A Mazhabi Sikh (Punjabi: ਮਜਬੀ ਸਿੱਖ) (also spelt as Mazbhi, Mazbi, Majhabhi or Majabhi) is a member of the Rangretta clans^[4] Churas who have embraced the sikh faith^{[2][3][5][6][7][8][9]} who are mainly found in the Punjab region, Kashmir and Rajastan. The word "Mazhabi" is derived from the Urdu term "Mazhab" ("sect"), and can be translated as "the religious" or "the faithful"^[10]

Mazhabis are best known for their history of bravery, strength and self sacrifice in the Sikh, Khalsa, British Indian army and Indian army. The Mazhabis were designated as a martial race by British officials.^[11] "Martial Race" was a designation created by officials of British India to describe "races" (peoples) that were thought to be naturally warlike and aggressive in battle, and to possess qualities of courage, loyalty, self sufficiency, physical strength, resilience, orderliness, the ability to work hard for long periods of time, fighting tenacity and military strategy. The British recruited heavily from these Martial Races for service in the British Indian Army.^[12] The British recruited heavily from the Mazhabi sikhs. On the out break of the Indian mutiny in 1857, the British immediately recruited 12,000 Mazhabis to crush the mutiny.^[13] After the mutiny, it was only the Mazhabi Sikhs who got recognition as a martial race after they took part in Younghusband’s mission to Lhasa in 1903.^[11]

History[link]

The Mazhabi Sikhs are originally inhabitants of the old Greater Punjab which today spans into Pakistani Punjab, Its frontier province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and into Indian Punjab, including its former punjab territories of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana in Northern India including Delhi. Peshawer, Lahore and Amritsar are historical to the Mazhabis and also form the historical center of Sikhism. Accorded a low caste status in the Hindu faith; the Churas were employed as scavengers,^[14] sweepers,^[7][14][15] poor farmers,^[14] and landless labourers.^[14] The Sikh faith had a special appeal for the churas and they rapidly embraced it as it did not differentiate on the basis of caste or creed and held everybody equal. This emboldened the downtrodden to fight against injustice, tyranny and persecution.^[16]

When Guru Tegh Bahadur was killed by the Mughals in Delhi,Bhai Jaita ji (Baba Jeevan Singh ji) brought his head back to Guru Gobind Singh. Guru Gobind Singh declared that the Rangrettas (Mazhabis) were his sons, and admitted them to the Sikh faith. Originally, the term Mazhabi referred only to the descendants of these people.

Reputation as soldiers[link]

Over the years, the Mazhabi Sikhs acquired a reputation as fine and formidable soldiers. The British recognised them as "once a redoubtable foe of the English, and now one of the finest soldiers in the British army".^[17] The Mazhabis are highly regarded for their determined resolve to complete the assigned tasks against all opposition; and were deployed in various military campaigns in India and abroad. The British were greatly impressed by their superior physique and the martial and religious fervour imparted by Sikhism.^[16] The corps of Mazhabi Sikhs became famous^[15] for their fighting reputation and discipline. In addition to their soldiering reputation, the Mazhabis were also known for their loyalty and it was noted that during their service with the army, they never once betrayed the trust placed in them.^[18] The British noted that during the First World War, the Mazhabi Sikh soldiers reached a "remarkably high standard"^[19][20] and that their contribution to the war surpassed that of the Jatt Sikhs.^[19] Whilst the Mazhabi Sikhs were an important part of the British Indian Army; British Army Regiments carried attached Mazhabi Sikh platoons. The Welch Regiment carried a Mazhabi Sikh Platoon from 1933.^[21] Major-General A.E.Barstow described the Mazhabi Sikhs as "...extremely good soldiers."^[22] and goes on to mention that the Sikh Pioneer Regiments, "...have a proud record of service in many campaigns."^[22] Historically they have fought battles for Guru Gobind Singh and the Mazhabis formed the majority of Akali Nihang ranks, even throughout the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.^[23] Maharaja Ranjit Singh also enlisted them in large numbers for the existing misls, and in the irregular corps.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh had a great admiration for their bravery and enlisted the Mazhabis extensively into the Khalsa Army^[24] which he nurtured into an excellent instrument of war. Being afraid, however, to form them into separate corps, Maharaja Ranjit Singh attached a company of Mazhabis to the existing battalions (misls). During his reign, the Mazhabi Sikhs were generally stationed on the Peshawer border, where constant fighting against invading Islamic Afghan and Pashtun forces gave them the opportunity to show their bravery and endurance.^[24]

