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Ahmed Husein Deedat (Gujarati : અહમદ હુસેન દીદત; Urdu :

Sheikh Ahmed Deedat
‫دات‬
‫نیی ت‬
‫سی ند‬
‫ ;اححححمد ی‬Arabic : 1 ;‫ أحمد حسين ديدات‬July 1918 – 8 August
2005), was a South African and Indian self-taught Muslim
thinker, author, and orator on Comparative Religion.[3][1] He was
best known as a Muslim missionary , who held numerous inter-
religious public debates with evangelical Christians, as well as
video lectures on Islam , Christianity , and the Bible.

Deedat established the IPCI, an international Islamic missionary

organisation, and wrote several widely distributed booklets on
Islam and Christianity.[4] He was awarded the King Faisal
International Prize in 1986 for his fifty years of missionary work.
He wrote and lectured in English.[5]
Personal
Early years (1918–1942) [edit] Born Ahmed Husein Deedat[1][2]
1 July 1918
Deedat was born to Gujarati Muslim parents in the town of
Surat, Bombay Presidency,
Tadkeshwar , Surat , Bombay Presidency, British India in
British India
1918.[6] His father had emigrated to South Africa shortly after his
birth. At the age of 9, Deedat left India to join his father in what Died 8 August 2005 (aged 87)
is now known as Kwazulu-Natal . His mother died only a few Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal,
months after his departure. Arriving in South Africa, Deedat South Africa
applied himself with diligence to his studies, overcoming the
Resting place Verulam cemetery
language barrier and excelling in school, even getting promoted
until he completed standard 6. However, due to financial Religion Islam
circumstances, he had to quit school and start working by the Spouse Hawa Deedat
time he was at the age of 16.[7]
Children Yusuf Deedat
In 1936, while working as a furniture salesman, he met a group Parents Hussien Kazem Deedat
of missionaries at a Christian seminary on the Natal South (father)
Coast who, during their efforts to convert people of Muslim faith, Fatma Deedat (mother)
often accused the Islamic prophet Muhammad of having "used
the sword" to bring people to Islam. Such accusations offended Denomination Sunni

Deedat and created his interest in comparative religion.[2] Profession Missionary · Orator · Writer
Signature
Deedat took a more active interest in religious debate after he
came across the book Izhar ul-Haqq (Truth Revealed),[8]
written by Rahmatullah Kairanawi , while he was rummaging for

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Muslim leader
reading material in his employer's basement.[9] This book
chronicled the efforts of Christian missionaries in India a century Influenced
earlier. The book had a profound effect on Deedat, who bought a Zakir Naik
Bible and held debates and discussions with trainee missionaries,
Awards King Faisal International Prize
whose questions he had previously been unable to answer.[2]
(1986)
He started attending Islamic study classes held by a local Muslim Profession Missionary · Orator · Writer
convert named Mr. Fairfax. Seeing the popularity of the classes, Website Ahmed-Deedat.net
Mr. Fairfax offered to teach an extra session on the Bible and
how to preach to Christians about Islam.[2] Shortly thereafter, Years active 1942–1996
Fairfax had to pull out and Deedat, by this point quite Known for Comparative religion
knowledgeable about the Bible, took over teaching the class,
which he did for three years.[10] Deedat never formally trained as
a Muslim scholar.[11]

Early missionary work (1942–1956) [edit]

Deedat's first lecture, entitled "Muhammad: Messenger of Peace", was delivered in 1942 to an audience of fifteen
people at a Durban cinema named Avalon Cinema.[12]

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 program of luncheons,
speeches and free hand-outs was created to give an increasingly large number of international tourists what was
often their first look at Islam. Deedat himself was one of the guides, hosting tourists and giving introductions to
Islam and its relationship with Christianity.[13]

In 1949, Deedat moved to Pakistan with his family and lived in Karachi for three years near Pakistan Chowk.[14]
According to an interview on Pakistan Television, he had been a strong proponent of the idea of an Islamic state. [14]

IPCI and as-Salaam (1956–1986) [edit]

Among Deedat's close friends were Gulam Husein Vanker and Tahir Rasul, whom many refer to as 'the unsung
heroes of Deedat's career'.[7]

