Mas‘ud Sa‘d Salman was a prominent poet of the Persian language and is regarded as an important literary figure of the Ghaznavid period. He remained associated with the Ghaznavid court and held various positions in Lahore. He is particularly renowned for his prison poetry (Habsiyat). In his Habsiyat, Mas‘ud Sa‘d Salman portrayed the hardships, deprivations, and personal experiences of imprisonment in a highly effective manner. He spent approximately eighteen years of his life in various prisons, particularly Dahak, Nay, Su, and Maranjan, and it was during this period that many of his celebrated Habsiyat were composed.

Another important feature of Mas‘ud Sa‘d Salman’s literary career is that he is counted among the earliest poets with a collected volume of poetry to compose verse in the Hindavi language. Although his Hindavi divan is no longer available today, contemporary biographers and anthologists have clearly mentioned it. His position in Persian prison poetry is highly distinguished, and he also holds an important place in the early Indian-language poetic tradition of the Indian subcontinent.