Imdad Ali Ulvi was born on 29th July 1839 in Bhoon town, Muzaffarnagar district. In 1869 he moved to Hyderabad and in 1874 he pledged allegiance to Hazrat Mirza Sardar Baig. A large part of his stay in Hyderabad was at Balada Farkhunda Foundation, Hyderabad. His followers and adherents are found in abundance in Hyderabad and its suburbs. Imdad Ali Alvi's father, the great Pir Mir Nejat Ali Alvi (d. 1856) is a descendant of Hazrat Muhammad Ali's son Muhammad Al-Akbar Ibn Hanifa, hence the surname Alvi. The signs of Imdad’s genius were apparent from his very childhood. Anyone who would come to his introduction, would be left thinking that one day this child would become an Arif. According to the custom of that time, he first finished the Holy Qur'an, then learned Persian from his father and became proficient in his mother tongue Urdu. In the meantime, books on Sufism were also included in his study. He also developed a bent towards poetry. Initially, he sought corrections from Zauq Dehlvi’s disciple, Munshi Ahsanullah Khan Merathi who saw his works and said, ‘this is all amazing.’ Imdad Ali Ulvi passed away on 1st May 1901 and was buried in Astana-e-Hazrat Mirza Sardar Baig Hyderabad.