In 1957, these three men founded the Islamic Propagation Centre International (IPCI) with the aim of printing a
variety of books on Islam and offering classes to new Muslims converts.[15] The next year Deedat established an
Islamic seminary called As-Salaam Educational Institute on a donated 75-acre (30 ha) piece of land located in
Braemar in the south of Natal province. [16] The experiment was not a success, however, because of the IPC's lack
of manpower and paucity of funds, and was taken over by the Muslim Youth Movement of South Africa in 1973.
Deedat then returned to Durban and expanded the IPC's activities.[2]

International efforts (1985–1995) [edit]

By the early 1980s Ahmed Deedat's work was beginning to be known outside his native South Africa. His
international profile grew in 1986, when he received the King Faisal Award for his services to Islam in the field of
Dawah (Islamic missionary activity).[2] As a result, aged 66, Deedat began a decade of international speaking tours
around the world. His tours included:

Saudi Arabia and Egypt (on several occasions)

United Kingdom (on several occasions between 1985 and 1988, as well as Switzerland in 1987)[citation needed]

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Pakistan, where Deedat met Zia al-Haq [2]

UAE and Maldives Islands (Nov–Dec 1987), where Deedat was honoured by President Maumoon Abdul
Gayoom[2]
The US (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 (1994, tour featuring debates in Canada and lectures in Chicago)
Australia (his last tour in early 1996, just before his stroke)
On the other hand, Deedat received heavy criticism from liberal Muslim groups in South Africa which felt he
inaccurately represented Islam and was intolerant of people of other religions, including Christians, Hindus, Jews
and Jains. Several monthly editions of the Muslim Digest of South Africa (July, August, September, October) in
1986 were almost entirely devoted to criticising Deedat's stance and "his various dangerous activities".[17]

Problems arose after the publication of From Hinduism to Islam (1987), a critique of Hindu beliefs and
practices.[2] Among others, Deedat criticised South African Hindus for praying to their various deities and being
easily moved to convert to Christianity.[18] Hindus and Christians had respected his oratory skills and arguments
until then. But now, they rejected Deedat and united with other South African Muslim organisations in denouncing
his attacks on other religions.[18] Two years later, Jews joined the criticism after Deedat published Arab and Israel
– Conflict or Conciliation?[2]

In 1988, following the publication of Salman Rushdie ’s fictional work The Satanic Verses, Deedat supported the
fatwā of the Ayatollah Khomeini calling for Rushdie's death. He said that Rushdie "is a hypocrite and has
blasphemed holy personalities. He should not be pardoned."[19]

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.[20]

Illness and death (1996–2005) [edit]

Ahmed Deedat suffered a stroke which left him paralyzed from the neck down because of a cerebral vascular
accident affecting the brain stem (on 3 May 1996), leaving him unable to speak or swallow.[21] He was flown to
King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh , where he was reported to be fully alert. He learned to communicate
through a series of eye-movements via a chart whereby he would form words and sentences by acknowledging
letters read to him.[21]

He spent the last nine years of his life in a bed in his home in South Africa, looked after by his wife, Hawa Deedat,
encouraging people to engage in Da'wah (proselytizing Islam). [21] He received hundreds of letters of support from
around the world, and local and international visitors continued to visit him and thank him for his work.[2]

On 8 August 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.[22] Hawa Deedat died on Monday 28 August 2006 at the age of 85 at

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their home.[23] His funeral prayer was led by Ismail ibn Musa Menk .[24]

Writings and speeches [edit]

With funding from the Gulf states, [11] Deedat published and mass-produced
over one dozen palm-sized booklets focusing on the following major
themes.[25] 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? [26][27]

What The Bible Says About Muhammad.[28]
Combat Kit Against Bible Thumpers. [29]
Crucifixion or Cruci-Fiction
Muhammad: The Natural Successor to Christ.[30]
Christ in Islam [31]
Muhammad The Greatest. [32]
Al-Qur'an the Miracle of Miracles [33]
His famous quote is :

Cover of Ahmed Deedat's book

Islam will win with or without you. But without islam, you will
The Choice
get lost and you will lose.[34][35]

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 in April 1993; [36][37] this book was very popular in the 1990s,
available for free at many missionary outlets across North America. Subsequently, several printing houses offered
to print more, and within two years another 250,000 copies had been printed in several print runs across the Middle
East.

