A native of Akhsikath in Central Asia, Athir al-Din first started his career at the court of Herat, under the service of the Seljuk sultan Ahmad Sanjar (r. 1118–1157).

During this period he is known to have served under the Seljuk sultans of Persian Iraq, the Eldiguzids, and a local dynast, Ala al-Dawla Fakhr al-Din Arab Shah.

[3] Athir al-Din's education started in his native Akhsikath, and was finished in Balkh, the cultural hub of the Khurasan region.

The figures that are the subject of his madih (praises) are the Seljuk sultans of Persian Iraq, the Eldiguzid atabegs of Azerbaijan, or their ministers and family members.

[4] Athir al-Din also fell into a conflict with another distinguished poet, Khaqani (died 1186–1199), who lived in Shamakhi and served the Shirvanshahs.

The contemporaneous Persian writer Muhammad Aufi says that Athir al-Din's poetry "is embellished and pleasant, and has a wealth of ideas.

However, according to Meneghini, the major tadhkiras (traditional biographies), all modern Persian histories of literature, and even some historical chronicles attest the popularity of Athir al-Din.

She adds that topic of his ghazals were straightforward and of variable length, and mainly used the radif (a word or phrase that rhymes with each line of the poem).