[4][5] He was born in Tumkur in the state of Mysore, India in 1939 to Abdul Azeem, an Islamic scholar of the Qadiriyya.

He worked in Huntsville, Alabama on the Saturn, Apollo and Lunar Land Rover Projects at the Marshall Space Flight Center in 1964–65.

He received his early religious training from Maulvi Abdul Quddus Qudsi, and he continues to be a student of Nazim al-Haqqani.

[1] In 1977, he was elected a member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from the 57th constituency but resigned a year later.

[6][7] The charities he founded in Tumkur, India, have given out millions in scholarships to poor children of all faiths and has built schools, mosques, and a unique Idgah with spiritual themes.