Later, a second paperback volume entitled The Choice: Volume Two containing six more of Deedat's booklets
was published. Deedat also widely promoted a South African printing of The Holy Qur'an Translation by
Abdullah Yusuf Ali with commentary and a detailed index. This was widely sold at subsidised cost 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 popularised by Arizona-based Egyptian computer analyst Dr. Rashad Khalifa . However, this booklet was
withdrawn after Dr. Khalifa disclosed some controversial beliefs, including his rejection of the entire Hadith
literature of Islam.[38]

Style [edit]

According to one scholar, Brian Larkin, "Deedat's da’wa is of a particular kind. He has little to say about the
errancy of Sufism or Shi’ism, for instance, and makes no particular demand for establishing an Islamic state
(though he was supportive of these efforts in Nigeria). Rather his entire effort is directed at undermining and
refuting Christian evangelism and arming Muslims against Christian attacks. His fame is thus based not on the
mastery of Islamic sciences but on his thoroughgoing knowledge of the Bible. As one Nigerian characterized him,
Deedat opened the eyes of millions of Muslims in the fine art of inter-religious dialogue." His knowledge of

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English, his skill at debating, and his mastery of other scriptures "endeared him to the millions who have seen his
videos or read his tracts, millions of which are sent free of charge all over the world. ... Deedat's source of authority,
then, is an unusual one, drawing on the mastery of Christian rather than Muslim texts and his skill at English rather
than Arabic."[11]

Criticism [edit]

It emerged that his dawah centre, IPCI, was financed by the Bin Laden family and that he had met Osama bin
Laden, whom he described positively. [39]

Deedat's debates and writings have been labelled as a form of " Apologetics through Polemics "[5] by David
Westerlund, an associate professor at the department of comparative religion , Stockholm University and an expert
on Islam in Africa .[40]

Muslim scholar Farid Esack has criticised Deedat, comparing him to such fundamentalists as Rabbi Meir Kahane
and Jerry Falwell , and writing: [41]

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.[41]

The Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism called Deedat "anti-Jewish"
without providing any explanation.[42] In France sale and distribution of his books has been forbidden since 1994 as
they are said to be violently anti-western, antisemitic and inciting to racial hate.[43]

His supporters, among them his son maintain that he was "a promoter of free speech and dialogue,"[3] while
Abdulkader Tayob of University of Cape Town comments that he was only responding to Christian proselytization
in a manner that was "not good or bad – but worth reflecting on."[3]

See also [edit]

Dawah
Islamic view of Jesus' death
Swoon hypothesis
Zakir Naik

References [edit]

1. ^ a b "King Faisal Prize | Mr. Ahmad Husein Deedat" . Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved
20 August 2021 .
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Obituary (Archive ): Ahmed Hoosen Deedat (1918–2005): by Goolam Vahed,
Department of History, University of KwaZulu Natal
3. ^ a b c Dziewanski, Dariusz (8 August 2015). "Remembering the life of Sheikh Ahmed Deedat" . Al Jazeera . Retrieve
15 August 2015 .
4. ^ Deedat, Ahmed (1980). Was Jesus Crucified? . Adam Publishers & Distributors. ISBN 978-81-7435-519-5 .
5. ^ a b David Westerlund, Ahmed Deedat's Theology of Religion: Apologetics through Polemics. Journal of

