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Case file

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Wikipedia's first sentence called it “famous indian muslim writer and exegete of the qur'an”. Today it says “influential islamic scholar”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “20th-century Indian exegete and journalist Maulana”. It now reads “Indian Islamic scholar and philosopher (1892–1977)”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2025 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since. Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now. 1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2025

Abdul Majid Daryabadi (16 March 1892 – 6 January 1977) was an influential Islamic scholar , philosopher , writer, critic, researcher, journalist, and Quranic exegete active in the Indian subcontinent during the 20th century. He was deeply concerned with modernism , comparative religion , and orientalism in India. In his early life, Daryabadi identified as a "rationalist" and distanced himself from religion for nearly nine years. However, he later re-evaluated his beliefs and became a devout Muslim . He was closely associated with the Khilafat Movement and was actively involved with prestigious institutions such as the Royal Asiatic Society , Aligarh Muslim University , Nadwatul Ulama , and the Darul Musannefin Shibli Academy . He was a disciple of Ashraf Ali Thanwi and Hussain Ahmad Madani , both prominent Islamic scholars of the time. Throughout his career, Daryabadi edited the Urdu weekly Sidq-e-Jaded , a publication widely respected across the Indian subcontinent for its inspiring message and distinctive style. Known for his expressive writing, often marked by humor and sarcasm, he continued to edit the journal until his death. Under the guidance of his mentor, Ashraf Ali Thanwi, Daryabadi authored the Tafseer-e-Majidi , a Quranic commentary first written in English and later translated into Urdu . This tafsir sought to purify Muslim thought by promoting an understanding of Islam based on original teachings, free from external influences, and encouraged a thoughtful review of past scholarly interpretations. In recognition of his contributions, Daryabadi received the Arabic Scholar Award from the Government of India in 1967. In 1975, Aligarh Muslim University awarded him an honorary Doctorate in Literature. He died in January 1977. Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: A-Devo . Islamic Studies Research Journal Abḥāth . 2 (7): 32. Journal of Religion and Theology . 3 (2): 37.

This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 1298091953.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “famous indian muslim writer and exegete of the qur'an”. Today it says “influential islamic scholar”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “20th-century Indian exegete and journalist Maulana”. It now reads “Indian Islamic scholar and philosopher (1892–1977)”. Read the current article and compare.
201020152020Oct '232025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.

What Wikipedia says this is

Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2010, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.

Then

famous indian muslim writer and exegete of the qur'an

Now

influential islamic scholar

Sections that no longer exist

Present on October 6, 2023, absent today, with no near-matching heading in the current article and the article shorter overall, so this is not a renamed heading or a topic absorbed into a fuller treatment. 15 sections of 400 characters or more gone since October 6 2023, with the article 17,637 characters shorter.

  • Death
  • His doctrine (Mazhab)
  • His consciousness in politics
  • Finality of Prophet Hoods
  • Tafsir-ul-Quran:Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran
  • Al-Quran Al-Hakim
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.

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