A study of

the Views and Opinions

of Doctor Zakir Naik
By
Mufti Muhammad Ubaidullah Al'asadi
ecturer of !adith" #aamia Arabiyya Bhanda

$ranslation edited by
Mufti A%!%&lias
'May Allaah protect him(




Inviting towards Islaam and the responsibilities
that accompany doing so
'By Mufti A)ee) ur *ahman of Maharashtra(
+n,itin- towards the Deen of Allaah is the collecti,e duty of all Muslims%
$he .ur'aan and hadith bear ample testimony to the fact that the
Ummah of Muhammad '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam( is tasked with
con,eyin- the messa-e of the oneness of Allaah" *isaalah and in truth"
the entire Deen to those who ha,e not recei,ed it% One distinct messa-e
of -uidance rendered by Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam( was for those
present at his final sermon to con,ey his messa-e to those absent%
$o-ether with this" one ma1or branch of propa-ation is the in,itin- of
non2muslims towards +slaam% $his" apart from a -roup continuously
fulfillin- the duty of callin- towards -ood and pre,entin- from e,il% $his
is indeed an inte-ral aspect" as the .ur'aan itself e3plains% $he answers
to the ob1ections raised in that era a-ainst +slaam and its principles are
pro,ided in the .ur'aan and /unnah% $hus" when it comes to the
propa-ation of Deen" the followin- three aspects and branches may be
understood 4
'5( +n,itin- towards belief in the oneness of Allaah" *isaalah and
towards the true Deen of +slaam%
'6( 7allin- to -ood and pre,entin- from e,il
'8( /tandin- firm in the defense a-ainst the onslau-ht on the
teachin-s of +slaam and remo,in- doubts and uncertainties
created in this re-ard%
$he first and foremost duty of the Ambiyaa 'Alayhis salaam( was that of
callin- toward the oneness of Allaah% 0ith re-ards to all the Ambiyaa
that were sent" apart from encoura-in- people to submit to the Nabi of
the time" they also in,ited towards the oneness of Allaah" belief in the
Aakhiraat2hereafter and li,in- a life in accordance with the in1unctions of
/har'iah% As lon- as they remained amon-st man" this was primarily their
effort and endea,our% $he Noble .ur'aan has in a ,ery distinct manner
described the praiseworthy 9uality of Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam(
in respect to in,itin- towards the oneness of Allaah" - _' ',= " :
'persistent in in,itin- towards Allaah( %
7ommandin- -ood and pre,entin- from e,il were also inte-ral aspects in
the propa-ation of the Ambiyaa% $hey would encoura-e their people to
adopt piety and refrain from e,il% $he ob1ections that were raised in
their respected eras were responded to in the most simplest and
emphatic of manners throu-h the aid of di,ine re,elation% At times"
these responses would be detailed and on other occasions :+l)aami:
'basic and direct(% +n accordance to the demand" the re9uired method
would be adopted" but at no sta-e did they 'Ambiyaa( turn away from
the basic principles of propa-ation nor -o contrary to the -uidance and
pleasure of Allaah in order to refute the mischief of their time% $hey
were ne,er -uilty of this let alone this bein- a distin-uished trait of their
manner of propa-ation%
After the ad,ent of Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam(" the cycle of
Ambiyaa was terminated" but the need 'to refute these ob1ections( still
arose% +n li-ht of the hadith" this responsibility then shifted on to the
Ulama of the Ummah%
$hrou-hout the pa-es of history" we read of many arduous indi,iduals
who till their final breaths endea,oured to fulfil this task% $hey carried
out such worthy achie,ements in this re-ard that splendidly stand out in
history%
0e do not by any means intend on makin- mention of these entire
episodes nor can this be done in a brief write up of this nature% ;or this"
not e,en an entire library would suffice" thus only a mere brief o,er,iew
study may be possible%
$hrou-hout history" we read of countless personalities who made the
ob1ecti,e of their li,es the propa-ation of +slaam% Within all these
personalities, the common factor was, apart from being firm and
steadfast on their fundamental beliefs, they were ahead of the rest in
implementing the injunctions of Shari'ah. +n all this perse,erance and
stri,in-" at no time did they e,er contemplate mo,in- off the set
principles of .ur'aan and hadith%
$he efforts of the :/oofis: 'ascetics( '*ahimahumullah( in the
propa-ation of Deen cannot be o,erlooked% $hey abstained from
decorated sta-es and from demandin- any perks or monetary -ain from
the Ummah" rather they silently and steadfastly went about callin-
people toward the -randeur and -reatness of Allaah% $he effects of this
steadfastness and firmness on the teachin-s of .ur'aan and /unnah was
that dro,es and dro,es of Muslims would approach them and in their
presence bear testimony to the messa-e of the :<alimah:" thereby
embracin- +slaam% =resently" in the sub2continent" there are ,ery few
who may lay claim to bein- Muslim by way of bein- descendants of
Arabs who mi-rated% Most are Muslim as a result of the propa-ation of
the :/oofis: and their ardent followers% 0ith the -race of Allaah" they
ha,e maintained and remained steadfast on their +slaam%
$he +llustrious :/oofiyya: and other Noble Ulama took the responsibility
of -uidin- the Ummah% $hose who connected themsel,es with these
personalities were rid of all spiritual maladies" they were tau-ht to adopt
+slaamic eti9uettes" partake of the lawful and abstain from the unlawful
and whilst adherin- to the in1unctions of /hari'ah" they were to ensure
not to discard any /unnah alon- the way% +n other words" they '/oofis
and Ulama( made such a concerted effort upon those affiliated to them
that each one was made to adopt the true teachin-s of +slaam and
thereby become the criterion for bein- a sincere Muslim% +n this manner"
they would adopt -ood and abstain from e,il%
By :/oofiyya:" we refer to those who were propa-ators of the true and
-enuine teachin-s of the .ur'aan and /unnah% $here is no reference to
those who di,erted from the enli-htened path of +slaam% +t is far2fetched
to assume that they would rectify the Ummah" for they themsel,es were
in need of seein- to their own deficiencies in respect to the in1unctions
of /hari'ah%
;rom the ,ery initial era of +slaam" we read of the different ob1ections
and doubts raised a-ainst its teachin-s" but it is also a historic fact that in
e,ery era" the Ummah made the necessary effort to combat these in the
defense of +slaam% $he Noble #urists ';u9ahaa( and /cholars of hadith
'Muhaditheen( worked side by side" apart from the efforts of those well
,ersed in A9eedah 'Mutakilimeen(" to defend a-ainst the ob1ections
raised by the de,iant -roups or to present the truth in places where in
impure efforts were made to de,iate people from the strai-ht path by
creatin- doubts% $hese luminaries" after apprisin- themsel,es
ade9uately" -a,e comprehensi,e responses within the dictates of the
.ur'aan and /unnah% +t should also be said that they were si-nificantly
successful in this re-ard%
$hese personalities did not at any time tire in respondin- ade9uately"
whether it was in respect to the ob1ections raised a-ainst the .ur'aan
and /unnah by the philosophers and modern minded or a-ainst
attempts to obliterate the belief structure and in1unctions of /hari'ah%
;urthermore" that which they had written ser,ed as -uidance for those
to follow% The significant aspect worth noting is that at no time did they
refute nor deny distinct matters and realities related to Islaam nor
make baseless interpretations. $hey pointed out towards the erroneous
and incorrect ,iews of those ob1ectin- and appropriately refuted them%
0hilst researchin-" we ha,e also come across many indi,iduals" who in
panic at these ob1ections" themsel,es be-an denyin- se,eral
unanimously accepted ,iews related to +slaam or otherwise made
useless interpretations% $his 'their actions( would ob,iously not be
termed ser,ice rendered to +slaam nor bein- firm in the defense of
+slaam% $his would only be primarily described as that when there is no
denial of the unanimous ,iew points of +slaam nor is there any turnin-
away from history and reality%
+t is also a fact that in e,ery era" the Ummah looked in positi,e li-ht at
the propa-ators of +slaam" who stood firmly in its defense% $hey e,en
assisted them" re-ardin- doin- so to be a responsibility" in fact"
whene,er such a need arose" they were always there to lend a helpin-
hand%
0ith the comin- of the British to +ndia" many trials and tribulations came
with% $he first ma1or one was the ob1ections raised a-ainst +slaamic
beliefs and its teachin-s in an effort to de,iate Muslims% ;rom amon-st
those who successfully sprun- to the defense of +slaam were" !adhrat
Moulana *ahmatullah <iranwi" Doctor 0a)eer Ali and the founder of
Darul Uloom Deoband" Moulana .aasim Nanotwi '*ahimahumullah(%
At the time" there were se,eral indi,iduals who had re1ected
unanimously accepted teachin-s or otherwise made useless
interpretations" which could ob,iously not be termed ser,ice to +slaam
nor we could say that was at all a meritorious act%
$here were many indi,iduals" who apparently actin- in the defense of
+slaam" be-an alterin- the teachin-s of +slaam" but until their hidden
a-endas did not come before us" they remained accepted in the Ummah%
+n fact" people continued assistin- and praisin- them% Mir)a >hulam
Ahmed .adiyani was one such indi,idual from that era% +n the be-innin-"
he also stood up as a propa-ator of +slaam and he -ained fame as a
scholar known for refutin- the ob1ections a-ainst +slaam" but later" he
be-an incorrectly interpretin- aspects related to :Mahdi:" the descent of
+sa and the finality of Nabi% !e later himself claimed to be :Mahdi:"
:Maseeh: and e,en a Nabi% !e was thus e3cluded from amon-st the
accepted -roup of bondsmen and included amon-st those who were
re1ected%
$here were many who -ot cau-ht up in his treachery" but it is otherwise
the unanimous ,erdict 'fatwa( of the Ummah that Mir)a >hulam Ahmed
.adiyani has no relation with +slaam whatsoe,er% !e and his entire
-roup of followers are out of the fold of +slaam% $he :.adiyaaniyat: sect
also discarded their representati,es with whom they possessed a deep
relation" thou-h apparently it seemed as thou-h they held aloft the
banner of +slaam% $his is not the occasion for such detail% 0e were busy
discussin- propa-ation to +slaam" but in this re-ard" occasionally" we are
re9uired to point out towards deficiencies or to apprise readers with
re-ards to indi,iduals who hold incorrect notions yet use :Deen: as a
co,er to spread their poisonous ,iews in order to lead the Ummah
astray% $hus" whilst busy in this" occasionally" these aspects come before
us which are ne,er bereft of benefit%
Before us" we ha,e Doctor Zakir Naik" who is a propa-ator of +slaam and
is world famous in the field of in,itin- towards Deen" e,en hostin-
tele,ision shows in this re-ard% $here e3ist no doubt as to the fact that
the work he has undertaken is e3tremely beneficial" praiseworthy and
worth appreciatin-%
+n Africa" the famous debater" Ahmed Deedat rendered e3tremely
beneficial ser,ice to the Ummah in his works a-ainst the 7hristians and
he was hi-hly successful in that re-ard too% $hrou-h listenin- to his
:7ds: and :audios:" many indi,iduals -ained a fond desire to enter the
same field" one of whom was Zakir Naik% +n the initial sta-es" he had
confined his efforts to refutin- 7hristianity" later del,in- into refutin-
the ob1ections made by indi,iduals of other reli-ions% Until that sta-e" his
efforts were appreciated and within the dictates of /hari'ah% t a later
stage, he began delving into the e!planations and commentaries of
several Islaamic subject matter and ayaat of the "ur'aan. et it be
clearly understood" in respect to commentaries of the .ur'aan and other
+slaamic sub1ect matter" the boundary and limit of discussion has already
bein- well marked out%
+f any scholar or learned fi-ure was to step o,er these boundaries in any
aspect" then such an opinion would be deemed to be his own 'not the
stance of /hari'ah(% ;or :$afsir: 'commentary of the .ur'aan(" the
necessary 9ualifications are incumbent and necessary% One who is not
9ualified and well ,ersed in these sciences would say and write many
thin-s" with the -reat dan-er e3istin- of him includin- his own opinion"
whereas such commentary and opinions are unanimously re1ected by
the Ummah% One who intentionally does so has been promised entry
into the fire of hell '#ahannam(% $his precisely applies to all other
matters related to Deen" that is to drift away from all unanimously
a-reed upon in1unctions is to de,iate from the strai-ht path% 0e possess
a positi,e feelin- with re-ards to Zakir Naik in that he desired to remain
distant from makin- his own commentaries or turnin- away from the
unanimous ,erdicts of the Ummah% 0e ha,e hope in the fact that Zakir
Naik does not deem alterin- the understandin- of Deen which the entire
Ummah ha,e understood and inherited to be permissible%
$he de,astatin- effect of the :so called propa-ator: of +slaam" Mir)a
>hulam Ahmed .adiyani" who later made claims to bein- :Maseeh: and
a Nabi" are before him 'Zakir Naik( and he should certainly be well
informed of this% 0e therefore cannot contemplate" 'Allaah forbid( that
Doctor Zakir Naik will e,er tread this path% ?es" we are compelled to
conclude that due to him crossin- the limits in as far as his duty towards
propa-atin- +slaam is concerned" he has now undertaken a task of
spreadin- a notion" which rather than ele,atin- his status" has
diminished his respect% 0e" bein- impressed by his achie,ements in the
initial periods had a positi,e outlook of him" but today we ha,e retracted
from such an opinion%
+n the hadith" we are informed that the Ummah will ne,er unite on
de,iation% +t is also acknowled-ed that there e3ists two cate-ories of
people" one bein- those who possess the 9ualifications for :+1tihad:
'deducin- Masaail( whilst the other bein- those who are depri,ed of
such rank% +n the case of the latter" it is the unanimous ,erdict of the
Ummah that they are compelled to follow '$a9lid( a :Mu1tahid:" with
failure to doin- so e,entually leadin- toward de,iation from +slaam% The
manner in which #akir $aik has targeted the Illustrious %urists is, firstly,
against the recognised principals and hadith of $abi &Salallahu layhi
Wasallam', wherein it is stated that the (mmah will never unite on
deviation. ;urthermore" by adoptin- this method" he had restricted
himself si-nificantly% +nitially" he was a propa-ator and in,iter to +slaam"
but now he spreads a notion that throws the entire Ummah into
de,iation and polytheism% s far we know, he does not at all possess
the )ualifications for *Ijtihad*. 0e also do not su--est that he has made
such claims" but despite this" the deductions that he has made in many
academic discussions are truly surprisin- and bafflin-%
Occasionally" he e,en trespasses the boundaries in scholarly discussions
whilst respondin- to ob1ections% !e may feel he is not answerable in this
world" but he should well know that he will certainly be in the Aakhiraat2
hereafter%
It is a now some time back that he added *+ahmatullah layhi* after
the name of ,a-eed and in touching on a useless topic of this nature,
he made himself even more controversial. $his" despite him bein- fully
aware that none will be 9uestioned in the Aakhiraat2hereafter on
whether he re-arded ?a)eed to be from amon-st those for-i,en or
re1ected% $his was ne,er such a topic that needed clarity and thus be
made a topic of discussion% Bein- a propa-ator and in,iter to +slaam" he
ou-ht to understand that a -reat deal of precaution is re9uired in the
way he approaches matters% At times" whilst discussin- academic issues"
he o,erlooks and sidesteps clear aspects mentioned in the .ur'aan and
/unnah%
Moulana Mufti Abdullah Al'asadi has in this book turned our attention
by hi-hli-htin- se,eral blatant errors of Zakir Naik and in pro,idin-
se,eral .ur'aanic references" he has pointed out to his errors in
respondin- to ob1ections raised a-ainst these Aayaat% 0hilst pointin-
out to these" he has adopted a simple and affirmati,e approach% May
Allaah $a'ala increase him in his efficient ser,ice to writin-%
+t is stron-ly hoped that this brief write up of our distin-uished Mufti
/aheb will pro,e sufficient to understand the a-endas of Zakir Naik% 0e
would re9uest Zakir Naik to adopt the true 9ualities of bein- a
propa-ator and fully implement them% We would also re)uest him to
avoid holding on to distant opinions and useless deductions devoid of
any depth. .e should also not discard the accepted opinions of the
(mmah and avoid discussing topics for which he will not be
)uestioned for in the hereafter. 0e possess stron- hope that this
re9uest will not -o in ,ein%






