Talk:Syed Abid Husain

The person is notable, here is how

He has won the second highest award for an Urdu language writer in India and well as the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in India.l Axshazxaf (talk) 16:08, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

Did you know nomination

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• Article history

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• ... that Syed Abid Husain was part of a triumvirate that shaped the future of Jamia Millia Islamia University in India? Source: Datta, Amaresh (1987). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature. Sahitya Academy. p. 8. and Nizami, Zafar Ahmad (2011). "Dr Syed Abid Husain". معماران جامعہ [Makers of the Jamia] (in Urdu). Maktaba Jamia. pp. 197–216
  • Reviewed: Template:Did you know nominations/Coronation of Mindon Min
  • Comment: I seek good-faith in Urdu-language sources, and the mix of online/offline sources that I have. The triumvirate refers to: Syed Abid Husain, Mohammad Mujeeb, and Zakir Husain.

Created by Aafi (talk) and Axshazxaf (talk). Number of QPQs required: 1. Nominator has 15 past nominations.

_signed, Aafi ^(talk) 18:49, 2 May 2026 (UTC).

• Article is new enough, long enough, and is within policy. No copyright violations detected, and assuming in good faith that foreign language references have been used properly (ie no plagiarism, etc.) QPQ is done. The only concern here is that the hook is dry/boring to a global audience. I would imagine interest would go up for readers in India or those familiar with Jamia Millia Islamia University, but that would be a very small percentage of people on the English wiki. I think we can do better. Some suggestions would be to highlight one his impressive academic accomplishments, or going personal with his polygamist second marriage which would be attention grabbing. I'll leave it to you to propose new hooks below.4meter4 (talk) 15:32, 9 June 2026 (UTC)

  Just noting it here for transparency, that I would be able to get back to this nomination within 3 days because of travelling for a conference. _signed, Aafi ^(talk) 18:51, 9 June 2026 (UTC)

  On this, and will post a few hooks by tonight. _signed, Aafi ^(talk) 15:43, 14 June 2026 (UTC)

  @4meter4:, does any of the following hooks appeal to you? _signed, Aafi ^(talk) 06:53, 15 June 2026 (UTC)

• ALT1 ... that Syed Abid Husain authored a play titled Shareer Ladka (The Wicked Boy), which explored using theater as a creative teaching method to address the emotional and mental struggles of teenagers?

Has potential. It need's trimming. Suggest leaving out the foreign language title and beginning "that Syed Abid Husain's play The Wicked Boy explored..." Also can't access the source which is pay walled so I will need a quote to approve this one.4meter4 (talk) 23:16, 18 June 2026 (UTC)

• ALT2... that Syed Abid Husain significantly contributed to Indo-German intellectual history by implementing German social theories and educational reform ideas at Jamia Millia Islamia in India?

Has potential but I think the claim is too narrow to the university. The source states that he had wider impact through implementing these ideas through his policy making position in postcolonial India's education and culture ministry. In other words national impact beyond just that one institution. I would scratch the "Jamia Millia Islamia in India" and replace it with "through his work as a policy maker in India's Ministry of Education?4meter4 (talk) 23:25, 18 June 2026 (UTC)

good idea, thus revised below:_signed, Aafi ^(talk) 09:11, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

ALT2a... that Syed Abid Husain was a policy maker in India's Ministry of Education who significantly contributed to Indo-German intellectual history by implementing German social theories and educational reform ideas?

@Aafi: I slightly trimmed/re-ordered it to make it hookier without changing the idea or meaning you proposed. All that is needed now is for you to add this information to the article. We need this fact on the page to approve it. So, go back into the article and add this content with the source citation, and then I can approve this one (I like it!).4meter4 (talk) 13:02, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

@4meter4:, this is done. I have improved the paragraph related to German-Indian relations in the article. _signed, Aafi (guesthouse) 13:27, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

Al2a looks good.4meter4 (talk) 13:39, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

• ALT3... that Syed Abid Husain established the Islamic and the Modern Age Society to investigate how religious thought could be used as a tool to overcome the challenges of materialism?

