Zakir Naik's Son Giving Talks on Religion?

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

The Vice-President, Da’wah, of Darul Arqam after me, Ariff Sultan s/o Yousoff Sultan, was a Zakir ‘Abd al-Karim Nayk fan.  As part of the proposed Darul Arqam talks, Zakir Nayk wanted his son to give a talk on Islam.  Fariq Nayk was born in 1994, meaning he was about 15 years old then.  The proposed topic was about Christianity.  The question I posed then, is the question I pose now: in what way is he qualified?  Because he is Zakir Nayk’s son?  Darul Arqam's Executive Committee agreed to this asinine proposal. 

I was a Council member then, and a dissenting opinion.  So, I wrote to the Prime Minister’s Office, and copied the Ministry of Home Affairs and Police HQ, regarding the permit.  Can we imagine, if we had some Christian teenager giving a talk about how Islam is wrong?  We spend years studying the religious sciences, and some child is going to teach us?  Based on what qualifications?  His father is not even an ‘alim.  Are we going to use our zakat money to pay for a glorified show and tell?  What next?  Abu Aminah Bilal Philips’ infant son to tell us a bed time story? 

Prior to the issuance of the permit, the Vice-President of Da'wah, agreed to run the advertisements.  The people at the National Council of Churches Singapore saw it and they wrote in as well.  The talk was cancelled.  And some of us pushed the matter.  And neither Zakir Naik nor his whelp will ever give a talk in Singapore.  They are free to visit and spend their money.  Which is more than we can say about Malaysia.  Malaysia is home to a lot of scholars, certainly more than Singapore.  They have a history and they have a legacy.  Is this the best they can come up with?  

Sayyidina ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr bin al-‘Aasw (r.a.) narrated, “I heard Rasulullah (s.a.w.) saying, ‘Allah does not take away the knowledge, by taking it away from the people, but Takes it Away by the death of the scholars until when none of them remains; people will take, as their leaders, ignorant persons who when consulted will give their verdict without knowledge.  So, they will go astray and will lead the people astray.”