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Ahmed Deedat - Wikipedia

Religion in Africa, 33(3). 2003

6. ^ Ahmed Deedat Archived 18 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine Islamic Research Foundation.
Retrieved 29 July 2009.
7. ^ a b "The life of Shaikh Ahmed Deedat" . Archived from the original on 25 February 2007. Retrieved 25 February 20
By Asim Khan, 21 January 2006, on Aljazeera.net
8. ^ M.Rahmatullah Kairanvi (2003) Izhar-ul-haq (The Truth Revealed Part 1-2-3), TAHA ISBN 978-1-8420-0046-5
9. ^ Ahmed Deedat exposes lies of Shia scholar on YouTube[additional citation(s) needed] Interview. Retrieved 18
March 2012.
10. ^ "Ahmad Deedat: Man of mission" . Arab News. 8 December 2011 . Retrieved 16 April 2018 .
11. ^ a b c Brian Larkin. "Ahmed Deedat and the Form of Islamic Evangelism" (PDF). Social Text 96, Fall 2008, p. 10
Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 23 December 2015 .
12. ^ Demystifying Islam and Debating Christianity Archived 22 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine,
Imran Garda, 2006
13. ^ "Durban See & Do Guide: Jumma Musjid Mosque" . Archived from the original on 17 May 2009.
14. ^ a b Ahmed Deedat On Pakistan Television (Interview) on YouTube
15. ^ "Islamic Propagation Centre International" . Archived from the original on 10 September 2001.
16. ^ Islamic icon leaves behind a legacy , Independent Online,South Africa 9 August 2005
17. ^ Muslim Digest, July–October 1986: 140
18. ^ a b "South African Muslims reject anti-Hindu DVD" . Archived from the original on 12 March 2007. Retrieved
12 March 2007 ., India E-news, Sunday, 12 March 2006
19. ^ Vahed, Goolam; Ahmed Deedat: The Man and his mission, 2013, Islamic, Page 207
20. ^ "Racism" . Parliament of New South Wales . 30 May 1996. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013 .
Retrieved 2013-11-26 .
21. ^ a b c "Medical Report on Sheikh Ahmed Deedat" . Archived from the original on 12 January 2002.
22. ^ "- ‫ "ارشيف اسام اوناين‬. Archived from the original on 13 September 2008 . Retrieved 12 January 2017 .
23. ^ Wife of Sheikh Ahmed Deedat passes on... Archived 27 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine by
Shahid Akmal, The Muslim News, 7 September 2006
24. ^ "‫ "الشيخ أحمد ديدات رائد دعوة النصارى إلى اإسام في القرن العشرين‬. www.qaindex.com.
25. ^ "ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY – A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS" . 14 February 2009. Archived from the original
on 14 February 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2017 .
26. ^ Is the Bible God's Word? Archived 17 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, by Ahmed Deedat
27. ^ Deedat, Ahmad (1 June 1981). Is the Bible God's Word? . Islamic Propagation Centre International. ISBN 978-0-
933511-04-0.
28. ^ Deedat, A. What The Bible Says About Muhammed? . Islamic Book Service. ISBN 978-81-7231-020-2 .
29. ^ Deedat, Ahmed; Khan, Naved Nasir (25 June 2016). Combat Kit for Muslim (Islam) . Salaam - Salah Vision.
30. ^ Deedat, Ahmed (1992). MUHAMMAD : THE NATURAL SUCCESSOR TO CHRIST . Adam Publishers &
Distributors. ISBN 978-81-7435-511-9 .
31. ^ Christ in Islam Archived 17 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, by Ahmed Deedat
32. ^ Didat, Ahmad (1992). Muhammad the Greatest . Peace Vision. ISBN 978-1-4716-0441-6.
33. ^ Al-Qur'an the Miracle of Miracles Archived 17 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine, by Ahmed Deedat
34. ^ wrqmgyjd.papamesiti.it https://wrqmgyjd.papamesiti.it/quotes-on-muslim.html . Retrieved 12 February 2023 .
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
35. ^ "Ahmed Deedat. The Man and His Mission" .
36. ^ Deedat, Ahmed (2012). The Choice: Islam & Christianity . Adam Publishers & Distributors. ISBN 978-81-7435-014
5.
37. ^ The Choice: Islam and Christianity , by Ahmed Deedat
38. ^ "islam calling -" . islam calling. Archived from the original on 26 February 2012.
39. ^ Vahed, Goolam; Ahmed Deedat: The Man and his mission, 2013, Islamic, Page 215
40. ^ "David Westerlund · Ohio University Press / Swallow Press" . www.ohioswallow.com. Retrieved 21 November 2022
41. ^ a b To whom shall we give access to our water holes? Archived 25 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine, by
Farid Esack
42. ^ "Support-Page" . Archived from the original on 7 August 2007.
43. ^ Details for individual publications at Légifrance: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]
[12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]

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External links [edit]

Media related to Ahmed Deedat at Wikimedia Commons

Ahmed Deedat
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Categories : 1918 births 2005 deaths Mujaddid 20th-century Indian Muslims

Indian Sunni Muslims South African Muslims Muslim apologists Indian critics of Christianity
Critics of Ahmadiyya Critics of atheism Indian emigrants to South Africa
20th-century Muslim theologians Muslim missionaries South African expatriates in Pakistan
South African people of Gujarati descent

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