Salimuzzaman was born in Subeha (Barabanki District) near Lucknow on 19 October 1897. His father's name was Chaudhry Muhammad Zaman and his elder brother Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman was a distinguished All India Muslim League leader and one of the founding fathers of Pakistan. He received his early education from Lucknow, both in the Urdu and Persian languages, and soon developed interest in literature, poetry, and calligraphy from his father Sheikh Muhammad Zaman. He graduated in Philosophy and Persian language, from Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College (that would later become Aligarh Muslim University) in 1920.