He was educated at
Darul Uloom Deoband, where he became a disciple of
Mahmud Hasan Deobandi, and graduated in 1908. After his graduation, he was appointed as a teacher at
Darul Uloom Deoband. In 1915, when Mahmud Hasan went into self-exile in
Hijaz, Saudi Arabia, Usmani filled his position as the teacher of
Sahih al-Muslim, a book of teachings of
Muhammad. In 1925, Sultan Abdul Aziz
Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia scheduled a conference for prominent religious scholars from all over the world. A delegation of a number of 'Ulema' from India participated in this conference. It is believed that they chose Usmani as their leader after having a short conversation with him. In 1926, he moved to
Dabhel, a small predominantly Deobandi town in the Indian state of
Gujarat, and became a teacher at
Jamiah Islamiah Talimuddin Dabhel. In October 1920, when the foundation committee decided to establish
Jamia Millia Islamia, he was elected as a member of the founding committee. Many other Islamic scholars also were members of the Foundation Committee including
Hussain Ahmad Madani,
Abdul Bari Firangi Mahali,
Mahmud Hasan Deobandi,
Kifayatullah Dihlawi, and
Abdul Haq Akorwi. In 1933, when
Anwar Shah Kashmiri died, Usmani became the teacher of
Sahih al-Bukhari, a book of teachings by Muhammad. His disciples include
Badre Alam Merathi. ==Political career==