Tuan Hussain was born on November 2, 1863 or 20 Jamadil Awal 1280 Hijra at Titi Gajah, Alor Setar, Kedah. Tan Hussain who was better known as Tuan Hussain Kedah received his religious and Arabic education as a child, from his grandfather, Tuan Haji Muhammad Taib bin Haji Mas'ud. Haji Muhammad Taib was the former Mufti of Kedah who held office during the reign of Sultan Ahmad Tajuddin Mukarram Shah. He had opened a surau at Titi Gajah so that he could teach Islamic religious knowledge to hundred of his students, everyday.

In 1881, at the age of 19, Tuan Hussain was sent to study for a year, at the "pondok" or hut school of Tuan Semela in Patani. He then went on a journey through Kelantan, Terengganu, Singapore, Johore and Perak to widen his religious knowledge. He returned after eight years to Titi Gajah to help his grandfather teach at the surau.

In 1892, he went on Mecca with his wife, Wan Khadijah binti wan Yusof, to perform the Hajj and to further widen his knowledge on Islam. He managed to study under the tutorship of Tuan Sheikh Hasbullah, Tuan Sheikh Nawawi Bentan, Tuan Sheikh Ahmad Lingga, Tuan Sheikh Umar Sumbawa, Tuan Sheikh Umar Bali and Tuan Sheikh Muhammad Khafat. When Tuan Hussain returned from Mecca. In 1896, he continued teaching at Titi Gajah, but at the same time he was offered the opportunity to open his own pondok school at Alor Ganu, a nearby village. He accepted the offer and taught in the school for three years.

In 1900, he moved to Bohor where he opened his own pondok school. His students of the Bohor pondok were made up of both males and females between the age of 15 and 60. There were two types of pondoks: the first was called the inner pondok, which was reserved for married couples and the second was the outer pondok meant for bachelors. Tuan Hussain managed his pondok school at Bohor for 12 years, to the point that he was nicknamed "Tuan Hussain Bohor".

In 1912, Tuan Hussain moved to Bagan Ulu where he opened yet another pondok school. The place is now known as Pantai Merdeka. He had around 400 students in the school and one of his most famous students was Tuan Haji Abdul Rahman bin Hj. Abdullah, better known as Haji Abd. Rahman Merbok. Tuan Hussain managed the school for about 8 years before opening a new pondok school at Selengkoh in the Mukim of Sungai Limau. As the area around Selengkoh was muddy, Tuan Hussain found that he had less students than expected. He, however, continued teaching in Selengkoh for the next 4 years before deciding on another pilgrimage to Mecca with his children and grandchildren.

Upon his return from Mecca in 1924, he hit upon an idea of opening a pondok school in Padang Lumat. Besides teaching, he published new religious texts every year. During his lifetime, he had composed more than 18 books on Fiqah, Tauhid, Tasawuf, Ibadat, Saraf and so on. It was in 1887 that he wrote his first book called "Al-Nur-Mustafid fi Aqa'id Ahl Al-Tauhid". His last book, written in 1935 was about replacement prayers. It was called "Bunga Geti".

Tuan Haji Hussain was no ordinary Ulama. He had never expected any form of gifts or payments from the public. He actually owned hundreds of relongs of rice-fields, as well as rubber and coconut plantations. He also had some properties in Banjarmasin. He was also the person who donated the land upon which was built the Titi Gajah Mosque and Muslim cemetery, the Padang Lumat Religious School, and the Pokok Sena Religious School in Seberang Prai. On February 10, 1936, Tuan Haji Hussain died after succumbing to an illness in his pondok school of Pokok Sena, in Seberang Prai. He was laid to rest in Titi Gajah.