Born on September 12, 1947 in a family in Hardoi District, Sandila Tehsil, UP, Zia Farooqi is among the more important poets of Urdu language. Considered to be in the Ashrafia class due to its academic background. His father Chaudhry Alam Raza was one of the influential leaders of the area. As with other students of his time who had just completed their schooling, Zia, too, came to Kanpur for higher education. He graduated from Kanpur and got employed in Transport Corporation Kanpur. He retired from the organization in 2005. Since Bhopal has been a pivot of Urdu literature for a long time, he moved here.

He is as much a critic as a poet, for he meticulously reviews various books and expresses his views on literary topics with reference to various Urdu magazines and journals. His monograph on Saha Mujaddidi has come to light with reference to Delhi Urdu Academy. In this monograph, Zia Farooqi, while searching for the relics and relics of Saha Mujaddidi, has also studied the poetry of Saha Mujaddidi and pointed out the shades which are seen in the works of Ghalib and other poets.

It is impossible to discuss his literary contributions without mentioning Kanpur Nama, a Masnavi which encompasses a two-and-a-half-century literary history of Kanpur and also brings to light the linguistic antiquity of Kanpur. Apart from this, his poetry works include Raqs-e-Ghubar (Versified Memoirs) (Awarded by UP Urdu Academy), Pas-e-Gard Safar, Dasht-e-Shab (Awarded by UP Urdu Academy). His prose writings include ‘Lafz-Rang’, ‘Tazkira-e-Muarrikhin’, and Dastan Rang (collection of short-shories).

Zia Farooqi's ghazals are a melting pot of classical traditions and the light of modern sensibility. They subsume memories of the past, protest, grief, separation, chaos of the latter twentieth century, and much more. But all of it is expressed in an unusually inspiring, encouraging style. Zia Farooqi has also composed a good number of poems and personal obituaries. His poems leave a lasting impression on the reader due to their fluency and continuity. His Naats, too, are extremely well written. UP Urdu Academy has given awards for his two books. Madhya Pradesh Urdu Academy has awarded him the Nawab Siddique Hassan Khan Provincial Award. In addition, many literary institutions and organizations have awarded him in recognition of his literary services.