The sheikh of a Naqshbandi Sufi tariqa and a political exile prior to the Russian Revolution, he was one of the leaders of the Dagestan National Committee [ru] in the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus, and he served as a member of parliament for the country.

Uzun-Hajji fought both the Bolsheviks and the White movement during the Civil War, seeking to establish an independent theocracy in the North Caucasus.

His attempt to establish an emirate of his own lasted for seven months, with extensive support from the Democratic Republic of Georgia, before it successfully expelled White forces from the North Caucasus.

[9] Prior to the Russian Revolution, he lived in the highlands of Chechnya, participating in protests against the rule of the Tsars and writing religious poetry.

[11] Upon his return, he quickly joined the political life of the newly established Union of Highlanders of the Northern Caucasus as a supporter of Islamic theocracy and sharia.

During his tenure he was effectively a part of the opposition, placing intense pressure on the government to reveal how financial loans from the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic had been spent.

In an unexpected defeat, however, those present refused to restore the imamate, as they believed it would lead to a sectarian conflict against the Georgians and Azerbaijanis.

[23] The Red Army invaded Dagestan in March 1918, bringing the Russian Civil War to the North Caucasus.

Najmuddin was recognised as Imam of Dagestan and Chechnya,[24] and it was decided that in order to recapture the occupied Temir-Khan-Shura it was necessary to launch a three-pronged offensive, targeting Arakani, Chir-Yurt, and both Kazi-Kumukh and Tsudakhar.

[25] At Tsudakhar, Uzun-Hajji's detachment was blocked from entering the village by local sheikh and military commander Ali-Hajji of Akusha.

The rule of the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus in Dagestan was fully restored on 7 November, when Ottoman forces captured Port-Petrovsk (today Makhachkala).

[28] Following the end of World War I, Uzun-Hajji became a critic of the Mountainous Republic's efforts to establish relations with the Allies, and he called for the removal of British troops from Dagestan after they entered the region.

At the meeting, Uzun-Hajji stated If we had to the current time worked, united, and organised, then no enemy would have dared to cross the border of our motherland.

[9] In response to Najmuddin's proposal to work with the British against the Bolsheviks, Uzun-Hajji answered simply, "What difference does it make if the pig is black or white?

[41] In the summer of 1919, Chechen insurgent commander Inaluk Arsanukayev [ru] delivered a firman, allegedly from Ottoman Sultan Mehmed VI, to Uzun-Hajji ordering the establishment of an Islamic theocracy.

The letter is now believed to be a forgery,[23] but on 19 September of that year, the establishment of the North Caucasian Emirate as a theocratic monarchy and Ottoman protectorate was announced.

The establishment of the emirate had a significant effect on the local populations of Ingushetia, Chechnya, and the Dagestani highlands, leading to further support for the uprising.

[44] Uzun-Hajji also had poor relations with fellow insurgent Ali Mitayev, a Chechen sheikh who did not recognise his authority as emir.

Mitayev later attempted to make amends with Uzun-Hajji by delivering weapons captured from White forces to Vedeno, but the gift was not accepted.

[46] After a series of defeats inflicted upon Red Army units under the command of Nikolai Gikalo, they evacuated to the North Caucasian highlands, where they were sheltered by Uzun-Hajji and welcomed as having a shared enemy.

[51] A group of fifty officers from Georgia, under the command of Leo Kereselidze, arrived in the country,[48] as did military instructors from the former Austro-Hungarian and German empires.

[53] The emirate's military successes prompted alarm from the White movement, and Najmuddin, along with other aalimath allied to Denikin, called on the Muslims of the North Caucasus to fight and kill Uzun-Hajji.

[57] Instead, the Bolsheviks put forward a demand of their own that Uzun-Hajji give all of his temporal power over to them in return for being allowed to retain the title of Imam of Chechnya and Dagestan.