Maharaja Gulab Singh of Jammu and Kashmir raised a corps of Mazhabi Sikhs in 1851. The British also recognised the great fighting qualities and prowess of these soldiers in the Anglo-Sikh Wars. The stubborn and sustained resistance offered by them and their ability to maintain themselves frugally amazed them.^[25] The British had admiration for the mazhabi as they made capital soldiers.^[26] The British raised the first Corps of Mazhbi Sikh Pioneers, the fore bearer of the Sikh Light Infantry, in 1850. During the British Raj, they were initially recruited for a coolie corps meant for road construction. In 1855 there were only 1500 sikh soldiers, most of them were mazhabis.^[27] In 1857, 12,000 Mazhabis were listed for the 23rd, 32nd and 34th Pioneer Regiments.^[13] They were deployed at the Siege of Delhi, Siege of Lucknow and Capture of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The raised Pioneers were a splendid Corps and displayed remarkable valour in the field.^[28] They earned a high reputation as soldiers, and became a significant component of the British Indian Army. In 1911, there were 10,866 Sikhs in the Indian army, out of which 1,626 were Mazhabis; They had been reduced to 16% of their original enlistment numbers back in 1857.^[13]

The first world war would see a rise their enlistment numbers as the Mazhabi sikh pioneers, 23rd Sikh Pioneers, 32nd Sikh Pioneers and the 34th Sikh Pioneers were developed into three battalions each.^[25] The mazhabi sikh pioneers performed well during the great war. The 1/34th Sikh pioneers won the title of "Royal" during the Great war. The unit armourer and blacksmith made a highly burnished screen, proudly displaying the magnificent achievements of the Mazhabi Sikh Pioneers as epitomized in their Battle Honours. The 34th Royal Sikh Pioneers presented this screen to his majesty King George V of the United Kingdom in 1933.^[25] The Mazhabis, along with the Ramdasea Sikhs, were recruited to form the Mazhabi and Ramdasea battalions, that were later merged together to form the Sikh Light Infantry in 1941 for the World War II.

Social status[link]

The social status of the Mazbhi Sikhs has varied over time. Unlike several other Dalit groups that still practise Hinduism, the Mazhabi Sikhs have abandoned all ties with Hinduism and its traditional caste roles. During the British raj, the Mazbhis were listed as an agricultural caste on British censuses of caste populations. Historically the Mazhabi Sikhs are generally found throughout the Punjab province, however the Mazhabis are most numerously found in Ferozepore, Lahore, Amritsar and Faridkot.^[24] The Mazhabi Sikhs perform much of the agricultural labour in these areas.^[24]

In spite of the Sikhism's egalitarian tenets, many Jat Sikhs continued to look down upon the Mazhabis.^[29] In March 1966, the Federation of Mazhabi Sikhs offered to support Arya Samaj and Jan Sangh in an agitation against the formation of the Jat Sikh-majority Punjabi Suba.^[30] According to a report published in The Tribune on 16 March 1966, a spokesperson for the organization stated that "the Sikh Scheduled Castes had been reduced to a position of mere serfs by the Sikh landlords who would literally crush the Mazhabi Sikhs if Punjabi Suba was formed."^[30] In 2005, 56 expelled employees of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee abandoned Sikhism, and alleged that they were being discriminated against because they were Mazhabis.^[31] Economically poor Mazhabi sikhs can still face discrimination and violence from Sikhs of upper castes in Punjab's rural areas^[32]

^[33] The Government of India recognises Mazhabi Sikh as a "Scheduled Caste", as part of their official affirmative action program. The urban Mazbhis have made social and economic progress over the years, and are very active in the Panjab Akali party (Sikh nationalist party). However, poverty and illiteracy is still rampant among the Mazhabi Sikhs living in the rural areas of Punjab.

