[1] Ahmad Ullah's ancestors were Syeds and originally migrated from Madinah to Gaur, the erstwhile capital of medieval Bengal, via Baghdad and Delhi.

Ahmad Ullah Maizbhandari was born in a Bengali Muslim family in the village of Maizbhandar in the Bengal Presidency's District of Chittagong on 14 January 1826 CE.

From 1859 onwards, Ahmad Ullah busied himself with delivering sermons, attending mehfils and being invited to the homes of his followers.

[9] According to German scholar Hans Harder, the order based in Maizbhandar "is a powerful religious institution whose very popularity and influence defy any notions of marginality.

It has been able to draw adherents from all sections of society, including the urban middle class, and have managed to assert their perspective on Islam vis-à-vis pressure from reformist quarters while keeping in touch with the religious mainstream in Bengal".

In terms of literature, there has been "a sizeable textual output from within the movement since the beginning of the twentieth century, including hagiographies and theological treaties, in the form of monographs, leaflets and journals".