Ahmad was a poet from Golconda.

His work was highly regarded by his contemporaries, with Ibn Nishati, another poet of the time, referring to him as Ustad-e-Sukhan (Master of Speech), acknowledging and praising his contributions to Persian and Urdu poetry. Ahmad is known for two mathnavis: Laila Majnun and Musibat-e-Ahle Bait. The first mathnavi was commissioned by Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah of Golconda.

The Panjab main Urdu author – Prof. Mahmood Sherwaani references this work, while the manuscript of the second mathnavi is preserved in the Library of the India Office in London. According to Grahame Bailey, Ahmad’s romance titled Laila-Majnun (written around the year 1600), of which 2,000 lines have still survived.

Dr. Jameel Jalibi also found out a mathnavi of around 4000 couplets titled “Yusuf Zulaikha“. Which was later published by Dr. Syeda Ja’afar from Hyderabad – claiming this work to be the first mathnavi of dabistan e Golconda (Golconda School of Poetry). She also mentions his name as Shaikh Ahmad Shareef Gujrati.
From the mathnavi we got to know more about his life and works. Dr. Jalibi mentions that, Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah had written a “nawaazish naama” inviting Ahmad from Gujrat to Hyderabad. He was the murid of Ahmad Shah Wajihuddin Alwi. From the mathnavi we also get to know that Ahmad knew Arabic, Persian, Telegu and Sanskrit; and was interested in grammar, logic, ‘ilm ul kalaam, jurisprudence, medicine and hikmat.

Further Readings:
1. Bailey, Thomas Grahame. A history of Urdu literature. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2008.
2. Hashmi, Naseer-Uddin. Dakan MeiN Urdu. 1st ed., Taraqqi Urdu Bureau, 1985.
3. Jalbi, Jameel. Tareekh e Urdu Adab.
4. Shareef, Muhammad Jamaal. Dakan meiN Urdu Shayeri Wali Se Pehle. Edited by Muhammad Ali Asar. Hyderabad: Idara-e-Adabiyat-e-Urdu, 2004.
5. Sayyada Jafar. Yusuf Zulekha: Dabistan-e-Golkunda Ki Pahli Masnavi. 1st ed. Hyderabad, India: National Fine Printing Press, 1983.