Sheikh Ahmed Deedat : Islam’s Urbane Debater
Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2005 9:26 am
Sheikh Ahmed Deedat : Islam’s Urbane Debater
I first saw Sheikh Ahmed Deedat, who died at his home in Durban, South Africa, on 8th August 2005, when I attended a lecture he delivered at Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation in 1986. It was one of the first of what would later make him a fabled globe-trotting promoter of inter-faith dialog, a brilliant debater and the most persuasive preacher that the Islamic world had produced in modern times. Ever since I made it a habit to follow up all his lectures and read all his works.
A man blessed with an affable personality, a humble disposition, an imposing figure and a great sense of humor, Deedat had a firm belief in the magic of the good word, not just because he was aware of his skill in debating but because he was a man who understood that Islam had won hearts over the centuries through the soft and peaceful strength of its spoken word and not through the hoofs of its horses. Hence he never failed to fine tune the emotions of his audience by starting his debates with his conviction of the common bond between all great religions as prescribed in the holy Qur'an: “Say: "O People of the Book! Come to common terms as between us and you: That we worship none but God; That we associate no partners with Him; That we erect not from among ourselves, lords and patrons other than God...â€Â(Qur'an 3:64).
As an erudite scholar who made himself an authority of the Holy Bible in all its versions by extensive reading and researching, Deedat used debates not only as forums to enlighten and convince but also as a means to promote dialog and understanding between the two great religions of Islam and Christianity. He was prompt in announcing his intention from the start of every debate that he was not out there to convert but rather to advance and share his side of the truth with the audience on the foundations laid down by the Qur’an: "Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from error. Whoever rejects Evil and believes in God hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And God heareth and knoweth all things.†[Qur'an 2: 256].
Although using debate and good reasoning as a way to reach out to people of other faiths is an inherent formula in Islam, it was Deedat who salvaged it from oblivion and brought it to the age of modern media. Like a suave emissary or skillful salesman, he paved his way to the hearts of his Christian and Muslim audience alike by always resorting to the best treasures the Qur'an can offer to appeal to all human kind, thus always using the following universal truths of the Qur'an as his traditional curtain raiser:
"Invite all to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious. For thy Lord knoweth best who have strayed from His path, and who receive guidance" (Qur'an 16:125) Unshackled by the traditional and elitist language of the Islamic academia and untainted by the jihadist rhetoric of the radical ideologues such as Mawlana Abu A'la Mawdudi and Sayyid Qutub, Deedat worked his way through the simple and peaceful approach of the medieval Muslim traders who spread Islam through their character and trading acumen to most of South East Asia, Africa and elsewhere. It was the cultured and modest character of his Gujarati upbringing that gave him his simplicity that made him enter people's hearts in the same way his Gujarati predecessor Mahatma Gandhi did.
Coming to fame at a time when the radical brand of Islam was at its peak and was gaining legitimacy and power due to Muslim and Western rage against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Deedat had managed to somehow mitigate the growing radicalization of the Muslim youth by diverting their attention to the clash of ideas rather than clash of swords.
His famous debates with the Palestinian-born Christian American scholar Dr. Anis Shorrosh, a member of Oxford Society of Scholars, in 1985 and 1988 on "Is Jesus God?" and "The Quran or the Bible: Which is God's Word?" attracted 5000 and 11,000 attendance respectively, while his debate with the eminent evangelist rev. Jimmy Swaggart in 1986 at Louisiana State University on "Is the Bible God's Word" caught the attention of Muslims and Christians alike and manifested Deedat's Bible scholarship and his skill as master debater.
His sharp humour in ditching his rivals, his soft spoken and convincing voice, his ever-present and radiant smile, his white trimmed beard, his white and simple skull cap, his accessible dressing style and his amusing facial and hand gestures, all enabled him to exude such an aura of friendship that even his fiercest adversaries couldn't help but to trust him and respect him.
Deedat had no fear to quote in excellent eloquence and with a touch of humour from sources regarded by many of today's firebrand Muslim clerics as taboos such as Hollywood's James Bond films to prove his point. He had an extraordinary gift in disarming his rivals through natural humour and unforgiving memory. It was Jimmy Swaggart who at the start of their famous debate snipped him by relating that Deedat had commented on his wife's beauty on their way to the hall. Swaggart boasted that he reminded Deedat that as a Christian he was allowed to marry only once; therefore he had to choose the best. However, a short time after that incident, Jimmy Swaggart was caught in a prostitution scandal to which Deedat paid him back when he retold the story during a lecture in Abu Dhabi, saying that " it seemed that the best was not good enough for him...†thus making the audience burst into laughter. Deedat was not shy to be blunt but polite at times to expose the follies of his adversaries. It was at one of these moments when he chastised Dr. Shorrosh to the point of embarrassment. Listening to him quoting verses from the Qur'an with unwarranted grammatical and pronunciation mistakes, Deedat didn't hesitate to ridicule him of not being able to correctly pronounce his own Arabic language. "Shame on you, Shame on you..." said Deedat while himself reading the same verses with impeccable Arabic intonation and correct grammar.
