He obtained his BA (Hons) in philosophy from Canning College, Lucknow in 1912. In his academic career, he edited the Urdu weekly "Sach" and then "Sidq" (1925–76). Amin Ahsan Islahi, another Indo-Pak Muslim scholar, also worked with him on his weekly newspaper, "Sach". For higher studies, MA Philosophy, he joined the then MAO College and then went to St Stephen's College of Delhi, but because of his financial crisis, he could not complete the course. His first book in English, "The Psychology of Leadership", was published by Louis Fisher, London in 1913.