Hussain Salahuddin (; 14 April 1881 – 20 September 1948), was an influential Maldivian writer, poet, essayist and scholar. Salahuddin was one of the most prolific writers of early modern Maldivian literature at a time named 'Era of Crawling' (), and contributed to Maldivian literature.

Lifetime and career

Hussain Salahuddin was born on 14 April 1881. He signed his writings as Salahuddin Hussein bin Moosa al-Mahli (), meaning "Salahuddin Hussain, son of Moosa from

Malé Malé is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 211,908 in 2022 within its administrative area and coterminous geographical area of , Malé is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city i ...

". He obtained his education on the island of Meedhoo. His master was Al-Allam al-Shaikh al-Hafiz Ibrahim Thakurufaan (Aisaabeegedaru Dhon Beyyaa). He subsequently studied under al-Shaikh Muhamed Jamaluddin Naib Thutthu. He is recognised for his contributions to Maldivian literature, including the translation of various books written in Arabic,

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

into Dhivehi. He also served in various key positions in the Maldivian government. He became the Attorney General of the Maldives at the young age of 18. He also served as the

Chief Justice of the Maldives The chief justice of the Maldives is the most influential member of the judicial branch of the Maldives. He is appointed by the president of the Maldives. He is a member of parliamentary committee and one member of the five Supreme Court justices ...

for a long time. Among the other positions that he assumed were the posts of Secretary and Prime Minister for the

Majlis (, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning 'sitting room', used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to the Mus ...

. He served as the founder and principal of

Majeediyya School Majeediyya School () is the first Maldivian government school, located in Malé, Maldives. It only accepted boys until the introduction of Primary Education in 2010, which allowed girls to attend the school as well. The English medium is follo ...

, the first institution of formal education in the Maldives. Majeediyya School was started on the front veranda of Bageechaage, Salahuddin's residence. Salahuddin served in the National Literary Committee established by the

President of the Maldives The president of the Republic of Maldives () is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Maldives and the commander-in-chief of the Maldives National Defence Force. The current president is Mohamed Muizzu, who was elect ...

Mohamed Amin Didi Sumuvvul Ameer Mohamed Amin Dhoshimeynaa Kilegefaanu (; 20 July 1910 – 19 January 1954), popularly known as Mohamed Amin Didi, was a Maldives, Maldivian politician who served as the first president of the Maldives and as the head of governmen ...

. Books that he wrote include: ''The Story of Dhon Beefaan; The Story of Thakurufaan the Great; Shaikh Zubair,'' an interpretation of the works of two great Maldivian poets; ''Nu'umaan and Mariyam''; two anthologies of poetry titled ''Morning Star I and II''; and his most famous work, ''The Biography of Prophet

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

'', in which he translated and combined various Arabic books about Muhammad into Dhivehi. On 3 September 2024, President

Mohamed Muizzu Mohamed Muizzu (born 15 June 1978) is a Maldivian politician and engineer who has been serving as the 8th president of the Maldives and leader of the People's National Congress (Maldives), People's National Congress since 2023. He previously ...

awarded Hussain Salahuddin the Highest Honour for Service to Maldivian Nationhood.

Death

Hussain Salahuddin died on 20 September 1948. He was buried in

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

, Sri Lanka.

Children

Hussain Salaahuddin's children were all writers, poets and speakers who filled various high positions in the government of Maldives. Children of Dhon Didi: * Hawwa Saeed * Khadheeja Saeed Children of Sanfa Manike: * Aishath * Mohamed Saeed Children of Medhuganduvaru Thuththu Gomaa: * Adnan Hussain * Fathimath Saeed * Ibrahim Shihab * Maryam Saeed

References

External links

National Institute for Linguistic and Historical Research
(archived) *
Website dedicated to Salaahuddeen
(archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Salaahuddin, Husain 1881 births 1948 deaths Maldivian writers Dhivehi people 20th-century Maldivian writers Maldivian Muslims Maldivian poets