dawah training programme

STRUCTURE AND CONTENTS OF A DEBATE by Dr. ZAKIR NAIK
A Debate Consists of a Talk, Rebuttal and Question & Answer Session:
A.	TALK
	I	Structure and Content OF Your Talk:
		1)				Follow all the points of the structure and content of Islamic lecture.
		2)				Do full justice to the topic of the debate.
		3)				If the topic is framed as a Question, see that you provide the complete answer to that Question in your talk.
		4)				The opinion you want to convey to the audience and the other speaker should be clear and the presentation should be such that a neutral person or an unbiased non-Muslim should have no option but to agree with your opinion, viewpoint or stand.
		5)				If the topic contains two contradictory / opposite subjects or stances to be discussed, then your talk should convincingly prove your viewpoint and at the same time should also contain logical explanations to disprove the opponent’s viewpoint. For e.g. "The Qur’an or the Bible: Which is God’s Word?" In such a debate, your talk should convincingly prove that Qur’an is the Word of God as well as prove that the Bible is not the Word of God.
	II	Important Points:
		1)				Besides giving quotations with references from Qur’an and Hadith also give quotations with references of the Scriptures and authentic sources of the opponent.
		2)				Your talk should clarify the Common Misconceptions of the topic of the debate.
		3)				The talk should contain the replies to the allegations made by the critics against your viewpoint as well as the replies to the theories which disprove your viewpoint.
		4)				Give logical explanation to disprove the theories supporting the viewpoints of the opponent.
		5)				If you miss any important points or time does not permit you to cover them in your talk, mention it in your rebuttal or include it appropriately in your replies to related questions posed in the Question and Answer Session.
	III	During Opponent’s Talk:
		1)				Listen to his complete talk very attentively.
		2)				Make notes of all the important points mentioned in his talk to prove his viewpoint.
		3)				Make notes of all points mentioned to disprove your viewpoint.
		4)				Note down the quotations alongwith the references given regarding the Sacred Scriptures or other sources mentioned by the opponent in his talk which you feel are not correct, mistranslated or quoted out of context.
		5)				Make note of his favourite repetitive dialogues if any.
		6)				Note down any information given by the speaker which you doubt is authentic.
		7)				Make note of any comments made by the opponent regarding yourself.
		8)				Make note of any sarcastic remark made by the opponent.
	N.B. Follow as many of the above points whenever the opponent speaks, including when he is presenting the rebuttal and when he is answering the questions posed to him.
	iv		If you are the Second Speaker:
			1)			Follow as many points as possible mentioned below in the "Presentation of a Rebuttal" and include them in your speech intermittently whenever required without altering much of the matter that you have prepared in your speech.
b.	Rebuttal:
	I.		If you are presenting the Rebuttal First.
	PRESENTATION OF A REBUTTAL
			1)			Your Rebuttal should refute all the allegations made by the first speaker, i.e. your opponent, in his talk against your viewpoint.
			2)			Give a logical explanation to disprove the points put forth by the opponent to prove his viewpoint in his talk.
			3)			If the opponent has given any quotations from the Sacred Scriptures or any other sources in his talk which are not correct, mistranslated or are out of context, clarify them.
			4)			If the opponent gives any references or statistics from sources which are not reliable, mention their weaknesses as a source or the unauthenticity in your rebuttal.
			5)			If the opponent uses any repetitive dialogue or a punch line often, then you may use that same dialogue verbatim after disproving his point.
			6)			Thank the opponent if he has praised you.
			7)			Clarify any misinformation that he may have given about you.
			8)			Give a witty reply to the sarcastic remarks if any, made by the opponent.
	During the Opponent’s Rebuttal
			1.			Follow all the points of "During Opponents Talk".
			2.			Follow all the points mentioned in the Presentation of your Rebuttal (substituting the Opponents Rebuttal in place of his Talk) and try to include them appropriately while answering the questions during the Question and Answer session.
	II		If you are second in presenting the Rebuttal
			1.			If Format A is followed and you are the second speaker as well as second in presenting the Rebuttal then you may have followed the points of the 2nd speaker:
						a.		Follow all the points mentioned in the presentation of your Rebuttal, which you may have missed or time did not permit you to cover the points in your speech.
						b.		Follow all the points mentioned in the presentation of a Rebuttal substituting his Rebuttal in place of his talk
			2.			If Format A is followed when you are the 1st speaker and presenting the Rebuttal second then follow all the points mentioned in the Rebuttal, by substituting the opponent’s Talk and Rebuttal in place of only talk.
c.	Question and Answer Session
	I			Structure and Content of the Answer
				1.			Follow all points of the structure and content of handling the Question and Answer Session.
				2.			While answering also include appropriate matter (logical explanations, examples, etc.) to prove the Islamic viewpoint regarding the topic of the Debate.
				3.			While answering also include appropriate matter to disprove the opponent’s viewpoint regarding the topic of the debate.
	II			Important points
				1.			If the opponent presents his rebuttal after your rebuttal and if you feel any clarification is required (i.e. all the points you have to follow in your rebuttal) you can mention it briefly and appropriately while answering the Question.
				2.			If you have missed any point, which you should have included in your talk or rebuttal or if you have missed clarifying any point made by your opponent during his talk or rebuttal, you can mention briefly and appropriately while answering the questions.
				3.			If the opponent has said something while answering the question, which requires clarification or reply, you can give such clarifications while answering later questions posed to you.
D.	Preparation for Debate
	1.				Follow all the points mentioned in the preparation of an Islamic Lecture and Question and Answer session
	2.				Study the background of the opponent including profession, educational qualification, activities, etc.
	3.				Read all the books authored by the opponent, and thoroughly post-mortem (critically analyse) the book dealing with the subject of the debate.
	4.				Listen and view all the audio and video cassettes of the opponent and thoroughly post-mortem (critically evaluate) those dealing with the subject of the debate.
	5.				Go through as much material as possible of the organisation to which the opponent belongs.
	6.				Self analysis of your prepared speech and rebuttal:
					a.		Try and remove as many mistakes as possibles in your talk and rebuttal and correct them.
					b.		Assume that you are a non-Muslim and if your opponent is a Muslim and presents the same matter as you have prepared, how would you attack and reply to it? Later try and overcome the shortcomings, if any.