KV Usthad: An Educational Stalwart

"Demise leaves a heartache none can heal, love leaves a memory none can steal."

Death is an essential phase of a life, though reminiscence of few demises becomes breaking to tears, those memories of exemplary personalities are immortal even after extinction, living in the hearts of people by their praise worthy deeds and altruism, giving an exemplary persona for future generation. An emotion relays generations to generations, deeds uttering silently, soul speaks rather than in the flesh and blood are the open testimony for their successful vitality. The society witnessed several emergences of social reformers who brought renaissance in every walk of life. The former honourable secretary of Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama and the revered glorious founder of Darul Hidaya Islamic complex, KV Usthad, are in foremost position of the prominent reformers who could scale the throb of community.

He was born in 1915 at Koottanad as a beloved son of Ahmed-Amina couples and brought up as a stark contrast of chip of his father’s old block. After elementary education, he completed his traditional religious education from different teachers such as Ali Komu Musliyar, NJalil Muhammed Musliyar, Kootilangadi Bapu Musliyar, the leading scholars of that time at different places, Vallapuza, Pallikara, Parappanagadi, Vengara, Arikkulam and Panagattoor. He took debut introduction in Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama in around 1950, promoted to special quorum, the supreme council of 40 versatile religious scholars (Mushaara) of Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, in 1955 he was selected as a joint secretary. He possessed some glorious status throughout his life, president of Sunni Yuvajana Sangam, and Jamiyyathul Muallimeen, vice president of Educational Board, chairman of Muallim Welfare Cell are some of them. He was the chief editor of Al-Burhan, Sunni times, and Al-Muallim, over all the author of renowned interpretation of holy Qur’an, Fathhurahman Fee Thafseeril Qur’an. He breathed his last in 2000, April 6.

He was a sort of good character. The great demurred far-sighted sagacious versatile scholar, altruism, debonair visage, bonhomie, social accountability, probity was the nature of KV Usthad. He was an eloquent spell binder, bibliomaniac and far-famed writer. His ability was an extra ordinary to entice audience by spiel, soothing mesmerizing spell binding and apt using of attractive words which elevated him to ensure a neck and neck position with the parity of famous spell binders of that time. His renowned interpretation of holy Qur’an is not only mere interpretation but also literature book too by its scholastic style of composition. As a chief editor of Al-Burhan, Sunni Times, Al Muallim, he proved himself as an uncrowned king in semantics.

However, he was an altruist who spent his whole life particularly the halcyon days of his youth as devotion to the humanity and to reform side lined Muslim community. He was also a hectic member of Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama until he came to close. He had a sort of bravery to expose truth and falsehood without indulging morality. He figured out right decisions in every situation when community struck in iffy. It was fairly opened when Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama faced the poignant situation of conspiracy, to bifurcation, to undermine fraternity, for depolarization and schism over the authenticity of leadership, he promulgated, “EK is our leader, we have to obey his orders” unless his timely interference in that time, it was unable to cope with that dilemma. He was quite antagonized to perpetrators who try to undermine Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, until his last. He was a true-blue supporter of Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, who lived and died in that spirit.

When the time of active coalescence meetings were being held, one of such podium, he said to Ullal Thangal, the leader of dissidents, who preside function. “Thou are the chairman of this function, ought to take decision, after all speeches”. Then he told to AP Kanthapuram, rival leader, “you have a chunk young supporters, don’t forget the responsibility for invoke them to the righteous path (Sunnath Jamaath). It is must to be underlined, for his suggestions, how to behave in unison for successful coalition.

He worked hard for building up systematic Madrassa institutions when Kerala faced scarcity of didactic educational institutions. He used to walk kilometers to speeches for the sake of, divert focus of community to erect madrassa in their locality. Under his initiatives, collected money from people, as a fruit full outcome of strenuous work, it became reality. He made institutions to bring society from the darkness of ignorance to light of knowledge and enlighten with the proper religious moral education. For that, he did well for the progress and welfare of community and his region (Mahallu). When Usthad was living with a critical urethra problem, people came from his region with a request to seek minister for a plan approval of shopping complex which would become a best way for Mahallu’s income, to move forward with further process. He forgot illness and girds up his loins to move forward. He opt car journey to scale kilometers to avoid some difficulties in train with his sick. After a while, friendly interaction with minister, he asked to Usthad “why should you come to meet me with your illness, you can send me a proxy or make a call”. He replied “my physical fitness is worthless for the need of community.'' His deeds made to live in the memories with imprinting moisture.

He was a death-knell of dissidents who works for the religious and moral deviations of community through the Wahhabi revivalism. They imposed upon public by their moronic, soothing falsehood arguments. It became for communal turbulence. When he catapulted with truth against them by proving falsehood and gimmicks, one by one, it uproots, it was his quite routine as when wind emerges cloud dissipates. When he comes, sinners were gone. Unless his presence in Kerala, it will give opportunity to dissidents as a niche. He never let any chances for blooming of communal hiatus, stood as a vigilant stalwart of community.

His story will never complete without an attachment of Darul Hidaya Islamic Complex. There is an inextricable connection between KV Usthad and Darul Hidaya. When the dream of Darul Hidaya conceived, a pivot for education, to bring young scholars who would able to cope with new world process, for interference in didactic issues of community with modern scholarship, it struck in limbo, by the dearth of fund for enterprise. For the implementation of frmework, he took a campaign to Arab countries and collected fund from there, non-resident Indians. He laid foundation, at present it became a blooming pivot of educational institutions. He did all on the behalf of the public. He orchestrated for a dream to born and brought up in Islamic spirit and become an educated moral society. Darul Hidaya utters silently, the successful deeds of its glorious founder. He lived for community in his every breath, saved society from every threat as a mother saves her baby, takes cared and brought them to renaissance in all costs. He grabbed in the memories of people as a pukka altruist.