Born into the Serbian Sokolović family, he was, like his close relative[a] Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha (Mehmed-paša Sokolović)[1] abducted as part of the devşirme system of collection of Christian boys to be raised to serve in the janissary corps, Islamized and recruited into Ottoman service.

[4] His brother Derviš-beg died during an Ottoman battle in Georgia while he was serving as the beylerbey of the Diyarbekir Eyalet, Eastern Anatolia.

Among more important commissions were the Ferhadija and Arnaudija mosques during which construction a plumbing infrastructure was laid that served surrounding residential areas.

[8] Ferhad Pasha Sokolović with 10,000 soldiers organized three major assaults and tried to take Gvozdansko Castle in the Kingdom of Croatia in the Habsburg monarchy.

Finally, when the Ottomans entered the castle gates, all the defending forces were already dead of wounds, hunger and cold.