Notable Mazhabis[link]

Music[link]

• Balwinder Safri, UK Bhangra Legend and lead vocalist to the Safri Boyz. The Safri Boyz are Britain's biggest selling Bhangra artists^[34] and are considered to be one of the most popular bands ever seen in the United Kingdom.^[35] He has won numerous "best vocalist" awards as a solo artist^[36] and has produced the highly acclaimed album "Get Real".^[35]
• Bhai Nirmal Singh Khalsa, The first^[37] Sikh Kirtana to be awarded the prestigious Padma Shri award by the government of India for his outstanding contribution to Kirtan in 2009.^[37] He is the Hazoori ragi of Darbar Sahib, Amritsar^[38] and has been doing kirtan for over 25 years and is considered to be one of the finest raagis^[37] having knowledge of all 31 raagas in the Gurbani of the Guru Granth Sahib.^[37] in addition, he also has a notable knowledge of bani in the Dasam Granth which was written by Guru Gobind Singh and he also sings the Dasam Bani in his raags.^[37] Bhai Nirmal Singh Khalsa is one of only a few to get this honor.^[37]
• Hans Raj Hans famous singer, sang in Bollywood film Kachche Dhage
• Labh Heera famous Punjabi folk singer
• Lehmber Hussainpuri
• Lal Chand Yamla Jatt

Personalities & Literature[link]

• Daya Singh Arif^[39] (1894-1946)^[39] One of Punjab's most famous poets and writers of the 20th Century. He was learnt in Punjabi,^[39] Hindi,^[39] Sanskrit,^[39] Urdu,^[39] Persian^[39] and Arabic.^[39] He began writing poetry in his teens^[39] and published his maiden book Fanah da Makan (Abode of Mortality) in 1914.^[39] This was followed by his most popular and famous piece of work Zindagi Bilas (Discourse of life) in 1915.^[39] These works were published in many editions bringing him great fame. He also composed historical ballads about the Sikh Gurus, warriors and martyrs called parsangs. The majority of these are lying unpublished with his son.^[39] One of his most popular books is Saputtar Bilas which was published in 1921.^[39] The Punjab Government held a memorial in his honour, at his native birth place in 1967.^[39]
• Giani Ditt Singh^[40] An influential sikh scholar of the 19th century. Leader of the Lahore group and Tat Khalsa.^[41] He was a scholar, author and journalist. He wrote more than forty books covering Sikh doctorine, history, martyrology and social reform.^[40]
• Bhai Jaswant Singh, Accomplished Writer and Mazhabi Sikh Historian.
• Naranjan Arifi, Accomplished writer and Mazhabi Sikh historian.
• Bant Singh, Punjabi Singer^[42] and labour activist,^[42] fighting against the power of the landowner.^[43] Described by Amit Sengupta as "an icon of Dalit resistance"^[44] he has been active in organizing poor, agricultural workers, activism that continues despite a 2006 attack that cost him both of his lower arms and his left leg."^[43]

Government & politics[link]

