Ahmed Deedat wrote many books, gave talks and was involved in live debates. His debates and books have been widely used by Muslims to promote Islam. Ahmed Deedat often quoted and used the Bible and his teaching has influenced the way many Muslims understand Christianity. However, Ahmed Deedat has seriously distorted the message of the Bible and led many people astray. The evidence for this serious accusation is the subject of this article. You are invited to weigh the evidence for yourself and come to your own conclusion. In this article are nine separate studies. The studies are short and cover the main issues that Ahmed Deedat has taught. The Bible translation used is the RSV.

The Word of God says:

He who states his case first seems right, until the other comes to examine him. (Proverbs 18:17)

We ask you to examine the teaching of Ahmed Deedat and make your choice.

• John 1:1 The Word was God
• The Witnesses of Jesus
• Incest and Pornography in the Bible
• Charge of "The Sword"
• The Real Founder of Christianity
• Judge Not
• The Sign of Jonah
• God or the Devil?
• Is the Qur'an God's Word?

John 1:1 The Word was God.

Ahmed Deedat, in his book The Choice, recalls a conversation he had with a Christian minister:

I asked the Reverend whether he knew Greek? "Yes", he said, He had studied Greek for five years before qualifications. I asked him what the Greek word was for "God" the first time it occurs in the translation - "and the Word was with God"? He kept staring, but did not answer. So I said, the word was HOTHEOS, which literally means "THE GOD" ... which in turn is rendered - God. "Now tell me, what is the Greek word for God in the second occurrence in your quotation - "and the Word was God"? The Reverend still kept silent ... the game was up. I said the word was TONTHEOS, which means a god. (Ahmed Deedat, The Choice, Brunswick, Australia: Islamic Service House, p. 192; also published in, Christ in Islam, Durban, RSA: IPCI, 1993, p. 40)

Examine for yourself if Ahmed Deedat's teaching is true.

Ahmed Deedat says: I asked him what the Greek word was for "God" the first time it occurs in the translation - "and the Word was with God"? He kept staring, but did not answer. So I said, the word was HOTHEOS.

This is not true! Ahmed Deedat has got it wrong. Here is the Scripture:

The first occurrence is TON THEON and not HOTHEOS as Ahmed Deedat claims.

Next, Ahmed Deedat says: Now tell me, what is the Greek word for God in the second occurrence in your quotation - "and the Word was God"? The Reverend still kept silent ... the game was up. I said the word was TONTHEOS.

Again this is wrong:

The second occurrence is THEOS and not TONTHEOS as Ahmed Deedat claims. Mr. Deedat does not understand the most simple elements of the Greek language; he cannot even get the letters right! It is ridiculous for Ahmed Deedat to be trying to teach others about the grammar of Biblical Greek when he cannot even read its letters! He has distorted the teaching of the Gospel and misled his reader. The Word of God speaks for itself:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ...
and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. John 1:1&14

The Witnesses of Jesus

Ahmed Deedat quotes Mark 14:50 and teaches that since the disciples fled when Jesus was arrested they were not eye-witnesses to the final events of Jesus life, which include the crucifixion:

... one of the alleged witnesses, St.Mark, tells us that at the most critical juncture in the life of Jesus - "All his disciples forsook him and fled" - (Mark 14:50). Please ask your Christian friend, "Does all mean all in your language ...?" ... So the so-called "eye-witnesses" are not really eye-witnesses to the happenings ... The reason the disciples of Jesus were afraid was that they had learned by hearsay that their Master was killed by being fastened to the cross - that he was crucified. They had learned by hearsay ... that he had died. (Ahmed Deedat, The Choice, p. 71, 119; also published in, Crucifixion or Cruci-Fiction, Durban, RSA: IPCI, p. 7, 55)

Does Ahmed Deedat's interpretation hold true when Mark 14:50 is read in context?

