Tabrani was born in Pamekasan, Madura, on 10 October 1904 and he began his education at a MULO in Surabaya, before continuing to an AMS in Bandung.

[2] In another editorial titled "Bahasa Indonesia" published a month later on 11 February, he was more openly nationalistic:[2] The Indonesian nation does not yet exist, then create it!

[1] In 1929, while at The Hague, he published a book titled Ons Wapen: den national Indonesische pers and hare organisatie, which outlined plans to develop nationalist newspapers in Indonesia.

[6] He also started a political magazine titled Revue Politik, before later on joining the newspaper Pemandangan as its editor.

[7] Tabrani then participated in the first congress of the Indonesian Journalists' Union (Persatoean Djoernalis Indonesia/Perdi) in 1934, when he spoke on "Journalism and the movement and the public interest.

[9] There was also a public affair with Volksraad member Mohammad Husni Thamrin, who questioned Pemandangan's coverage of the war.

[9] Tabrani later entered service of the colonial government, heading the data section of the war propaganda department.

[11] Following the Japanese invasion and the ensuing occupation, Tabrani for some time worked as an editor of the Tjahaja newspaper based in Bandung.