Dr.Ezzedin Gad: Inna Lilahe Wa Inna Elahe Rajoun

[Heba E. Husseyn]

As-Salam Alaikum dear everyone.   We thought we must mention this sad news that Dr. brother Ezzedin Gad, founder of the old weekly TV presentation, “Reflections on Islam,”  passed away on August 18, 2023 in Toronto.  I recall we used to watch his weekly pre-recorded presentations on Islam with interest every Saturday since 2 decades ago when there were no Youtube channels nor live streaming nor Zoom.   He was an Egyptian brother and very humble with good knowledge of the Noble Quran on which he was greatly focused.   He was certainly and unfortunately a traditional hadith follower, however, he never quoted any of those very inappropriate and offensive forgeries of the hadith school.  There is no information on his age or cause of passing.  But it seems his passing was sudden or unexpected when it happened as one of the sources of this news mentioned that his family is left in shock.  May Allah Almighty, The Highest, The Greatest, grant him maghfirah and a nice spot in Jannah on the Day of Decision.  May The Almighty grant sabr (patience) to his family.  InshAllah, ameen.

“Surely we belong to ALLAH and to HIM we shall return.”  2:156 Al-Baqrah.

[Zainab_M]

Inna Lilahe Wa Inna Elahe Rajoun.  Very distressing news.  He was indeed a very humble man.  Even after the coming of Youtube and Zoom etc. he never hankered after any latest technology to propagate his TV programs. Instead he continued to adhere to the simple way of appearing in his recorded presentations every Saturday and receiving comments & feedback via email.  He also asked for donations in a very respectful and humble manner, not the pushy way as the shaikhs and jurists of big institutes do.  He would simply say that those who wanted to donate for his weekly program could send him their postal address via email and he would mail the  form to them.  Unfortunately yes, he wasn't hadith-free, but unlike the others, he was very careful and only quoted the decent ones.   May Allah The Almighty grant him maghfirah and Jannah.  InshAllah, ameen.

[Heba E. Husseyn]

Yes exactly sister.  We also liked that approach of his .. he wasn't technology crazy and preferred the older fashioned ways.  Another aspect we appreciated, he always kept his voice low and gentle .. similar to brother Shabir Ally.  Unlike most of those muftis, shaikhs and 'scholars' who literally howl as they speak with tons of melodrama in their tone, not too different from the mannerism of the Christian clerics that's so annoying.

[Zainab_M]

Spot on sister Heba.  He always kept his voice very gentle in keeping with his humility.  None of those loud voiced shrieks and barks .. as if hadith peddling isn't bad enough to endure.

[Heba E. Husseyn]

Absolutely ..

[N. Truth Seeker]

Inna lilahe wa inna ilahe rajoun.   May Allah Almighty grant him maghfirah and Jannah, ameen.  I remember this brother when we were in Canada way back in 2002-03.  Though a hadithist, he discussed more about the Noble Quran.  Certainly humble and soft-spoken unlike ones such as Kutty and Menk etc. who yell too much.

[Ruhi_Rose]

Inna lilahey was inna elahey rajoon.  I learned about it this afternoon when I was speaking to a sister who had returned after visiting our neighborhood Mosque & Islamic centre.  Then I checked the internet for confirmation and I found that several of our jurists were talking about it expressing their condolences.  I recall, 3 years ago when brother Steve Rockwell (brother Muhammad Twahir) passed away, they didn't mention anything.

I remember his weekly TV shows on weekends.  Dr. Ezz Gad, brother Steve and brother Shabir Ally, all 3 of them used to come every Saturday in their own Islamic talk shows.  It was really nice .. and I'm glad technology was less developed so people had access to just these few presentations from more down-to-earth people who weren't loud and didn't call themselves "shaikhs" and "muftis." 

Certainly Dr. Ezz Gad was a very good believer though (using sister Zainab's words) not "hadith-free" (a very apt expression).  Yet, Insh'Allah, I pray and hope Allah Almighty overlooks his mistakes and accepts his very good efforts to spread the Message of the Noble Quran, and grant him Jannah.  Ameen ya Rab.

[Zainab_M]

The reason most of our jurists were silent at the passing of brother Steve was because he was the student of Sheikh Ahmed Deedat.  Sh. Deedat wasn't very popular with our mainstream jurists because he was self-effacing, respectful and self-educated.  Just because Sh. Deedat didn't go to some Islamic university for a diploma costing $20,000 so they refused to address him as a "scholar."  Yet Sh. Deedat had acquired more recognition internationally in a much shorter time than many of the mainstream jurists who hardly know what's humility and talk big.  Brother Steve always referred to Sh. Deedat as his mentor with a lot of respect.  So they snubbed him when he passed away in the spring of 2020 just the way they pretty much snubbed Sh. Deedat when he passed away 15 years earlier in 2005. 

[Ruhi_Rose]

That sounds really distressing, doesn't it?  The shaikhs and muftis have their sort of 'politics' even on the aspect of Faith.  The big talkers can be so irritating.

[N. Truth Seeker]

Our mainstream jurists weren't only silent about the passing of brother Steve in April 2020, but the same year in January Sh. Ahmed Deedat's son, Yusuf Deedat, was shot dead in South Africa as he and his wife walked to a courthouse.  The assassin has not been caught until the present.  Most probably the killer was either a hindu or a christian who called him and his late father "controversial" although both of them were known to be very nice and kind persons.  Yusuf Deedat also supported the Imam Hussain Mosque in South Africa, so it's also possible that the assassin may have been a Salafist.  But much more likely the hindus / christians were behind it.  South African police is so incompetent they still haven't been able to get to the bottom of it. 

[Ruhi_Rose]

Oh really?  That sounds so tragic.  I never knew about it.  Our Islamic centres never uttered a word.  So, Sheikh Deedat passed in 2005, and both his son and student passed in 2020.

[N. Truth Seeker]

Yes, right.  Both brother Steve and Yusuf Deedat passed away on the year the pandemic started.  Br. Steve passed two months after start of pandemic in April 2020 which was also the first Ramadan during the pandemic.  And Yusuf Deedat passed away two months before the start of the pandemic in January 2020. 

[Ruhi_Rose]

I see, very sad indeed ....