Dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam,

Assalaamu Alaikkum Wa Rahmathullaahi Wa Barakaathahu !

We are all familiar with Sheikh Ahmed Deedat, the well-known Da'ee from Durban, South Africa, and an Indian by birth.
We may not be fully aware of his life and Da'waah activities.

He launched a tireless tirade against the christian and jewish missionaries in South Africa who were spreading false rumors about Islam and its Teachings
and trying to convert musllims to christianity and judaism. The christian and jewish missionaries could not debate him in any gathering due to his indepth knowledge of christian and jewish scriptures. He and the organisation he founded - Islamic Propogation Centre International at Durban, South Africa hold the credit of reverting many christians and jews to Islam, Alhamdhu Lillah !

Please visit the following links for a tour of his life and Da'waah activities.

Sheikh Ahmed Deedat's Life History

The Life And Time Of Sheikh Ahmed Deedat (1/6)

http://ping.fm/15s0G

The Life And Time Of Sheikh Ahmed Deedat (2/6)

http://ping.fm/qkL2L

The Life And Time Of Sheikh Ahmed Deedat (3/6)

http://ping.fm/9bwvm

The Life And Time Of Sheikh Ahmed Deedat (4/6)

http://ping.fm/KQonZ

The Life And Time Of Sheikh Ahmed Deedat (5/6)

http://ping.fm/rKf3C

The Life And Time Of Sheikh Ahmed Deedat (6/6)

http://ping.fm/Q7CHM


Early life:

Ahmed Deedat was born in Surat, India in 1918. His father had emigrated to South Africa shortly after the birth of Ahmed Deedat. At the age of 9, Deedat went to join his father in what is now known as Kwazulu-Natal. His mother died few months after Deedat left for South Africa. Applying himself with diligence to his studies, Deedat was able to overcome the language barrier and excel in school, getting promotions until he completed standard 6. But had to start working at the age of 16.

In 1936, while working as a furniture salesman Deedat came across missionaries at a Christian seminary on the Natal South Coast. In between the deep racial divides, the religious ideology was used by the authorities to numb and pacify the masses. This is considered to be a major influence on Deedat's interest in comparative religions.

Another inspiration on his intellectual development came from the book Izhar - ul Haq - "Truth Revealed" by Rahmatullah Kairanvi on the concept of holding inter-religious public debates. The book was written especially in response to the missionary efforts of Reverend C.C.P Fonder, the head of the Christian Mission of India, in 1864. -

Please go through the book - Izhar- ul Haq - "Truth Revealed" by Rahmatullah Kairanvi - PDC File in attachment.

Lectures and Debates:

Deedat's first lecture, entitled "Muhammad: Messenger of Peace," was delivered in 1942 to an audience of 15 people at a Durban movie theater. Within a short space of time, the numbers grew and people crossed the racial divides which were then prevalent in apartheid South Africa, to listen to him, and to participate in the questions and answers sessions which followed his lectures.

With the increased success, Deedat engaged into broader range of activities over the next three decades. He conducted classes on Bible studies and conducted numerous lectures. Da`wah (inviting people towards Islam) became the dominant factor of his life, with the audiences at his lectures reaching forty thousand. In 1957, Deedat, together with two of his friends, founded the Islamic Propagation Centre International (IPCI) and remained its president until 1996.

According to David Westerlund, Deedat's aimed at providing Muslims with theological tools for defending themselves against the intense missionary strivings of many Christian denominations. He used English instead of Arabic or any other language to get his message across to Muslim minorities in the western world.

Not knowing Hebrew or Greek, Deedat's trademark was his verbatim quotes from secondary Christian sources combined with selected passages from English translations of the Bible to give credibility to his argument that the Bible supported the Islamic creed and was at variance with the doctrine of the Trinity and other foundational Christian teachings. In terms of his memorization of Biblical texts, he had no peer in the non-Christian world.

International coverage:

In 1986, he visited Saudi Arabia for a conference, and in his first television interview, became notable in the Arab world with his dynamic personality and knowledge of comparative religion.
He subsequently visited Australia, Denmark, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Sweden, and the United Kingdom on lecture and debating tours.
In the United States, he became famous for a debate with the American Reverend Jimmy Swaggart at the University of Louisiana.

Some of his Famous debates are given below

1. Crucifixion Or Cruci-Fiction - Sheikh Ahmed Deedat

http://ping.fm/JHO62

2. Is The Bible God's Word - Ahmed Deedat vs Jimmy Swaggart

http://ping.fm/0BHS2

3. Is Jesus God? Debate Deedat vs Anis Shorrosh

http://ping.fm/0tIfG

4. What makes good friday good ? lecture by Ahmed Deedat

http://ping.fm/ygLjA

5. Jesus And Muhammed: A Comparitive Study - Sheikh Ahmed Deedat

http://ping.fm/GBaLu

Some of his famous books are given below

1. Is Jesus God ?

2. What the Bible says about Muhammed (PBUH) ?

3. What was the Sign of Jonah ?

4. Jesus - Crucifixiion or Cruci - Fiction ?

5. Who moved the stone ?

6. Resurrection or Resuscitation ?

7. What is His Name ?

8. The God that never was

9. Christ in Islam

10. Is the Bible God's Word ?

11. Muhammed - The Natural Successor to Christ

12. Al Qur'an - Miracle of Miracles

13. Combat Kit against Bible thumpers and hot gospellers.

Honors and awards:

(1) King Faisal International Award. 1986
(2) President, Islamic Propagation Centre International (IPCI) (1957-1996)

Death:

On May 3, 1996, Sheikh Ahmed Deedat suffered a stroke which left him paralyzed from the neck down, and also meant that he could no longer speak or swallow. He was flown to a hospital in Riyadh, where he was taught to communicate through a series of eye-movements. He spent the last nine years of his life in a bed in his home in Verulam, South Africa, encouraging people to engage in da'wah. He continued to receive hundreds of letters of support from around the world. During these years, rumors spread throughout the Internet that he was already dead, and even some websites that contained his pamphlets mentioned as early as 2002 that he was dead.

On August 8, 2005, Ahmed Deedat finally succumbed to his prolonged illness and died at his home in Trevennen Road, Verulam in the province of KwaZulu Natal.

Let us all make Du'a to Allah Subhaanuwa Tha'aala to accept his life-long service to Islam and Grant him the Highest Class of Jannah. Ameen !

Regards,
Your brother in Islam
A Shabbir Ahmed