• Sardar Buta Singh,^[45] Home Minister under the Rajiv Gandhi government and erstwhile Governor of Bihar. He began his political career with the Akali Dal in 1960^[45] and was elected to the Lok Sabha of Punjab in 1962 but joined the congress party in 1964.^[45] He was closely associated with Prime minister Indira Gandhi and her sons Sanjay Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.^[45] He is a former Union Home Minister^[46] former Union Minister of Communications,^[47] Union Minister of Agriculture in 1985^[48] He is also an eight times elected member of the Lok Sabha as well as Governor of Bihar.He worked as Chairman Schduled Caste Commission Govt. Of India (Ref.Govt. Of India Record)
• Charanjit Singh Atwal,^[49] Deputy speaker and speaker in the Indian Houses of Parliament hails from Ludhiana, Punjab. He is a respected member of the Indian Parliament for 20 years^[49] and has over 40 years of service in politics. He has been in the field of politics since 1957 and was elected to the Punjab State Assembly in 1977.^[49] He is considered among the top hierarchy of the Shiromani Akali Dal.^[49]
• Joginder Singh Mann, three times elected MLA and former Punjab Minister
• Sh. Lakhwinder Singh, Indian Forest Service, Chief Conservator of Forests, Kerala
• Late.S.Gurmej Singh Gumanpura minister in Late Giani Zail Singh Council Of Ministry & Late Beant Singh council of Ministry (Government of Punjab, India)
• Late. Tara Singh Lyalpuri Akali leader & minister (Govt. of Punjab)
• Sardool Singh Bundala Ex. Minister in Capt. Amrinder Singh council of ministry in Punjab(India)
• Late S.Ajit Singh,Member parliament Bathinda. First and Second Lok sabha.1951-1962
• Late S.Sujan Singh,Ex.Minister of state in S.Parkash singh badal Govt. (Dept. of panchayti raj and rural development)

[edit] Military personnel

• Naik Darshan Singh MVC, received Maha Vir Chakra for great valour in the face of the enemy.
• Sub Maj Bachan Singh MC, awarded the Military Cross medal during World War II, Sikh Light Infantry
• Sub Mohinder Singh MC, awarded the Military Cross medal during World War II, Sikh Light Infantry
• Sub Basant Singh IOM, awarded the Indian Order of Merit during World War II, Sikh Light Infantry

Religious & Historical figures[link]

• Baba Jivan Singh,^{[9][16][50][51][52]} Sikh general and Close and famous associate of Guru Gobind Singh. He was martyred at Chamkaur during the withdrawal from Anandpur in 1704^[9][50][53]*(
• Baba Deep SIngh
• Baba Sangat Singh,^[16][54][55] Younger brother of Baba Jivan Singh.^[55] He was the (ham-sakal) look-alike^[54] of Guru Gobind Singh. Sangat Singh exchanged attire with Guru Gobind Singh^[55] during the Battle of Chamkaur to aid the Guru's escape. Guru Gobind Singh adorned him with his Kalgi^[55] in recognition of the sacrifice he was to make.
• Bhai Mati Das^[51] A Mazhabi Sikh Martyr^[51] who accompanied Guru Teg Bahadur to Delhi. His body was sawn in half.^[51]
• Bhai Dyala^[51] A Mazhabi Sikh Martyr^[51] who accompanied Guru Teg Bahadur to Delhi. He was Boiled alive in a cauldron.^[56]
• Bhai Gurditta^[51] He accompanied Guru Teg Bahadur to Delhi.^[51]
• Bir Singh,^[16] Sikh warrior and close associate of Guru Gobind Singh
• Dhir Singh, Sikh warrior and son of Bir Singh
• Nabbau Singh^[16]
• Bhai Garja Singh^[16]
• Akali Phula Singh, The most celebrated figure and leader among the Akalis^[57] He is perhaps the most influential figure during Ranjit Singh's reign and fought at the conquests of Kasur,^[57] Mahmudkot,^[57] and Kashmir.^[57] He was killed at the Battle of Naushera.^[57]
• Sardar Kala Singh^[58] A Mazhabi Sikh Clan Chief & Warlord, who firmly established Sikh rule in the notorious Gandghar mountains.^[58] He established himself as administrator of Hasan Abdal and set up his head quarters at Sarai Kali.^[58] This was the furthest frontier outpost bordering Afghanistan at the time.^[58] Sardar Kala Singh firmly suppressed the fanatical Muslim war chiefs and Pathan tribes in the area and established his own authority.^[58]