Introductory Words
By /aeed *ahman ;aru9i
Mufti" +mdaadul Uloom" +mdaadiya" Mumbai
,=' -=' - --
$here is absolutely no re-ards and status for the :+1tihad: of any
intellectual in respect to the e3planations of +slaamic law '/hari'ah( as
lon- as it contradicts that which reached us ,ia our pious predecessors%
+n the entire collection of +slaamic literature" 1ust as that which has been
reported by our pious predecessors acts as ample proof and we are
indebted to it" similarly" their understandin- of Deeni related matters is
also a substantiated proof and link% +n other reli-ions" let alone
defficiency" the -reat fear e3ists of alteration in many aspects related to
their reli-ions% $he spread of it" as we know follows after%
0e implore Doctor Zakir Naik to submit to the e3planations"
commentaries and understandin- of those -reat scholars by means of
which he has reached this sta-e of intelli-ence today" for indeed" he has
benefitted from their hu-e collection of knowled-e%
+n this booklet" the distin-uished and reliable /heikhul hadith of :#aamia
!atora: has comprehensi,ely refuted these incorrect notions in the
most lo-ical and substantiati,e manner% !e is also the secretary of the
:;i9h Academy: and has authored many other books too% +t is stron-ly
hoped that this book will ser,e as an ample reproach and ser,e as ad,ice
for Zakir Naik and others too%






The Importance of propagating /een and its
boundaries and limits
,=' -=' - --
,' '- _'= _'-- -=-
Allaah $a'ala declare @
- --- '- +' =
$he cru3 of this Aayat is that let alone it bein- permissible to stand in the
defense of +slaam and its spread throu-h all possible means" it is
e3tremely meritorious and e,en necessary at times% $his" on condition
that the methods adopted do not conflict with the clear teachin-s and
ob1ecti,es of .ur'aan and hadith%
$his e3plains why" on account of the de,elopments and chan-es in
warfare" we ha,e ne,er re1ected the permissibility of usin- the latest
weaponry% ;urthermore" we ha,e ne,er refuted the usa-e of all possible
means for the protection and spread of Deen and +slaamic knowled-e%
Based on this" a lar-e -roup of Ulama possessin- deep foresi-ht ha,e
adopted the opinion that it is permissible to take assistance from
modern instruments that are currently a,ailable for reli-ious"
propa-ational as well as reformational purposes" in fact" this may e,en
be deemed necessary% ?es" truly speakin-" if the -enuine need arises"
then that too could be said" re-ardless of whether this be throu-h
:radios:": U tube:" the :tele,ision:" the :computer: or :internet:%
7onsiderin- the fact that the proponents of falsehood tirelessly use
these instruments to propa-ate their wron- a-endas and notions" this
would si-nal its e,en -reater importance%
+f the :Ahle2!a9: 'ri-htly -uided( turn a total blind eye to the usa-e of
these -enerally accepted instruments a,ailable" then there is the fear of
detrimental effects today as is been presently witnessed% $his is" after all
not surprisin- for a lar-e number of people merely suffice on these
means nowadays%
0e also hold the same opinion as some of our senior Ulama in this
matter" thou-h practically" we ha,e ne,er -one on tele,ision nor
purchased one for that matter% 0e ha,e also ne,er attached importance
nor de,eloped the habit of watchin- tele,ision% ?es" occasionally" on
account of necessity or by chance" we may ,iew certain pro-rams% As for
internet" well" that is e3tremely distant" which e3plains why we are
unaware of what is directly presented to ,iewers on the internet in
respect to +slaam% At most" we do occasionally hear of this and e,en read
such information of this nature%
+n this part of the world" for years now" a renowned propa-ator" Doctor
Zakir Naik" who is also a household name" has had broadcasted
pro-rams on tele,ision% !e has a wide co,era-e and a hu-e fan base
especially ,iewers on the =akistani 7hannel" :.$V: and currently :$V
=eace:% 0ith re-ards to his ,iews" many 9uestions ha,e bein- asked and
we ha,e e,en held discussion on certain aspects related to this" but
ne,er did we directly meet him" for after all we a,er@
:$he lan-ua-e of my friend is $urkish" but + do not understand $urkish%:
0hilst in /audi Arabia" + happened to meet some of his ac9uaintances
but + did not ha,e the opportunity of holdin- any discussion" althou-h
his name was taken in our con,ersation%
+n our city ukhnow" he did conduct a pro-ram for which + did hear a
recordin- of and e,en read some literature related to this% At a later
date" + did hear a :7D: of his" especially the portion on :9uestions and
answers:" which was deli,ered in the urdu lan-ua-e% 0hat + noticed was
that apart from the true /hari' stance" he had many other incorrect
notions and ,iews%
On a 1ourney to Mumbai" + happened to tra,el to his centre of learnin-
hopin- to see his school" unfortunately" it happened to be the holiday
period% + therefore ,isited his office and all this" + should say" was not
bereft of some form of benefit%
+t was after the recent &id" where" on account of certain commitments" +
tra,elled to Delhi% 0hen passin- by certain bookshops in the locality
wherein :#aami Mas1id: is located" it is then that + came into some form
of contact with Doctor Zakir Naik% $his allowed me the opportunity of
del,in- into and understandin- his opinions and ,iews% $his" + seen
ha,in- read literature of his in the urdu lan-ua-e which + found in the
book shel,es% + had searched e3tensi,ely and was successful in my
endea,our% + thou-ht to myself that this information is ready a,ailable"
so let me purchase it" read and then draw conclusions%
$here was a lar-e collection of info a,ailable at my disposal to-ether
with many other brief write ups and articles% + purchased the entire
collection and thus" + benefitted directly% + will now in the pa-es ahead
pro,ide the results of my study%
$here were primarily two reasons for my study on this indi,idual% $he
first of these is that Allaah $a'ala has in,ol,ed me in the ser,ice of Deen
and thus" se,eral indi,iduals ha,e asked the 9uestion" :0hat do we
make of the statements and information of Doctor Zakir Naik:A $he
second moti,atin- factor is the hadith" =,--' ,' 'Deen is well wishin-(
At this 1uncture" + feel it imperati,e that + suffice on hi-hli-htin- aspects
that are blatantly 9uestionable and after citin- the te3ts as they are" +
should then comment by focusin- on certain portions specifically%
The delicate nature of the effort of /een and the
recognition of a true propagator
$he effort of Deen is e3tremely delicate and a -reat responsibility% +t is
also ,ery ,ast and comprises of many scenarios% +n this temporary world
of cause and result" Allaah takes work from mankind and after
under-oin- hardship" tests and tribulation" the fruits of all that toil is
achie,ed%
>enerally" such work is taken from indi,iduals who are true belie,ers"
trustworthy and reli-iously conscious% $hey are able to back up their
words with a -ood practical lifestyle" in fact" rather than mere
statements" their practical li,es and ability to submit are traits firmly
embedded% $his creates spirituality and life in their propa-ation% $hey
then" apart from propa-atin-" also become leaders in this re-ard" which
ob,iously has a positi,e effect on the masses% =eople re-ard such
personalities to be reliable and to be -enuine leaders% +n other words"
the masses reflect o,er the de-ree of practice pre,alent in the speaker
apart from his speakin- e3ploits%
$his e3plains why the Ambiyaa" the *usul and their ardent followers and
representati,es from amon-st the Ulama and pious lay more emphasis
on their practical li,es" rather than mere words and instead of in,itin-
towards statements" they call toward -ood deeds%
But" ha,in- said this" let it be well understood that Allaah is e3tremely
independent and in works of this nature" there are many benefits and
wisdoms" re-ardless of whether these be understood to us immediately
or not% At times" he takes the work of Deen and that of in,itin- towards"
spreadin- and protectin- the truth from those who are deficient in both"
knowled-e and practice% +n fact" occasionally" these are indi,iduals" who"
when it comes to reli-ion and beliefs are rebellious a-ainst the
in1unctions of Allaah% $hey are e,en known to be the bitter enemies of
Deen or known to deny its truthfulness alto-ether%
;or instance" there are many indi,iduals whose reli-ion is totally in
conflict with the Deen of Allaah and tantamount to denyin- the bein-
and 9ualities of Allaah" but their practical li,es are e3emplary to say the
least% $hey are e,en known to make statements in conformity to the
truth" whilst there is little by way of deficiency in their character% $hey
are in this" ri-htly -uided and pure" in fact" e,en ,ery cautionate and
abstinent in matters pertainin- to the lawful '!alaal( and the unlawful
'haraam(% #ud-in- by their words and actions" one would ne,er
understand them to be <aafir 'non2Muslim(% Only upon discussin- their
beliefs" will one realise that they are followers of a reli-ion other than
+slaam% By this" we realise that one may not be re-arded to be a Muslim
unless his beliefs are taken into perspecti,e%
/imilarly" it does not suffice one to be deemed a true propa-ator of
+slaam by merely speakin- on +slaam or by him recitin- the .ur'aan and
hadith to people or e,en by noticin- the masses bein- affected by his
words% +t is imperati,e that we reflect o,er whether his statements and
,iews are" apart from bein- present in the .ur'aan and hadith" in
accordance to their teachin-sA +n other words" to what e3tent are his
words in conformity to the .ur'aan and hadithA
+s the messa-e he is con,eyin- tantamount to the reco-nised and
accepted facts that ha,e reached us throu-h a continuous channel for
centuries now ,ia the /ahabah and /alaf 'pious predecessors( which
ha,e been accepted by not only the -eneral masses but by the learned"
especially% ;urthermore" are the details and clarification of this present
in the Noble .ur'aan and authentic Ahadith% $o what e3tent does the
information he reads out conform to theseA
Besides submittin- to the words of Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam("
what status is bein- accorded to the words and actions of the /ahabah
and $aabieen and to the e3planations and commentaries of those that
followed from amon-st the Ulama fraternityA 0hat status is bein-
accorded to the famous and well renowned books of belief of the :Ahle
!a9: such as :A9eedah $ahaawiya: and othersA +n clarifyin- .ur'aan and
hadith" is the intellect bein- re-arded as an aid or is it deemed to be the
ultimate decision makerA
$he truth of the matter is all those indi,iduals" -roups and mo,ements
who affiliate themsel,es with +slaam from amon-st the /ahabah and the
first -eneration link all their opinions to the .ur'aan and /unnah% $akin-
into re-ard the demand" they would accordin-ly deri,e benefit from the
two% 0e are well aware of the de,iate sects such as the :<hawaari1:"
:*awaafidh: and :Mu'ta)ila:" who were from the :.arn Ula: 'initial era(
and those of that nature who followed later" which point out to the fact
that merely citin- .ur'aan and hadith and associatin- oneself with these
may not be used as the criterion%
/imilarly" it does not suffice to make decisions based on the apparent
results before us e,en thou-h positi,e results are realised% $he famous
hadith of Bukhari clearly informs us of this@
='-' .=''- ,' - ,,,' -
$ranslation B At times" Allaah $a'ala stren-thens the Deen by means of
sinful indi,iduals%'$hrou-h this" !e assists the Deen(
Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam( stated these words on the occasion of a
battle in respect to a man who had fou-ht -allantly% 0hen mention was
made of his bra,ery to Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam(" he replied that
this man is from amon-st the dwellers of #ahannam% $he /ahabah were
truly perturbed at this remark for they felt how could such an apparently
sincere indi,idual be a dweller of #ahannamC /e,eral indi,iduals be-an
pursuin- him in order to in,esti-ate the matter% 0hat then happened"
was that this person" who had -otten se,erely in1ured in battle and due
to e3cessi,e pain" he used his weapon on himself and committed suicide%
Upon seein- this" certain indi,iduals hurriedly approached Nabi
'/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam( and e3claimed" :?ou are the true Nabi of
Allaah and your words are indeed true:% $his is when Nabi '/alallahu
Alayhi 0asallam( stated these words%
0ho is not aware of the -reat efforts undertaken by the uncle of Nabi
'/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam(" Abu $aalib" in the upbrin-in- of this true
Nabi and in assistin- Deen" yet he remained firm on the reli-ion of his
forefather" at which Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam( would tremble
'out of e3treme sadness(% On the other hand" the merciful uncle of Nabi
'/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam(" !adhrat Abbaas '*adiallahu Anhu( was
fa,oured with +slaam" but before :!i1rah: 'mi-ration to Madinah(" when
discussions were bein- held with the :Ansaar: to mi-rate" he was with
Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam( and ad,isin- the Ansaar to ponder o,er
the -reat responsibility they were about to undertake% $his was the ,ery
same !adhrat Abbaas who was amon-st the capti,es of Badr% !e had
o,erheard the Muslims say that the army of the <uffaar ha,e already
been defeated" why should we not now chase down the cara,an which
was the ,ery reason for us lea,in- our homes% Upon hearin- this" he
replied whilst still capti,e" :Do not do that for the promise of Allaah's
assistance and ,ictory was only a-ainst one -roup" either the army or
cara,an and this has already come to be:% +n this manner" he assisted the
Muslims in a,ertin- dan-er%
Nonetheless" the apparent condition does not suffice for makin- any
ma1or decision% ;or one to be deemed a true propa-ator such that his
statements and research are relied upon" whilst his words and actions be
deemed e3emplary" it is necessary that we carefully reflect and take into
perspecti,e all the aforementioned aspects that we ha,e discussed%
$oday" there are many indi,iduals who ha,e sprun- up as bein-
propa-ators of the Deen% $hey ha,e become increasin-ly famous with
many people bein- affected by their words% /ome ha,e de,eloped a
hu-e fan base who e,en tra,el with them and -ather for their talks% $he
9uestion is" how do we reco-nise if one is ri-htly -uided and on the
strai-ht pathA
+n one hadith" we are tau-ht that if you want to know of the character of
a person" then in9uire from his nei-hbours% $he hadith is also well
known to most wherein it is stated that the best of you is he who is -ood
to his family members% $here are many other words of similar -uidance%
+n li-ht of these" in our case" it would be imperati,e to ascertain as to
how many from amon-st those affected and those -atherin- possess
true reli-ious 'Deeni( perception and feelin- and to what e3tent are they
connected with the -enuine ser,ice of DeenA +s the on-oin- propa-ation
in accordance to the ,iews and opinions of these peopleA +f there are a
number of upri-ht and reliable indi,iduals closely connected" then we
need to in9uire as to what type of indi,iduals these are and why ha,e
they drawn closeA +t should not be that this is on account of some
misunderstandin-" lack of knowled-e or mere assumption%
The )ualities of a true propagator
A few ma1or aspects to consider when decidin- on who is a true
propa-ator of Deen
'5( $o-ether with submittin- to the Noble .ur'aan in order to
understand Deen" does he possess reliance on the /unnah or notA
Or is it a case of him merely relyin- on the .ur'aan without
-rantin- the re9uired status to the /unnahA
'6( ;urthermore" in comprehendin- .ur'aan" does he rely on his own
understandin- and intellect" or does he -i,e due re-ard to
detailed research found in the Arabic dictionaries and to the
e3planations and commentaries of .ur'aan that are protected in
the reliable books of hadith" irrespecti,e of these bein- linked to
Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam( or to the learned from amon-st
the /ahabah%

