In Hinduism, forms of explicit monotheism have developed in the medieval Bhakti movement. These derive from the philosophical system of Advaita or non-dualism developed by Adi Shankara in the 9th century, within the framework of the Vedanta school of classical Hindu philosophy.

Shankara's non-dualism postulated the identity of the Self or Atman with the Whole or Brahman, and as such can be better described as monism or pantheism than as monotheism. The shift to explicit monotheism is initiated by the South Indian Alvars with their emotional or ecstatic devotion (bhakti) to Vishnu-Krishna. This form of monotheism, also known as Krishnaism, became immensely popular in medieval India, spreading to North India by the 15th century. Besides giving rise to schools of Vaishna monotheim such as Gaudiya Vaishnavism, it also affected non-Vaishna sects of Hinduism, viz. Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. But Vaishnavism, and especially Krishnaism within Vaishnavism, remains the most explicit form of monotheistic worship of a personal God (Svayam Bhagavan) within Hinduism, while other sects tend to assume the existence of a singular God, but not necessarily with aspects of a personality but rather envisaged as an impersonal Absolute (Brahman).

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), a non-profit organisation that owns the Peace TV channel based in Dubai, UAE. He is sometimes referred to as a televangelist. Before becoming a public speaker, he trained as a doctor. He has written two booklets on Islam and comparative religion. He is regarded as an exponent of the Salafi ideology; 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.

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). His wife, Farhat Naik, works for the women's section of the IRF.

Ahmed Hoosen Deedat (Arabic: احمد حسين ديدات; 1 July 1918 – 8 August 2005) was a South African writer and public speaker of Indian descent. He was best known as a Muslim missionary who held numerous inter-religious public debates with evangelical Christians, as well as video lectures, most of which centred around Islam, Christianity and the Bible. He also established the IPCI, an international Islamic missionary organisation, and wrote several booklets on Islam and Christianity which were widely distributed by the organisation. He was awarded the prestigious King Faisal International Prize in 1986 for his 50 years of missionary work. One focus of his work was providing Muslims with theological tools for defending themselves against active proselytising by Christian missionaries.^{[citation needed]} He used English to get his message across to Muslims and non-Muslims in the western world.

Ahmed Deedat was born in the town of Tadkeshwar, Surat, Bombay Presidency, British India in 1918. His father had emigrated to South Africa shortly after the birth of Ahmed Deedat. At the age of 9, Deedat left India to join his father in what is now known as Kwazulu-Natal. His mother died only a few months after his departure. Arriving in South Africa, Deedat applied himself with diligence to his studies, overcoming the language barrier and excelling in school, even getting promoted until he completed standard 6. However, due to financial circumstances, he had to quit school and start working by the time he was the age of 16.