About beloved Shihab Thangal.

 Shihab Thangal was born as the eldest son of Panakkad Syed Ahmed Pookoya Thangal, an Islamic leader.^[8] His siblings were Umerali Shihab Thangal, Hyderali Shihab Thangal, Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, Basheer Ali Shihab Thangal and Kunjibeevi, the last three being half-siblings. He attended the M.M. High School, Kozhikode. He continued his religious education at Thalakkadathur and Kananchery Dars under Ponmala Moideen Musliar. In 1958, he left for Egypt for further studies and obtained his master's degree in Arabic literature from Al Azhar University in 1961. He continued his studies in Cairo University and pursued a Doctorate in Arabic Literature in 1966.^[9] After spending about eight years in Egypt he returned home in 1966.

Thangal became the president of the Kerala state committee of Indian Union Muslim League after his father's death in 1975.^[10] He remained President until his own death in 2009. He was Qazi to hundreds of mahals in Kerala.^[4] He worked with Kerala's Islamic Organisation Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama. He was the president of numerous Islamic institutions like Jamia Nooriya Arabiya, Jamia Darussalam Al Islamiya, Nandi which are managed by Samastha. He was one of the founding members of MEA Engineering College and Markazu Tharbiyathil Islamiyya, Valancheri. He was behind the proposal to start another campus of Aligarh Muslim University in Kerala.

Thangal died suddenly on 1 August 2009 following a cardiac arrest. He was admitted to a private hospital after he slipped and fell down at his home, Panakkad Kodappanakkal. He was 73 and had suffered from diabetes and hypertension.^{[citation needed]} His body was buried with full state honours at the Panakkad Juma Masjid on the day after his death.