'8( Not merely relyin- on Ahadith that are :Mutawaatir: 'the hi-hest
de-ree of authenticity in Ahadith( or :/aheeh: 'authentic( or only
on those that are mentioned in the :/aheehein: 'Bukhari" Muslim(
but on all those Ahadith that are part of a considerable collection
're-ardless of them not bein- included amon-st the : Mutawaatir:
or :/aheeh:" nor in the two famous books of hadith '/aheehein((
but in others%

'D( 0hat are their opinions with re-ards to the /ahabah" who were
undoubtedly the intermediary between the Ummah and Nabi
'/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam( 1ust as the Ambiyaa were the medium
between Allaah and !is sla,es% Do they -rant due importance to
the rank" status and the words and actions of the /ahabahA Or do
they re-ard them to be merely from amon-st the -eneral masses
and the criterion of" ".'= =- .'= : '$hey are men and so are
we(A

'E( 0hat are their opinions of our :/alaf: 'pious predecessors( from
the era of the $aabieen up until this day" especially those from the
:.arn Ula: 'initial era(" who ser,ed and protected Deen in e,ery
way possible before it e,entually reached usA 0hat are their
opinions about specifically the four distin-uished +maams of
1urisprudenceA


'F( Do they re-ard their intellects and lo-ic to be an aid or the
primary factor and basis% +n other words" are all matters of Deen
sub1ect to their understandin- or do they re-ard the .ur'aan and
hadith" which are well substantiated" to be the basis" with the
intellect bein- a mere aid% As we well know" despite ones lo-ic
bein- able to correctly comprehend matters" many aspects are
not understood or simply misunderstood%
0oment of reflection
=resently" the propa-ator" Doctor Zakir Naik is a household name in this
country% $here are many people out there who are not only listenin- to
him but also inclinin- to his opinions% $he truth of the matter is that not
all that he says is in conflict with /hari'ah and a-ainst the .ur'aan and
/unnah% But there are many aspects that ha,e been noticed and
continue bein- noticed in his talks and research that are -enuinely
9uestionable% $hese" will then need to be studied in li-ht of the
aforementioned details we ha,e already discussed% 0e will now present
to the readers much of the information he has spread and each one may
then take turn to study and conclude directly%
'5( In understanding /een, /octor #akir $aik does possess regard
for the Sunnah apart from the 1lorious "ur'aan. !e thus"
to-ether with citin- Aayaat" cites many Ahadith to ,erify his
stance and ,iews%
'6( 2ut one major viewpoint of his in respect to understanding
hadith and Sunnah is not the same adopted by our great (lama.
$his specifically has to do with his opinion that" :!adith !asan:
'an accepted and authentic cate-ory of hadith( is not a si-nificant
proof" whereas the famous commentator of Bukhari" +bni !a1r
As9alaani '*ahmatullah Alayhi( and many others such as +bni
/alaah and +maam Nawawi ha,e accepted Ahadith other then
:/aheeh: to be substantial proof% +n fact" in certain cases" e,en
:Dwaeef hadith: are considered% Imaam 2ukhari &+ahmatullah
layhi', who, on the one hand, has written a book named,
"Saheeh Bukhari", which is a collection of the most authentic
hadith, he has also written a book called, " Al Adabul Mufrad",
which comprises of many */waeef hadith*. $his is similarly the
case with re-ards to books of hadith such as" Tirmidhi" wherein
many Ahadith of this nature ha,e been included" in fact" e,en
those related to practical in1unctions%
'8( s far as his understanding of "ur'aan and hadith is concerned,
he relies solely on his intelligence and personal understanding
and to a much lesser degree on the *lughat* &rabic
dictionaries'. +n his discussions" we did not come across any
mention of Ahadith e,en in reco-nised and famous 1unctures% et
alone the statements of /ahabah" there is no mention of :Marfoo:
'hadith with chains linked directly to Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi
0asallam( nor well known Ahadith in these discussions% As for his
usa-e of the arabic dictionaries '-rammar(" 1ud-in- from what he
has presented" his level of knowledge and know that it is so
deficient, not even comparable with average students of a
0adrasah.
'D( 3rom what we have perceived, it is clear that he has no regard
whatsoever for the Sahabah, Taabieen and the four illustrious
Imaams. +n the o,er fi,e hundred pa-es we ha,e read and seen"
he has seldom mentioned anythin- concernin- the former
'Muta9adimeen( and latter scholars 'Mutaikhireen( nor of their
books% !e does certainly speak of and cite a host of lecturers and
intellectuals" but seldom does he mention anythin- concernin-
any Aalim% 0hen he does do so" he merely makes reference to
:Ulama:" but the 9uestion is" :0ho:A !e makes no mention of
this%
'E( 3rom his speeches and his responses to )uestions asked, it is
clear that he does not take the intellect to be a mere aid, but the
complete basis. !e relies wholeheartedly on his lo-ic and
understandin- and thereby responds to any 9uestion re-ardless of
its nature% +n fact" he cites Aayaat in response to 9uestions
without applyin- the sli-htest bit of caution" whilst e,en bein-
known to forcefully fit these in%
All these facts are bein- mentioned after ha,in- carefully
e3amined and studied the writin-s of Doctor Zakir Naik% + ha,e
also noted sub1ect matter of this nature in his writin-s and
compiled these as write ups before presentin- them to Ulama"
who ha,e supported my findin-s% After ha,in- chosen such
sub1ect matter" + hereby present some e3cerpts of these to the
readers4

&4' .is incorrect stance with regards to the 3our
Illustrious Imaams of %urisprudence
+n response to a 9uestion" Doctor Zakir Naik states '=- FFG2FF5(@
0e are re9uired to honour the +llustrious +maams of +slaam" who
include +maam Abu !anifa '*ahmatullah Alayhi(" +maam Abu ?usuf
'*ahmatullah Alayhi(" +maam /haafiee' '*ahmatullah Alayhi("
+maam Ahmed bin !anbal '*ahmatullah Alayhi(" +maam Malik
'*ahmatullah Alayhi( and others% $hey were certainly -reat Ulama
and #urists% May Allaah $a'ala -rant them reward for their
research and efforts% +f anyone a-rees with the beliefs and
opinions of +maam Abu !anifa '*ahmatullah Alayhi( and +maam
/haafi' '*ahmatullah Alayhi(" then none should ob1ect to this% 2ut
later in response to the very same )uestion, it clearly seems that
/octor #akir $aik deems the four schools of thought &0a-aahib'
to be a cause for disunity. !e writes4
'=- D8H( : 0hen a Muslim is asked" who he is" he -enerally
replies that he is a :/unni: or :/hia:% /imilarly" some people
refer to themsel,es as :!anafi:" :/haafiee:" :Maliki: or
:!anbali:% /ome are e,en known to say that they are
:Deobandi: or :Barelwi:% +f we may ask these indi,iduals" what
was our Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam(A 0as he a :!anbali:"
:/haafiee:" :!anafi: or a :Maliki:A Ne,er" he was a Muslim 1ust
as the pre,ious Ambiyaa were also Muslim:%

7onsider the followin- statement of Doctor Zakir Naik
'=- DD5( :;rom the hadith" we understand that Nabi '/alallahu
Alayhi 0asallam( had -ranted -lad tidin-s to se,enty se,en
-roups" but he did not state that Muslims should make an
effort to di,ide themsel,es into separate -roups% $hose who
practice on the teachin-s of the .ur'aan and hadith and do not
create -roups nor di,isions between people are indeed on the
strai-ht path:%

$his apparently implies that the four Ma)aahib 'four schools of
thou-ht( are -uilty of causin- di,isions and thereby not on the
strai-ht path%

