From the soulful music of Roja to the iconic songs from Dil Se, AR Rahman has remained one of the sought-after music directors to breathe life into a film’s music. The musical maestro is one such artist who has tasted success after immense struggle.

He is also an Oscar winner, who gave Indian music global recognition on the international platform. Besides his music, he has also been in the limelight for embracing Islam. Recently, he spoke about this in an interview, for the first time.

As per reports, AR Rahman had once chanced upon a Sufi spiritual healer. Years later, the man helped AR Rahman out when he got stuck with customs at an airport. He shared that the Sufi healer blessed his studio. “Nobody told us that you have to come to this faith. I was just more peaceful. I felt like something special like things were working out. The jingles which were rejected, after prayers, would get accepted,” he said.

AR Rahman was born as Dileep Kumar and his family was practising Hinduism. But he converted to Islam after the death of his father, notable music composer, RK Shekhar.

This was right before the release of his first big project, Roja. His biography, Notes Of A Dream, says that the singer’s mother requested him to change his name in the film’s credits at the last moment. She wanted him to use his newly-adopted name, AR Rahman. She said that it mattered to her a lot and she would rather not have his name appear at all if it is not the new name.

In an earlier interview with Hindustan Times, AR Rahman opened up about not imposing his religious beliefs on others. He also spoke about the things he has learnt from Islam and how Islam has saved him from many falls. AR Rahman also spoke about a tough phase in his life, where he felt like a failure and contemplated suicide almost every day.