[7] His ancestral roots lie in the Muzaffarnagar district (in present-day Uttar Pradesh, India) but following the 1857 war of independence his grandfather's properties were confiscated so the family moved to Hisar.

[5] Israr Ahmad worked briefly for Muslim Student's Federation in the Independence Movement and, following the creation of Pakistan in 1947, for the Islami Jami`yat-e-Talaba and then in 1950 joined Jamaat-e-Islami led by Abul Ala Maududi.

He has also acknowledged the "deep influence" of Shah Waliullah Dehlawi, the 18th century Indian Islamic leader, anti-colonial activist, jurist, and scholar.

[10] Originally a member of Jamaat-e-Islami, Israr Ahmad stated that he became disappointed with its turn towards electoral activity, disagreed with it on "significant policy matters", including what he saw as the "lack of effort to create an Islamic renaissance through the revolutionary process."

[13] Israr is thought to have been instrumental in bringing changes to Pakistan TV during that time eliminating Western dress for women and requiring hijab.

[13] Israr later refused to appear on TV after segments of his program calling for a ban on televising cricket matches were censored, but by then had developed a large following in Pakistan.

Israr Ahmad opposed modern democracy and the prevalent electoral system, arguing that in a true Islamic state the ruler has the power to overturn the majority decisions of an elected assembly.

[5] While Israr Ahmad "considers himself a product" of the teachings of "comprehensive and holistic concept of the Islamic obligations" of Abul Ala Maududi, he opposed Jamaat-e-Islami's entry into "the arena of power politics".

"[15] However, critic Farhan Zahid notes that "a number" of the members of Tanzeem-e-Islam "have reportedly been arrested in connection with IS' Khurasan province and accused by the authorities of involvement in terrorist financing", and that "speeches" by Israr "still circulate online among jihadists, raising concerns that the group provides an entryway to Islamist extremism.

"[15] Scholar Vali Nasr argues that in the 1980s Israr Ahmad became part of Saudi Arabia's anti-Shiite campaign, particularly his "popular Friday sermons in Bagh-i Jinnah park in Lahore".

The campaign evolved from attacking Khomeini and his theories, to moving Shi'ism "outside the pale" of Islam, to transforming "doctrinal and theological disputes into communal ones.

In some of his appearances before a TV studio audience, Israr Ahmad complained: "Cricket is making Pakistanis ignore their religious obligations, ...

[21] Israr Ahmad opposed the 2007 Pakistani state of emergency and in a televised press conference called for the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf.

[22] While on television, Israr Ahmad predicted and warned the nation that, "If the situation worsens, the NATO forces are waiting on the western front to move into Pakistan and may deprive the country of its nuclear assets while on the eastern front, India is ready to stage an action replay of Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 and has alerted its armed forces to intervene in to check threats to peace in the region.

One major Pakistani English-language newspaper (Dawn) commented after his death, "Founder of several organisations like Anjuman-i-Khuddamul Quran, Tanzeem-i-Islami and Tehrik-i-Khilafat, he had followers in Pakistan, India and Gulf countries, especially in Saudi Arabia.