Famous Islamic preacher Dr Zakir Naik arrived in Pakistan on Monday morning on a special invitation by the government.
Dr Naik was received by Prime Minister Youth Program head Rana Mashhood at Islamabad International Airport. His welcoming party included those from the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
On the invitation of the government specifically to visit Pakistan, Dr Naik caught the attention of hundreds of passengers who received him warmly and respectfully as he entered the airport. Greater security measures around the airport were undertaken as Dr Naik was taken under close security measures to his destination in Islamabad.
Religious Scholar Dr Zakir Naik would be there to deliver several top-profile events in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. He would also meet several top nation figures. His talks are expected to be attended by scholars and the general public who want to hear out his messages.
The same day, on September 20, his official Facebook page announced that Dr Zakir Naik would tour the country and give lectures in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad from October 5. The tour will begin in Karachi and end in Islamabad on October 20. Accompanying him will be his son, Dr Fariq Naik, an Islamic scholar himself, accompanying him for lectures in all three cities.
Schedule of Dr Zakir Naik
In another post, Dr Naik further detailed the event, revealing that Karachi event will take place at Bagh-e-Quaid, opposite Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah mausoleum. In his first lecture at Karachi, on October 5, Dr Naik would speak on ‘The Purpose of Our Life’. On October 6, Dr Fariq Naik would answer the question ‘Kya Quran ko Samajh Kar Parhna Zaroori Hai?’ (Is it necessary to understand the Quran while reading?).
Though Dr Zakir Naik has announced the dates of his public lectures in Lahore and Islamabad — October 12 and 13 in Lahore and October 19 and 20 in Islamabad — what the venues and topics of those sessions will be he has not disclosed so far.
Huge excitement is generated as the news breaks about a visit of Dr Zakir Naik, whose followers come from Pakistan and have plenty of interesting things to tell through social media. Currently based in Malaysia, Dr Naik recently started exploring why he might have preferred Malaysia to Pakistan had he stuck around India.
In an interview with a Pakistani YouTuber that quickly gained millions of views, Dr Naik spoke candidly about key moments in his life. Pressed on why he went to Malaysia instead of Pakistan after leaving India, he said, “It would have been easier for me to go to Pakistan. I have visited Pakistan before and have a fair number of supporters there.”
But while he took this decision, he had his reliance on an important Islamic principle: “Sharia teaches us to accept a lesser harm to avoid a greater one. If I had moved to Pakistan, India would have labelled me an ISI agent and used false propaganda to shut down my institution which would have hindered my efforts to spread the teachings of Islam.”
