AR Rahman says his Muslim name was suggested by Hindu astrologer: ‘No one forced me to embrace Sufi Islam’

Singer and composer AR Rahman reflected on how Sufism became a safe space for him and helped him connect with the image he had of himself.

AR Rahman's original name was Dilip Kumar and his mother was a practicing Hindu. (Photo: AR Rahman/Instagram)

Religious conversions are tricky to navigate through, especially in a land as socially and politically divided as India. However, this did not affect musician AS Dileep Kumar, who decided to change his name to Allahrakha Rahman and adopt Sufi Islam. The prolific composer once reflected on his choice to convert and how his family’s condition at the time influenced his decision.

In Naseer Munni Kabir’s ‘AR Rahman The Spirit of Music’ in 2015, Rahman walked him through his journey towards Sufism. He recalled the tough times that followed after his father’s untimely death and revealed that his family had always been one for spirituality. “My mother was a practising Hindu. My mother had always been spiritually inclined. We had Hindu religious images on the walls of the Habibullah Road house where we grew up. There was also an image of Mother Mary holding Jesus in Her arms and a photograph of the sacred sites of Mecca and Medina,” said Rahman.

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He added that there was pressure to convert from any side and said, “Nobody is forced to convert to the path of Sufism. You only follow if it comes from your heart. A year after we met Qadri Saaheb, in 1987, we moved from Habibullah Road to Kodambakkam, to the house where we still live. When we moved, I was reminded of what Jesus Christ, peace be upon Him, once said: ‘I wish that you were cold and hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.’”

He continued, “These words taught me that it is better to choose one path. The Sufi path spiritually lifted both my mother and me, and we felt it was the best path for us, so we embraced Sufi Islam. No one around us cared about the conversion. We were musicians, and that allowed us greater social freedom.” Rahman admitted that he never liked his name and that it was a Hindu astrologer who suggested his Muslim name.

“We went to an astrologer to show him my younger sister’s horoscope because my mother wanted to get her married. This was around the same time when I was keen to change my name and have a new identity. He suggested the names ‘Abdul Rahman’ and ‘Abdul Rahim’ and said that either name would be good for me. I instantly loved the name ‘Rahman’. It was a Hindu astrologer who gave me my Muslim name,” said Rahman.

Rahman is responsible for some of the most influential movie albums of the last three decades. He has helmed the music for movies like Roja, Bombay, Taal, Rockstar, Saathiya and many more.

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