Hazairin was born in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Dutch East Indies on 28 November 1906[1] to a strict religious family of Persian descent.

[1] After graduation, Hazairin returned to Bengkulu under the tutelage of B. Ter Haar, a respected Dutch expert on adat, to study the Rejang people there.

[4] In 1938 Hazairin obtained a post at a court in Padang Sidempuan, North Sumatra, where he stayed until the Japanese invaded the Indies in 1942; during the same period he served to enforce adat law throughout South Tapanuli.

[4] He later was selected as Minister of Internal Affairs for the First Ali Sastroamidjojo Cabinet, serving from 30 July 1953 to 18 November 1954.

[1][7] During his term, he helped pass a law guaranteeing inheritance rights to children born out of wedlock and unmarried live-together partners.

Firstly, he read Sura An-Nisa verses 23 and 24 as allowing cousin marriages, which in his opinion showed support for the bilateral system.

[12] Hazairin was a polyglot, fluent in Dutch, Indonesian, English, and French, with a passive comprehension of Arabic, Latin, and German.