+n response to this ,ery same 9uestion" consider the last
para-raph@
'=- DD6( :$here are many Aayaat wherein we are instructed to obey
Allaah and !is *asool% +t is imperati,e upon a Muslim to submit to the
.ur'aan and authentic Ahadith% !e may only conform to the ,iews of an
Aalim or +maam as lon- as the latter's beliefs and opinions are in
conformity to .ur'aan and authentic Ahadith% +f his beliefs and opinions
are contrary to the in1unctions of Allaah and the /unnah of Nabi
'/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam(" then it should not be -i,en any due
importance re-ardless of the -reat status of the Aalim% +f all Muslims
read the .ur'aan with proper understandin- whilst practicin- on
authentic hadith" then Allaah willin-" all differences will come to an end
and thus a united Ummah would be created%:
$he manner in which Doctor Zakir Naik has linked these statements with
his pre,ious discussion makes one understand that he re-ards the
followers of the four :Ma)habs: to be besides those who obey Allaah
and !is *asool%
The criterion for practicing on hadith
+n the same discussion" whilst encoura-in- people to practice on .ur'aan
and hadith" instead of sayin- :hadith:" he twice uses the word :/aheeh
!adith:% $his implies that only those Ahadith that are :/aheeh: may be
acted upon and other Ahadith" despite them bein- accepted and
considered" may not" whereas the Ulama of the Ummah differ with
holdin- such a ,iew as has already passed% It is not only difficult to
present *Saheeh hadith* for every *masla*, it is virtually impossible
to do so. 0hosoe,er wishes to research this matter" let him -o forth and
do so%
+bnul .ayyim '*ahmatullah Alayhi(" who was a well ,ersed scholar had
written that a number of :Masaail: of all the four illustrious +maams are
based on :Dwaeef Ahadith:% +n fact" if you were to read the books
written by the :Ahle hadith:'those who do not adhere to any school of
thou-ht( on /alaah" then you would come across a substantial number
of Ahadith that are :Dwaeef:% One may take a look at the most well
known book of theirs called" :/alaat ur *asool: '$he /alaat of Nabi
'/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam(( and you will notice many narrations of this
sort%
Selected )uotes from the lecture of /octor #akir $aik
in respect to,*"ur'aan and 0odern Science* at the
service of (lama
+ ha,e before me the lar-est collection of the lectures of Doctor Zakir
Naik which were published by :;arid Book Depot" Delhi:% !is ,ery first
sermon is well detailed and comprises of interestin- sub1ect matter
which + am hereby discussin-% $he entire sermon includes .ur'aanic
Aayaat with their translations and many of his scientific deductions with
references" occasionally" without% !e has also corroborated the Aayaat
with modern scientific study% .e makes no mention or even reference
to any hadith in his understanding and commentary of "ur'aan. +n
other words" he has not del,ed into or listed the commentaries of
Aayaat e3pounded by Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam(" the /ahabah and
the Ulama of the Ummah% !e occasionally takes the literal meanin- of
words but that too" in accordance to his own comprehension" which is in
clear contrast to those preferred and reco-nised meanin-s and e,en
a-ainst those understood from the commentaries and Ahadith%
0e hereby forward some e3cerpts from his lectures on the
aforementioned sub1ect matter '.ur'aan and modern science(4
&5' Incorrect deduction in researching the shape
of the earth, &6g 75879'
5 B $he earth is not round like a ball" rather it is e-- shaped% +n
other words" it is flat and stuck on the two a3is% $he followin-
Aayat sheds clarity on the shape of the earth"
'+= ='- - `
$ranslation B $hereafter" Allaah spread out the earth% '/urah
Naa)i'aat" Aayat 8G(

$he word used in the arabic lan-ua-e to denote an e-- is"
"'+=:" which actually refers to an ostrich e--% $herefore" an
ostrich e-- bears similarity with the shape of the earth% $hus"
the Noble .ur'aan most perfectly clarifies the shape of the
earth" whereas" when the .ur'aan was initially bein- re,ealed"
it was thou-ht that the earth was flat%

:ritical +eview of his opinion

Doctor Zakir Naik a,ers that the word" : " '+= refers to an e--
and that too an ostrich e--% $he :Ahle +lm: 'Ulama( are well
aware that the word" :Dahaw: and its root word both refer to
:to spreadin- a thin- out:% Accordin- to this" the commentary
and translation of : " '+= would be" :to spread 'e3pandin-( the
earth and the thin-s present in it:" 1ust as is famous% 'Tafsir Ibni
Kathir, Surah Naazi'aat, Vol 8 Pg 339). $his word by no means
refers to an e--% After studyin- the book, !isaanul "rab, + did
not any find any mention of this word referrin- to an e--% ?es"
*aa-hib Asfahaani '*ahmatullah Alayhi( was of the opinion
that its root word is deri,ed from" ",="" which refers to that
portion of the land wherein an ostrich lays e--s and then sits
on them% +t therefore spreads out on that piece of land or on
the e--%
&9' In order to conform with scientific findings, his
incorrect commentary of the "ur'aan with regards to
the light of the sun and moon, &6g 7987;'.

'+, .= '=- -'--' _ .= ,-' =-- ,-- - '=-

$ranslation B Blessed is the Bein- who created -i-antic stars in
the sky and 'amon- the more prominent sources of li-ht that !e created in
the sky" !e has( placed the sun and the luminous moon in it%
(Surah Furqaan, Aayat 61, 19 th Para)

$he sun is referred to in the arabic lan-ua-e as, Shams. +t is
also referred to as Siraa#, which literally means a torch.
Occasionally" the word , $ahaa#, is used for it" which means
a :burnin- lamp:% $hese all appropriate words used to denote
the :sun: on account of its action of burnin-" which leads to it
-i,in- off li-ht and creatin- heat% On the other hand" the moon
is referred to as, %amr in the arabic lan-ua-e% +n the .ur'aan"
the word &un''r has also been used for it" that is a body
that reflects off li-ht%

At this 1uncture" there is some form of harmony in the actual
nature of the moon" which does not itself -i,e off li-ht but
merely reflects the li-ht of the sun% Nowhere in the Noble
.ur'aan has the moon bein- referred to as Siraa# or
$ahaa# nor has the :sun' been referred to as a Noor 'li-ht(
or &una((ir '-i,er of li-ht(% ;rom this" it is established that
the nature of the li-ht of the sun and moon differ as is
described in the .ur'aan% $herefore" there is absolute
conformity in respect to the difference in the li-ht of the sun
and moon as far the .ur'aanic description and that of modern
scientific study is concerned%



:ritical +eview of his opinion

$he sun and the moon are two different entities which are
clearly understood considerin- that one is a :li-ht: and the
other the :-i,er of the li-ht:% ;rom this" the difference in the
nature of the li-ht -i,en off by the two may be clearly
understood% Any intelli-ent person can clearly percei,e that
there e3ists a difference in the li-ht -i,en off by each" in fact" in
the effects of them too% $here is no harm in acceptin- what
modern day scientists a,er" but why the need to insist on the
words and e3planations of the .ur'aan and /unnah bein-
forcibly fitted onto their study% ;or after all" in support of such
a claim" one which is confined and specified" arabic dictionaries
and Ahadith should suffice or merely one of the two%

The academic deficiencies of /octor #akir $aik

Accordin- to the knowled-e of this humble sla,e 'the author("
in relation to this" there e3ists no narration% As far as arabic
dictionaries are concerned" they too" do not denote the
meanin- of :/hams: and :/iraa1: 'sun( to mean :burnin- on its
own: with :.amr: and :Noor: merely referrin- to a li-ht
produced from other than itself and merely for adornment% +n
actual fact" in the Noble .ur'aan" the word :Noor: has been
used in many instances in se,eral conte3ts% +n fact" Allaah
$a'ala uses it for himself@

: - -) ` ---' - - 8E (

And in one place" the word :Muneer:" which Doctor Zakir Naik
has taken as a si-nificant basis is actually used with the word
:/iraa1: as a :/ifat: 'describin- word(%

'=- --'- - _' ',= ,-- --- '- =-'- '- _--' '+,', ,--
: -= -) DE - DF (
$his Aayat is in respect to the description and traits of Nabi
'/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam(% !e has been referred to as, :/iraa1
Muneer 'an illuminatin- lantern(% Accordin- to Doctor Zakir
Naik" the word :/iraa1: relates to the :/hams 'sun(:" and it has
ne,er been used for the word :.amr: 'moon( nor has the word
:Muneer: been used for the :sun:% +n the aforementioned
Aayat" the word :Muneer: has been used with :/iraa1: and the
commentators take it to mean an"
:illuminatin- lantern:" in the meanin- of a :-uidin- and radiant
li-ht:% (Tafsir bni !athir, "#l $ P% &'1)

'D(Incorrect specification of an ayat &6g 7<',&The
6lasma, that is the matter in between the stars'
+n the initial periods" it was common perception that on the
outside of the :orderly system of the planets: was a -reat open
,acuum% $he astronomers referred to this ,acuum as :the brid-e
of matter:% $his is also referred to as the :=lasma:% +n the
followin- Aayat of the .ur'aan" indication is made to this matter
between the stars"
'-+-,- '- ` ---' '= ,-'
$ranslation B +t was !e who created the hea,ens" the earth and
whate,er is between them in si3 days( (Surah Furqaan, Aayat $9)
:ritical review of his opinion
+t is absolutely bafflin- and truly startlin- to read of the claim
made by Doctor Zakir Naik or the manner in which he has linked
the aforementioned Aayat% There is absolutely no mention of the
stars and planets in this ayat and then too" he discards the last
portion of the Aayat% $he entire Aayat is as follows"
', -- _ '-+-,- '- ` ---' '= ,-'
$he ob1ecti,e of this Aayat is to show that the entire uni,erse was
created within a span of si3 days" that is from the earth to the sky
and ,ice2,ersa% $herefore" the clear understandin- of" : " '-+-,- '- is
specifically that which is in between the sky and the earth% $he
creation of the sun" the moon" the stars" the ,acuum in between
and all thin-s connected to the earth were created within a span
of si3 days 1ust as is mentioned in many other Aayaat of the
.ur'aan%
E ( ( n absolutely ridiculous commentary of an ayat to
substantiate the scientific study that the universe is
rotating &6g =>'
+n 5H6E" the famous American astronomer" :&dwin !ubble:
prepared substantial e,idence to pro,e that the planets are
mo,in- further apart from each other" which shows that the
uni,erse is e3pandin-% +t is now a reco-nised scientific fact that the
uni,erse does rotate and this is the ,ery same aspect that has
been e3plained in the .ur'aan"
: -',-') --' '- ,'- '+-,-- -'--' DI (
$ranslation B 0e created the sky with mi-ht and 0e certainly
possess ,ast powers%
$he correct translation of the word, :--: in the arabic
lan-ua-e is :to spread:" which clearly indicates to the :e,er
spreadin- and e3pandin- uni,erse:%
:ritical review of his opinion
+n the arabic lan-ua-e" the word" :--: refers to :stren-th:"
:power: and to bein- :spread out:% $he meanin- in any -i,en
scenario would depend on its usa-e% +n this Aayat" it refers to
sheer power% Doctor Zakir Naik himself has translated it as"
:stren-th e3pandin- far and wide:% /espite this, /octor #akir $aik
associates this ayat to a scientific study for which no mention
has been made in the "ur'aan and Sunnah nor has any
commentator made mention of such a meaning. 'Before me" +
ha,e :Tafsir )aa(i, wherein all the commentaries of the
/ahabah" $aabieen and others are -athered(% +n the Dth ,olume on
pa-e 5GF" under the commentary of :/urah Dhaariyaat:" se,eral
opinions ha,e been included with the common one in all these
bein- :power and stren-th" e9ually lar-e or lar-er or a sky similar
to the present one:%
*aa-hib Asfahaani is of the ,ery same opinion% +n $afsir Ibni Kathir,
Vol 8 Pg *+,,*+-,. &isr), it is written that we ha,e spread the
earth out si-nificantly and raised it without the support of pillars%
The standpoint of /octor #akir $aik with regards
to *3i)hi* &%uristic' 0asaail and injunctions
Before me" + ha,e a booklet of Doctor Zakir Naik concernin-" : $he
ri-hts of women:% +t is numbered as the third in his compilation of
speeches% + will hereby note the portion of 9uestions and answers
he had on this topic whilst includin- an entire separate session of
the same conducted by him% =rior to that" + would like the Ulama
to read o,er a few e3cerpts of his booklet named" :$he *i-hts of
women:%
'F(?ending support to the Western opinion in respect
to e)uality &between the genders'and his self given
commentary of the ayat of the "ur'aan, &6g 5<@,
?ine ;844'
: --, ) -'--' _'= - .'=' 8D (
/ome a,er that the word, :.awaam: implies bein- :ranked one sta-e
abo,e another:" but in actual fact" the word, :.awaam: is deri,ed
from the root word :+9aamah:% :+9aamah refers to -ettin- up when
the +9aamah for /alaah is bein- called out% +n other words" it simply
means :to stand:% In conte!t, it would mean *to possess one added
rank of responsibility but not virtue.*
:ritical review of his opinion
et readers reflect o,er the te3t" his ob1ecti,e is that man has some
added responsibility but is not better% $his is what he has a,erred in
an attempt to support the western notion of e9uality% But" one
should reflect o,er the manner in which he has attempted to
substantiate this from the word" :.awaam: and :+9aamah for
salaah:%
Note B On the one hand" the te3t of Doctor Zakir Naik is as follows"
:!e possesses -reater rank in responsibility: which establishes some
form of preference and ,irtue" whereas on the other hand" he
ne-ates such preference and ,irtue% $here are many statements in
the te3ts and statements of Doctor Zakir Naik that are in direct
conflict with each other%

'F( 3or the wife to possess the right of issuing
divorce and her re)uesting divorce &6g 9A>'.
$he fundamental 9uestion is that if a man is permitted to issue
di,orce" can a woman also do the sameA
nswer B A woman cannot issue di,orce due to the fact that :$alaa9:
is an arabic word and it is only used when a man uses it on a woman"
but still too" a woman can give divorce.
The five types of divorce in Islaam
'5( $he first of these is by a-reement of both parties% $his occurs with
the consent of both" the man and woman% $hey both a-ree that
they are no lon-er compatible with each other and thus" they opt
out of the marria-e by separatin-%
'6( $he second is where only one party is content on separatin- and
this is termed di,orce 'talaa9(% $he man would be forced to hand
o,er the dowry 'mehr( amount% +f he has not" then he will be
forced to do so to-ether with all the -rants and -ifts -ranted to
him%
'8( $he third type is in a case whereby the woman is content on
separatin- as lon- as this 'a-reement of issuin- di,orce when she
wills( was made mention of in her marria-e certificate% +f it was"
then she has the ri-ht to issue di,orce% $his is normally known to
be a :rasman: 'customary( act" but + ha,e ne,er seen anyone refer
the woman issuin- di,orce in this case as bein- bein- customary%
'D( $he fourth type is where the husband is known to oppress 'hit(
the woman or known not to fulfil her ri-hts" in which case she has
the ri-ht to approach a 1ud-e who will in turn annul the marria-e%
$his is referred to as an :annulment of the marria-e:% $he 1ud-e
may force him to hand o,er to her the dowry or a part of it% $his is
at the discretion of the 1ud-e%
'E( $he final type is that which is termed :<hula:% $his would be in a
case whereby" despite the husband bein- well mannered and the
wife not possessin- any complaints a-ainst him" yet naturally" she
is disinclined to him for personal reasons% /he may re9uest the
husband to issue her a di,orce in this case% $his is termed :<hula:%

