He is a lean and thin, short-statured lifelong ailing man, M.A. in English and Arabic. M.M. (Mumtazul Mahaddithin) in Islamic Education system prevailing in West Bengal and Assam. He is a versatile and prolific writer in four languages – Bengali, English, Assamese and Urdu. He also knows some other mainstream and tribal languages.
Yes, Prof. Abul Hussain Mazumder, popularly known as Sabiri Sahib, has achieved a niche in poetry (in all the above mentioned languages) and published anthologies in Bengali (Mother tongue), English and Urdu. His Tarana-e-Assam has been included in the syllabus of Urdu MIL in H.S (Arts) Final Year of Assam Higher Secondary Education Council. His articles on Islamic, philosophical, sociological, historical, folklorist, educational, literary, musical and many more related subjects have been published in the leading magazines, journals, souvenirs, periodicals, weeklies and dailies of Assam, Bengal, Bangladesh, Delhi, Lucknow, Orissa, Kerala and Saudi Arabia as well (Jeddah based Bengali Magazine) and appreciated by scholars and researchers.
Seminar papers in English and Bengali, extensive book reviews, memoirs of important personalities – whatever he touched has been made a valuable asset of the men of learning, researchers as well as students. He has even experimented lyricism and has been approved as a composer by Akash Vani and T.V.
Aged about 67 years, though reckoned as one of the most leading authors of Bengali literature of the Eastern India, many of whose contributions have been included in anthologies, both prose and poetry, he was hitherto not given the due honour he deserves till the recent days except a few receptions by the people of his own community, and publication of two special issues of Prabaho Magazine edited by a student Ashish Ranjan Nath in honour of him.
It is happy news that a sudden awakening of men of letters of South Assam about their responsibility towards such a man has brought the due honour to him in the form of three felicitations in four months, the last one being with the award of Achyut Charan Choudhury, Tattavanidhi memorial prize by Barak Upatakya Bongo Sahitya O Sanskriti Sammelon at Karimganj on January 30, 2011. Earlier he was felicitated by Ganatantrik Lekhak Samanvya at Badarpur on November 28, 2010. The pioneering one was a grand reception given on October 3, 2010 at Silchar by Daily Samoyik Prasanga and Weekly Porokh on behalf of the admirers of Sabiri Sb. In that occasion he was given the title of ‘Gyan Tapash’ i.e. Devotee of knowledge. On all the three occasions he was recognised as one of the greatest sons of Barak Valley.
It deserves mention here that Prof. Sabiri is the man on whose invitation Jamaat-e-Islami Hind entered Assam in 1961. He was the first Rukn of the Jamaat in the Northeast India and the first local person to shoulder the responsibility of leading the Jamaat in Assam. He underwent prison terms throughout the 19-month period of Emergency. He represented Assam in the Majlis-e-Numaindegan for the last term.