God Cannot be Poisoned or Prisoned by People - Dr Zakir Naik
Dr. Zakir Naik recounts the story of Rajneesh (Osho), who moved to Oregon in 1981, accumulated over 90 gifted Rolls-Royces, was arrested and imprisoned by the American government, and claimed to have been slow-poisoned in prison. Naik uses this account to argue that a true almighty God cannot be imprisoned or poisoned by people. Rajneesh was ultimately deported back to India in 1985, where he established the Osho commune in Poona.
Summary
In this short clip, Dr. Zakir Naik discusses the life and claims of Rajneesh (later known as Osho) as part of what appears to be a broader argument about the nature of God. Naik recounts that in 1981, Rajneesh traveled to the United States and established his own community in Oregon called Rajneeshpuram. During this period in the 1980s, Rajneesh became famous for possessing more than 90 Rolls-Royce vehicles — not purchased by himself, but gifted to him by devoted followers who knew of his fondness for luxury cars. His collection was so remarkable that the owner of Rolls-Royce personally visited him to find out who this extraordinary individual was.
Naik then describes how the American government eventually arrested Rajneesh, characterizing the action as a response to Rajneesh 'making a fool of the Americans.' While imprisoned, Rajneesh claimed that the American government subjected him to slow poisoning. Naik uses this claim as a central point of critique: if Rajneesh was truly an almighty God, as some of his followers believed, it would be logically impossible for a government to imprison or poison him. This rhetorical point forms the theological core of the clip — that a genuine omnipotent God cannot be constrained or harmed by human authorities.
Following his arrest, Rajneesh was deported from the United States in 1985 and returned to India, where he re-established himself in Poona (Pune), Maharashtra, founding the Osho commune, which continued as a spiritual center.
Key Insights
- Dr. Zakir Naik points out that Rajneesh's more than 90 Rolls-Royces were not purchased by him but gifted by devoted followers, illustrating the extraordinary level of devotion his followers had for him.
- Naik notes that the owner of Rolls-Royce personally sought out Rajneesh to meet the man who had accumulated the world's largest collection of their cars, underscoring how famous Rajneesh had become.
- Naik characterizes the American government's arrest of Rajneesh as a consequence of him 'making a fool of the Americans,' framing it as a credibility and legal issue rather than purely a religious one.
- Naik uses Rajneesh's own claim of being slow-poisoned in prison as a theological rebuttal — arguing that an truly almighty God could not be poisoned by a government, undermining Rajneesh's divine status.
- Naik recounts that after being deported from the US in 1985, Rajneesh returned to India and established the Osho commune in Poona, Maharashtra, continuing his spiritual movement despite the scandal.
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