Di Tiro was born to Tengku Sjech Abdullah and Siti Aisyah in Tiro, Pedir, Aceh Sultanate, in 1836. Until the age of 15, he studied with his father; he then began studying with his uncle, Teungku Chik Dayah Tjut di Tiro. After studying under several more teachers, he moved to Aceh Besar and spent two years there. By day he would study Islam and by night he would join his fellows in fighting against Dutch colonials. He was eventually called home to Tiro, where he began teaching with his uncle. After several years as a teacher, di Tiro went on the hajj to Mecca. There, he met several Islamic leaders and other revolutionaries from Sumatra, Java, and Borneo; through discussions on imperialism and colonialism, di Tiro became more interested in fighting against the Dutch. One day in 1880, after di Tiro returned to Tiro, a group of guerrilla fighters came through, looking for an ulama to lead the fight. Di Tiro volunteered and joined the guerrillas in their base in Gunung Miram. He then traveled throughout Aceh. Every time he stopped in a town, he would deliver lectures at a mosque about holy war and how it was their duty to fight against unbelievers. At the same time, he sent letters to other ulama to call them to war, determined to have driven the Dutch out of Aceh by 1883. Soon di Tiro and the ulama had collected 6,000 soldiers to fight against the Dutch, as well as the support of the Sultan of Aceh. The Dutch, although aware of the impending rebellion, remained unaware of di Tiro's identity. Soon his troops cut communications between Dutch fortresses and established their own base in Mureu. Previous struggles in the 1870s had led the Dutch to double their numbers in Aceh. In May 1881, di Tiro and his troops captured the Dutch fortress in Indrapuri, sparking the Aceh War. Thiw was followed by the ones in Krueng Jreu and Gle Kameng. In response, the Dutch reinforced their fortresses in Lambaro, Aneuk Galong, and Samahani. Through 1882 and 1883, the two sides continued to fight, with the Acehnese gaining ground and taking over the island of Breuh. In early 1883, di Tiro's forces attacked the Dutch stronghold in Kutaraja ; despite failing to take the fort, they succeeded in killing the Dutch controuler. At the peak of the war, the Dutch controlled only of land; before the war, they had controlled nearly all of Aceh. In April 1884, the sultan was told that di Tiro was now leader of the people. In response, the sultan made a proclamation that he was still sultan; in August di Tiro himself declared that he had no intentions to be sultan. By 1885, di Tiro felt that the Dutch were ready to capitulate. As such, he sent an ultimatum to Assistant Resident Van Langen, offering peace if the Dutch would convert to Islam. Although some Dutchmen came claiming that they were willing to convert, they were later discovered to be spies. In 1888 di Tiro sent another letter; this one also received no response from the Dutch leadership. He then led more expeditions against Dutch forces, despite still being unable to enter Kutaraja. For several more years di Tiro led his troops against the Dutch; the attempts to spy on him led him to declare that he would not rest until all the Dutch were killed. On 21 January 1891, di Tiro was served poisoned food by the son of the leader of Sagi, whom the Dutch had offered a leadership position if he would kill di Tiro; despite being taken to Aneuk Galong fortress to be treated, di Tiro soon died. He was later buried at the family graveyard in Meureu, Aceh Besar. His struggle was continued by other Acehnese figures, including Teuku Umar, Cut Nyak Dhien, and Cut Nyak Meutia, as well as his family.
Di Tiro had five sons: Teungku Mat Amin, Teungku Mahidin, Teungku di Tungkob, Teungku di Buket, and Teungku Lambada. Through them he was the great-grandfather of Free Aceh Movement founder Hasan di Tiro.