Deedat's whole style and approach must be an anathema to the character and behaviour of today’s jihadists whose unkempt looks, outlandish shouting matches, outrageous attitudes and hate- filled language are beamed to us with predetermined glorification from some Arab satellite channels like Al Jazeera.
It is not important whether one agreed with Deedat or not, whether one embraced his style of debate or the core of his beliefs, but what one couldn't miss in him was his unparallel conviction for the power of the word and his extreme respect for his opponents. The Islamic world today is in dire need of men like Deedat who could debate and engage with the people of other faiths with civility, mutual respect and profound understanding of their scriptures and cultures. The Islamic world needs scholars whose good character, good deeds, good knowledge and humane nature and not their booby-trapped bodies could reach overseas shores. Islam today definitely needs more Deedat's with a book in their hand and a good word in their mouth than Bin Ladens, Abu Izzadens, Abu Uzairs, Abu Musabs and Omar Bakris who deliver death and sow hatred wherever they step in.
Deedat was a Muslim willing to use his brain to win friends. A person who could smile and not frown before his Christian brethren, a person that one felt safe in his presence without thinking to run for cover when he reached to adjust his skullcap. A non-Jihadist scholar who once angered some of his audience when asked by a firebrand Arab after a lecture whether he considered the Palestinian cause as Jihad, Deedat with his fearless candidness and humility replied: "...I am not a Faqih (jurist) but to the best of my knowledge the two sides are fighting on a piece of land with believers of different religions and ideologies fighting for the same cause on the Palestinian side." One may wonder whether Deedat intended to forestall the current trend where extremist Muslims wrongly justify their actions as being a jihad sanctioned by the holy Qur'an.
With his departure, Sheikh Ahmed Deedat, that humble Gujarati South-African grocery owner turned Bible scholar and founder of the Islamic Propagation Center International (IPCI) in Durban, has surely left a void that could hardly be filled in the Muslim-Christian debate and his absence will be sorely missed in today's polarised world.
Bashir Goth
bsogoth@yahoo.com
The article was first published with slightly reduced version in Khaleej Times on 18 Aug 2005 under the title “Champion of interfaith dialogueâ€Â
I first saw Sheikh Ahmed Deedat, who died at his home in Durban, South Africa, on 8th August 2005, when I attended a lecture he delivered at Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation in 1986. It was one of the first of what would later make him a fabled globe-trotting promoter of inter-faith dialog, a brilliant debater and the most persuasive preacher that the Islamic world had produced in modern times. Ever since I made it a habit to follow up all his lectures and read all his works.
A man blessed with an affable personality, a humble disposition, an imposing figure and a great sense of humor, Deedat had a firm belief in the magic of the good word, not just because he was aware of his skill in debating but because he was a man who understood that Islam had won hearts over the centuries through the soft and peaceful strength of its spoken word and not through the hoofs of its horses. Hence he never failed to fine tune the emotions of his audience by starting his debates with his conviction of the common bond between all great religions as prescribed in the holy Qur'an: “Say: "O People of the Book! Come to common terms as between us and you: That we worship none but God; That we associate no partners with Him; That we erect not from among ourselves, lords and patrons other than God...â€Â(Qur'an 3:64).
As an erudite scholar who made himself an authority of the Holy Bible in all its versions by extensive reading and researching, Deedat used debates not only as forums to enlighten and convince but also as a means to promote dialog and understanding between the two great religions of Islam and Christianity. He was prompt in announcing his intention from the start of every debate that he was not out there to convert but rather to advance and share his side of the truth with the audience on the foundations laid down by the Qur’an: "Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from error. Whoever rejects Evil and believes in God hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And God heareth and knoweth all things.†[Qur'an 2: 256].
Although using debate and good reasoning as a way to reach out to people of other faiths is an inherent formula in Islam, it was Deedat who salvaged it from oblivion and brought it to the age of modern media. Like a suave emissary or skillful salesman, he paved his way to the hearts of his Christian and Muslim audience alike by always resorting to the best treasures the Qur'an can offer to appeal to all human kind, thus always using the following universal truths of the Qur'an as his traditional curtain raiser:
"Invite all to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious. For thy Lord knoweth best who have strayed from His path, and who receive guidance" (Qur'an 16:125) Unshackled by the traditional and elitist language of the Islamic academia and untainted by the jihadist rhetoric of the radical ideologues such as Mawlana Abu A'la Mawdudi and Sayyid Qutub, Deedat worked his way through the simple and peaceful approach of the medieval Muslim traders who spread Islam through their character and trading acumen to most of South East Asia, Africa and elsewhere. It was the cultured and modest character of his Gujarati upbringing that gave him his simplicity that made him enter people's hearts in the same way his Gujarati predecessor Mahatma Gandhi did.
