Za’ba’s father began teaching him to read the Quran and holy texts in Jawi when he was five years old. But he didn’t learn how to write Javanese from his father. Za’ba did more independent study. Asmah claims that Za’ba penned on banana leaves.

The majority of his works were published in regional periodicals and newspapers, including Pakar Magazine, Lembaga Melayu, Panagush, and Utusan Melayu. He has written several monographs in Malay, such as Ilmu Mengarang and Bahasa Pelita. He also works at Sultan Idris College’s Translation Bureau, where he publishes school textbooks and promotes general reading.

The goal of Za’ba is to draw readers’ attention to how backward their own country, Malaya, is. The Malay community, according to Za’ba, was a vast country that encompassed a number of Malay islands and had its own language and religion. Za’ba encourages the Malay community to work toward the advancement of the country, broaden their knowledge, adapt the Malay language to the times, put aside their sense of nationalism and regionalism for the sake of the Malay nation’s unity, improve their economic standing, and lead a united life. Za’ba believes that the Western world has advanced to a wonderful degree at that time, and he hopes his country would be able to match, if not surpass, that growth.

According to Adnan, if evaluated, Za’ba’s thoughts from his works at the period demonstrate the impact of the Young Kaum Muda’s reformist movement, which was led by the magazine al-Imam (1906–1908).8. Here, it should be underlined that Za’ba is a link in the actual circle of battle.

His pen names, “Za’ba,” “Patriot,” and “Anak Melayu Jati,” gained popularity in the 1920s. As Za’ba’s name gained popularity in modern newspapers and magazines, he met well-known Islamic reformers like Syed Sheikh AI-Hadi and Sheikh Tahir Jalaluddin. Here, Za’ba learns more about the beliefs and struggles of Kaum Muda11, which were first introduced in the Middle East by Muhammad Rashid Ridha, Muhammad Abduh13, and Jamaluddin AI-Afghani.