Zakir Naik's not afraid of the tough questions! And he gives answers in such a cool and down-to-earth way.
I have some of his DVDs. Very earnest and very nice- yet he speaks in a way that's authoritative. Zakir Naik is a great speaker. Honestly his boldness reminds me of Malcolm X but he seems like such a nice and sincere guy that you can't help but smile. Not criticizing Malcolm X of course! Imagine what history would be like if Malcolm hadn't been murdered and he had spent the rest of his life promoting Islam. I think United States culture- at least in the inner cities- would be very different- and in a positive way. I'm happy that he touched people's lives, though. There are people who really love him. Then there's Ahmed Deedat and Assim Al-Hakeem. Plus Yusuf Estes! So many great Muslim speakers. How I wish I knew Arabic and Urdu. However, there's no one quite like the local imam. I'm almost convinced he's the best in the world.
Ye are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah. If only the People of the Book had faith, it were best for them: among them are some who have faith, but most of them are perverted transgressors.
-Surah Ali Imran [3:10]
I feel such love for this verse and feel a little guilty also thinking about it. I think- especially during this Ramadan- I really need to focus on making sure that I'm doing my best to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong (starting with myself, of course). It's hard in an anything-goes culture to try to tell people certain things. I wanted to warn a younger man against fornication but then someone changed the topic when I tried to discuss the issue. People, though, aren't trying to hear those sort of messages. Ultimately, though- what matters I think from one end is not so much whether they listen to you but that you tried. Maybe they'll understand later.