[2] After graduating from elementary school in Banda Aceh, he moved to Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, to study at the teacher's college (kweekschool) there.

[2] While at school, he demonstrated a dislike of the Dutch colonial government and their programs, at times disobeying commands from his teachers and refusing to take the f 10 allowance allocated to every Acehnese student outside of Aceh.

[7] As a member of the council he would consistently criticise Dutch policies which he found to go against the interests of the Acehnese people;[7] in another speech he said that the Aceh War was far from over.

[10] Nyak Arif was chosen by the Acehnese people to lead the Government Committee of Aceh, and reluctantly collaborated with the Japanese forces; he later said of the period, "we had driven out dogs only to have pigs come.

[11] Upon returning to Aceh, he and Teuku Hasan delivered a speech permeated with subtle sarcasm about the greatness of the Empire of Japan.

[12] After the Japanese surrender to the Allies and Proclamation of Indonesian Independence in 1945, on 3 October Nyak Arif was chosen to be the first resident of Aceh.

[1] On 9 November 1974 Nyak Arif was declared a National Hero of Indonesia by President Suharto through Presidential Decree 071/TK/1974.