Others[link]

• Bhai Atma Singh,^[59] Nankana Sahib Martyr
• Bhai Kishan Singh,^[60] Nankana Sahib Martyr
• Bhai Varyam Singh,^[61] Nankana Sahib Martyr

See also[link]

• Akali Nihang The Mazhabi Sikhs formed the majority of Akali Nihang forces during the times of Guru Gobind Singh^[62] and throughout the reign of Ranjit Singh.^[62] The Mazhabi Sikhs still today continue to join the Akali Nihang religious orders.^[63]
• Balmiki
• Bhangi
• Chandala
• Domba
• Sikhism
• Sikh Light Infantry

References[link]

External links[link]

Zakir Naik
Born	Zakir Abdul Karim Naik (1965-10-18) 18 October 1965 (age 46) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Education	Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery
Alma mater	Kishinchand Chellaram College Topiwala National Medical College and Nair Hospital University of Mumbai
Occupation	President of Islamic Research Foundation, public speaker
Years active	1991–present
Known for	Dawah
Influenced by	Ahmed Deedat
Board member of	Islamic Research Foundation
Religion	Islam
Spouse	Farhat Naik
Website
IRF.net PeaceTV.tv

Zakir Abdul Karim Naik (Urdu: ذاکر عبدالکریم نائیک; born 18 October 1965) is an Indian public speaker on the subject of Islam and comparative religion. He is the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF),^[1] a non-profit organisation that owns the Peace TV channel based in Dubai, UAE. He is sometimes referred to as a televangelist.^[2][3] Before becoming a public speaker, he trained as a doctor.^[3] He has written two booklets on Islam and comparative religion. He is regarded as an exponent of the Salafi ideology; ^[4] he places a strong emphasis on individual scholarship and the rejection of "blind Taqlid", which has led him to repudiate the relevance of sectarian or Madh'hab designations, all the while reaffirming their importance. ^[5][6]

Biography[link]

Zakir Abdul Karim Naik was born on 18 October 1965 in Mumbai, India. He attended St. Peter's High School in Mumbai. Later he enrolled at Kishinchand Chellaram College, before studying medicine at Topiwala National Medical College and Nair Hospital and later the University of Mumbai, where he obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS).^[1] His wife, Farhat Naik, works for the women's section of the IRF.^[7]

In 1991 he started working in the field of Dawah, and founded the IRF.^[8] Naik says he was inspired by Ahmed Deedat, an Islamic preacher, having met him in 1987.^[9] (Naik is sometimes referred to as "Deedat plus", a label given to him by Deedat himself.)^[9][10] Naik says that his goal is to "concentrate on the educated Muslim youth who have become apologetic about their own religion and have started to feel the religion is outdated."^[11] He considers it a duty of every Muslim to remove perceived misconceptions about Islam and to counter what he views as the Western media's anti-Islamic bias in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks (also known as 9/11) in the United States.^[12] Some of his articles are published in magazines such as Islamic Voice.^[13]

Anthropologist Thomas Blom Hansen has written that Naik's style of memorising the Quran and Hadith literature in various languages, and his related missionary activity, has made him extremely popular in Muslim and non-Muslim circles.^[11] Many of his debates are recorded and widely distributed in video and DVD media and online. His talks are usually recorded in English and broadcast on weekends on several cable networks in Mumbai's Muslim neighbourhoods, and on the Peace TV channel, which he co-produces.^[14][15] Topics he speaks on include: "Islam and Modern Science", "Islam and Christianity", and "Islam and secularism".

