Husain Salaahuddin
Encyclopedia
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, essayist and scholar.
Husain Salahuddin is considered as one of the most prolific writers of early Maldivian literature (Dhivehi: ޅަފަތުގެ ދައުރު, Era of Crawling), and is greatly honoured for his remarkable contributions to Maldivian literature during a time where tremendous growth and innovations took place in the Maldivian literary scene. He was the father of Ibrahim Shihab
Ibrahim Shihab
Honorable Al-Usthaaz Ibrahim Shihab , was an influential Maldivian writer, poet, essayist and statesman. He was the son of scholar Husain Salaahuddin....
, statesman of the Maldives.
Life
Husain Salahuddin was born on April 14, 1881. He used to write his name in his writings as Salahuddin Hussein bin Moosa al-Mahli (صلاح الدين حسين بن موسى المحلى), meaning Salahuddin Hussein or Hussein Salahuddin son of Moosa the Mahli (Mahli here refers to MahalMahal
-Geography:* Mahal, India, a small town in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India* Malé, the capital of Maldives* Mahalle, Turkish language country subdivision or neighbourhood term* Mahalla, an Arabic language country subdivision or neighbourhood term...
or Male' meaning Moosa from Male'). He obtained his education in the island of Meedhoo (Seenu Atoll)
Meedhoo (Seenu Atoll)
Meedhoo is the oldest populated island in Addu Atoll in the Republic of Maldives, having been settled between 1000 and 500 BCE. Its current population is 2511. Its name comes from the original Indo-Aryan settlers; Meedhoo means Big Island in Sanskrit.The original settlers were divehi people of...
. His Master was Al-Allam al-shaikh al-hafiz Ibrahim thakurufaan (Aisaabeegedaru Dhon Beyyaa) and afterwards, he studied under Al-shaikh Muhamed Jamaludin Naib Thutthu. Hussain Salahuddin was the founder of the present day Majeediyya School
Majeediyya School
Majeediyya School is the first Maldivian government school, located in Malé, Maldives. It is a single gender school that teaches male students to the secondary level of education. English medium is followed in teaching with the exception of Dhivehi and Islam...
in Malé
Malé
Malé , is the capital and most populous city in the Republic of Maldives. It is located at the southern edge of North Malé Atoll . It is also one of the Administrative divisions of the Maldives. Traditionally it was the King's Island, from where the ancient Maldive Royal dynasties ruled and where...
. Further, he had contributed to the Maldivian government by serving in various key positions. He is also recognized for his outstanding contributions to Maldivian literature, including the translation of various books written in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
and Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
into Dhivehi during his era.
Included amongst the positions that he had undertaken in the contemporary Maldivian government are the posts of Secretary and Prime Minister for the Majlis
Majlis
' , is an Arabic term meaning "a place of sitting", used in the context of "council", to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups be it administrative, social or religious in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to Islamic countries...
. He also served as the Principal of Majeediyya School, the first institution of formal education in the Maldives. Majeediyya School was started in the front veranda of Bageechaage, the residence of Hussain Salaahuhdeen.
Hussain Salaahuhdeen became the Attorney General of Maldives at the young age of 18 years. He also served as the Chief Justice of the Maldives for a long time.
During his lifetime, Salaahuddin had served in the National Literary Committee established by the President at the time, Muhammad Amin Didi
Mohamed Amin Didi
Al Ameer Mohamed Amin Dhoshimeynaa Kilegefaanu , popularly known as Mohamed Amin Didi was a Maldivian political figure. He served as the first president of the Maldives and as the head of government between January 1, 1953 and August 21, 1953...
.
Salaahuddin is also recognized for having published some of the most famous and influential books and poems in Dhivehi. Some well-known books that he had written are, The Story of Dhon Biifaan; The Story of Thakurufaan the Great; Shaikh Zubair, being an interpretation of the works of two great Maldivian poets; Nu'umaan and Mariyam; two anthologies of poetry Morning Star I and II; and most importantly, his most famous work: the Biography of Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
in which he translated and combined various Arabic books about the Prophet into Dhivehi
Dhivehi language
Maldivian is an Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by about 350,000 people in the Maldives where it is the national language. It is also the first language of nearly 10,000 people in the island of Minicoy in the Union territory of Lakshadweep, India where the Mahl dialect of the Maldivian...
.
Influence and legacy
An audiobook version of the latter Biography of Prophet Muhammad is broadcast every RamadanRamadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
on Maldivian radio. The Biography is said to be the quintessence of Maldivian writing, even though, the Biography was a translation from Arabic works on the subject.
The Story of Thakurufaan the Great is nationally considered to be the definitive account of the life and times of the national hero Sultan Muhammad Thakurufaan al Auzam. The book was based upon the orally transmitted folktales and legends concerning the man's life. Although Salaahuddin had used his own literary style in its writing, he remained faithful to the original folktales, the result being one of the true Maldivian epics. Even so, the National Day in the Maldives is celebrated on Rabi' al-awwal
Rabi' al-awwal
Rabi' al-awwal is the third month in the Islamic calendar. During this month, Muslims around the world celebrate Mawlid - the birthday of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Sunni Muslims believe the exact date of birth of Muhammad to have been on the twelfth of this month, whereas Shi'a Muslims believe...
the first, celebrating the liberation of the Maldives from the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
invaders.
Some lines of his poems have become quoted on Maldivian proverbs, and his poetry is required reading from sixth to tenth grade in Maldivian schools.
Rivaaythu Nu'umaan Va Mariyam is taken by many to be one of the most sophisticated novels written in the Dhivehi language. Although first published in 1934, the events of the novel were set sixty years in the future. Salahuddin touches on aspects such as women's rights
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
, education, and foreign influence; all matters that may have seemed strange and alien to a reader of the 1930s, despite Salahuddin's uniquely casual and matter-of-fact tone. In retrospect, many readers claim that the novel was accurate in its depiction of the Maldives of 1994. Modern speakers of Dhivehi may find the novel difficult to read, due to its lengthy sentences and rich vocabulary.
Death
Husain Salahuddin died on September 20, 1948. He was buried in ColomboColombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
Children
Hussain Salaahuddin's children are all well renowned writers,poets,speakers who filled various high positions in the government.His chldren:-
Mohamed Saeed
Fathimath Saeed
Ibrahim Shihaab
Adnaan Hussain
Mariyam Saeed
Adam Saeed
His grandson Idham Muizu Adnan tried to compete in the 2008 Maldivian presidential elections as an independent candidate but failed because he could not get the 1500 signatures needed.