And they all forsook him, and fled. And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body; and they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked. And they led Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes were assembled. And Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, and warming himself at the fire. (Mark 14:50-54)

If Ahmed Deedat had just read this verse in context he would have seen that Peter returned to follow Jesus. Mr. Deedat has chosen to quote a verse that only gives a brief description of what the Apostles saw. The Bible gives a lot more information than just this brief account. If you are interested in knowing the truth and actually knowing what the Bible says then please consider the following verses:

John 18:12-18

So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews seized Jesus and bound him. First they led him to Annas; for he was the father-in-law of Ca'iaphas, who was high priest that year. It was Ca'iaphas who had given counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. As this disciple was known to the high priest, he entered the court of the high priest along with Jesus, while Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the maid who kept the door, and brought Peter in. The maid who kept the door said to Peter, "Are not you also one of this man's disciples?" He said, "I am not." Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves; Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself. (John 18:12-18)

From the above verses, who followed Jesus? Where were they able to follow him to? What did they see?

John 19:16-27 and Luke 23:49

Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Gol'gotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the cross; it read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. The chief priests of the Jews then said to Pilate, "Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'This man said, I am King of the Jews.'" Pilate answered, "What I have written I have written." When the soldiers had crucified Jesus they took his garments and made four parts, one for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom; so they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be." This was to fulfil the scripture, "They parted my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." So the soldiers did this. But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Mag'dalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!" Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. (John 19:16-27)

And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance and saw these things. (Luke 23:49)

From the above verses, who was at the crucifixion of Jesus? What did they see?

John 19:31-37.

Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the sabbath (for that sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him; but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. (John 19:31-34)

From the above verse, what did the soldiers do to Jesus?

John 20:19-20.

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. (John 20:19-20)

From the above verse, who saw Jesus after he had been raised from the dead?

At the beginning of this section we saw that Ahmed Deedat claimed that the disciples were not eye-witnesses to Jesus' crucifixion. The short collection of verses above clearly show that the disciples were eye-witnesses, thus Ahmed Deedat is wrong and has misrepresented the word of God again.

Incest and Pornography in the Bible

DAUGHTERS SEDUCE THEIR FATHER
Read Genesis 19, verses 30 to the end and mark again in "red" the words and phrases deserving this honour (of being censored). Do not hesitate and procrastinate. ... To continue: the "history" has it that, night after night, the daughters of Lot seduced their drunken father with the noble (?) motive of preserving their father's "seed". ... No decent reader can read the seduction of Lot to his mother, sister or daughter, not even to his fiancee if she is a chaste and moral woman. Yet you will come across perverted people who will gorge this filth. Tastes can be cultivated! (Ahmed Deedat, The Choice, p. 50; also published in, Is the Bible God's Word, Durban, RSA: IPCI, p. 50)

In the above quote Ahmed Deedat refers to the incident recorded in Genesis 19:30-38 where Lot's daughters have sexual relations (incest) with their father. Ahmed Deedat's conclusion is that the Bible is a filthy book and therefore should be censored, and that it is unworthy to be called the Word of God.

There are three points that need to be made which show the error of Ahmed Deedat's comments.

Firstly, the Bible records what humans are like - and we are sinful. Lot sinned in many ways, one of them being that he failed to organise husbands for his daughters. This then led to his daughters sinning the way they did. However this account was not written for us to imitate; we are never told to imitate this type of behaviour, in fact we are commanded not to do it:

No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD. (Leviticus 18:6)

Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness. (Leviticus 18:7)

This account of Lot and his daughters is given so that we can see the mercy and forgiveness of God. For even though Lot and his daughters sinned, God had mercy on them and saved them and made them into mighty nations.

Ahmed Deedat says that this story is not worthy to be in the Word of God. His heartless error is that he attacks the stories which declare the mercy and forgiveness of God. Do you think that it is wrong for the Bible to record how God has had mercy and forgiveness to sinners? I hope not because you need that mercy and forgiveness too.

The second error that Ahmed Deedat makes when he criticises the story of Lot is that the Qur'an also contains such stories. Which do you think is the greatest sin: idolatry or incest? They are both serious, yet what does the Qur'an say about Abraham's father?

