother of using such expressions.” “ ..It is necessary to avoid mixing with non-Muslims, because mixing with them causes the loss of one’s religious zeal from the heart and may even lead to affection and love for them.” (Volume 1, pp 263-265)
Astonishingly, these sentiments seem to have found a seat deep in the heart of R.K. Noor, the Correspondent of the International Islamic School run by Zakir Naik at Nungambakkam in Chennai. In an interview given to Twocircles.net (http://twocircles.net/2010jan19/zakir_naik_s_team_responds_controversies...) R.K.Noor categorically states: “But on this issue, I am very firm and I do teach myself in my classes that Muslims should not greet the people of non Muslims faiths in their festivals such as Christmas, Pongal, and Diwali etc. How can a Muslim greet “Happy Christmas” which will be a direct connotation or a determined reference more similar to “praying expression” to Jesus Christ to whom we don’t believe?” So will be Pongal and Diwali.”
The Ibn Jibreen mind-set is clearly evident here, and this is no “slip of the tongue.” And it has serious implications for the future of Muslims in a multi-cultural and multi-religious society like India. To paraphrase Voltaire: to be a good Muslim should one become the enemy of the rest of mankind? Well, if one were to go by Zakir Naik's philosophy (as voiced in the video below) a Muslim would be left with no other option but to look down upon all non-Muslims, maybe even hate them for not being Muslims.
Answering a non-Muslim in the Guftagu programme on QTV as to why Muslim countries do not allow people of other religions to propagate their faith, Zakir Naik said that Islam being the only true religion, and all other religions being totally false, the question of allowing either Christians or Hindus to build Churches or Temples to propagate their religion in a Muslim country does not arise. But on the other hand, he said, the Muslims, as a matter of right, were entitled to propagate their faith in non-Muslim countries because "we are trying to get them to the right path of Islam." This prompted narrator in this YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YAWq89kYHw) to ask whether the mentality of Zakir Naik was any different from that of the Taliban. Some may even be tempted to equate it with the communalism of the RSS or the Bajrang Dal. It is indeed shocking that for a person who sermonizes on “peace” Zakir Naik seems to have ignored the fact that although as a devout Muslim he may believe Islam to be the only true religion it does not give him the right to publicly demean other faiths. Nothing can be more unIslamic and arrogantly judgmental.
Muslims who do not pray are apostates and should be killed:
Another example of religious fanaticism can be found in the following fatwa issued by the Saudi cleric, the late Uthaimeen, who enjoyed status on a par with Ibn Jibreen. When asked about a person who does not perform salah, that is, namaaz, Uthaimeen ruled that such a person “is a disbeliever and he is outside the pale of Islam. He must be called upon to repent; if he turns to Allah in repentance and prays, then Allah will turn to him in forgiveness…but if he does not repent, he must be killed as an apostate and buried outside the graveyards of the Muslims without being washed or shrouded, and without prayers being said over him” (Fatawa Arkanul Islam, pp 389-390).
Books such as the Fatawa Islamiyah and Fatawa Arkanul Islam are freely sold at the Peace Exhibition and other salafi bookstalls across India. Although it may be claimed that the exhibition itself does not propagate this narrow-minded interpretation of Islam, the easy availability of these books to the unsuspecting lay visitors may lead to their adopting an intolerant attitude towards others. And this certainly is not the “vision of Islam” that is found in the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet. The truth is that the Salafi fatwa books which betray an intolerant Khawariji mind-set have no place in modern Muslim society. If our beloved Prophet were alive today he would have unequivocally condemned such provocative books. While freedom of expression is one of the basic doctrines of Islam, it cannot be invoked to misrepresent Islam and pollute gullible minds. The innocent people who throng to listen to Zakir Naik deserve an explanation from him and his promoters.
TwoCircles.net
The author is the Secretary General of the Chennai-based Forum for the Promotion of Moderate Thought in Islam. He may be reached at faizz@rocketmail.com
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