Has potential. As an offline source I will need a quote to approve. The article just says materialism, not modern materialism. I suggest removing the word modern to trim this.4meter4 (talk) 23:47, 18 June 2026 (UTC)

Removed materialism. I have linked the source to Rekhta, which is in Urdu. I'd post a translation of the actual quote by sometime. _signed, Aafi ^(talk) 07:22, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

The Urdu-source almost translates as: "Abid Sahib was intensely aware and conscious of the current cultural crisis and was extremely concerned about it. In order to ponder the role of Islam and all other religions in resolving this crisis, and to look for ways of religious guidance to overcome the dominance of materialism, he launched journals like 'Islam aur Asr-e-Jadeed' (Islam and the Modern Age) and 'Islam and the Modern Age', and prior to that, he established the 'Islam and the Modern Age Society'." _signed, Aafi ^(talk) 09:07, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

Ticking Alt3. I am trusting in good faith that the Urdu-language source is being faithfully represented.4meter4 (talk) 13:02, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

• ALT4... that Syed Abid Husain authored The Destiny of Indian Muslims in 1965 to help the Muslim community navigate the social and political challenges following the Partition of India?

Has potential. Pay walled source, so I will need a quote to approve this.4meter4 (talk) 23:49, 18 June 2026 (UTC)

Slightly rewording this as the quote, "The destiny of Indian Muslims was essentially a forecast of possibilities. It sought to resolve the predicament of the Indian Muslim community after the brutal partition of India on 15 August 1947.

ALT4a... that Syed Abid Husain authored The Destiny of Indian Muslims in 1965 to help the Muslim community navigate predicaments following the Partition of India?

Approving alt4a. It checks out.4meter4 (talk) 13:44, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

• ALT5... that Syed Abid Husain chose to implement German educational reform ideas at Jamia Millia Islamia as an alternative to the British liberal trends that dominated Indian education at the time?

Has potential. As an paywalled source I will need a quote to approve.4meter4 (talk) 23:50, 18 June 2026 (UTC)

I think I need more help on this one, because the hook is based on quite a large chunk, "This intellectual vision was envisaged, developed, and applied in the field of educational reform for creating a secular minority position as not only the bearer of old civilizational certainties and value, but also as modern pioneers equally conversant and efective in anticolonial politics, decolonizing education, and shaping the future of the modern nation-state as secular citizens...Husain’s intellectual interests were drawn to the programmatic aspects of German social theory and reformist educational ideas available in early twentieth-century German intellectual culture, which were in contrast to trends in British twentieth-century liberalism... Husain’s life experience and work in Germany and his continued engagement with German thought aferward remain crucial to any account of his contributions to educational theory and reformist-nationalist pedagogy." I offer an Alt5a. _signed, Aafi ^(talk) 09:23, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

ALT5a... that Syed Abid Husain's engagement with German thought made a significant contribution to reformist-nationalist pedagogy in India?

Hmm... Without being able to deep dive into text and view the whole (I would need source access), I don't think I can problem solve this one. We have better/ more interesting hooks already, so I am going to say we let this idea go.4meter4 (talk) 13:51, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

• ALT6... that Syed Abid Husain was described as a thinker who looked beyond traditional religious boundaries and analysed social movements outside the conventional category of religion in his writings?

Not seeing this language in the article. Could work if text with nearly identical language is added to the article, and the claim is properly attributed. This one needs more work than the others.4meter4 (talk) 23:53, 18 June 2026 (UTC)

• ALT7... that Syed Abid Husain's play, Parda-i-Ghaflat (The Veil of Ignorance), initiated and explored important social discourses regarding women's access to modern education in India?