Recount to them the story of Abraham. He said to his father and to his people: "What is that which you worship?" They replied: "We worship idols and pray to them with all fervour." (Qur'an 26:69, Dawood)

Here we see the Qur'an record the practise of idolatry. It also records how Adam committed idolaty (7:189-192) and Aaron (4:163, 7:150-153). It even records how Muhammad was rebuked in this way. Does that mean that the Qur'an wants us to imitate these men and worship idols? Of course not. Ahmed Deedat criticises the Bible for recording human sinfulness yet he says nothing when the Qur'an records equally serious sins.

Thirdly, Ahmed Deedat is also critical of the Bible for recording the events of Judah's sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, Tamar (Genesis 38). This event happened after her husband had died.

INCEST HONOURED
... Under what category ... will you place the incest of Judah, and his illegitimate progeny? All of these characters are honoured in the "Book of God" for their bastardy. ... But what about the moral (of this story)? God blesses Judah for his incestuous crime! (Ahmed Deedat, The Choice, p. 48-49; also published in, Is the Bible God's Word, Durban, RSA: IPCI, p. 48-49)

The problem with Ahmed Deedat's criticism is that Muhammad had sexual relations with his daughter-in-law too! This is a very well known event in Muhammad's life. Muhammad had an adopted son whose name was Zaid bin Muhammad. Zaid's wife was called Zainab. Muhammad expressed an interest in his son's wife and so Zaid offered to divorce her so that Muhammad could marry her. Initially Muhammad was hestitant but then he received a "word from God" which said it was okay. Therefore after Zaid divorced his wife Muhammad married her.

You (Muhammad) said to the man (Zaid) whom God and yourself have favoured: "Keep your wife and have fear of God". You sought to hide in your heart what God was to reveal. You were afraid of man, although it would have been more proper to fear God. And when Zayd divorced his wife, We gave her to you in marriage (Qur'an 33:37, Dawood)

Why is Ahmed Deedat not critical of this and call this event incest or wife-swapping or legalized adultery? Zainab's relationship to Muhammad was exactly the same as Tamar's relationship to Judah - they were both daughter-in-laws.

Charge of "The Sword"

How can the enemies of Islam account for Muhummed's phenomenal achievements except to decry that he spread his religion at the point of the sword? He forced Islam down people's throats!?
6a. "HISTORY MAKES IT CLEAR HOWEVER, THAT THE LEGEND OF FANATICAL MUSLIMS SWEEPING THROUGH THE WORLD AND FORCING ISLAM AT THE POINT OF THE SWORD UPON CONQUERED RACES IS ONE OF THE MOST FANTASTICALLY ABSURD MYTHS THAT HISTORIANS HAVE EVER REPEATED." (De Lacy O'Leary). (Ahmed Deedat, The Choice, Vol. 1, Islam Presentation Committee, 26th ed., 1996, p. 128ff)

Ahmed Deedat quotes the above and claims it is wrong to say that Islam was established by the sword. But is this true? What part did the sword play in the establishment of Islam? Let us consider the establishment of Islam on the Arabian peninsula, the home of Islam.

Muhammad was involved in several wars with his non-Muslim Arab neighbours. In one of these wars Muhammad said this part of the Qur'an:

When the sacred months are over slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them, beseige them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them. If they repent and take to prayer and pay the alms-tax, let them go their way. (Surah 9:5 Trans: N.J.Dawood, also 9:11)

These Arabs were enemies of Muhammad and were involved in a war against him. The above verse says that they were spared the sword only if they converted to Islam. This policy no doubt led many of them to accept Islam, particularly as the military strength of Muhammad increased and they realised they could not defeat him.

The following hadith clearly shows that Muhammad used the sword to establish his religion among the Arab tribes on the Arabian peninsula:

Narrated Ibn 'Umar:

Allah's Apostle said: "I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's Apostle ..." (Bukhari: vol. 1, book 2, no. 24)

The fact that some of these tribes did not really want to join Muhammad's religion but only did so because they realised they could not defeat him is proven by the events that happened when Muhammad died. For when Muhammad died some of the Arab tribes rejected Islam and tried to gain their independence. They broke away for various reasons. Some wanted to follow another prophet called Musaylamah, others wanted to returned to their previous religion, and still others wanted to stay Muslim but did not want to pay tax to Muhammad's political successor, Abu Bakr. Thus there were several reasons why the Arab tribes broke away but for some of the tribes the reason was that they wanted to leave Islam. Now for all of these groups the sword was used.

