Shamsul Huda, received his early education in Arabic, Persian. Urdu, Bengali and aspects of Islam at home under the care of his father. After completing his early education at home, Shamsul Huda moved to Calcutta for farther and higher education. Since Calcutta was one of India's leading centers of education and commerce at the time, the bright and ambitious Muslim students went there to pursue religious sciences and modern English education. Soon after his arrival in Calcutta, Shamsul Huda enrolled at the Hughly Madrasah where he studied Arabic, Persian, Urdu and aspects of traditional Islamic sciences. According to Muhammad Abdullah, he may have completed his exams there before joining the renowned Presidency College for his undergraduate studies, In 1884, at the age of 21. he obtained his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree and, a year later, he was appointed a lecturer in Arabic, and Persian at the historic Calcutta Madrasah.

Shamsul Huda joined the Calcutta Madrasah in the same year in which Mawlana Ubaydullah al-Ubaydi Suhrawardi, a former superintendent of that Madrasah, died. Thanks to his excellent linguistic skills, Shamsul Huda became a popular teacher in the Department of Arabic and Persian, and he also found lime to study part-time tor a Bachelor of Laws (BL) degree, which was awarded to him by the Universiry of Calcutta in 1886. He was a bright student, who excelled in his studies and received high marks in both his BA and BL examinations. A year after obtaining his law degree, Shamsul Huda resigned as a lecturer at Calcutta Madrasah and began to practice law at the Calcutta High Court, While he was busy working as a lawyer, he continued to study, Persian privately and, in 1889, he obtained a Master of Arts (MA) degree in that subject. He passed his exams with flying colors and in so doing he became one of the most coquet, articulate and educated Muslims of his generation. As expected, Shamsul Huda went onto play an important and equally influential role as a Muslim scholar, leader and politician in Bengal during the early part of the twentieth century.