Ibne Safi was born on July 26, 1928 in the town 'Nara' of district Allahabad, (UP), India. His real name was Asrar Ahmad. He belonged to a new muslim landlord and learned family of Nara. His father's name was Safiullah and he shifted to Allahbad for his job in vending company working with British Army.
He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Agra University. In 1948 but he started writing short stories, humor and poetry as early as in 1940. After graduation he started his first job at 'Nikhat Publications' as an Editor in the poetry department. He used pen names ‘Sanki Soldier’ and ‘Tughral Farghan’ for short stories and humour and ‘Israr Narvi’ for poetry. He also worked as secondary school teacher.
In 1952 he migrated to Pakistan and settled in Karachi. He married to Ume Salma Khatoon in 1953.
In an informal meeting of some friends someone claimed that Urdu detective literature had a little scope as it mainly based on sex. Ibne Safi with a different opinion took the challenge and started writing detective novels in the monthly “Nikhat”, naming the series “Jasoosi Duniya” with Inspector Faridi and Capt Hameed as the main detectivs.
His first novel from ‘Imran Series’ was issued in 1955 with Ali Imran as the main character under his own publication house named ‘Israr Publications’.
Both the series received a warm appreciation from the public and Ibne Safi reached on the hall of fame in next 5 years. In this period he produced some of the classics and had become the most popular writer of the sub-continent.
In 1960, an attack of schizophrenia stopped his work and deprived of the public with their favrourite novels for the period of 3 years. In the meantime a bunch of writers with different names mostly resembling to Ibne Safi tried to fulfil the gap. Some of the publishing houses started printing his novels without permission to earn easy money. A massive volume of novels using his characters childishly and in a sub-standarad manner could not satisfy the thirst of the public for a standard literature from a legend and then with the grace of God and the prayers of millions of the fans Ibne Safi recovered from the illness in 1963 and released his first novel ‘Dairh Matwalay’. Dairh Matwalay had been the best seller in sub-continent and had been undoubtedly, the most talked topic of the time. After his recovery he started both the series giving public and Urdu the best detective literature ever produced. He wrote these novels continuously, till his death in 1980, and wrote 36 novels of “Jasoosi Duniya” and 79 novels of “Imran series” which had been the hot cakes of the time.
Ibne Safi suffered from abdominal pains in September 1979, which was confirmed cancer at the head of pancreas in December 1979.
Ibne Safi died on saturday July 26, 1980 (Ramadhan 12, 1400 AH), at around Faj'r time, His incomplete Imran Series novel Aakhri Aadmi was by his bedside.