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Ahmed Deedat
He is a Muslim Scholar with
more then 5 decades of experience, amazingly he has more knowledge of
Christianity then Islam and due to this, any Christian missionary thinks 100
times before debating with him. He with exact Surat, Ayat number, recites
different quotes from Different Bibles each conflicting with each other which
makes his opposite Christian missionary rethink his own religion. In South
Africa were he lives, hundreds of people have entered Islam Including large
number of Christian Missionaries.
Born in the Surat
district of India in 1918, Ahmed Hoosen Deedat had no recollection of his father
untill 1926. His father a tailor by profession had emigrated to South Africa
shortly after the birth of Ahmed Deedat. With no formal education and fighting
off the extreme pangs of poverty, he went to South Africa
in 1927 to be with his father. His farewell to his mother in India in 1927 was
the last time he saw her alive for she passed away a few months later. In a foreign land, a boy of
nine with no formal schooling and command of the English language began
preparing for the role he was to play decades later without realizing it.
Applying himself with diligence to his studies, the little boy not only was able
to overcome the language barrier but excelled in school. His avid passion for
reading helped him gain promotions until he completed standard 6. Lack of
finance interrupted his schooling and at the early age of about 16 he took on
the first of many jobs in retailing.
The most significant of
these was in 1936 where he worked at a Muslim owned store near a Christian
seminary on the Natal South Coast. The incessant insults of the trainee
missionaries hurled against Islam during their brief visits to the store infused
a stubborn flame of desire within the young man to counteract their false
propaganda.
As fate would have it, Ahmad
Deedat looked impatiently in the store of his Muslim owner to find any book that
is interesting, by pure chance he found out a book entitled Izharal-Haq, meaning the Truth
revealed. This book recorded the techniques and enormous success of the efforts
of Muslims in India in turning the tables against Christian missionary
harassment during the British subjugation and rule of India. In particular the
idea of holding debates had a profound effect on Ahmed Deedat.
Armed with this new found
zeal, Ahmed Deedat purchased his first Bible and began holding debates and
discussions with the trainee missionaries. When they beat a hasty retreat in the
face of his incisive counter arguments, he personally called on their teachers
and even priests in the surrounding areas. These successes spurred
Ahmed Deedat in the dirrection of Da’wah. Not even his marriage, birth of
Children and a 3 year sojourn to Pakistan after its independence dampened his
enthusiasm or dulled his desire to defend Islam from the deceitful distortions
of the Christian missionaries. 
With missionary zeal to
project the Truth and beauty of Islam, Ahmed Deedat immersed himself into a host
of activities over the next three decades. He conducted classes on Bible studies
and gave numerous lectures. He established the As-Salaam, an institute to train
propagators of Islam. He, together with his family, almost single-handedly
erected the buildings including the masjid which is still a landmark today.
He was a founder member of
the Islamic Propagation Centre International (IPCI) and became its President, a
position he still holds today. He has published over 20 books and distributed
millions of copies free of charge. He has delivered thousand of lectures all
over the world and successfully engaged Christian Evangelists in public debates.
Several thousand people have come into the fold of Islam as a result of these
efforts Due to his extensive knowledge of Christianity many of Christian
Scholars with whom he debated have converted.
He is also popular due to
his very humorous way of explaining Religion.
In a fitting tribute to this
monumental achievement, he was awarded the King Faisal International award in
1986, a prestigious recognition of enormous value in the world of Islam.
No number of awards and
honors can truly capture the man’s essence and zeal for Islam. This anthology of
books is no exception. It demonstrates Sheikh Deedat’s analytical compilations
drawn from personal encounters and experiences against Christian distortions.
In 1996 Sheikh Ahmed Deedat
suffered from a serious stroke and since then was unable to move or speak.
Please pray to Allah (swt) for his health and well being.
On the 8th of August 2005 / 2 Rajab 1426, Sheikh
Ahmed Hoosen Deedat passed on yo meet his creator. This was After succumbing to
asevere stroke that left him paralysed for More than nine years.
To commemorate the passing away of this world renowned personality the IPCI held
a tribute to its founder & president the late Sheikh Ahmed Deedat on Saturday,
20 August 2005 at the Durban City Hall.
At the the event some were moved to tears when an on screen 15 minute visual
presentation on the life and times of Sheikh Deedat concluding with his Janazah.
The full part of this one hour documentary is available from the IPCI on the
life of this icon of the muslim world, Marhoom Sheikh Ahmed Hoosen Deedat.
His life and times should be an example that muslims should emulate. The IPCI
has received approximately one thousand messages of condolences both nationally
and internationally.at the Saturday afternoon event, message of condolences were
read out from hrh Prince Khalid Al Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz, Dr Ahmed Totonji, Dr
Zakir Naik, Professor Ali Mazrui amongst, mayor of Durban Obed Mlaba & many
others.
Present at the function were the ambassadors of palestine, he Mr Salman el Herfi,
the ambassador of sengal, Mr Mame Gorgui Gueye, and the ambassador of Pakistan,
Dr Ali Ahmed Arain.
Personal Address : 49, Trevenneri Road,
Verulam 4340, Republic of South Africa. Tel (Res.): 331790
Famous Books by Sheikh Ahmed
Deedat:
The
Choice - Between Islam and Christianity - Volume I
The
Choice -Between Islam and Christianity - Volume II
Is the
Bible God’s Word?
Al
Qur’an the Miracle of Miracles What is His Name?
Christ
in Islam What was the sign of Jonah?
What the
Bible says about Muhammed (pbuh)?
Resurrection or Resuscitation?
Arabs and Israel
– Conflict or Conciliation?
Crucifixion or Cruci-Fiction?
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