But there are ,ery few people who speak about the wife ha,in-
the ri-ht to issue di,orce% $he Ulama ha,e listed these fi,e types%
/ome di,ide these into one" two and three parts" but practically"
all in all" these cate-ories of di,orce amount to fi,e% + now feel
that the response to your 9uestion is complete%

:ritical review of his opinion

$he fi,e cate-ories of di,orce mentioned by Doctor Zakir Naik
ha,e been numbered and separated by us% $he rest of what is
written are his ,ery own words% +f we were to del,e into the detail
he has forwarded" then truly speakin-" it is e3tremely painful% 0e
will suffice on bein- concise and comprehensi,e%
'5( .e avers that there are five types of divorceBBBB Where did
/octor #akir $aik get this from and from whoC This he has
failed to mention. !e merely says :Ulama:" but fails to specify%
As far as the knowled-e we possess is concerned" there e3ists
absolutely no such detail in /hari'ah as furnished by Doctor
Zakir Naik% =resently" the most detailed book on 1urisprudence
comprisin- of the most accepted and trusted opinions of the
four Ma)aahib is, "l &a(sooatul /i0hi11a, which has been
published in DE ,olumes by :0i)aaratul Aw9aaf: of <uwait%
$he 6Hth Vol is before me" wherein the details of di,orce are
well elucidated% +n the be-innin-" the author discusses di,orce
and the words used in this re-ard '=- E B J( and similarly" the
details of the ,arious types of di,orce 'p- 6F(" but there is no
mention whatsoe,er of the fi,e types e3plained by Doctor Zakir
Naik%

=resently" another famous" detailed and reliable book on
1urisprudence 'fi9h( is" /i0hul Islaam $a "dillatuhu, the
author of which is :0ahabiyya Zuhaili:% +t is a book that
contains Masaail on the four Ma)habs 'schools of thou-ht( and
the opinions of others too" but there is absolutely no mention
of the types forwarded by /octor #akir $aik.
'8(Di,orce may only be -i,en after the enactment of a Nikah to a
woman in one's marria-e% A woman is not permitted to remarry
unless she is di,orced or an annulment of her marria-e takes
place" re-ardless of her position and dilemma% $he solution in all
specific scenarios ha,e been well e3plained and these are present
in the books of 1urisprudence 'fi9h(%
'D($he ri-ht of di,orce B $his is solely the ri-ht of a man who has a
woman in his marria-e% +n fact" e,en if a father -ets his immature
'non2baali-h( child married" the ri-ht of issuin- di,orce is not
entrusted to the father" but is solely at the discretion of the
husband" who is the child in this instance% $his will remain the
case e,en after he matures%
'E(Apart from the husband himself" a third party adult" who is
sane and mature has the ri-ht to issue di,orce on his behalf or
e,en to separate between the two" re-ardless of whether this
permission was -ranted or taken from the former or e,en if
/hari'ah had permitted it% /hari'ah has only permitted a 1ud-e to
do so and not e,en a mediator" unless he has been -ranted
permission by the husband%
'F( $he wife does not possess the ri-ht to issue di,orce or to end
the relation% ?es" at most" she may re9uest the husband to issue
her a di,orce%
'I($he wife would only be permitted to issue di,orce when this
ri-ht was -ranted to her by the husband% $his would either
materialise by the husband himself ha,in- formally -ranted this
ri-ht to her or by the woman ac9uirin- this ri-ht from him"
re-ardless of whether this occurred at the time of enactin- the
marria-e or later% +n any case" when the wife -ets this ri-ht from
the man" then she may on her own accord make use of it and end
the relation%
'J( $here are many scenarios written in the books of 1urisprudence
'fi9h( and hadith whereby the wife may ac9uire the ri-ht to annul the
marria-e with the consent of the husband% $here is most probably no
detailed book in 1urisprudence wherein discussion on this :ri-ht and
its detail: ha,e not been e3pounded% +n fact" some scenarios ha,e
e,en been clearly stated in the Noble .ur'aan% :Aayat 6J of /urah
Ah)aab: is related to this ,ery aspect" wherein specific mention is
made of the incident pertainin- to the chaste and pure wi,es of Nabi
'/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam(%
'H( Several of the five categories furnished by /octor #akir $aik are
in total conflict to the unanimously accepted injunctions and details
provided by Shari'ah. ;irstly" he makes mention of -i,in- dowry only
in the second scenario whilst in the fourth" he discusses the amount
to be -i,en% $his" he said was dependent on the decision of the 1ud-e
but this matter needs to be carefully scrutinised for the followin-
reasons4
'a( +n the enactment of a marria-e" dowry 'mehr( is a necessary
aspect which -oes hand in hand with the marria-e% +n fact" if the
marria-e was enacted with no amount bein- a-reed upon and they
were yet to consummate it" before which the relation was annulled"
then too" he would be forced to pay dowry% +n this case" he would be
obli-ed to -i,e the e9ui,alent of half of the :Mehr Mithl: or :Mata:%
+f it 'dowry( was decided" then half of it would need to be handed
o,er% $he only case where" despite separatin- after Nikah" the
husband is not obli-ed to pay anythin- is in a case where the woman
for-i,es her ri-ht to the dowry% $here are one or two other cases but
these are e3tremely rare% +n any case" dowry is a ri-ht of /hari'ah and
is closely linked with the standin- and ,alidity of Nikah with the
husband -enerally bein- forced to pay it in some way or the other%
Therefore, for /octor #akir $aik to specify this with the second and
fourth type is tantamount to *renewing the Shari'ah* or *altering
it*.
'b( As for the amount of dowry 'in separation(" this is not based on
the decision or a-reement of anyone" but rather specifically allocated
by the /hari'ah itself% +f the amount of dowry was stipulated at the
time of Nikah" then the entire amount or half of it must be paid% +f
nothin- was decided" then the amount the couple later decide would
need to be paid out or merely :mehr mithl: or :half of it:% +f anyone
has the ri-ht to alter the amount" this is at the sole discretion of the
couple for after all the woman is the one who accepts the sum" whilst
the man is the one who pays it out% 0hen the Nikah is enacted" then
there e3ist no ri-ht for the respected -uardians in the matter% $he
1ud-e may still possess the ri-ht to annul the marria-e or to see that
this is done" but he does not ha,e the ri-ht to tamper and alter with
the amount of dowry nor decide for himself%
'5G( ;urthermore" the details of the fi,e types or cate-ories
mentioned by Zakir Naik are truly 9uestionable for there are not only
those specific reasons for :<hula: and :;askh: 'annulment of the
Nikah( which he has listed nor does an annulment or di,orce take
place by mere a-reement or talk in the manner that he has
described% /hari'ah has stipulated a set of rules and specific wordin-
to be taken into consideration upon which the in1unctions are
dependent%
$ote B 0e re9uire answers from Doctor Zakir Naik on where he has
ac9uired these new set of rules pertainin- to dowry and di,orce%
'J(Is there a difference between the testimony of a
male and female or are the two e)ual,&6g ;><,
"uestion <'
"ues B 0hy is it that in +slaam the testimony of two females e9ual
to that of one maleA
nswer B +n +slaam" it is not always such that the testimony of two
women e9ual that of a sin-le male% +n the Noble .ur'aan" there
are three such places whereby the testimony of a man and
woman are referred to without any difference in number%

+n respect to the in1unctions of inheritance" that is when one is
be9ueathin-" it is a re9uirement that there be two 1ust witnesses
as is clear from /urah Maa'idah" Aayat 5GIKKKKK%%

/imilarly" concernin- di,orce" we are instructed to appoint two
witnesses% $his is clear from /urah $alaa9" Aayat 6KKKK%

And with re-ards to chaste women" there must be four witnesses
to testify" /urah Noor" Aayat DKKKKKKKK

It is therefore not true to aver that the testimony of two females
is always e)ual to that of one male. This is only specific with
certain cases. +n the Noble .ur'aan" there are fi,e instances
mentioned whereby there is no difference in the testimony of a
male and female" whereas" there is only one Aayat that tells us of
the testimony of two women bein- e9ual to one man% $his is in
:/urah Al Ba9ara" Aayat 6J6: and it is in fact" the lon-est Aayat of
the .ur'aan which contains in1unctions pertainin- to business%

$his specific Aayat of the .ur'aan is business related and in
dealin-s of this nature" the two parties in,ol,ed are instructed to
write the terms of the a-reement in the presence of two
witnesses% An effort should be made to find males to act as
witnesses" but if this is not possible" then one man and two
women would suffice% +n +slaam" when it comes to business
related matters" preference is -i,en to the witness of two men for
after all" the duty of lookin- after the family falls on the shoulder
of the man%

Due to the fact that responsibilities related to earnin- are the sole
duty of the man" he is understood to be better informed then a
woman in these matters% +n the second case" it would be
necessary to appoint one man and two women to testify% +f one
woman was to err" then the other may remind her% +n the .ur'aan"
the word" ".-- : refers to errin- or to committin- a mistake% +t is
only in business related matters that the testimony of one man is
e9ual to two women%

On the contrary" some people a,er that in the testimony of a
woman in a murder case" there too" two witnesses are re9uired"
that is" two females e9ual one male in this re-ard% $o e9uate a
sin-le woman with a man in this case is incorrect for the natural
trait of a female is one of panic and thus" accordin- to some" the
testimony of two women is e9ual to one man% ccording to some
(lama, the testimony of two women and one man apply in all
cases, but we do not agree with this, as is evident from *Surah
$oor, ayat A8<*, wherein it is clear that decisions have been
made on the testimony of a single man and woman.

!adhrat Aysha '*adiallahu Anha(" who was the wife of Nabi
'/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam( is reported to ha,e narrated
appro3imately :666: Ahadith" which are all accepted by her sin-le
testimony% $his also -oes to show that the testimony of one
woman is accepted%

$here are many Ulama who a,er that the testimony of one
woman suffices in respect to the si-htin- of the moon% ?ou may
yourself decide on the matter" for after all" in such an important
pillar as fastin-" the testimony of one woman is accepted and on it
all Muslims fast% /ome Ulama are of the opinion that for the
commencement of fastin-" the testimony of one suffices whilst for
the end of it" two are re9uired" irrespecti,e of whether they be
males or females%

$here are certain :Masaail: wherein the testimony of one woman
is in fact necessary% ;or instance" when it comes to :Masaail: related
specifically to women" such as washin- the body of a deceased female"
there" the testimony of a man is of no re-ards% +n business related
matters" the difference is not based on ine9uality between male and
female" but solely for the reason that their responsibilities and duties
differ" which ha,e been clearly stipulated in +slaam%

'0e ha,e intentionally omitted the translation of the Aayaat made by
Doctor Zakir Naik(

:ritical review of his opinion

+f we were to del,e into detail to e3plain the way that Doctor Zakir
Naik has" apart from pro,idin- ,ery little in conformity to the true
/hari' stance" 1umbled and mi3ed up all his information" then this
would become an e3tremely len-thy task%
'5( Very briefly" understand that the fundamental laws and system
in +slaam pertainin- to -i,in- testimony ha,e been outlined in
the Noble .ur'aan" whilst all their respecti,e details are
present in the books of hadith and 1urisprudence 'fi9h(% $he
Ulama are well aware of these and the books are readily
a,ailable in a host of lan-ua-es% &ach one may then pick up
,aluable literature on the sub1ect and read before presidin- on
the matter% $he decision of those who are 1ust and those
possessin- insi-ht in these matters will definitely be, /rom
(h'r' ar' th' bri23s and from (h'r' is th' sand 'his makes
claims" yet fails to back these up with substantial proof(%
'6( ;urthermore" for reliable information on the /hari' stance in
many aspects" + ha,e in my possession a book by the name of"
/i0hul Islaam $a "dillatuhu which is written by an eminent
1urist today" 0ahabi Zuhaili% Apart from it comprisin- of
:Masaail: on the four Ma)aahib" it also co,ers the opinions of
many others% $his e3plains why it is also appealin- to the sect
known as" :the Ahle !adith:'-hair mu9allideen(%
'8( +n the J
th
,olume of this book" in respect to :Masaail: related
to :.adhaa: 'the decision of a 1ud-e(" there is ample detail on
:/hahaadah: '-i,in- testimony(" which is in si-nificant contrast
with that forwarded by Doctor Zakir Naik%

$he second book + ha,e with me is called" "l &a(sooatul
/i0hi11a which is published by the <uwait >o,ernment% $he
:Masaail: in it are strictly confined to the four Ma)aahib% +n the
6F
th
,olume" the details on :/hahaadah: '-i,in- testimony( are
noted and these do not in any way conform with that
presented by Doctor Zakir Naik% 0e will hereby present certain
e3cerpts from this book4
'8( +n &a(sooatul /i0hi11a Vol -4, Pg --45-3+" there is
discussion on the number of witnesses re9uired in -i,in-
testimony% By way of introduction" the author writes that the
number of witnesses differ in the chapter of" :/hahaadah:
'-i,in- testimony(% '!e then writes(4

