suleyman rahimov was born in eyin in the elisabethpol governorate of the russian empire, which is now in gubadly district of azerbaijan on 4 april 1900. according to his memoir "road of life" (həyat yolu), rahimov was born in a farmer family. he was raised by his father's uncle, allahverdi. he received education in allahverdi's mullah house, but was sent to a russian school in gubadly on 1912. when he was 16, armenian forces occupied rahimov's birthplace and his family became a refugee. they settled in gubadly, kaziyan, saryl, aghaly and other nearby settlements. during this time, he lost his mother and two sisters. on 1921 rahimov went to khanlig (now "de facto" called ishkhanadzor) and worked there as a teacher in a newly opened school. after receiving pedagogical classes in shusha he worked as a teacher in multiple schools across zangezursky uyezd. on 1928 rahimov and his friend ali valiyev went to baku and studied at the history faculty of azerbaijan state university for three years. he then gave literacy lessons to old workers in black city.