Has potential. As a paywalled source I will need a quote to approve. I would consider removing the foreign language title and just using the English name in italics. Alternatively, drop the English translation. It becomes too wordy otherwise. Hooks should be succinct.4meter4 (talk) 00:00, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

• ALT7a... that Syed Abid Husain's play The Veil of Ignorance explored important social discourses regarding women's access to modern education in India? ("The play deals with the harmful efects of women’s seclusion inside the traditional home and became an important text in Muslim social reform debates about the purdah system and women’s modern education in colonial India" (Khan 2020, p. 298)

Looks good. Approving alt7a.4meter4 (talk) 13:59, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

• Comment. @Aafi: There are several good choices here provided I can get some quotes to approve them. Some minor alterations are needed for a few of them. I personally would avoid using a hook naming Jamia Millia Islamia for the reasons already expressed about the original hook. It's not a recognizable name outside India. Best.4meter4 (talk) 00:00, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

  Thanks @4meter4:, I have read your thoughts and will get back to you by the evening. _signed, Aafi ^(talk) 04:41, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

Hi 4meter4, working on Alt1 and Alt6 would be a bit hard for me for the coming days. I have revised other hooks, and also provided quotes as requested. Let me know if we can proceed with either of those (or if you need something else to check). _signed, Aafi ^(talk) 09:25, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

@Aafi: I appreciate your effort, but at this point we have 4 usable hooks and we don't need to have more options. I am busy, and I am not going to vet any more hooks. We achieved our goal of finding solid options for the main page. Out of respect for my time, let's end this here. Good work and best wishes.4meter4 (talk) 13:59, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

Thank you for your diligent support. 4 is really more than enough, and thus let's stop this here. _signed, Aafi (guesthouse) 14:11, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

• To the promoter. Hooks Alt2a, Alt3, Alt4a, and al7a all are approved. Any one of these may be selected at the promoter's discretion.4meter4 (talk) 13:59, 19 June 2026 (UTC)

Comments for pre GA assessment

Hi @Aafi - some initial comments for improvement. More to come.

• lede - it's somewhat short; for example, there is no summary of Husain's actual thought. Also for a reader not familiar with India's state instutions for the promotion of national languages and religions, it's a not clear that this was one of his primary contributions (ie the promotion of Urdu and a particular form of Islamic thought/practice) nor that he was an advocate of pluralistic, multifaith democratic India. I don't think it's necessary to mention any of the book translations unless the translation is something specifically noteworthy and has an article of its own.
• language - don't use polygyny, use polygamy WP:COMMONNAME. Don't use transliterations eg "Musalman aur asri masa'il" - use original language text with English translation.
• "He was also conferred with an honorary D. Litt by the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith." this is not part of early life and eduction, it's an award, something for later life.
• First paragraph of Career - indicates that Jamia Millia Islamia moves to Delhi - but last part of the paragraph indicates "development and foundation of the Jamia" - how is it being founded? It already exists...?
• First paragraph of Career - the timeline is somewhat misjointed here: "Husain was part of a triumvirate with Mohammad Mujeeb and Zakir Husain that shaped the future of the university." But in the section above it describes him as being outside of India for studies. How does he become one of three leading people shaping the direction of the university in 1926?

Goldsztajn (talk) 13:46, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

Dear @Goldsztajn, thank you for your thoughts. Improved #2 and #3, while also changed "foundation" to "growth". It is only meant from a sustanability, growth, and development perspective. While it is true that he was finishing his PhD in Germany in early, he was back in India by March 1926. I will re-visit my sources again (and give a slight polish to when he actually finished in Germany so that it maintains the flow of time). Ideally, while not part of the 1920 founders group, he has been extensively described as a profound maker of it, together with the other two, for his role in the growth, development, policies, existence of the university amid crisis, after it moved to Delhi.

On the lede, I will work on the post Eid. Thank you again for taking out time to go through this. _signed, Aafi ^(talk) 15:38, 26 May 2026 (UTC)