Shaikh Ahmad Deedat (1918 - 2002)

[abdulhakeem]

Born in Surat, district of India in 1918, Ahmed Hoosen Deedat had no recollection of his father until 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 realising it. Applying himself with diligence of his studies, a little boy not only was able to overcome the language barrier but excellent 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 visit to the store infused a stubborn flame of desire within the young man to counteract their false propaganda.

Ahmed Deedat, by God's will, discovered a book entitled "Izharul-Haq", meaning the truth revealed. This book recorded the techniques and the enormous success of the effort of Muslims in India in turning the tables against Christian missionary harassment during the British subjugation and the rule of India. In particular the idea of holding debates had a profound effect on Ahmed Deedat.

Armed with this newfound zeal, Ahmed Deedat purchased his first Bible and began holding debate and discussions with the trainee missionaries. When they beat a hasty retreat in the face of his incessive counter arguments, he personally called on their teachers and even priests in the surrounding areas.

He was a founder member of the Islamic propagation centre International (IPCI) and became its president, a position he still holds until he died early this year.

Deedat has published over 30 books and distributed millions of copies free of charge. He has delivered thousands 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.

In a fitting tribute to his monumental achievements, he was awarded the King Faisal International Award in 1989, a prestigious recognition of enormous value in the world of Islam.

Deedat is known in the Arabic world as an active Islamic scholar. He had visited almost all Arab countries.

[The Peninsula, July 25, 2

MONDAY :29/07/2002

http://www.islamweb.net/php/php_arabic/readArt.php?lang=E&id=20097

[Shades]

..he is a great person!...may Allah reward him for his dawa activities...

He is at present in a state of paralysis..in which he can only move his "eyes" since a few years...

Plz do pray for his health.

[Huja Usman]

Indeed he was shades, May Allah swt rewrad and him. I loved that man.

[Abdul-Curim]

ive heard from one of his close relatives that he is still alive but in bed , but akhi huja youve added the year 2002 besides 1918 , why is that ?

[abdulhakeem]

Shiekh Ahmed Deedat Has Passed Away (http://www.ummah.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62919)

[abdulhakeem]

ive heard from one of his close relatives that he is still alive but in bed , but akhi huja youve added the year 2002 besides 1918 , why is that ?thats when the article was written.

[nopah]

Innalilahi wa Inna Illaihi Rojiun. I heard Sheik Deedat just passed away last Monday 8th after prolonged bed ridden illness. May Allah rewards you jannatul Fridaus O Sheik Deedat for all the works that you contributed

[*IslamicGirl*]

:start:

:salams

I never got the Blessed oppurtunity to see Br Ahmed Deedat in a conference but InshaAllah will get his books :)

My dad loved Br Ahmed Deedat's work for he was telling me yesterday how he remembered going to one of his conferences in Birmingham NIA, i think it was before i was born. But dad really enjoyed his literature.

Oh Allah, Bless Muhammad :saw: Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him and the children of Muhammad :saw: as you've blessed Ibrahim (AS) and his children for you are undoubtedly the praise worthy, the glorious. AMEEN

May Allah forgive this brothers sins, and forgive all the Muslims who are dead and alive. Yaa Allah the Muslims who are dead, widen their graves, put light in them and let their be a fragrance from Jannah entering their graves May he unite us and guide us, Give us good in this life and the life after and save us from the punishment of the fire. AMEEN.

Oh Allah, Bless Muhammad :saw: Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him and the children of Muhammad :saw: as you've blessed Ibrahim (AS) and his children for you are undoubtedly the Praise worthy, the Glorious. AMEEN:love:

:salams

[abdulhakeem]

The life of Shaikh Ahmed Deedat

Saturday 20 August 2005, 10:54 Makka Time, 7:54 GMT
By Asim Khan




http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/rdonlyres/965AA283-70ED-49D8-B3DA-8B37C0A4EAB6/88201/B4B53029197F4866B009B10A36742EBA.jpg (http://http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/rdonlyres/965AA283-70ED-49D8-B3DA-8B37C0A4EAB6/88201/B4B53029197F4866B009B10A36742EBA.jpg)
Ahmed Deedat received the King Faisal Award







In the Muslim world and many parts of the globe, South Africa is known not only for Nelson Mandela but for Muslim scholar Shaikh Ahmed Deedat, famous for his passionate and witty inter-religious public debates.

Deedat suffered a stroke in 1996 that left him paralysed and without the power of speech. Doctors said he would not live, but Deedat continued to work, finally passing away on 8 August from kidney failure. He was 87.

As messages of support and sympathy poured into the offices of the Islamic Propagation Centre International (IPCI) – the centre he established - its director, Rafik Hassan, told Aljazeera.net: "Shaikh Ahmed Deedat's legacy lives.

"He motivated and inspired millions of people around the globe and from different religions and backgrounds."

One admirer, Hani Abu Fuad, a Palestinian student in Jordan, said South Africa is famous for two remarkable personalities: Mandela and Deedat. "These are our heroes," he told Aljazeera.net.

