Let's Become Effective Da'ees - International Da'wah Training Programme - Part 77 | by Dr Zakir Naik
Dr. Zakir Naik conducts a live quiz testing students on their memorization of the first 25 Quranic Surah names and meanings, praising a student who scores 94% correct with zero wrong answers. He uses the exercise to teach lessons about confidence, humility, and reliance on Allah, sharing a personal story about going blank during his largest lecture to date.
Summary
In this segment of the International Da'wah Training Programme, Dr. Zakir Naik continues a memorization exercise with participants, testing their knowledge of the names and meanings of the first 25 Surahs (chapters) of the Quran. A student is quizzed sequentially through the Surahs, and Dr. Naik calculates the results in real time, noting that the student missed recollecting three out of 40 Surahs (92.5% correct) and then three out of 50 Surahs (94% correct), with zero wrong answers given.
Dr. Naik uses the results as a teaching moment, praising the student's performance and emphasizing the distinction between not recollecting an answer and giving a wrong answer. He also humorously remarks on the lack of mathematical competition among participants, suggesting he only improves when challenged. He encourages students to be confident but not overconfident, quoting Surah An-Nisa (4:171) about avoiding excesses in religion as a broader principle.
The session transitions into a deeply personal reflection by Dr. Naik, in which he recounts a pivotal experience from January 2004, when he addressed his then-largest crowd of 18,000 people at Azad Maidan on the topic of 'Similarities Between Islam and Hinduism.' Despite being the most well-prepared he had ever been, he went completely blank on stage. He only recovered during the Q&A session. When he later reviewed the recording, he was surprised to find the lecture had turned out excellently — an experience he attributes entirely to Allah's help.
This personal story serves to reinforce a core da'wah lesson: no matter how capable, confident, or accomplished a speaker is, true success comes only from Allah. Dr. Naik warns that rising in prominence requires greater humility and gratitude, referencing the caution of Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) as an example of deep self-awareness and fear of spiritual pride. The session ends with participants being asked whether they felt Dr. Naik was too harsh on the tested student, prompting a group vote that generates discussion.
Key Insights
- Dr. Naik argues that not recollecting an answer is fundamentally different from giving a wrong answer, framing the student's 94% score with zero errors as 'excellent' rather than merely 'good,' to distinguish between knowledge gaps and misinformation.
- Dr. Naik cites Surah An-Nisa chapter 4 verse 171 — 'Do not commit excesses in your deen' — to argue that a da'ee must avoid both overconfidence and underconfidence, positioning calibrated confidence as a religious obligation.
- Dr. Naik recounts that in January 2004, despite being the most prepared he had ever been, he went completely blank on stage in front of 18,000 people at Azad Maidan — his largest gathering at the time — and only later discovered through the recording that the lecture had been excellent.
- Dr. Naik claims that the experience of going blank reinforced his belief that all his speaking ability comes solely from Allah, stating 'with all your ability, with all your confidence, within a fraction of a second you can become zero.'
- Dr. Naik asserts that drawing crowds of 10,000, 100,000, or 1 million is impossible for any human being alone, and attributes such success entirely to Allah's help, using this as a warning against takabbur (spiritual arrogance) — 'the higher you rise the harder you fall.'
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