'a( +n some cases" the testimony of less than four men is not
accepted and in such cases ne,er may a woman be included%
$his is in a case of adultery%
'b( +f a :wealthy man: claims to be poor and thereby worthy of
recei,in- Zakaat" the :!anbalis: are of the opinion that he will
need to present three witnesses%

'c( +n some :Masaail:" two witness are sufficient" but these too"
must be male% $his would apply in all other :hudood: 'crimes
in /hari'ah( besides adultery% All the #urists are unanimous on
this%

$he ma1ority of Ulama also a,er that in matters wherein men
-enerally possess the knowhow" despite these bein- cases not
related to wealth" there must still be two male witnesses" such
as in" :Nikah: 'marria-e(" :$alaa9: 'di,orce(" :*a1at: 'retractin-
the di,orce(" :+ylaa: 'when a man takes an oath that he will not
ha,e relations with his wife(" :+)haar: 'whereby the man draws
a comparison of the pri,ate or-an of his wife with that of his
mother(" :Nasab: 'pro,in- one's linea-e(" :+slaam:" :+rtidaad:
'apostasy(" :#arh and $adeel: 'the field of critici)in- and
authenticatin- narrators(" death" bankruptcy" :0akaalat:
'appointin- a deputy(" :0asiyyah: 'be9ueathin-(" :/hahaadah
on /hahaadah: '-i,in- testimony on the testimony of another(
and others%

'd( $he :!anafiyya: are of the opinion that in besides :!udood
and .isas:" in all other matters" whether these be related to
wealth or not" the testimony of two males or that of one male
and two females would suffice% $he ma1ority of Ulama a,er
that the testimony of one man and two women would only be
considered in matters that are strictly related to wealth%

'e( +n some cases" only the testimony of women is accepted"
such as :birth: 'that so and so is the mother of the child("
:breastfeedin-:'has the child drunk from the milk of a woman(
and all those aspects re-ardin- which a stran-e man is
-enerally unaware%
$he 9uestion that arises is" :0hat will be the re9uired number
of women:A :0ill a sin-le woman suffice or will there be the
need for more:A :0ill the rulin- be -eneral or will there be
detail to it:A $here e3ists difference amon-st the #urists% $here
is as we ha,e already read" mention of one" two" three and
e,en four women%

'f( +n some cases" the testimony of a sin-le indi,idual is
sufficient on condition that the person is 1ust and reliable" e,en
if it be a female" such as the testimony for the moon si-htin- of
*amadhan%

'D( $hese are details accepted by the four illustrious +maams of
1urisprudence% Accordin- to this" one portion of these
:masaail: are such that the testimony of a female is of no
re-ards% As for those wherein it is accepted" apart from one
case" wherein the testimony of a sin-le woman is accepted"
she will re9uire another woman to testify with her% +n matters
related to murder and others" lea,e alone one or two women"
the testimony of a female is totally not accepted% As for those
aspects wherein Doctor Zakir Naik has created or understood
scope for leeway" accordin- to the Ulama of the Ummah" these
are clearly a-ainst the intended meanin- of the Aayaat and
in1unctions of /hari'ah% Apart from adultery" the :Zaahiriyya:
a,er that in other :!udood: 'crimes(" the testimony of one
man and two women is acceptable% ."l /i0hul Islaami, Vol 8 Pg
4+*6)

'H(What does the *father being the guardian* implyC
'An e3cerpt from the chapter concernin- the ri-hts of
women" =- 8FI(
"uestion B +n :+slaamic =ersonal law:" why is it that only the
father may be the -uardian of the childA
nswer B $he sister has asked that does only the father possess
the ri-ht of bein- the natural -uardian of the child% +n response"
this is incorrect" dear sister% Accordin- to /hari'ah" in the initial
sta-es of the child's upbrin-in-" which is till the a-e of se,en" the
mother is the -uardian" for after all" at this sta-e" the
responsibility in as far as lookin- after the child is concerned falls
on the woman% After this sta-e" the father becomes the -uardian%
0hen the child matures" then he is at his own discretion and is
free to reside with whomsoe,er he wills% $he /hari'ah also a,ers
that he may meet any of the two at any -i,en time% + now feel that
the response to your 9uestion is complete%

:ritical review of his opinion

Accordin- to Doctor Zakir Naik" he assumes that he has completed
the response to the 9uestion and thus satisfied the woman% $he
truth of the matter is that the 9uestion and its response do not
conform%
'6( +n li-ht of the .ur'aan and /unnah" there are two cate-ories of
ri-hts that fall on the parent" one is the ri-ht of bein- the -uardian
and the other is termed :!a9 !idwaanat:% $hese are two separate
ri-hts% :!a9 !idwaanat: is related to the upbrin-in- of the child%
+n other words" this refers to ri-hts in respect to ser,in- the child
from this a-e and similarly" the responsibilities in as far as actin-
as a -uardian of the child and takin- care of his e3penses and
other responsibilities%
$he father is the ri-htful -uardian and this is the unanimously
accepted ,erdict% $his applies in a case where the father is ali,e% +f
he is not" then this ri-ht will transfer to the -randfather% $his is
applicable from birth until the child reaches the a-e of puberty%
After he matures" the child himself possesses the ri-ht on
condition that he is sane and understandin-% $his is with re-ards
to the male child% As far as the female child is concerned" after
attainin- puberty" then too in some matters 'for instance
marria-e( the father remains the -uardian" 'althou-h in this" there
e3ists difference(" despite the presence of the mother%
+t may also be said that this ri-ht may be apportioned into two"
one is :!a9 <ifaalat:" that is the ri-ht relatin- to all e3penses of
the child with the other bein- :the ri-ht of o,erseein-:" which
refers to studyin- the nature of the issue and sol,in- it%
As for :!a9 !idwaanat:" this is not related to the e3penses nor to
o,erseein- business related matters" marria-e and others% $his
actually concerns the physical upkeep of the child% $his ri-ht will
remain the woman's until the a-e of se,en% $his ri-ht materialises
when a separation occurs between the couple or the mother
passes away% ;or instance" this ri-ht belon-s to the mother" if she
is not there" then this ri-ht is transferred to the mother's sister
and -randmother% $he child" re-ardless of whether it be male or
female would reside with the mother" mother's sister or
-randmother until the a-e of se,en% +t would be necessary upon
these women to see to the needs of the child% As far as monetary
e3penses are concerned in this period" this would fall on the
shoulder of the father" who is the -uardian% +f the need arises"
then the father or -uardian would need to spend to cater for a
third woman who would see to the needs of the child% As for what
occurs after the a-e of se,en" there e3ists detail and difference in
the matter%
'8( 0hat we ha,e written is mentioned in clear li-ht of .ur'aan
and /unnah and is found in all the books of hadith and
1urisprudence 'fi9h(% $here are also many Aayaat and Ahadith to
substantiate this" to-ether with the commentaries of Ulama" that
of the /ahabah and $aabieen% 0hat does +slaam sayA Only when
this is put into perspecti,e" will it be possible to e3plain
ade9uately% 0hat has been a,erred to in the booksA 0hat do the
Ulama of the Ummah ha,e to sayA +f a lack of importance is
attached to the abo,e and only ,alue for that which we assume is
-i,en" then this is truly another matterC
'D($he 9uestion is" :0hat occurred with re-ards to ser,in- as a
-uardian:% +n response to this" Doctor Zakir Naik wrote on :!a9
!idwaanat:" but e,en on that" he pro,ided no detail% $here is also
no detail and e3planation whatsoe,er on bein- a -uardian% Ulama
may understand this form his works%
'E( We are forced to conclude, that in most cases, /octor #akir
$aik interprets /een and Shari'ah by way of his own logic and
understanding. .e suffices on his self drawn opinions from
"ur'aan and then sits back content. .e even makes a concerted
effort that people digest &accept' what he says.
0hat do the Aayaat of the .ur'aan say and in li-ht of this" what is
in the AhadithA Or independently" what is found in the AhadithA
0hat is found in the :Aathaar: 'statements( of the /ahabah and
$aabieenA $his would include the four illustrious +maams% $his is
certainly not before Doctor Zakir Naik% !e either does not ha,e
the rele,ant knowled-e or he simply does not attach ,alue for
such authorities of Deen% And Allaah $a'ala knows best%
3urthermore, according to whose school of thought do his
opinions conform withC Only Doctor Zakir can e3plain this to us"
for he has left this matter unclear% 0hat are the opinions of the
entire Ummah includin- the /ahabah and $aabieen in respect to
thisA :onsidering this, the )uestion needs to be asked, along
what path is his propagation movingC nd in future, what will it
further becomeC et him himself e3plain%
;rom his collection of lectures" the fifth sub1ect matter that was
discussed was re-ardin-" :$he forty ob1ections made on +slaam
and their len-thy responses:% +n the comin- lines" + intend on
hi-hli-htin- the 9uestions and answers discussed which are worth
reflectin- o,er and truly 9uestionable%


'5G( .is incorrect interpretation of the ayat, * -= ',
':
"uestion D '.uestion 8H( +n the .ur'aan" it is stated that Maryam
'Alayhis /alaam( is the sister of !aaroon 'Alayhis /alaam(% Did !adhrat
Muhammad" who authored the .ur'aan 'Allaah forbid( not know that
the sister of !aaroon" Maryam was not the mother of ?asoo' but
another woman for between the two there was a difference of
appro3imately one thousand yearsA
nswer B +n the Noble .ur'aan" in :/urah Maryam" Aayat 6I26J:" the
followin- appears4
:/he brou-ht the child to her people% $hey e3claimed" :O MaryamC ?ou
ha,e surely perpetrated a -ra,e act%: :O sister of !aaroonC ?our father
was ne,er an e,il person" neither was your mother an adulterous%:
7hristian missionaries claim that !adhrat Muhammad '/alallahu Alayhi
0asallam( was not aware of the difference between :Mary:" the mother
of ?asoo and the sister of !aaroon" :Maryam:" whereas in the arabic
lan-ua-e" the word :sister: is also used to denote children% $herefore"
when the people e3claimed to Maryam" :Oh children of !aaroon:" by
this" they implied the children of !adhrat !aaroon 'Alayhis /alaam(%
+n the bible" the word :son: has also been used for :children:% ;or
instance" in the ,ery first statement of the openin- chapter of the +n1eel"
the followin- is written" :?asoo" the son of Dawud:% +n the 68
rd
sentence
of the :o9a +n1eel:" in chapter three" the followin- appears" :0hen
?asoo be-an impartin- knowled-e" he was thirty years of a-e and he
was also the son of ?usuf 'Alayhis /alaam(:% One man can ne,er ha,e
two fathers" this is why when it is said that ?asoo was the son of Dawud"
by this is meant that ?asoo was from the pro-eny of Dawud% By :son:" is
meant the :pro-eny: or :descendants:%
Based on this" any ob1ection on :Aayat 6J of /urah Maryam: is baseless"
for by" :$he sister of !aaroon: is meant the mother of !adhrat Maryam"
who was from the :children: or :pro-eny: of !adhrat !aaroon 'Alayhis
/alaam(%

