Maqbool Hussain Zarif Lucknavi was born on 22 February 1870 at his ancestral home in Lucknow. He had acquired his literary taste from his family environment and from the cultural elegance of Lucknow. His father was a man of taste and culture, and his elder brother. Maulana Safi was a poet of national repute. It was Safi who advised his younger brother to specialize in humorous poetry for which he had an inborn liking. As a young boy, Zarif used to participate in Mushairas where he had made a mark for himself by virtue of his poetic skill and style of recitation. He was especially influenced by Maulana Hali and Akbar Allahabadi, though he failed to attain the heights of these masters in poetic ability and reformative zeal. Zarif was employed by various state governments in one capacity or the other, and this gave him a pro-establishment proclivity. He also visited Iran and Iraq in connection with his official responsibilities. His famous poem, Sayaahat Nama, a part of which is included in this anthology, is built around his reminiscences of his trip to the Middle East.

Zarif married in 1896 and had two sons and three daughters. His sons didn't survive. Apart from being a popular poet, Zarif was also a journalist and a prose writer. He was associated with the famous literary journal, Avadh Panch published from Lucknow and devoted mainly to humorous literature. He also became its editor. Zarif died on 3 December 1937. His poetic works were published under the title: Dewaanjee.