[11] Urdu scholar, Ali Jawad Zaidi has described him as "a saviour of the ghazal by imparting it with a new mellowness stimulating perception and lyrical realism".

His family was very wealthy and held a respectable position within the high-society of Patna.

Shad Azimabadi showed an interest in poetry from a young age.

He was taught Arabic, Persian and Urdu during his school years and received poetic instruction from a number of famous poets of his age including Shah Ulfat Hussain Faryaad who some consider his preceptor.

Azimabadi took a conservative approach towards the Urdu language, which he viewed as only in the purview of the upper classes.