+esearch of *' -= '," in light of the hadith
+n the aforementioned 9uestion" the ob1ection they ha,e raised is
nothin- new% +n fact" ob1ections of this nature were common in the era
of Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam( with responses bein- -i,en to them
at the ,ery time%
+n Tafsir Ibni Kathir .7airo), Vol 6, Pg ---, the followin- narration
appears4
!adhrat Mu-hira bin /hu'ba '*adiallahu Anhu( reports that Nabi
'/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam( once deputed him to :Na1ran:% $he
christians of that place asked" :0hy is it that you people read"
' -= ', " : in the .ur'aan" yet Musa 'Alayhis /alaam( was well before
+sa 'Alayhis /alaam(:% Mu-hira says that upon returnin- to Madinah" he
informed Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam( of what transpired% Nabi
'/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam( replied" :0hy did you not tell them that the
people of before would also keep names of the pre,ious Ambiyaa and
pious:%
$his response is well protected and correctly reported from Nabi
'/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam(" in fact" it is also a famous response of his for
apart from Ibni Kathir and Tabari, it is found in the followin- books of
hadith, Sah''h &uslim:"'Vol 5D" =- 55F" <itaabul Aadaab" Darul ;ikr("
Tirmidhi:"'Vol J" hadith EGH" hadith number"85EE"Beirut(" Nasai
Sughra and &usnad "hm'd 1ust as is found in Ibni Kathir. +t is
clearly a :/aheeh hadith: 'authentic hadith( found in :&uslim and also
accepted as such by Tirmidhi.
$he cru3 of the response -i,en by Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam( was
that the brother of Maryam" 'the mother of +sa(" is not meant !aaroon"
the brother of Musa" but specifically the brother of Maryam% +t is merely
a case of their names bein- the same as the practice of the Bani +sraeel
was to -i,e their children the names of the seniors and pious of before
as is still presently the case%
+n Tafsir Ibni Kathir: and other books" many other aspects ha,e been
written" but the correct and reliable response is that which has been
reported with a stron- and direct link to Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi
0asallam(%
/octor #akir $aik opposing the "ur'aan and hadith and an
incorrect deduction of his from the bible.
Doctor Zakir Naik apparently claims to be a bearer and propa-ator of the
same nature 'in conformity with .ur'aan and /unnah(" then too" rather
than respondin- accordin-ly" he relies on his personal opinions. +s it a
case of merely readin- throu-h these narrations or total i-noranceA $his"
despite these bein- e3tremely well known as is clear from their
references%
$hen in his response" Doctor Zakir Naik makes a whole hearted attempt
to pro,e that the word" :Ukhta: 'sister( may also refer to :children:% !e
then -i,es reference to the bible and +n1eel" but let alone reference of
an ayat, he does not make reference to any narration nor any reliable
dictionary or any book whatsoever, for that matter. !ow does this then
fit in as the stance of a propa-ator and scholar of +slaamA
+ e,en referred back to the most fundamental and relied upon
dictionaries in the arabic lan-ua-e" :isaanul Arab:" in fact" + e,en
studied many other books for that matter" but I did not find the word,
*kh and (kht* &brother and sister' used to denote *children* or
*progeny*. On the occasion of Me'ra1" in the 1ourney to the hea,ens
where there is mention of meetin- with the Ambiyaa" in certain places"
the words" :Akh:" and :Ab: are also made mention of% ;or those
Ambiyaa who hold the same linea-e as Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam("
the word :Ab: is used" as for those who do not" the word :Akh: is used%
+f the meanin- e3plained by Doctor Zakir Naik was used in the arabic
conte3t" then there would no reason for such a difference% $he
narrations pertainin- to Me'ra1 are found in many books%
/imilarly" + studied the book of *aa-hib Asfahaani" "l &ufradatul
%ur'aan which e3plains the meanin-s and purport of many words in the
.ur'aan% +t is a renowned and accepted book" but nowhere did + find the
word" :Akh: or :Ukht: to mean :children:% ?es" its usa-e is e3plained in
other conte3ts and terms% ;or instance" with re-ards to" : " ' -= " this
word is used to denote resemblance in as far as :noble traits and
perfection: is concerned% $his is similarly the case here too% $hus" in
Tafsir Ibni Kathir .Vol 6 Pg --,)" as part of the first commentary of this
Aayat" this ,ery meanin- has been reported by se,eral Ulama%
$onetheless, in the books of Tafsir and in recognised arabic
dictionaries, the usage he lays claim to, let alone being famous, is not
even mentioned.
'8( +n the te3t Doctor Zakir Naik cited of the :o9a +n1eel: pertainin- to
!adhrat +sa" the followin- also appears" :the son of ?usuf:% $he Ulama
are well aware that by some affiliatin- the linea-e of !adhrat +sa to
!adhrat ?usuf" they ha,e continued contradictin- the .ur'aan and
hadith% +s there not somethin- similar to this in the references posed by
Doctor Zakir NaikA
Doctor Zakir Naik writes after the names of the Ambiyaa" :Alayhis
/alaam:" which should certainly be done" but after the name of !adhrat
Maryam 'Alayhas /alaam(" he wrote :Alayhis /alaam:% If this is not a
clear proof of error and defficiency in his te!t and writing, then let a
genuine propagator of knowledge e!plain to us why he brings a male
*/wameer* &compunction' for a female.
'55( .is reliance on science in respect to the womb and his
openly criticising the :ommentators of the "ur'aan &6g ;<5 8
;<;, Eol 4@'
"uestion 5= 2 +n the .ur'aan" it is clearly stated that Allaah alone is
aware of the 'se3' of the child in the womb of the mother" but now
science has made si-nificant ad,ances% 0e are easily able to identify the
:se3: of the child throu-h ultrasono-raphy% +s this Aayat of the .ur'aan
then a-ainst the research of medical scienceA
nswer 8 Allaah is All =owerful and All <nowin-% !e has -ranted the
knowled-e of certain thin-s to man" but it is only Allaah who has the
knowled-e of all thin-s" both apparent ',isible( and hidden%
/ome assume that Allaah alone is aware of the :se3: of the child inside
the womb of the mother based on the followin- Aayat of :/urah
u9maan: in the .ur'aan" Aayat 8D4
$ranslation B:Verily the knowled-e of .iyaamah is only with Allaah% !e
sends the rains and !e has the knowled-e of what is in the wombs%:
/imilarly" in :/urah *a'ad Aayat J:" the followin- appears4
$ranslation B :Allaah knows what e,ery female bears and the shorta-es
and e3cesses in the womb% &,erythin- is perfectly stipulated with !im%:
Nowadays scientific study has made si-nificant ad,ances and the :se3:
of the child in the womb may easily be determined throu-h ultra sound:%
+t is certainly true that in respect to this Aayat" many translations and
commentaries ha,e been made with most writin- that Allaah alone
knows of the :se3: of the child in the womb of the mother% But" take a
look at the &n-lish e9ui,alent of :1ins:" that is :se3:" it has no e9ui,alent
in the arabic lan-ua-e% +n the Noble .ur'aan" it is merely stated that
Allaah knows of :that' which is hidden in the womb of the mother% Many
commentators ha,e erred in this re-ard and understood this to imply
that Allaah alone is aware of the :se3: of the child in the womb% $his is
incorrect% $his Aayat does not indicate towards the :se3: of the child"
rather" Allaah is aware of the :nature: of the child whilst in the womb
and whether it will be a means of blessin- or difficulty for the parentA
;rom a social perspecti,e" will this child turn out to be a means of mercy
or punishmentA 0ill the child turn out to be pious or disobedient to
AllaahA 0ill the child e,entually enter #ahannam or #annahA All these
matters and aspects are known only to Allaah%
Any scientist" re-ardless of the nature of the technolo-y at his disposal"
is unable to tell of these thin-s%

+esearch of the *foetus* in light of the "ur'aan and hadith
'5( +n order to understand the words and statements of a speaker"
the well known and accepted principal is to reflect o,er that which
he has made mention of :prior: and :after:" in the same manner
as other matters are taken into re-ard at times% $he Ulama of the
Ummah ha,e also discussed this principal at len-th in respect to
comprehendin- the .ur'aan" in fact" they ha,e placed this as
:number one: in rank of order% +t is commonly accepted that"
" '-- -- --, -' " % '=art of the .ur'aan e3plains the other(

+n order to understand whether in these two Aayaat" there e3ists
specification in respect to the knowled-e of the :se3: of the child
in the womb or not" we need to study these Aayaat thorou-hly
and keep them before us%

+n :/urah u9maan" Aayat 8D:" which is at the ,ery end of the
/urah" the knowled-e of fi,e aspects ha,e been made specific
with Allaah" i%e% when .iyaamah will take place" the time and
,olume of rain" the se3 of the child" the actions of man and the
result thereof and finally his place of death%

+n this Aayat" there is merely a brief mention of the knowled-e
concernin- the womb" but in :/urah *a'ad" Aayat J: which Doctor
Zakir Naik has also made mention of" more detail has been shed
on the sub1ect% $his -i,es us a clear understandin- on the
intended meanin-" but still too" Doctor Zakir Naik has blatantly
denied it% +n :/urah *a'ad: after the Aayat" :_`- .-=- '- ', -:
'Allaah knows what e,ery female bears(" the Aayat"
- '- '=` ,- '- " appears" which only Doctor Zakir Naik
can e3plain what he implies and how he has translated it% $he
second part of the Aayat is connected to" .-=- '- " : and the
translation will thus be" :And Allaah knows the :se3: of what is in
the womb and the e3cesses and shorta-es in it:% 0ho would know
what" :$he e3cesses and shorta-es: refer to better then the
/ahabah for they themsel,es heard the .ur'aan and its intended
meanin- directly from Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam(%

+n $afsir Ibni Kathir .Vol 6 Pg 368), the commentary of +bni
Abbaas '*adiallahu Anhu( is reported" that by shorta-es and
e3cesses in the womb :the body of the child is referred to and the
duration of pre-nancy:%

0ith re-ards to the Aayat of :/urah u9maan: and that of :/urah
An'aam" Aayat EH:" the famous narration of +bni Umar '*adiallahu
Anhu( is reported in :Sah''h 9u3hari .Kitaab ut Tafsir) under the
commentaries of both" :/urah An'aam and /urah *a'ad:" in fact" it
is mentioned in other places also% Under the aforementioned
Aayat of :/urah *a'ad:, +maam Bukhari has reported the narration
of +bni Umar in some detail% !e says that the doors to the unseen
are fi,e" which are not known to anyone apart from Allaah4
: " - ` '=` ,- '- ', ` 'And the e3cesses and shorta-es of
the womb are not known but to Allaah(% $he Aayat"
"'=` _ '- ',`" is not that of :/urah u9maan:" but that of
:/urah *a'ad:" which ob,iously implies that in both places" the
intended meanin- is one and the same with only one narrator
reportin-%
'6( $he second well known and accepted principal in commentin- on
.ur'aan is to study closely all the narrations connected to the
Aayat% +n relation to the Aayaat of both" :/urah *a'ad and /urah
u9maan:" there are narrations present in the well known books
of commentary such as $afsir Ibni Kathir and others" similarly" in
Kitaab ut Tafsir of 9u3hari: too%
+n $afsir Ibni Kathir .Vol 4 Pg 364, &isr), on the authority of +bni Abi
!aatim and +bni #areer" the narration of Mu1ahid 'who was the +maam of
$afsir amon-st the -roup of $aabieen( is reported" wherein a ,illa-er
asked Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam(" what will his pre-nant wife -i,e
birth toA '+t is ob,ious that here the 9uestion concerns the :se3: of the
child(% !e also asked 9uestions related to rainfall and time of his death%
On this occasion" the Aayat of :/urah u9maan: was re,ealed%
+n $afsir :Ibni Kathir .Vol 4 Pg 3645368): the commentary of another well
known :Mufassir: of the .ur'aan" .ataada '*ahmatullah Alayhi( is
reported% !e says that Allaah $a'ala has kept the knowled-e of certain
aspects specific with himself% +n fact" not e,en a Nabi has the knowled-e
of these% !e then separates all fi,e portions of this Aayat of :/urah
u9maan: and clarifies them% Under" " '=` _'- ', " " he states that
none is aware of what is hidden in the wombsA +s it a boy or a -irl" is it
red or black or what is itA
+n $afsir :urr' &anthur Vol 4 Pg 63+, :arul /i3r, on the authority of
!adhrat +krima" the aforementioned narration of Mu1ahid is reported%
$hese narrations also clarify the Aayat of :/urah u9maan:%
;urthermore" in :urr' &anthur Vol - Pg 63,563-, the narrations of
!adhrat Abu Umamah and Abu /alama are reported wherein two
persons in9uired as to :what: the babies 'in the wombs( of their camel
and horse would be 'male or female(A +n response" Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi
0asallam( read this Aayat of :/urah u9maan:%
*$a)li* and *)li* errors &Frrors in as far as citing ayat and
hadith is concerned and logical errors too'
8( +n attemptin- to substantiate his stance and re1ect a well known
aspect" Doctor Zakir Naik has not e,en presented any narration% !e
relies solely on scientific study and merely states that in the Noble
.ur'aan" there e3ist no such word to denote the meanin- of :se3:% +t is
true that the word :1ins: 'se3( does not appear" but we need to reflect
o,er whether there is ne-ation of this word as Doctor Zakir Naik a,ers%
+n the Noble .ur'aan" in the Aayat" : , " _ '- ', '=` :'-: appears
which could con,ey the meanin- cited by Doctor Zakir Naik" but it
certainly does not re1ect and refute the meanin- we cite% $he Aayat
states that Allaah is aware of :that: which is hidden in the wombs which"
in indicatin- to the :se3: of the child takes precedence as opposed to it
referrin- to the :/ifat: '9uality( of the child" which he claims it is
confined to% The commentaries of the Sahabah and Taabieen clearly
state that the *se!* of the child is meant. $he letter" :Maa: in the arabic
lan-ua-e is :+sme Mawsool:" which con,eys a :-eneral meanin-: as is
clear from the books of :Nahw: 'arabic -rammar(" Usool ;i9h 'principals
of 1urisprudence( and others%
0hen it comes to deri,in- information from science and modern
technolo-y" it is indeed surprisin- to see that he relies whole heartedly
on the results of ultrasono-raphy" whereas time and time a-ain" we
notice the results of such instruments bein- pro,en wron-% On the basis
of these :tests:" many people abort 'due to tests showin- that a -irl
would be born yet the parents e3pect a boy( and later they come to
know that the child in the womb was indeed a boy% +n some cases" many
are known to di,ide -ifts amon-st themsel,es thinkin- that a boy would
be born" yet a -irl is then born%
Apparently" Doctor Zakir Naik stands firm on the teachin-s of .ur'aan
and /unnah" but let us ask him" that takin- these two '.ur'aan and
/unnah( into perspecti,e or e,en from information deri,ed from the
or-ans 'eyes" ears(" is there any other knowled-e apart from these that
is absolutely certainA The simplest response, which Islaamically
speaking, is most complete and perfect is that the ayat is in contrast
to scientific study. $he knowled-e of Allaah is absolutely certain without
the sli-htest bit of doubt% As for that which is deri,ed from scientific
study" it is by no means certain" nor is it all encompassin-" in fact" it is
dependent on worldy means% $his is the response of those present day
Ulama who are reputable in the field of commentary and who possess
deep insi-ht and firm belief in the .ur'aan and /unnah%
D( At this 1uncture" it is also appropriate that we say that the intended
meanin- of Doctor Zakir Naik is not ne-ated by the Aayat% &,ery word of
the Noble .ur'aan is elo9uent and comprehensi,e% $he word :Maa: also
contains scope for this meanin-% $hus" reliable commentators ha,e also
made mention of this" but they ha,e not confined the meanin- in the
manner Doctor Zakir Naik has% $hey first speak of the :se3: and then
they del,e into other meanin-s% ;or instance" this has been mentioned in
:Tafsir Ibni Kathir, Vol 4 Pg 366, under the commentary of the Aayat of
:/urah u9maan:% /imilarly" in Vol F =- 8EJ" the same is reported by
.ataada" the famous $aabiee%
E( +n the te3t of Doctor Zakir Naik" which is laden with errors" the
followin- aspects are worth reflectin- o,er4
:Many commentators ha,e erred in this re-ard and they su--est that
only Allaah knows that which is in the wombs of the mothers" which is
incorrect%: In other words, he is saying that that which the
*0ufassireen* have mentioned despite perfection in arabic grammar
and despite supporting their commentaries with hadith, is incorrect,
whereas" that which he 'Zakir Naik( a,ers" despite not bein- supported
by any of the two is correct% ook at the way he has presented his words"
is there is no stench of tribalism in this" then" what elseC
'56( In %annat the presence of male *hurs* &damsels'
&6g @498@4@'
&"ues 97' $he .ur'aan states that upon enterin- #annat" a man will be
bestowed with :hurs:" that is :beautiful damsels:" the 9uestion is what
will women -et upon enterin- enter #annatA
nswer B $he word :!ur: has been used at least four times in the
.ur'aan%
'5( +n :/urah Dukhaan" Aayat DE:4
$ranslation B :$his is how it will be% 0e will marry them to fair"
lar-e eyed damsels%:
'6( +n :/urah $oor" Aayat 6G: 4
$ranslation B :0e shall marry them to fair maidens with lar-e
eyes%:
'8( +n :/urah *ahman" Aayat I6: 4
$ranslation B :;air damsels sheltered in tents%
'D( +n :/urah 0aa9ia" Aayat 66268: 4
$ranslation B :And fair lar-e eyed damsels who are like preser,ed
pearls%:

