The Vanished Glory of Hazrat Shah Kambal Posh: Revisiting Hyderabad’s Spiritual Heritage

By Syed Amjad Hussain, New Age Islam 24 September 2025 Once a revered Sufi scholar and translator, Hazrat Kambal Posh of Hyderabad’s Yakutpura shaped the Deccan’s spiritual culture; today only a neem-shaded grave recalls his fading legacy. Main Points: 1. Born in Aurangabad in 1085 Hijri, Hazrat Kambal Posh memorised the Qur’an by nine and mastered both outward and inward Islamic sciences before his teens. 2. He was invested with saintly robes in the Qadiriyya, Chishtiyya, Naqshbandiyya and Shattari orders, pledging allegiance to Hazrat Shah Mohiuddin. 3. He painstakingly translated the Arabic work Mirat-ul-Aarifeen into Persian, adding his own notes, and maintained close ties with Hazrat Shah Musa Qadri in Hyderabad. 4. He lived 119 years, passing away in 1204 Hijri (1790 CE), and was buried at Yakutpura under a neem tree. 5. Once drawing huge multi-faith crowds each Shawwal, his Urs has dwindled today to a simple Fateha recitation, leaving his neem-shaded grave as a silent witness to Hyderabad’s fading spiritual heritage. ----- Introduction On a busy stretch of Yakutpura Road in old Hyderabad, tucked beside a centuries-old mosque and shaded by a sprawling neem tree, lies a grave that once drew thousands upon thousands of devotees. This is the resting place of Hazrat Shah Ghulam Ahmad, affectionately known as Shah Kambal Posh, a scholar, translator and Sufi guide whose life embodies the forgotten spiritual richness of the Deccan. From a Prodigious Child to a Spiritual Guide Hazrat Shah Ghulam Ahmed was born in 1085 Hijri (corresponding to 1674 CE) in the historic city of Aurangabad. His father, Shah Ghulam al-Haq, was both guardian and first teacher, supervising his education and spiritual training from an early age. Gifted with a prodigious memory, young Ghulam Ahmad memorised the entire Qur’an Shareef by the age of nine. By twelve he had mastered the outward sciences of Islam, the zahir, and swiftly moved on to the esoteric knowledge of the heart, the batin. Within a remarkably short period he achieved distinction in both realms, becoming renowned as a “perfect knower” of reality. He received the saintly robe (Khirqah Shareef) from his father in the Qadiriyya, Chishtiyya and Naqshbandiyya Sufi orders. In the Shattari tradition he pledged allegiance at the hands of Hazrat Shah Mohiuddin. Despite his learning, he remained humble, refraining from leading congregational prayers except for Tarawih during Ramadan. Year after year he recited the Qur’an Shareef from memory in these special night prayers, never once needing to revise it. Scholar, Translator and Friend of Saints Hazrat Kambal Posh was not only a spiritual guide but also a man of letters. After years of painstaking labour he translated the Arabic work Mirat-ul-Aarifeen into Persian, adding his own scholarly notes on the margins. This placed him among the distinguished authors of the Deccan at a time when Persian was the scholarly language of the region. He maintained close contact with other saints and scholars, including Hazrat Shah Musa Qadri of Hyderabad. In his lifetime he was widely regarded as a unique personality, combining outward scholarship with inward illumination. Passing of a Centenarian Saint Hazrat Kambal Posh lived an extraordinary 119 years. He passed away on 2 Shawwal 1204 Hijri (14 June 1790) during the reign of the Nizam of Hyderabad. He was buried within the city at Yakutpura, near the Ashur Khan of Hazrat Imam Qasim, in the courtyard of a mosque now widely known as the Masjid of Hazrat Kambal Posh Saheb. The grave rests on a modest stone-worked platform 8 feet 6 inches long, about 3 feet wide and 1½ feet high. The grave itself is 5 feet 4 inches by 2 feet 9 inches, made of ordinary soil coated in lime. A large neem tree at the foot end casts its cool shadow across the saint’s resting place, a living witness to centuries gone by. Urs Then and Now In earlier times the saint’s Urs, his annual death-anniversary commemoration, was one of Hyderabad’s grandest gatherings. People of every community, irrespective of caste or creed, flocked to the shrine on 2 Shawwal. As recorded in Gulzar-e-Asifa (p. 252) and Tazkirat al-Auliya, vol. 2, p. 651, “several hundred thousand devotees from near and far” would assemble to pay homage, embodying the plural spiritual culture of the Deccan. Today, however, the atmosphere is subdued. The once-vibrant celebration has dwindled to a simple Fateha recitation. Not even a nameplate now marks the grave of this venerable Shaykh. Only the mosque, the platform and the neem tree remain as silent custodians of his memory. Remembering Hazrat Kambal Posh Writing about Hazrat Shah Ghulam Ahmad “Kambal Posh” is, as earlier chroniclers observed, “not only difficult but a very hard task.” He was at once a great Sufi of the Deccan, a patient translator, a long-lived teacher and a preacher who laboured for the spread of Islam across South India. During his era there was no comparable personality. Reviving the memory of such a figure is an act of homage to Hyderabad’s inclusive spiritual past. His life, from a gifted child in Aurangabad to a saintly scholar in Hyderabad, mirrors the city’s own blend of learning, devotion and cosmopolitan culture. As the neem tree continues to cast its shade over his grave, Hazrat Kambal Posh still whispers the story of a life lived in humility, knowledge and service. References: Tazkirat al-Auliya Gulzar-e-Asifa ---- Syed Amjad Hussain is an author and Independent research scholar on Sufism and Islam. He is the author of 'Bihar Aur Sufivad', a bestselling research book based on the history of Sufism in Bihar. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/glory-hazrat-kambal-posh-spiritual-heritage/d/136957 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism