FUGITIVE Islamic preacher Dr Zakir Naik has always attracted controversy one way or another. To those who revere him, he is seen as a man of faith and was doing his duty to propagate the religion.
To his detractors, the Indian preacher is seen as a divisive figure due to his no-holds-barred approach in doing his work, which sometimes can be seen as offensive.
This time, Zakir found himself in the limelight for an entirely different reason; for an advertisement placed on his Facebook page looking for a pious bride to wed his son, Fariq Zakir Naik.
In the post, the preacher provided details on what qualities his future daughter in law should have, among others being fluent in classical Arabic and English, virtuous, provide full support to his son’s dakwah work and willing to live a simple life.
He also detailed Fariq’s qualities, among others, being fluent in English and classical Arabic, well-versed on Islamic theology and having black belts in Taekwondo and karate.
The advertisement, however, drew mixed reaction from his own followers, with some even making fun of it.
“With all due respect, Dr. I can be sure that your son may remain single till death if that’s the only option,” said user Abdul Ghalib Mohamed.
Another user Armina Ebrahim Sulaiman added: “You are looking for a female who is in Jannah (heaven) already!”
Other users chastised Zakir for the advertisement, saying the latter was putting too many conditions for his future daughter in law.
“You claim to be daa,e of Islam, and you are encouraging such culture of demanding too much, u r looking for a perfect girl and such girl is not found in the dunya (world).
“Do you want your son to be happy or you want him to live under your own conditions and preferences, some parents wonder me with their mentality walaahi Subhanalah,” user Ugbad Nour San’ale retorted.
User Isah Mansur stated: “Please stop this ridiculous thing. Marriage is a personal affair not a kind of job recruitment process. Let the young man search among the millions of Muslims across the globe and find a suitable person for himself. Islam even allows him to marry a Jew or a Christian.
“Why all this unnecessary publicity that has no precedence whatsoever in the reported actions and lives of the Salafus Salih?”
Father doing the best for son
However, some followers defended Zakir’s matrimonial advertisement for his son, saying he was just doing his best to find the best bride for Fariq.
“After reading this, what a father!!! He is So much caring for the deen of his child. May Allah bless your son with a righteous and pious beautiful and well-mannered and good charactered wife to help him in Islamic career, and together do something for Deen of Allah! Ameen!” said user Elle Et Son Chameau.
User GM Abdulah noted: “What a lovely family, fully dedicated to the propagation of Islam. May Allah grant your son a virtuous wife and unite all of us in Jannah.”
User Moulid Elmi had a cheeky reply to Zakir, stating: “The girl you are looking for your son sheikh, she is one in a million. Trust me If I see this girl, I will marry her. So, I wouldn’t tell you sheikh.”
The post had garnered 24,000 likes, with over 4,000 shares. – Sept 26, 2021.