Deedat sought to dispel "myths and lies about Islam and Christianity" through books such as Crucifixion or Cruci-Fiction? and What the Bible says about Muhammed, said former IPCI director and personal friend Fuad Hendricks.



http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/rdonlyres/965AA283-70ED-49D8-B3DA-8B37C0A4EAB6/88206/3B666884D0214E3D99513863C1C78BB5.jpgA stroke in 1996 left Ahmed

Deedat paralysed




"Shaikh Deedat made people question their belief system and seek answers. He even made Muslims revisit their theories of faith," Hendricks said.

"He became a specialist on the Bible. His mission was the reaffirmation that Jesus (peace be upon him) needed to be understood and appreciated as a prophet of Allah as Adam, Moses and Muhammad (peace be upon them) were," Hendricks added.

Early years

Deedat was born in India’s Surat province in 1918. His father, a tailor, immigrated to South Africa soon after. In 1927, Deedat joined him in the city of Durban, on the east coast of South Africa.

The young Deedat excelled at school, but poverty forced him to leave and start work when he was 16. It was as a furniture salesman that Deedat encountered missionaries sent to convert non-Christians and where he began to think about comparative religions.

Deedat is considered by many to be more a scholar of the Bible than the Quran.

Unsung heroes

Among Deedat's close friends were Goolam Hoosein Vanker and Taahir Rasool, whom many refer to as "unsung heroes" of Deedat's career.

They formed a study circle to look at the teachings of the Quran, and in 1956 Deedat and Vanker set up the IPCI in Durban.

Deedat delivered his first public lecture in 1942 at what was then the Avalon Cinema in Durban. His topic was Muhammad: Messenger of Peace.

Over the next four decades, Deedat immersed himself in studying and memorising the Bible and Quran, conducting lectures and public debates the world over. He wrote more than 20 books, now published in numerous languages.



http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/rdonlyres/965AA283-70ED-49D8-B3DA-8B37C0A4EAB6/88207/DC003A3205074C2ABA9CA9FD4519F848.jpgAhmed Deedat was known for his

debates with evangelical figures




He delivered thousands of lectures around the world, engaged Christian evangelists such as Jimmy Swaggart in public debate and talked with numerous Christian organisations and clerics in America. According to his website, www.ahmed-deedat.co.za (http://www.ahmed-deedat.co.za/), he invited the late Pope John Paul II to a debate and to embrace Islam.

Deedat was commended by Mandela and received the King Faisal Award from Saudi Arabia in 1986 for outstanding services to Islam.

Ebrahim Jadwat, a close family friend and secretary-general of the IPCI, told Aljazeera.net: "Shaikh Deedat is an inspiration to us and helped Muslims restore their dignity, especially after defeating the likes of Christian evangelist preacher Jimmy Swaggart."

Another of Deedat’s famous debates was with Bishop Josh McDowell in Durban in 1981 on Was Christ Crucified?

"He beat the missionaries by questioning them with reason," says Jadwat.

Communication

Deedat’s stroke left him unable to speak, swallow or show expression.

"But his brain was as sharp as it had always been," says his son, Yusuf Deedat. "He could see and hear, he could laugh and cry, and he could blink. And more importantly, he could reason."

During this time, Deedat’s wife cared for him at their home.

"She was my father's backbone, a pillar of strength and support throughout his life. Hawa Deedat motivated my father and believed in his mission more than the shaikh himself," Yusuf said.

Despite his condition, Deedat was able to discuss politics and debate with members of the Christian clergy who visited him. Using a grid of the alphabet, Deedat signalled with a blink for 'yes' or a widening of the eyes for 'no', guiding his son to spell out words letter by letter.

The grid consisted of rows numbered one to five. Row one had letters A to E, row two letters F to J, and so on.

Shortly before his death, Deedat told Aljazeera.net: "Since my illness I have learnt to laugh and cry easily."

Bin Laden Centre

The office of the IPCI on Grey Street in Durban gained notoriety in the West because of its former name – the Bin Laden Centre.

In the aftermath of 11 September 2001, the name drew more attention. Journalists from all over the world also descended on Deedat's home, wanting to know his relationship with the bin Laden family.

Yusuf recalls: "Among the first questions the media asked the bedridden Shaikh was: ‘Did Shaikh Deedat know the bin Laden family?’ My father used to say: 'Yes'."
Yusuf would then explain on his father's behalf: "I did know the bin Laden family quite closely. In fact, the most senior bin Laden, Shaikh Muhammad, had contributed the largest chunk of money during the building of the IPCI. Therefore, when the building was completed, we felt that it was the honourable thing to do and we should name it Bin Laden Centre after the family, and we did.

"Many years later, I met Shaikh Muhammad bin Laden and told him what we did. The senior bin Laden humbly declined the honour, saying that if the family had donated 100% of the building's expenses, he might have thought about it, but for this reason the offer cannot be accepted. So we reluctantly had to remove the family's name."

At his bedside

Right up to his death, Deedat was studying. He dictated tracts and continued his communication with people around the world.

"The latter part of the shaikh's career was extremely focused," Hendricks said.

In his room, Deedat had two framed quotations by his bedside.

One was a verse from the Quran, Chapter 21, The Prophets: "And (remember) Job, when He cried to his Lord, 'Truly distress has seized me, but Thou art the Most Merciful of those that are merciful'."

The second read: "There is no end to what a man can achieve if he does not mind who gets the credit."

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/965AA283-70ED-49D8-B3DA-8B37C0A4EAB6.htm