[1][2] He was born on 6 May 1684 at Doddallapur in the Bijapur Sultanate, 2 years before the Mughal Empire took control of the region during the reign of Aurangzeb.

At an early age, he served as a commander of 50 men in the Rocket artillery of the army of the Nawab of Carnatic.

It is believed that he served alongside Zulfiqar Ali Khan, the first Nawab of the Carnatic during the Siege of Jinji.

This was maintained under the command of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb with the purpose of capturing or killing the renegade Maratha ruler Rajaram.

Fath Muhammad eventually entered the service of the Wodeyar Rajas of the Kingdom of Mysore, where he rose to become a powerful military commander.