After the battle of Abraq, Abu Bakr decided to take military action against the apostate tribes. The Muslim force was divided into eleven corps each under its own commander. Each commander was handed over to a standard, and assigned a specific objective. These corps were to operate in various parts of the country. The commanders were instructed that before taking any action against an apostate tribe it should be called upon to return to Islam, and punitive action should be taken only on the event of the refusal of the tribe to offer allegiance to Islam. (Prof. Masud-ul-Hasan, History of Islam, Vol 1, Islamic Publications Limited: Lahore, Pakistan, 1992, p. 100)

Thus the sword played an crucial role for the establishment of Islam amongst the Arabs on the Arabian peninsula. Without the sword many tribes would not be Muslim. Ahmed Deedat forgot to mention this in his book. It is correct to say that Islam was established by the sword.

The Real Founder of Christianity

Every knowledgeable Christian concedes that the real founder of Christianity is St. Paul and not Jesus Christ (peace be upon him). In any event, if there is any division between a Muslim and a Christian on the grounds of dogma, belief, ethics or morality, then the cause of such conflict could be traced to an utterance of Paul found in his books ... in the Bible.

As against the teaching of the Master (Jesus) that salvation only comes through keeping of the commandments (Matthew 19:16-17), Paul nails the law and the commandments to the cross (Colossians 2:14), and claims that salvation can only be obtained through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Ahmed Deedat, The Choice, p. 65-66; also published in, Crucifixion or Cruci-Fiction?, Durban, RSA: IPCI, p. 1-2)

In the above quote Ahmed Deedat claims that Paul is the real founder of Christianity and not Jesus. The reason he gives is that Jesus taught: that salvation only comes through keeping of the commandments, while Paul taught: that salvation can only be obtained through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Mr. Deedat refers to Matthew 19:16-17 as proof that Jesus taught that salvation comes by keeping the commandments. Let us look at this verse: And behold, one came up to him (Jesus), saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?" And he said to him, " ... If you would enter life, keep the commandments." (Matthew 19:16-17).

It is true that if this man kept the commandments he would be saved but Mr. Deedat has not read this verse in context. For who keeps the commandments? Who can stand before God on judgement day and say "I have kept all your commandments"? Will you? God's standard is perfection, and since nobody can perfectly keep the commandments of God, nobody can earn salvation. If Mr. Deedat had just read the verses that he referred to in context he could have learned this, for the Disciples ask Jesus: "Who then can be saved?" But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:25-26). Jesus says it is impossible for men to save themselves by their own effort.

Jesus actually explains what God's plan of salvation is, he says: the Son of Man (Jesus) came not to be served; but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28). Jesus gave his perfect life as a ransom for us. He paid the price we deserve for our sins. This is why the Apostle Paul says that salvation can only be obtained through the death and resurrection of Jesus, for Jesus paid for our sins. Jesus and Paul teach the same Gospel.

The following table compares the teaching of Jesus to that of Paul. Read the following verses to find out if the Apostle Paul taught the same Gospel as Jesus.

Paul is a faithful Apostle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ however Ahmed Deedat does not have even a basic understanding of the Bible. What is amazing is that Ahmed Deedat does not even know what the oldest biography of Muhammad's life says about Paul:

Those whom Jesus son of Mary sent, both disciples and those who came after them, in the land were: Peter the disciple and Paul with him, ... (Ibn Ishaq's "Sirat Rasulallah", translated as "The Life of Muhammad", by A. Guillaume, Karachi: Oxford, 1995, p. 653. Bold added)

Thus the eariest Islamic literature accepts Paul as a genuine disciple of Jesus.

Judge Not

Jesus said: "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" (Matthew 7:1-2)

In Ahmed Deedat's books he makes many sweeping statements and judgements. Most of these are criticisms of Christianity. However, many of Mr. Deedat's criticisms can be equally applied to Islam. Here are just a few examples from his book, Is the Bible God's Word?

1/ Ahmed Deedat often criticises Christianity by saying:

Whether Catholic, Protestant or a "Cultist", of the thousand - and - one sects - and denominations - of - Christianity (p.4,12).

It is true that there are many groups within Christianity. But the same is true of Islam:

Muslims have during the course of history divided themselves into sects. Most of these sects grew because of political differences, which were perpetuated by making of such differences in doctrines of faith. The division of the Muslims into sects is something to be regretted, but there is no opinion but to put up with these sects. According to tradition there are sects among the Muslims. Each sect is in turn divided into sub-sects, and all told the number of sects and sub-sects may be over 100. (Prof. Masud-ul-Hasan, History of Islam Vol 1, Islamic Publications Limited: Lahore, Pakistan, 1992. pp. 602-606)

2/ Mr. Deedat suggests that the Bible should be banned because it records the violent and sinful actions of certain people (p. 49). It is true that the Bible records these actions, very often it does so as a warning for us not to do the same. But why should it be banned for accurately recording what people are like. People are sinful, and it is not wrong to record what they have done; the Bible is historical at that point. It never says to copy this sinful behaviour, rather it always encourages believers to live a holy life. But consider the following verse in the Qur'an:

As for those (wives) whom ye fear disobedience, admonish them and send them to beds apart and beat them. (Surah 4:34 Trans: N.J.Dawood).

Beat your wife!!! Many people find this verse offensive and a denial of woman's basic rights. If Mr. Deedat wants the Bible banned because some find it offensive does he also want the Qur'an banned for the same reason?

The Sign of Jonah

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him (Jesus), "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matthew 12:38-40)

The phrase, The Son of man, is the way that Jesus spoke of himself.

Ahmed Deedat teaches that Jesus spoke of the Sign of Jonah to indicate that he would actually be alive while he was in the tomb:

How was Jonah in the whale's belly for three days and three nights- Dead or Alive? The Muslims, the Christians and the Jews again give a unanimous verdict of A-L-I-V-E! How was Jesus in the tomb for the same period of time- Dead or Alive? Over a thousand million Christians, of every church or Denomination give a unanimous verdict of D-E-A-D! Is that like Jonah or un-like Jonah in your language? And everyone whose mind is not confused, says that, that is very UN-LIKE Jonah. Jesus said he would be "LIKE JONAH" and his infatuated followers say that he was "UN-LIKE JONAH!". Who is lying - Jesus or his followers? I leave the answer to you! (Ahmed Deedat, The Choice, p. 132; also published in, Crucifixion or Cruci-Fiction, Durban, RSA: IPCI, p. 68)

In Matthew 12:38-40 Jesus does not actually say that he would be alive like Jonah. In fact he does not use the word dead or alive at all. In the Gospel, Jesus explained many times what would happen to him in the tomb. Mr. Deedat has referred to only one of these occasions and taken this teaching out of the context of its entire revelation. If you want to know the truth about this subject then please read the following verses to understand the complete revelation that Jesus gave on this subject.

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men." (Matthew 16:21-2)

As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day." And they were greatly distressed. (Matthew 17:22-23)

And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day." (Matthew 20:17-19)

Then what Jesus has promised happened:

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spat upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him. As they went out, they came upon a man of Cyre'ne, Simon by name; this man they compelled to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Gol'gotha (which means the place of a skull), they offered him wine to drink, mingled with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots; then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus the King of the Jews." Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him; for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, la'ma sabach-tha'ni" that is, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" And some of the bystanders hearing it said, "This man is calling Eli'jah." And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Eli'jah will come to save him." And Jesus cried again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. (Matthew 27:27-50)

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel; and as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise." And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Mag'dalene and Jo-an'na and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told this to the apostles; but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. (Luke 24:1-11)

Then he said to them, "These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. (Luke 24:44-47)

What was the miracle that Jesus promised would happen on the third day?

From the context of the Jesus' teaching, what did he mean by the Sign of Jonah?

God or the Devil?

Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go, number Israel and Judah." (2 Samuel 24:1)

Satan stood up against Israel, and incited David to number Israel. (1 Chronicles 21:1)

Ahmed Deedat makes the following comments about the above Biblical verses:

You will observe that the authors of the books of "Chronicles" and of "Samuel" are telling the us the same story about David taking a census of the Jews. Where did David get his "inspiration" to do this novel deed? The author of 2 Samuel 24:1 says that it was the "LORD" God who MOVED (RSV: "incited") David, but the author of 1 Chronicles 21:1 says that it was "SATAN" who PROVOKED (RSV: "incited") David ... How could the Almighty God have been the source of these contradictory "INSPIRATIONS?" Is it God or Satan? (Ahmed Deedat, The Choice, p. 35; also published in, Is the Bible God's Word?, Durban, RSA: IPCI, p. 35)

In his desire to discredit the Bible, Ahmed Deedat has in fact denied his own religion. For the Qur'an, like the Bible, also teaches that the devil(s) are used by God:

Seest thou not that We have set the devils on the disbelievers to confound them with confusion? (Surah 19:83 Trans: Pickthall).

In the above Qur'anic verse it is God who confounds and confuses the unbelievers by sending the devils, but it is also the devils who confound and confuse as they do God's will. So it is both God and the devils who confound and confuse. If the Bible is contradictory then the Qur'an is contradictory.

Ahmed Deedat has denied the fact that God is the ultimate ruler over all creation. God is the sovereign lord over all his creation - including Satan. Even though Satan's desires are hostile to God he can still only do what God permits him to do. There is no one above God; God is the sovereign Lord. The above two Bible verses do not contradict each other because they reveal that the inciting of Satan was the method God used to bring his judgement.

Is the Qur'an God's Word?

For the last example of Ahmed Deedat's teaching I will quote at greater length than I have so far. I am doing this because on this occasion when Ahmed Deedat attacks the Bible he is also actually proving that most of the Qur'an is not the word of God.

THREE GRADES OF EVIDENCE
We Muslims have no hesitation in acknowledging that in the Bible, there are three different kinds of witnessing recognizable without any need of specialized training. These are:

1. You will be able to recognize in the Bible what may be described as "The Word of God".
2. You will also be able to discern what can be described as the "Words of a Prophet of God."
3. And you will most readily observe that the bulk of the Bible is the records of eye witnesses or ear witnesses, or people writing from hearsay. As such they are the "Words of a Historian."

... The following quotations will make the position crystal clear:

The FIRST Type:

1. "I will raise them up a prophet ... and I will put my words in ... and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him." (Deuteronomy 18:18)
2. "I, even I, am the Lord, and beside me there is no saviour." (Isaiah 43:11)
3. "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the end of the earth: for I am God, and there is non else." (Isaiah 45:22)

Note the first person pronoun singular (in bold) in the above references, and without any difficulty you will agree that the statements seem to have the sound of being GOD'S WORD.

The SECOND Type:

1. "Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying Eli, Eli, lama sabachtani? ..." (Matthew 27:46)
2. "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord:" (Mark 12:29)
3. "And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God." (Mark 10:18)

Even a child will be able to affirm that Jesus "cried," Jesus "answered," and Jesus "said" are the words of the one to whom they are attributed, i.e. the WORDS OF A PROPHET OF GOD.

The THIRD Type:

"And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he, (JESUS) came, if haply he (JESUS) might find anything thereon; and when he (JESUS) came to it, he (JESUS) found nothing but leaves..." (Mark 11:13)

The bulk of the Bible is a witnessing of this THIRD kind. These are the words of a third person. Note the underlined pronouns. They are not the Words of God or of his prophet, but the WORDS OF A HISTORIAN.

For the Muslim it is quite easy to distinguish the above types of evidence, because he also has them in his own faith. But of the followers of the different religions, he is the most fortunate in this that his various records are contained in separate Books!

ONE: The first kind - THE WORD OF GOD - is found in a Book called The Holy Qur'an.

TWO: The second kind - THE WORDS OF THE PROPHET OF GOD ... are recorded in the Books of Tradition called The Hadith.

