Asghar was born at Gonda (U.P.). His father, Taffazul Hussain, was an ordinary clerk, a man of modest means who couldn't afford to educate his son in a good school or college. Consequently, Asghar studied only up to the 8th class, but he attained through self-effort a complete mastery of Urdu, Persian and Arabic, besides achieving proficiency in English. It is said that in his early youth Asghar led a life of sensuous abandon, but later, under the influence of Sayed Abdul Ghani Kazmi, a religious saint and mystic, he turned a new leaf and led a life of piety and self-control. He had a great love of literature, religion and philosophy, more specially, the philosophy of the Sufi saints. Like Jigar, Asghar too traded in spectacles for sometime to earn his living. Later he worked in the railway engineering department, followed by a short stint at the India Press at Allahabad. He died of a paralytic stroke in 1936.

Asghar is a specialist of the ghazal. His poetic works are available under two volumes: Nishat-e-Rooh and Sarud-e-Zindagi. The central theme of Ifis poetry is love, not earthly and material, but mystic and transcendental. He expresses his feelings with consummate artistry, using the imagery of romantic poetry, so that he can be enjoyed at both the secular and spiritual levels. According to him life is a perpetualquest, an eternal search for the fount of love and beauty, and all objects of this earth are engaged in the pursuit of this one aim. Reason and analytical probing cannot take us to the source of light and love. What we need is a spirit of self-surrender and a sense of humility. Then alone can we rise above the apparent confusion of creeds and realise that one Truth for which the whole creation is striving.

In his impressive, Persianiseci style, Asghar seems to have been influenced by Ghalib, while in his emphasis on the greatness of man, and the value of struggle, he reminds us of Iqbal, who too, we may recall, gives utmost importance to the virtues of love, faith and action.