Naik is the founder of the Islamic International School in Mumbai.^[16]

Lectures and debates[link]

Naik has held many debates and lectures around the world. One of Naik's most-cited debates was with William Campbell in Chicago in April 2000 on the topic of "The Qur'an and the Bible: In the Light of Science".^[17]

Naik has said that "despite the strident anti-Islam campaign, 34,000 Americans have embraced Islam from September 2001 to July 2002." He says Islam is a religion of reason and logic, and that the Quran contains 1000 verses relating to science, which he says explains the number of Western converts.^[18] A popular theme of Naik's is to try to demonstrate how scientific theories were prophesised by the Quran. For example, he says certain verses of the Quran accurately describe embryological development.^[19]

On 21 January 2006 Naik held an inter-religious debate with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Bangalore about the concept of God in Islam and Hinduism.^[20]

In February 2011 Naik addressed the Oxford Union via video link from India.^[21]

Peace conference[link]

Every year since November 2007 Naik has led a 10-day Peace Conference at Somaiya Ground, Sion, Mumbai. Lectures on Islam have been presented by Naik and twenty other Islamic scholars.^[22]

During one of the lectures at the 2007 Peace Conference, Naik provoked anger between members of the Shia and Sunni communities, when he said the words "Radiallah ta'la anho" ("May Allah be pleased with him") after mentioning the name of Caliph Yazid I—a figure hated by many Muslims, but particularly by Shias—and said the battle of Karbala was political.^[23] Others, however, believed the comment was blown out of proportion.^[24]

Naik's views[link]

Biological evolution[link]

Naik has said that the theory of evolution is "only a hypothesis, and an unproven conjecture at best".^[25] According to Naik, most scientists "support the theory, because it went against the Bible – not because it was true."^[26]

Religions apart from Islam[link]

Naik says that Islam is the only correct religion (the equivalent of a maths teacher demonstrating that 2+2=4) while other religions are mistaken (the equivalent of saying that 2+2=3 or 2+2=6). He adds that other religions should not be allowed to propagate, and he supports banning the construction of non-Muslim houses of worship in Muslim lands.^[27]

Apostasy[link]

Naik has said that any Muslim is free to convert from Islam if the person so chooses, but added that if a Muslim converts and then speaks against Islam or propagates this other religion, it should be considered treason (as in treason to a country). Naik stated that under Islamic law this is punishable by death.^[28][29]

Terrorism[link]

Naik's views and statements on terrorism have at times been criticised in the media. In a YouTube video, speaking of Osama bin Laden, Naik said that he would not criticise bin Laden because he had not met him and did not know him personally. He added that, "If bin Laden is fighting enemies of Islam, I am for him," and that "If he is terrorizing the terrorist, if he is terrorizing America – the terrorist, biggest terrorist – I am with him. Every Muslim should be a terrorist. The thing is that if he is terrorizing the terrorist, he is following Islam. Whether he is or not, I don’t know, but you as Muslims know that, without checking up, laying allegations is also wrong."^[30][31] When Time hinted that this remark could have inspired Najibullah Zazi's terrorist activities, Naik insisted: "I have always condemned terrorism, because according to the glorious Koran, if you kill one innocent person, then you have killed the whole of humanity".^[30]

In 2010, Naik said that he had been quoted out of context regarding the remarks on terrorism. "As far as terrorist is concerned," he said, "I tell the Muslims that every Muslim should be a terrorist. ... What is the meaning of the word terrorist? Terrorist by definition means a person who terrorises. So in this context every Muslim should be a terrorist to each and every anti-social element. I’m aware that terrorist is more commonly used for a person who terrorises innocent human beings. So in this context no Muslim should ever terrorise a single innocent human being."^[32]

In a lecture delivered on 31 July 2008 on Peace TV, Naik commented on the attacks of 11 September: "it is a blatant, open secret that this attack on the Twin Towers was done by George Bush himself".^[33]

Other countries[link]

Visit to Australia and Wales[link]

In 2004 Naik, at the invitation of the Islamic Information and Services Network of Australasia, made an appearance at Melbourne University, where he argued that only Islam gave women true equality.^[34] He said the more "revealing Western dress" makes women more susceptible to rape.^[35] Sushi Das of The Agecommented that "Naik extolled the moral and spiritual superiority of Islam and lampooned other faiths and the West in general", further criticising that Naik's words "fostered a spirit of separateness and reinforced prejudice".^[36]

