Yusuf was born and raised in the village of Daudpur in Kulaura, Sylhet District, Assam Province, British India.
He studied in Sylhet Government High School before completing his BA, LLB and MA at the University of Dhaka.
During his time in high school, he was deputy commander for the Sylhet City Green Force - an affiliated branch of the All-India Muslim League.
During the Sylhet referendum movement in 1947, Yusuf volunteered as a local captain for the All-India Muslim League.
[1] On 14 February 1971, he was elected as the General Secretary for the East Pakistan Provincial (Convention) Muslim League.
As the acting secretary of the Sylhet Flood Relief Committee formed by the Jalalabad Association, he showed his skills as a fearless social worker.