Iftikhar Hussain was born in Khairabad in 1865 to Ahmad Hasan "Ruswa". He was the grandson of Fazl e Haq Khairabadi who was also a poet, philosopher, writer and freedom fighter in the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Khairabadi's first mentor was his mother. He wrote many books on poetry and also published a literary magazine named Karishma-e-Dilbar. Nazr-e-Khuda is a poetry collection. He was well-known for his naatia kalaam."Melaad-e-Mustafa" is the collection of naat (sacred verses). Muztar Khairabadi's poem Behr-e-Taweel and his ghazal Marg-e-Ghalat ki Fariyad are considered remarkable examples of Urdu poetry. He served as a judge in the states of Tonk and Gwalior as well. He received numerous distinguishing titles, including Khan Bahadur, Eitbar-ul-Mulk, and Iftikhar-ul-Shaura. Muztar died in 1927 and buried in Gwalior.