Mangaluru: A phrase in Kannada “murthi chikkadaru keerti doddadu” meaning icon looks short but performance is enormous, goes well with M. Sadulla, a great personality of Islamic literature in Kannada.
One of the pioneers of the popular Kannada weekly Sanmarga published from 1978, Sadulla was its manager and publisher till he breathed his last on 22nd August 2022.
Around 5 feet tall, M. Sadulla was born in 1945 in the Kandak area of coastal city Mangalore. He was the third son of Abdul Jabbar Ibrahim and Mariyamma. He lost his father at a young age.
He had his primary education at Badriya Educational Institution and matriculation from Rosario Educational Institution with distinction.
Sadulla began his professional career as an Accountant. He was a student of Moulana Syed Yusuf, the Imam of Kachi Masjid in Bundar area. Under his guidance, he learnt Quranic studies, Islamic jurisprudence, Arabic, and Urdu.
In Kandaka area, his father Abdul Jabbar was popularly known as Ijjabaka; he was a great admirer of Syed Abul Ala Maududi, the founder of Jamaat-e-Islami. Ijjabaka was the first person to translate Fatiha, the first chapter of the Holy Quran from Urdu into Kannada. Sadulla resolved to follow in his father’s footsteps.
During that time, there was a noticeable lack of Islamic literature in Kannada. To fill this gap, Sadulla not only translated works from Urdu and Malayalam into simple Kannada but also contributed original articles. Unlike his peers, he did not take much interest in public debates or speeches. However, anyone met him personally was impressed with his simplicity, integrity and depth of knowledge in various fields.
He contributed significantly to the translation of the extensive Urdu commentary Tafhim-ul-Quran and Sahih Bukhari, and other hadith collections like Dari Deepa (Guiding Light). Two of his original works, Namaz Shafi’i Krama and Kannada Kaliyiri (Learn Kannada) are very popular and published multiple times. He translated around 30 works into Kannada. Dari Deepa, the hadith collection, has reached thousands of people, transforming many lives of Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Sadulla was known for his simplicity, discipline, minimal talk, and high productivity, always wearing a gentle smile. His special qualities included excellent office management, patience, courage, generosity, and keeping calm even under pressure. He never let anything bother him and always remained content with what he had.
Despite being a profound scholar of the Quran and Hadith, he used to attend the Quran and Hadith classes of other scholars seriously, listening attentively.
Sadulla was very meticulous about the Quranic knowledge. Even when he was unwell, he would listen carefully as family members read it, correcting their mistakes if any. He couldn’t tolerate even minor mistakes in Quran recitation or references, and was keen on immediate corrections.
He was like a ready reckoner of the Quran. Anyone could call him to inquire about any issue related to the Quran, and he would promptly provide the answer, satisfactorily.
