Shah Hussain's love for a Brahmin boy called "Madho" or "Madho Lal" is famous, and they are often referred to as a single person with the composite name of "Madho Lal Hussain". Madho's tomb lies next to Hussain's in the shrine.

His tomb and shrine lies in Baghbanpura, adjacent to the Shalimar Gardens. His Urs (annual death anniversary) is celebrated at his shrine every year during the "Mela Chiraghan" ("Festival of Lights").

Hussain's poetry consists entirely of short poems known as Kafis. A typical Hussain Kafi contains a refrain and some rhymed lines. The number of rhymed lines is usually between four and ten. Only occasionally is a longer form adopted. Hussain's Kafis are also composed for, and have been set to, music deriving from Punjabi folk music.

Here are three examples, which draw on the love story of Heer Ranjha:

Ni Mai menoon Khedeyan di gal naa aakh Ranjhan mera, main Ranjhan di, Khedeyan noon koodi jhak Lok janey Heer kamli hoi, Heeray da wer chak

Do not talk of the Khedas to me, mother. I belong to Ranjha and he belongs to me. And the Khedas dream idle dreams. Let the people say, "Heer is crazy; she has given her-self to the cowherd."

Another Kafi:

Sajjan bin raatan hoiyan whadiyaan Ranjha jogi, main jogiani, kamli kar kar sadiyaan Maas jhurey jhur pinjer hoya, kadken lagiyaan haddiyaan Main ayani niyoonh ki janan, birhon tannawan gadiyaan Kahe Husain faqeer sain da, larr tere main lagiyaan

The nights are long without my beloved. Since Ranjha became a jogi, I have scarcely been my old self People everywhere call me crazy. My young flesh is all wrinkled my bones are a creaking skeleton. I was too young to understand love; and now as the nights swell and merge into each other, I play host to that unkind guest - separation.

Main wi jaanan jhok Ranjhan di, naal mere koi challey Pairan paindi, mintaan kardi, janaan tan peya ukkaley Neen wi dhoonghi, tilla purana, sheehan ney pattan malley Ranjhan yaar tabeeb sadhendha, main tan dard awalley Kahe Hussain faqeer namana, sain sunedha ghalley