Zakir Abdul Karim Naik was born on October 18, 1965, in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. He was a student at St. Peter's High School in Mumbai. After that, he enrolled in Kishinchand Chellaram College. He then enrolled in Topiwala National Medical College and Nair Hospital to study medicine. Subsequently, he obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) degree from the University of Mumbai. In 1991, he started preaching Islam and founded the IRF. Naik's wife, Farhat Naik, works in the women's section of the Islamic Research Foundation. Dr. Zakir says he was inspired by Ahmed Deedat, whom he met in 1987. Dr. Zakir is often called "Deedat Plus," a title given by Deedat himself. He is also the founder of the Islamic International School in Mumbai and United Islamic Aid, which provides scholarships to poor and helpless Muslim youth. The Islamic Research Foundation's website describes him as the "patron and ideological driving force of Peace TV Network," a channel that its website states aims to promote "truth, justice, morality, harmony, and wisdom for all humankind." In 2016, at a press conference, Zakir claimed to be a Non-Resident Indian (NRI), or an Indian who lives abroad for more than half the year.