Huq was born to an agricultural peasant's family to parents Qazi Muhammad Wajed, from Chakhar, and his wife Saidunnissa Khatun, in his mother's town of Saturia in Jhalokati district. His primary education began at a local Madrasah. Later he got admitted to Barisal Zilla School and from there passed the Entrance examination in 1890 and the FA Examination in 1892 from Kolkata. He then obtained a BA degree (with triple Honours in Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics) from Presidency College, Kolkata and an MA on Mathematics from Calcutta University. His formal education was completed with a BL degree in 1897 from the University Law College. He was the second Muslim in the Indian subcontinent to obtain a law degree.
Fazlul Huq got initiation in politics in the hands of Sir Khaja Salimullah and Syed Nawab Ali Chowdhury. With their assistance he entered the Bengal Legislative Council in 1913 as an elected member from the Dhaka Division. For 1913-1916 Huq served as the Secretary of the Bengal Provincial Muslim League and Joint Secretary of the All India Muslim League. Then he served as the President of the All India Muslim League from 1916 to 1921. He played an instrumental role in formulating the Lucknow Pact of 1916 between the Congress and the Muslim League. In 1917 Huq became Joint Secretary of the Indian National Congress and in 1918-1919 he served this organisation as its General Secretary.
In 1919 Fazlul Huq joined the Khilafat movement. But he had a difference of opinion about non-cooperation with mainstream Congress leaders. Though he supported the boycott of British goods and titles, he opposed the idea of boycotting of educational institutions, particularly considering the backward condition of the Muslim community. This difference of opinion eventually made him leave Congress.
After alienation from the Congress party, it was up to the Muslims to nominate a mayor in Calcutta. It was in 1935 that, with the Congress' support, Fazlul Huq was chosen and elected first Muslim mayor of Calcutta. Prior to 1937 election, Fazlul Huq reorganized the defunct Proja-Shamiti and renamed it as Krishak Praja Party (KPP). Many contemporary politicians including Mohammad Akram Khan stood against it under the umbrella of "United Muslim Party". But Fazlul Huq won 39 seats and they won 38 seats. Congress claimed majority with 60 seats. Later that year Sher-e-Bangla joined Muslim League and subsequently become the chairman of the Bengal headquarter of the party, Suhrawardy became the secretary. Afterwards he acted as the Chief Minister (also called Premier) of undivided Bengal between 1937 to 1943. Fazlul Huq drafted and moved the Lahore Resolution on 23 March 1940. However after 1942 Huq actually opposed the Two-Nation Theory and tried to mobilise non-Muslim League Muslim leaders against Partition of India.
After the departure of the British colonial government in South Asia and subsequent birth of Pakistan and India in August 1947, Huq settled in Dhaka and served as the Advocate General of East Pakistan from 1947 to 1952. He soon got involved with Bengali Language Movement. Huq was injured with many people by the police lathi charged on the demonstrating students. On 27 July 1953, Shere-e-Bangla founded the 'Sramik-Krishak Dal'. Fazlul Huq along with Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani and Suhrawardy formed the United Front to contest the election of 1954, in which they had a landslide victory. Huq's charisma was a dominant factor for the victory of the Front. Rejection of West Pakistan's dominance over East Pakistan and the desire for Bengali provincial autonomy were the main ingredients of the coalition's twenty-one-point platform. After the elections A. K. Fazlul Huq became the Chief (or Prime) Minister, once again, but this time of East Bengal. However, the East Pakistani election and the coalition's victory proved pyrrhic; Bengali factionalism surfaced soon after the election and the United Front fell apart. From 1954 to Ayub's assumption of power in 1958, the Sramik-Krishak Dal led by Huq and the Awami League led by Suhrawardy were engaged in a ceaseless battle for control of East Pakistan's provincial government. In August 1955, Huq was invited to join the central cabinet as the Home Minister. In 1956, he became the Governor of East Pakistan and was removed from that post in 1958. At that time, it was rumored that Huq had some bitter rivalry against Muhammad Ali Bogra and Suhrawardy and finally he decided to retire from active politics. He was food and agriculture minister of Pakistan till 1961.
Fazlul Huq led a very simple personal life. After death of his first wife, with whom he had one child (Rice Begum), Fazlul Huq married Khadija Begum (November 1919 - 6 November 1992). Their only son, A. K. Faezul Huq, was a Bangladeshi politician, lawyer, and freelance journalist. His extended family is scattered around India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
Fazlul Huq died on Friday 27 April 1962 at 10:20 am at an age of 89 years and 6 months. His dead body was kept at his 27 K. M. Das Lane residence at Tikatuli till 10:30 am of 28 April on a customized ice-bed. Then his Salat al-Janazah prayer was held at the Paltan Moydan. The funeral of this popular leader drew a crowd of over half a million. All educational institutions of Pakistan were declared closed on 30 April to pay tribute to him. All important officials of Pakistan attended his Janazah.
In the words of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto - " He was a man of action, tact and kindness. A true Muslim, a proud Bengali, a patriotic Pakistani and a committed Socialist, Abu al-Kazem Haq, Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilayhi Raji'oon "
