Ahmad Hoosen Deedat

(1/71918 – 8/8/2005)

He was 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 1 July 1918, Ahmad Hossen 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 Ahmad 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, he 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 was interesting. By pure chance he found out a book entitled Izharul-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 Ahmad Deedat.

Armed with this new found zeal, Ahmad 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 Ahmad Deedat in the direction 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, Ahmad 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 was 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. Among his famous books are:

- The Choice - Between Islam and Christianity - Volume I

- The Choice -Between Islam and Christianity - Volume II

- Was the Bible God’s Word?

- Al Qur’an the Miracle of Miracles What was 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?

Many of Sheikh Deedat’s publications have been translated into the many different languages of the world : Russian, Urdu, Arabic, Bengali, Bangladeshi, French, Amharic, Chinese, Japanese, Mayalam, Indonesian,, Zulu , Afrikaans, Dutch, Norwegian amongst others.

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 Christian Scholars with whom he debated have converted.

His career in the field of Comparative Religion took him across all five continents and dialogue with the heads of the Protestant world in America and the late Pope John Paul.

So fearless was his stand in defending the truth that Sheikh Deedat was refused entry into France and Nigeria on the pretext that ‘ he would cause a civil unrest’.

He was 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 was no exception. It demonstrates Sheikh Deedat’s analytical compilations drawn from personal encounters and experiences against Christian distortions.

In 1996 Sheikh Ahmad Deedat suffered from a serious stroke and was unable to move or speak. He bear this trial with perseverance until he passed away on Monday, 8 August 2005 / 3 Rejab 1426.

May Allah have mercy upon his soul, Amen.

(source: http://www.famousmuslims.com/AhmedDeedat.htm)