Pastor W.F. Kumuyi, General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, has met with Maulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabeer Azad, Imam and Khateeb of Pakistan’s historic Badshahi Mosque, during the Nigerian preacher’s ongoing visit to Pakistan.
The meeting took place at the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore as part of Kumuyi’s September 2026 visit to the country for the Global Crusade with Kumuyi (GCK). Reports of the encounter have attracted attention because it brought together a prominent Nigerian Christian leader and a senior Pakistani Muslim cleric at one of the country’s best-known religious landmarks.
Azad is not only associated with the Badshahi Mosque. Pakistan’s state-run Associated Press of Pakistan identifies him as the mosque’s Imam and also as Chairman of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, which has a role in determining important Islamic dates.
Kumuyi and Azad Emphasise Love and Peace
During the meeting, both religious leaders spoke about the importance of love and peaceful relations between people from different backgrounds.
Azad welcomed Kumuyi and his team and spoke about moving forward together. He also indicated that a larger conference could be organised involving Kumuyi, saying, “we are going to arrange a big conference for you,” according to reports of the meeting.
Kumuyi, in response, expressed his appreciation for the welcome he received. He spoke about the kind of love that comes from God and described it as a form of love that should lead people to care for one another, protect one another and speak well of each other even in their absence.
He also expressed hope that the relationship would continue beyond the immediate meeting and that people from both religious communities could learn from the example of mutual respect.
Azad later presented Kumuyi with a book addressing terrorism, adding another symbolic element to the encounter. Reports of the meeting described its wider themes as peace, love, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.
A Meeting at One of Lahore’s Most Historic Sites
The setting of the encounter added particular significance to the visit. The Badshahi Mosque is one of Lahore’s most recognisable historic landmarks and has long served as an important centre of Islamic worship and cultural heritage.
Azad has previously received foreign diplomats and participated in discussions involving religious harmony at the mosque. In 2023, for example, he welcomed British High Commissioner Jane Marriott and discussed matters including religious issues and the historical significance of the mosque.
The mosque has also hosted Christian-Muslim engagements. Earlier in 2026, Christian representatives participated in an interfaith gathering at the site, reflecting an existing pattern of dialogue between religious communities associated with Azad and the historic mosque.
READ ALSO: Redeemer’s Health Village Completes Its First Robotic Surgery in Nigeria
Kumuyi’s Return to Pakistan
The meeting came during another major Pakistan outreach by Kumuyi and the GCK team. The Nigerian pastor had previously taken the Global Crusade with Kumuyi to Pakistan and returned to the country in September 2026 for another programme of preaching and Christian outreach.
Before the latest visit, Kumuyi said he was grateful for the opportunity to return to Pakistan for a special time of faith, prayer and revival. His current visit has included Christian gatherings and evangelistic activities alongside meetings with religious figures in the country.
The meeting with Azad therefore represents a different dimension of the wider visit. While Kumuyi’s GCK activities remain centred on Christian evangelism, his encounter with the Pakistani Muslim leader provided an opportunity for direct engagement across religious lines.
Beyond Religious Differences
Neither Kumuyi nor Azad suggested that Christianity and Islam had become the same or that their theological differences had disappeared. Instead, the public discussion focused on values that can be shared across religious boundaries, particularly respect, love and peaceful relations.
For Kumuyi, the encounter also reflected his emphasis on showing Christian love beyond the immediate Christian community. For Azad, the meeting fits within his documented involvement in interfaith and religious-harmony activities in Pakistan.
The encounter has since generated attention among Nigerian and Pakistani audiences, with photographs and video footage of Kumuyi and Azad at the mosque circulating online. Nigerian media reports have described the meeting as a notable interfaith encounter during Kumuyi’s Pakistan outreach.
At 85, Kumuyi continues to maintain an active international preaching schedule through the GCK platform. His latest visit to Pakistan has now added a notable interfaith engagement to his evangelistic activities, bringing him into direct contact with one of the country’s prominent Muslim religious figures at the historic Badshahi Mosque.
The meeting does not remove the theological differences between the two faiths. What it demonstrates publicly is that religious leaders from different traditions can meet, speak respectfully and explore areas of peaceful human engagement without presenting themselves as holding identical beliefs.