Coming to fame at a time when the radical brand of Islam was at its peak and was gaining legitimacy and power due to Muslim and Western rage against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Deedat had managed to somehow mitigate the growing radicalization of the Muslim youth by diverting their attention to the clash of ideas rather than clash of swords.
His famous debates with the Palestinian-born Christian American scholar Dr. Anis Shorrosh, a member of Oxford Society of Scholars, in 1985 and 1988 on "Is Jesus God?" and "The Quran or the Bible: Which is God's Word?" attracted 5000 and 11,000 attendance respectively, while his debate with the eminent evangelist rev. Jimmy Swaggart in 1986 at Louisiana State University on "Is the Bible God's Word" caught the attention of Muslims and Christians alike and manifested Deedat's Bible scholarship and his skill as master debater.
His sharp humour in ditching his rivals, his soft spoken and convincing voice, his ever-present and radiant smile, his white trimmed beard, his white and simple skull cap, his accessible dressing style and his amusing facial and hand gestures, all enabled him to exude such an aura of friendship that even his fiercest adversaries couldn't help but to trust him and respect him.
Deedat had no fear to quote in excellent eloquence and with a touch of humour from sources regarded by many of today's firebrand Muslim clerics as taboos such as Hollywood's James Bond films to prove his point. He had an extraordinary gift in disarming his rivals through natural humour and unforgiving memory. It was Jimmy Swaggart who at the start of their famous debate snipped him by relating that Deedat had commented on his wife's beauty on their way to the hall. Swaggart boasted that he reminded Deedat that as a Christian he was allowed to marry only once; therefore he had to choose the best. However, a short time after that incident, Jimmy Swaggart was caught in a prostitution scandal to which Deedat paid him back when he retold the story during a lecture in Abu Dhabi, saying that " it seemed that the best was not good enough for him...†thus making the audience burst into laughter. Deedat was not shy to be blunt but polite at times to expose the follies of his adversaries. It was at one of these moments when he chastised Dr. Shorrosh to the point of embarrassment. Listening to him quoting verses from the Qur'an with unwarranted grammatical and pronunciation mistakes, Deedat didn't hesitate to ridicule him of not being able to correctly pronounce his own Arabic language. "Shame on you, Shame on you..." said Deedat while himself reading the same verses with impeccable Arabic intonation and correct grammar.
Deedat's whole style and approach must be an anathema to the character and behaviour of today’s jihadists whose unkempt looks, outlandish shouting matches, outrageous attitudes and hate- filled language are beamed to us with predetermined glorification from some Arab satellite channels like Al Jazeera.
It is not important whether one agreed with Deedat or not, whether one embraced his style of debate or the core of his beliefs, but what one couldn't miss in him was his unparallel conviction for the power of the word and his extreme respect for his opponents. The Islamic world today is in dire need of men like Deedat who could debate and engage with the people of other faiths with civility, mutual respect and profound understanding of their scriptures and cultures. The Islamic world needs scholars whose good character, good deeds, good knowledge and humane nature and not their booby-trapped bodies could reach overseas shores. Islam today definitely needs more Deedat's with a book in their hand and a good word in their mouth than Bin Ladens, Abu Izzadens, Abu Uzairs, Abu Musabs and Omar Bakris who deliver death and sow hatred wherever they step in.
Deedat was a Muslim willing to use his brain to win friends. A person who could smile and not frown before his Christian brethren, a person that one felt safe in his presence without thinking to run for cover when he reached to adjust his skullcap. A non-Jihadist scholar who once angered some of his audience when asked by a firebrand Arab after a lecture whether he considered the Palestinian cause as Jihad, Deedat with his fearless candidness and humility replied: "...I am not a Faqih (jurist) but to the best of my knowledge the two sides are fighting on a piece of land with believers of different religions and ideologies fighting for the same cause on the Palestinian side." One may wonder whether Deedat intended to forestall the current trend where extremist Muslims wrongly justify their actions as being a jihad sanctioned by the holy Qur'an.
With his departure, Sheikh Ahmed Deedat, that humble Gujarati South-African grocery owner turned Bible scholar and founder of the Islamic Propagation Center International (IPCI) in Durban, has surely left a void that could hardly be filled in the Muslim-Christian debate and his absence will be sorely missed in today's polarised world.
Bashir Goth
bsogoth@yahoo.com
The article was first published with slightly reduced version in Khaleej Times on 18 Aug 2005 under the title “Champion of interfaith dialogueâ€Â