Ahmad Didat - preacher of Islam

Ahmad Hussain Didat was born in India on July 1, 1918. His family lived in Surat. Shortly after Ahmad's birth, his father Hussein Didat learned about the new financial opportunities that opened up in the fast-growing economy of South Africa. Soon he found a tailor there. Hussein Didat had to make a risky but bold choice and leave his young son in India under the care of his mother. And only after 9 years young Ahmad saw his father. When Hussein's position became more favorable and stable, he decided to transport his son to South Africa. And it was then that Ahmad received his first passport issued by the British colonial administration.

Ahmad Didat - biography

The journey of Ahmad across the continent was marked by a series of interesting events and became an unforgettable experience for a nine-year-old boy. He went to South Africa alone, on a long sea voyage. By the grace of Allah, young Ahmad arrived safely in August 1927. Just a few days before his arrival, the African government set strict rules for the arrival of migrants in the country and set a deadline after which no child could come to the country unaccompanied by the mother. Ahmad arrived in the port only 24 hours after the ban was established. The new law has come into full force. This meant that Ahmad Didat and the other children on the ship should be returned to India. However, his father did his best to prevent this from happening. Ahmad was the only child who was allowed into the country that day. The resolute nature of his father, his strength and confidence, were transferred to Ahmad, who later became a great personality.

Training

Ahmad Didat entered the school. And despite the fact that he had never attended school before, it soon became clear that he was ahead of the knowledge of all his classmates. In just 6 months of study, he became the best student in the class. However, his bright future and prospects for study were overshadowed by the pain of loss - his mother died. She lived only a few months after her son went to South Africa.

The emotional experiences of Ahmad intensified even more when he faced financial problems. He found that his father had nothing to pay for his studies. His sadness and concern were noticed by one local businessman. He promised Ahmad to pay all the expenses for studying. However, this promise was an evil joke. My father had to take the boy out of school. Like millions of his peers, young Ahmad was forced to engage in trade. He found a job 30 km from Durban in an old local store, opposite to which was a Christian missionary parish. They recruited young Africans to spread Christianity in South Africa. These young people often visited the store where Ahmad worked, and read him sermons, and sometimes arranged whole debates. Ahmad Didat tried in every possible way to defend his faith.

Ahmad Didat and religion

This work was conducted continuously day after day. And for the young Ahmad, it became so unbearable that despite the difficulties in finding a job, he seriously began to think about quitting and devoting himself to religion. Knowing only the evidence of faith and the basic tenets of Islam, Ahmad found that he could not protect his own religion. However, he felt an irresistible desire, an inner impulse, pushing him to seek knowledge that would help him strengthen his faith and clarify his spiritual life. But it turned out that all the answers he was looking for were lying on the surface.

The moment of enlightenment came when Ahmad decided to examine the warehouse of the store. There he discovered an old book that forever changed his life. Ahmad realized that she was able to answer all the questions that plagued his mind. The book was a description of the many meetings between Muslims and Christian missionaries who came to India to preach the gospel. The book also contained articles on the most interesting debates that took place between Muslim theologians and missionaries. For the young Didat, it was a whole religious story. Ahmad Didat began to study it.

Self-education of Ahmad

Covered with good enthusiasm, the young Didatat read greedily page by page. He was amazed at the depth of the arguments and logic of the answers given by Muslim scholars. In addition to the fact that the book provided Ahmad with invaluable information, it also inspired the young reader to take the path of finding knowledge and facts about various religious traditions from the Islamic point of view. But most importantly, the book reunited him with Islam. He began to read the Qur'an and memorize the verses while at the same time conducting their own studies of the Bible and the New Testament. Over time, Ahmad Didat began to meet with missionaries.

Bible Study

Becoming more confident in his knowledge, Ahmad began attending local Bible study lessons given by an Englishman who converted to Islam. Ahmad attended lectures with great enthusiasm. He learned a lot about comparative religion studies, about the provisions of the Bible. A few months later, the Englishman stopped teaching, and Didat decided to take his place. His charisma and style of presentation were so convincing that over the next three years he did not stop giving lessons.

The preacher of Islam

Long gone are those days when Ahmad was thrown by questions and provocative statements by young missionaries, and long days of timid answers and hesitant attempts to protect their faith have passed. Now he began to challenge the missionaries about the authenticity of their own writings.

Ahmad Didat began to look for a new platform for his lectures. He became the pioneer of previously unknown approaches to the traditional ways of calling for Islam. He was one of the first who suggested placing advertisements in local newspapers in support of Islam. Soon Ahmad acquired the English translation of the Koran and began to memorize it. The Islamic call became the main business of Didat's life, its dominant factor. Soon he was invited to Cape Town, where he conducted lectures in huge halls in front of an audience of more than 40 thousand spectators. The books of Ahmad Didat were a success and were very popular among lecture attendees.

Having received material support from one of the businessmen, Ahmad travels with his family to the southern coast of Natal, where he became the founder of the organization "Al-salam". The purpose of this organization was to teach comparative religious studies. As director, Ahmad was 17 years old. Soon he began to develop a more ambitious project - the International Center for the Propagation of Islam. And he succeeded in this.