THREE: Evidence of the third kind abound in different volume (sic) of Islamic history ...

The Muslim keeps the above three types of evidence jealously apart, in their proper gradations of authority. He never equates them. On the other hand, the "Holy Bible" contains a motley type of literature ... (Ahmed Deedat, The Choice, pp. 4-6; also published in, Is the Bible God's Word?, Durban, RSA: IPCI, pp. 4-6)

In the above Ahmed Deedat attacks the Bible, however if what he says is true then he has also proven that most of the Qur'an is not the word of God. Let us see how he does this. First he divides the Bible into three types of witness:

• Type 1: The Word of God, eg. "I, even I, am the Lord, and beside me there is no saviour." (Isaiah 43:11)
• Type 2: The word of a prophet, eg. "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord:" (Mark 12:29)
• Type 3: the word of a historian, eg. "And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he, (JESUS) came (to it)..." (Mark 11:13)

He concludes that the Bible is a "motley type of literature" which contains all three "Types" and that only some of it, the "Type 1", is the Word of God. He then claims that all of the Qur'an is "Type 1" and thus all the Qur'an is the Word of God.

In reply two things need to be briefly said in defence of the Bible then we will look and see if the Qur'an really is "Type 1" as Mr. Deedat claims. Firstly, Ahmed Deedat has ignored the Qur'an which clearly states that the Bible is the Word of God and that no distinction is to be made between it and the Qur'an.

We believe in Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the Prophets, from their Lord: We make no distinction between one and another among them (Sura 3:84, Yusuf Ali).

Secondly, the Bible recognizes the different types of revelation (Type 1, 2, 3) within it and says that God is the author of all of them; God has used his prophets in different ways to speak to us:

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways (Hebrew 1:1, NIV)

Therefore Ahmed Deedat has ignored what the Qur'an says about the Bible and what the Bible says about itself.

But most important of all, what Ahmed Deedat says about the Qur'an is false. He claims that all of the Qur'an is "Type 1" witness, that is, it sounds like God speaking. This is just not true as any reader of the Qur'an knows. Consider the following examples:

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe,
The Compassionate, the Merciful,
Sovereign of the Day of Judgement!
You alone we worship, and to You alone
we turn for help.
Guide us to the straight path,
The path of those whom You have favoured,
Not of those who have incurred Your wrath,
Nor of those who have gone astray.
(Sura 1, trans: Dawood)

If we look at the first sura in the Qur'an we see that it is a prayer directed to God; it is not God speaking. This is either a prayer of Muhammad or the early Muslim community. By Mr. Deedat's own standards the whole of sura 1 is a "Type 2" witness because it is not God speaking but a prayer to God by a prophet or someone else.

Consider the next example:

We descend only at the bidding of your Lord. To Him belongs what is before us and behind us, and all that lies between. Your Lord does not forget. He is the Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. Worship Him, then and be patient in His service (Sura 19:64-64, Dawood).

In the above verses the one who is speaking is a spirit or an angel but it is not God; it is a spirit or angel speaking about God. By Mr. Deedat's own standard this is a "Type 2" witness. Most of the Qur'an is written this way.

Finally, the Qur'an does have some "Type 1" witness which does sound like God speaking.

I created the jinn and mankind only that they might worship Me. I demand no livelihood of them, nor do I ask that they should feed Me. (Sura 51:57, Dawood)

What can we conclude from the above? If only those parts of the Bible which are "Type 1" are the Word of God then the same must be true for the Qur'an. There is actually little of the Qur'an which is "Type 1", most of it is "Type 2". Therefore by Mr. Deedat's own standard only a small part of the Qur'an is the Word of God.

Conclusion

In these eight studies we have seen that Ahmed Deedat's teaching is in serious error. He has misquoted and incorrectly taught important parts of the Bible and misled his readers into rejecting the Holy Scripture. He has shown that he has no understanding of the Biblical language and has unfairly criticised Christianity when the same criticisms can be made of Islam. On some topics he even has an inadequate understanding of Islam. It is recommended that extreme caution be exercised when listening to him explain anything about the Bible or Christianity.

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