In August 2006 Naik's visit and conference in Cardiff caused controversy when Welsh MP David Davies called for his appearance to be cancelled. He said Naik was a "hate-monger", and that his views did not deserve a public platform; Muslims from Cardiff, however, defended Naik's right to speak in the city. Saleem Kidwai, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Wales, disagreed with Davies, stating that "people who know about him [Naik] know that he is one of the most uncontroversial persons you could find. He talks about the similarities between religions, and how should we work on the common ground between them", whilst also inviting Davies to discuss further with Naik personally in the conference. The conference went ahead, after the Cardiff council stated it was satisfied that he would not be preaching extremist views.^[37]

2010 exclusion from the UK and Canada[link]

Naik was denied entry into the United Kingdom and Canada in June 2010.^[38][39] He was banned from entering the UK by Home Secretary Theresa May after arranging to give talks in London and Sheffield. May said of the exclusion order, "Numerous comments made by Dr Naik are evidence to me of his unacceptable behaviour".^[38] Naik argued that the Home Secretary was making a political decision and not a legal one, and his lawyer said the decision was "barbaric and inhuman". He also claimed that his comments were taken out of context.^[40] Film producer Mahesh Bhatt supported Naik, saying the ban constituted an attack on freedom of speech.^[41] It was reported that Naik would attempt to challenge the ruling in the High Court.^[42] His application for judicial review was dismissed on 5 November 2010.^[8] Naik was forbidden from entering Canada after Tarek Fatah, founder of Muslim Canadian Congress, warned MPs of Naik's views.^[39]

Reception[link]

Naik was ranked 89 on The Indian Express's list of the "100 Most Powerful Indians in 2010".^[43] He was ranked 82 in the 2009 edition.^[44] According to Praveen Swami, Naik is "perhaps the most influential Salafi ideologue in India".^[45] Sanjiv Buttoo says he is acknowledged as an authority on Islam, but is known for making negative remarks about other religions.^[38] Sadanand Dhume writes that Naik has a "carefully crafted image of moderation", because of his gentle demeanor, his wearing of a suit and tie, and his quoting of scriptures of other religions.^[46] He is also mentioned in the book "The 500 most influential muslims – 2011" under honourable mentions.^{[citation needed]}

Criticism[link]

Khushwant Singh, a prominent Indian journalist, politician, and author, says he "disagree[s] with almost everything [Naik] has to say about misconceptions about Islam". Singh argues that Naik's pronouncements are "juvenile", and said "they seldom rise above the level of undergraduate college debates, where contestants vie with each other to score brownie points".^[47] Singh also says Naik's audiences "listen to him with rapt attention and often explode in enthusiastic applause when he rubbishes other religious texts".^[48]

Yoginder Sikand wrote in 2011 that influential sections of the Deobandi community in India were beginning to hold a negative view of Naik. They said he was not abiding by ijma (Islamic consensus) and qiyas (analogical deduction of the Quran and Hadith), and therefore, in Sikand's view, was undermining their authority.^[49]

Khaled Ahmed criticised Naik for "indirectly support[ing]" Al-Qaeda by referring to Osama bin Laden as a "soldier of Islam".^[50] In 2008 an Islamic scholar in Lucknow, shahar qazi Mufti Abul Irfan Mian Firangi Mahali, issued a fatwa against Naik, saying that he supported Osama bin Laden, and that his teachings were un-Islamic.^[51]

Torkel Brekke, a professor of religious history in Norway, calls Naik a "very controversial figure" because of his rhetorical attack on other religions and other varieties of Islam.^[52] He writes that Naik is "strongly disliked" by many members of the Indian ulema for ignoring their authority and stating that anybody can interpret the Quran.^[52] Conservative Deobandi mullahs have accused Naik of "destroying Islam" by driving Muslims away from the correct religious authorities.^[52]