It is the most pleasant, sweet news of the decade.
Veteran scholar, orator and master of words Professor Periyar Dasan has embraced Islam. He is Professor Abdullah now. All praise to Allah.
According to ARAB NEWS he has planned to perform Umrah. The details of the report by MD RASOOLDEEN are as follows:
Dr. Periyadarshan, who has changed his name to Abdullah, told Arab News Friday that Islam is the only religion in the world that follows a book directly revealed from God.He said that as a student of comparative religions he believes books of other faiths have not been directly revealed to mankind from God. He said the Holy Qur’an is still in the same format and style as it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) from Almighty Allah.
He also acted in the famous Tamil film “Karuthamma” about the killing of newborn baby girls in some remote villages in India. The production received national award from the Indian government.
“I was well known in India for my atheist theology and later I became to realize that religion is the only way out for human beings both in this world as well as in the hereafter,” he said.
Dr. Abdullah will be performing Umrah on Saturday on his first visit to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah
I remember the day when I first saw him speak in a Eid Milan programme or Seerah programme organised by the Vaniyambadi Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) people, some eighteen, nineteen years back. The memory of Vaniyambadi programme has etched in my memory because it was the first time wall posters of the function were pasted all over the town. The name பெரியார் தாசன் in big, big letters made a lasting impact in my mind.
And I met him five or six years before in connection with a seminar on Human Rights. It was an adventure as we chased his car following him from his office and met in some xerox shop. Unfortunately, he was not available for our dates and we missed his speech which was full of wit and wisdom.
Whenever we at JIH Chennai sit to organise dawah based programmes, invariably the name Periyar Dasan would crop up.
And now here comes the good news. Allah is Great.
Strangely, my mind is filled with the memories of Valampuri John now. He too was a legendery Tamil orator and prolific writer. He has penned a mesmerising book நாயகம் எங்கள் தாயகம் on the life history of Propher Muhammad (PBUH). It was written in poetic form and was very enchanting. He had also wrote another book on Islam ''இஸ்லாம் இந்த மண்ணுக்கேற்ற மார்க்கம்" He lavishly praised Islam. One could not forget his speech in the South India Conference of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind held at Bangalore in 1999. Moulana Ejaz Ahmed Aslam Sahib translated his speech then.
Unfortunately, Mr John was not blessed with the bounties of Islam. He passed away a non-believer. I had met him in his last days when he was recuparating from his disease in Porur Ramachandra Hospital. He had become very thin. His eyes, cheek, chin.. Oh! It was very pathetic. He was seeing death with his eyes.
We were there to visit him and for iyadat. He poured out his feelings. He said many things which are very personal. Suddenly he trembled and requested to read holy verses of Quran and blew over him. எனக்கு ஓதி ஊதி விடுங்கள்!, he said. In our group Janab K M Siraj Ahmed Sahib was the eldest. He volunteered and recited Ayats and duas and blew them over him. Mr John broke and cried silently. அவருடைய கண்களிலிருந்து கண்ணீர் வழிந்தோடியது! I could not forget that scene till this date.
Dr KVS Habeeb Muhammad was with us. He consoled him and uttered words of comfort. We returned with a heavy heart. We prayed for him.
Janab H Abdur Raqeeb was our Ameer-e-Halqa then. When he came to know about it, he literally packed up Moulana Qutbuddeen Ahmed Baqavi Sahib to Porur alongwith Arifullah Sahib to pray and offer spiritual solace to Mr John.
The ways of Allah are strange Indeed. He is the One who guides. It is His choice.
Read : Seshachalam to Periyar Dasan to Abdullah!
Read : Periyar Dasan Abdullah's journey towards Islam!
Read : Periyar Dasan's wife to embrace Islam!
Read : Am I ready to face my Lord?
Read : Periyar Dasan, Moosa Kaka and Maryam Jameelah!
