Shahid Ahmad Dehlavi was born on May 22, 1906 in Delhi. He was the grandson of Maulvi Nazir Ahmad and the son of Maulvi Bashiruddin. His father was employed in the state of Hyderabad. Therefore, he got his primary education there but after that he came to Aligarh and moved to Delhi. From the Arabic school, he passed the tenth-grade examination, then moved to Lahore. There, he enrolled in the Foreman Christian College. Initially, he wanted to be a doctor and even took admission in medical after FEC, but was terrified of scenes such as men's autopsies and eventually gave up his intention to become a doctor. After that he did English Honors from Stephen College, but followed with an MA in Persian from Delhi University. He also had a deep interest in music. After completing his education, he started the monthly Saqi in 1930 and also set up a book depot of the same name. His magazine became very popular. But after the partition, he moved to Pakistan. First Lahore then Karachi. From there he reissued his magazine. He continued to work hard for the magazine but the financial situation was always unfavorable. He wrote some articles on radio where he could earn money and invested it on magazines. Then he joined the Pakistan Writers Guild in 1959.

Shahid Ahmad Dehlavi has written over fifty books. Many of these books are very famous. For example, “Dehli Ki Bipta”, "Ganjina-e-Gohar", "Aur Faust". He worked hard all his life and did significant work in the promotion and spread of poetry. He also had great command over language. Shahid Ahmad Dehlavi was in fact the trustee of the traditions of Nazir Ahmed and Bashiruddin Ahmed. Everyone knows the way his father gained fame by writing "Waqiat Dar-ul-Hukuumar-e-Delhi". Shahid Ahmad Dehlavi maintained this legacy in a clear and transparent language and he continued to promote Urdu literature with some special issues of his magazine. His unique style and eloquent rhetoric can never be forgotten. His health deteriorated due to constant hard work and night vigil and he died on May 27, 1967 due to a heart attack.