$he translators of the .ur'aan" especially the urdu translators
ha,e translated the word :hur:" to mean :pretty damsels:% +n that
case" these will be specifically for men" then what about womenA

$he word :=" '!ur( is actually the plural :see-ha: for = "
and : " -= (hich refers to a person whose eyes seem like a
:damsel:" which will be specifically -ranted to the pious men and
women upon enterin- #annat% +t makes apparent the e3treme
bri-htest white portion of the spiritual eye% +n many Aayaat" it is
stated that in #annat" there will be spouses and your spouse will
be purified indeed% +n :/urah Ba9ara" Aayat 6E:" Allaah $a'ala
announces@
$ranslation B :And -i,e -ood news to those who ha,e +maan and who
do -ood acts that for them shall be -ardens beneath which ri,ers
flow% 0hene,er they are -i,en any fruit to eat there" they will say"
$his is what we were fed with before% !owe,er" the fruit -i,en to
them shall only look the same% $here they shall ha,e spouses who
ha,e been purified and they will li,e there fore,er% :
+n :/urah Nisaa" Aayat EI:" the followin- appears@
$ranslation B :As for those who ha,e +maan and do ri-hteous acts"
0e shall enter them into #annaat beneath which ri,ers flow to li,e
there fore,er and e,er% $here they shall ha,e purified spouses" and
0e shall enter them into abundant shade%:
Therefore, the word *hur* is not specific for *se!* or *type*. Allama
Muhammad As'ad translates the word :hur: as spouse or wife"
whereas Abdullah ?usuf Ali translates it as :companion:% $his
e3plains why accordin- to many Ulama in #annat the :damsel: that
the male will recei,e will ha,e lar-e shiny eyes" whereas" the woman
will be fa,oured with spouses possessin- lar-e radiant eyes%
Many Ulama a,er that by the word :hur: in the .ur'aan only
:women: are meant" for after all men are bein- addressed%
!owe,er" the response that is most accepted has been pro,ided in
the hadith% 0hen Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam( was asked" :+f
men will be -ranted damsels in #annat" what will the women -etA:
Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam( replied" :0omen will be -ranted all
that their hearts desire" that which their ears ha,e not heard of nor
their eyes seen:% +n other words" women will also be -i,en a special
bounty in #annat%
:ritical review of his opinion
*ead the response and deri,e pleasureC Doctor Zakir Naik has
e3pounded in a ,ery stran-e and e3tremely uni9ue manner% My opinion
is that the Ulama will not at all be impressed at the response he has
presented% .is response is entirely based on his own very philosophy
and logic. t most, he inclines to several *literal meanings* and if at all
he does give reference, then he relies on the knowhow of Fnglish
translators of the $oble "ur'aan just as he is and then adds *llama*
before such names. !e then has the nai,ety to attribute such words to
Ulama% .e does not even mention an ayat to substantiate his claim,
even if this be by virtue of mere indication. As for the two Aayaat cited
in the -eneral conte3t which form the basis of Doctor Zakir Naik" the
word :A)waa1: has been translated as :spouse:" which ob,iously implies
that these will be for men only%
.e fails to present any narration, in fact, even the opinions of a Sahabi
or Taabiee for that matter. .e does not even cite references for the
hadith he brings at the end. I checked e!tensively for this narration in
"bni !athir", "Tabari", ")urre Manthur" and many other books at
their appropriate places but could not find this narration. ;urthermore"
by him citin- this narration and by su--estin- that woman will -et
somethin- :special:" is this meant to be substantiation for his claim or
somethin- elseA $his could not be ascertained%
!e e,en fails to list the names of distin-uished :commentators: and
:research scholars: with the e3ception of ,ery few and yes" two &n-lish
translators of the Noble .ur'aan% As is" in normal circumstances" /octor
#akir $aik does not mention the names of any (lama of the (mmah
nor does he furnish any references used by them. Do the Ulama of the
Ummah not e,en take the names of /ahabah and $aabieen in their
studyC
Nonetheless" what is :!ur: literally and what does its root word implyA
+n fact" e,en if we were to i-nore the literal meanin-" nowhere in the
.ur'aan and hadith has this been discussed under any topic or sub1ect
matter as su--ested by Doctor Zakir Naik% +f there is mention of :special
men: apart from the men of the world" then this is as :sla,es: and not
in any other sense%
0ith the word :!ur:" the word" :Ma9sooraat: has been used as a :/ifat:
'description(" which is feminine 1ust as is the case in the Aayaat of :/urah
Ba9ara: and :/urah Nisaa: whereby": Mutwahara:" which is feminine
has been used with" :A)waa1: as a '/ifat' '9uality(% As for the word"
:Zaw1" A)waa1: it is merely in the meanin- of :spouse: which may also
refer to a :man: and :husband:% $his also occurs in the .ur'aan but
when used in con1unction with a :descripti,e 9uality: it confines and
specifies such words%
Apart from the four Aayaat related to :hur: and the aforementioned two
Aayaat" the word :&in: also appears in other Aayaat which is a word
used specifically for females% '*eference 2 :/urah /aaffaat: Aayat 58I(
$his is 1ust as the word" -' --' " : appears in many Aayaat but
without the words :!ur: and :&in:% ';'f < Surah Saad "a1at 6-, Surah
;ahman, "a1at 64)
Doctor Zakir Naik a,ers that the urdu translators ha,e confined the
meanin- of :hur:" but apart from some &n-lish translators" no
reco-nised Arab commentator or research scholar has reported any
other meanin-% 3or fourteen centuries, has any well versed and e!pert
*alim* and *0ufassir* reported such a meaningC $he true bearers of
+slaam are indeed the Ulama of the first era" has anybody from amon-st
them said somethin- of this natureA
8( *ead the followin- narration found in :Ibni Kathir .Vol 8 Pg ,+) in the
$afsir of :/urah 0aa9ia: which is reported by :$abraani:% +t is narrated
by !adhrat Umme /alma '*adiallahu Anha( and is specifically found in
Tabrani &u'#am Sagh''r .Vol , Pg ,,+).
!adhrat Umme /alma '*adiallahu Anha( states that she in9uired the
followin- from the *asool of AllaahC Allaah $a'ala says" :!ur &in:" what
does this refer toA Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam( replied" :!ur:
means white and :&in: refers to a lar-e eyed women" the eye brows of
whom are similar to the win-s of a ,ulture% + asked" what do the words
of Allaah $a'ala" --' ,','' .'`-' " : meanA !e said that this meant that
their purity '-litter and beauty( will be like that of a pearl in its shell"
which no hand has e,er touched% + asked" Allaah $a'ala says"
: " '-= -,= +, "what does this refer toA !e replied that it referred to
-ood character and an indication towards the beauty of their faces% +
asked" what does" :-- ,- +-': refer toA !e replied that it meant
that their delicate nature would be 1ust like the fine inner skin of an e--
that is directly connected to the shell% + asked what does the statement
of Allaah" :'-- '-=: refer toA !e replied that this refers to women who
had died at old a-e with weak eye si-ht and dishe,eled hair% Allaah will
re,i,e them after death in a condition that they would be ,ir-ins"
belo,ed and all of one a-e% + asked" Oh *asool of AllaahC $ell me are the
women of the world better or the :!ur &in:A !e replied that the women
of the world are preferred 1ust as the top portion of a cloth which
conceals one is preferred% + asked Oh *asool of AllaahC 0hy is that so
'that the women of the world are preferred(A
$his is so because they perform /alaah" fast and worship Allaah% Allaah
will illuminate their faces and decorate their bodies with white colored
silk" -reen cloth" yellow 1ewellery" whilst their utensils for washin- would
be made of pearls and their combs would be made from -old% 'Ahead
there is mention of se,eral poems which they would read(% + asked" Oh
*asool of AllaahC &ach woman marries one" two" three" or four
husbands" 'that is when one dies" she marries another(" 'the 9uestion is(
that when that woman and all her pre,ious husbands enter #annah" who
will she be withA !e replied" Oh Abu /alamaC She will be offered the
choice and will thus choose the one with the best character with the
words, Oh my *abbC !e conducted himself to me with -ood character"
therefore" make me his partner% Oh Abu /alamaC >ood character
encompasses the -ood of both this world as well as the ne3t%
$here is further mention and clarity of the hidden bounties pertainin- to
the different damsels that one will recei,e" in the books, Tafsir Ibni
Kathir .Vol 4 Pg 349, Surah Sa#da) :urr &anthur,.Vol 4 Pg 66+, Surah
Sa#dah).
Addition@ ;or now" we will suffice on the aforementioned% $his should
pro,e sufficient for those with understandin- to -rasp the truth"
otherwise in each of his booklets he has lot 9uestionable material%
$he lectures of Doctor Zakir Naik are now bein- transferred to writin- in
both the Urdu and &n-lish lan-ua-e% $he Ulama and all those possessin-
insi-ht may themsel,es source these books and study% $hey may" in this
manner -ain the necessary knowhow in respect to this person%
One -ifted with the best of abilities may only do -ood work when he is
sub1ect to limits and he perse,eres or else he may be able to create a
name for himself but not necessarily do efficient work% Doctor Zakir Naik
does possess the intellectual capacity which is re9uired in debates to
respond and silence detractors or e,en face up to one before him but
this does not necessarily mean that his responses are always true.
;rom the details furnished in his writin-s" we may conclude that Doctor
Zakir Naik does not possess the necessary and re9uired know how to
stand as a propa-ator of this true Deen as tau-ht to us by the .ur'aan
and /unnah% .is study mainly comprises of Fnglish books. .e certainly
does not possess the re)uired )ualifications is as far as studies in the
arabic language is concerned. 0hosoe,er desires to understand this
fact should carefully study his book" :.ur'aan and Modern /cience%L
May Allaah $a'ala keep us all on the strai-ht path% $he :strai-ht path: is
indeed the path of those bondsmen whom Allaah has described in
:/urah ;atiha:% $herefore" for one who possesses the desire to be on
this ri-hteous path" it is necessary that he adopts the lifestyle of those
whose beliefs and opinions meet the criterion%
$ranslation edited by
A%!%&lias 'Mufti(
May Allaah be with him%
About the Book
As we draw closer to .iyaamah" we will be-in to notice an increase in
impostors as foretold by Nabi '/alallahu Alayhi 0asallam(" who in
apparently promotin- Deen will ha,e ulterior moti,es% 7ountless
e3amples of such :so called scholars: ha,e spread throu-hout the -lobe
with many e,en -ainin- a si-nificant followin-%
;or us to 1ud-e any propa-ator of +slaam" it is imperati,e that we put
before us the +slaamic principals of propa-ation as was adhered to by
our -reat scholars of the past% Accordin-ly" we would be able to -au-e
on whether one has treaded the path of ri-hteousness in this re-ard" or
on the contrary" -one astray%
Before us" we ha,e Doctor Zakir Naik" who be-an as a cross reli-ious
debater" but then be-an del,in- into many other +slaamic sub1ect matter
for which he clearly did not possess the necessary 9ualifications%
+n an earnest attempt to hi-hli-ht ma1or discrepancies and blatant
errors in the works of Doctor Zakir Naik" our distin-uished author has
most emphatically laid bare many e3tremely detrimental opinions and
,iews of his% $his will certainly open our eyes to the incorrect stance he
adopts in as far his beliefs" 1uristic ,iews" and his incorrect
interpretations of .ur'aan and hadith is concerned%
et each one therefore study this book carefully with an open heart
puttin- Deen before us% +t certainly is a must read and one that will
clarify many aspects pertainin- to the nature of the aforementioned
personality%