Comment from a sympathiser
I received the following e-mail from someone who had earlier asked me a question about a different point.
“I want to tell you something about myself. In the previous year, I became addicted to Islam after watching the lectures of Dr Zakir Naik. He is also a preacher of peace like you. You know, one of the things he preaches is that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has been foretold in the Hindu scriptures & many Hindu people have become Muslims around the world after watching this. In our country, Bangladesh, almost 90% of the people are Muslims. It was very amazing for us hearing that Prophet Muhammmad (pbuh) has been foretold in the Hindu scriptures!!! Hindus(!), who are Idol-Worshippers!
As I’m a tiny researcher, I started to find out who is that person to discover this amazing prophecies. Then I found the book “Muhammad in World Scriptures” by Maulana Abdul Haque Vidyarthi & realized by reading this book that Dr Zakir Naik has prepared his talks in this subject based upon this book. But one thing for which I became scared is that Maulana was a follower of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib. For this reason, I stopped researching about him. Because, in our country, almost every Muslims are Sunnis (Hanafis); Ahl-i-Hadith movement is a growing and very powerful movement here from the last few years. They all have declared Qadianis as Kafir, and have said that one who doesn’t consider them Kafir, is also a Kafir. The reason, everyone has given for this clear declaration is that, “Qadiyanis deny the finality of Prophethood”. There are a few Qadiyanis in our country. One of the differences between you and them, which I’ve found after researching, is that they hate the entire Muslim Ummah, but you don’t. (I don’t know what is actually in your mind. But I’ve found it in your writings.) Then, after a long time, I started to research about comparative religion, sects of Islam, etc. & before a few months ago, I started to research about Qadiyanis. I found that they are devided…& from your websites, I have realized that Qadiyanis and others have false belief that Mirza Sahib claimed to be a Prophet.
Now, in one of your articles, I’ve found that you have written about Dr Zakir Naik, “…he must acknowledge the source. … with no mention of the earlier work.” So, you were criticizing him for not mentioning the source. I think he didn’t mention the source, because Maulana belonged to a very very controversial community. If he would mention the source, then the ordinary Muslims and the Scholars might become angry towards him or rejecting him totally because of preparing his talks based on a book, that the writer is a follower of Mirza Sahib! You can easily imagine the consequence. So, I think, you should give thank to him from your heart for preaching from Maulana’s book. Because, I consider you, after researching, not a caller to your community, but caller to Islam. (This, I’ve understood from your books.) By him, your Maulana’s writings have reached to all parts of the world through “Peace TV”. These lectures are still can be seen through “Peace TV” app from all parts of the world. So, I think, for this reason, you must thank him and pray for him from your heart.”
My writing which he refers to in his last paragraph is at this link.
1. It is a sad situation that the Muslim public is happy to accept the same knowledge from one person, because they approve of him, but they will hotly reject exactly the same knowledge if it comes from another person whom they don’t like. What matters in their eyes is who is saying it, and not what is being said! If that is their standard of judgment of right and wrong, then surely this is a grave and most serious flaw in their behaviour. It ought to be corrected, not encouraged.
2. Our sympathiser says that if Dr Naik mentioned his source, Muslims would turn against him. But it is also possible that some Muslims might say: “If followers of Mirza sahib have done such work for spreading Islam, then perhaps he was not a kafir!”
If you hide from people the true fact that Mirza sahib’s followers served Islam, then you are encouraging them in their false belief that he was a kafir and enemy of Islam. Hiding the truth from people, while you know the truth, is severely condemned in the Quran.
3. Dr Zakir Naik often quotes the opinions of famous non-Muslims (like George Bernard Shaw etc.) who have praised Islam or the Holy Prophet. This doesn’t make his audience think that he is in secret league with non-Muslims! If he mentioned that he is quoting an Ahmadi researcher, why should people think that he is secretly an Ahmadi?
4. Our sympathiser says that I should thank Dr Zakir Naik. But if I thank Dr Naik in public and say, “Thank you for making Maulana Abdul Haq Vidyarthi’s writings reach a wider audience”, this will only disclose to people that Dr Naik took all this knowledge from the Maulana, and it is not his own. This is exactly what he does not want people to know!
5. Dr Zakir Naik has not merely broadcast the Maulana’s research to the world, he has made a name for himself and achieved fame by claiming it as his own work. Is this justified anywhere in Islamic teachings?
— Zahid Aziz