From a younger age, she actively participated in India's freedom struggle and fought against social injustices and the practice of purdah among both Hindu and Muslim women.

[1] During the Non-cooperation movement (1920–22), She organized large-scale protests against liquor shops in Patna with her daughter Mehmuda Sami.

In addition, she was active in the civil disobedience movement (1930–34) and led a procession of nearly 3,000 women in Patna in 1938, resulting in warrants being issued against her by the British.

She was a dedicated member of the Anjuman Tarraqi-e-Urdu, an organization that actively campaigned for the recognition of Urdu as the secondary language of Bihar.

In Ranchi, Bihar, Sir Syed Ali Imam commissioned the construction of a residence for the couple, designed in the style of a Scottish castle.