Radical Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who has been on the run from the law enforcement authorities in India, is not new to bizarre commentaries. In a video from April 2019 that has now gone viral on social media, Zakir Naik was seen admonishing a Muslim boy named Adel Ahmed for committing ‘sin’.
Ahmed’s mistake was that he wished his Christian friends, ‘Merry Christmas’. This is despite the fact that Christians constitute the majority population in the United Kingdom, of which Ahmed is a resident, and greeting people on festivals is a common practice throughout the globe. But for the hate preacher, such a gesture is against the tenets of Islam.
“To reach your goals, you cannot use wrong means brother. What is Haram to them is also Haram to you. When you are wishing Merry Christmas to them, you are agreeing that he is the son of God and that is Shirk (sin). Because they believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God. Irrespective of whether they are practising Christians or not, they celebrate the day because of His birthday,” Zakir Naik emphasised.
It is 100% wrong to wish ‘Merry Christmas’: Zakir Naik
Zakir Naik is of the belief that Allah is the supreme creator of the world and thus the worship of Jesus Christ, aka anyone other than Allah, is, therefore, a sin. The Islamic scholar informed that he invites (Dawah) Christians on December 25, only to dismiss their belief that Jesus Christ is the son of God by coercing them to cite verses from the Bible as proof. “Is saying Merry Christmas wrong? I am telling you it is wrong. It is 100% wrong according to me,” he reiterated.
You are building a place in Hell, claims Zakir Naik
Naik further added, “If you don’t know what Christmas stands for and happen to wish someone, Allah may forgive you. If you drink alcohol, mistaking it for Pepsi, Allah may forgive you. But if you are doing it to build a relationship after knowing what Christmas stands for, you are building your place in Jahannam (Hell). Therefore, for reaching good means, you never have to follow bad means. You have to follow the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah (literature based on life and deeds of Prophet Muhammad).”
Zakir Naik and his bizarre comments
Earlier, on being asked by a ‘Muslim brother’ whether a Muslim can become a bureaucrat in a democratic country like India, Zakir Naik replied, “If you can follow the ‘deen‘ (religion), then, it is permissible. Else, it is not.” he emphasised, “If you are a strong person who can face the criticism of the non-Muslims, attacks of non-Muslims on Islam, stay away from bribery, follow the Sunnah and Quran, go ahead with the job.” Zakir Naik had explained that the only reason a Muslim should become a bureaucrat is to spread the religion and perform his religious duty.
He had also declared that despite his noble efforts of “taking the side of Muslims” and “showing the ugly face of oppressors”, NDTV’s star journalist Ravish Kumar will not find a place in the ‘Jannah’ or Muslim heaven. Naik said that whatever the ‘good deeds’ people like Ravish Kumar may do for the benefit of Muslims since they have not converted to Islam, they will still go to hell because of the crime of ‘shirk’ (heresy, idol worship) is bigger than any other crime.
