[10][11][12] Under his stewardship, the India national team earned superiority in both technical qualities and tactical innovations, and got the nickname "Brazil of Asia".

[33][34][13] Soon after the merger, Rahim was elected secretary of APFA, and became involved in developing infrastructure of the game in both Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

[13] A lover of Hyderabadi one-touch football, he later scouted young players such as Tulsidas Balaram, from Secundrabad League while visiting local matches as chief guest.

[49][50] In March 1951, at the inaugural 1951 Asian Games in New Delhi, Rahim helped India in winning the gold medal.

They defeated Iran 1–0 in the gold medal match to gain their first trophy,[51][52] as Sheoo Mewalal finished the tournament as top scorer.

[53][54] In 1954, noted British manager Bert Flatley became Rahim's assistant at the 1954 Asian Quadrangular Football Tournament.

[67] At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, India lost to Hungary 2–1 in their first game, with Balaram scoring the consolation goal in the 79th minute.

[24] Rahim's last success was at the 1962 Asian games in Jakarta, where India won gold, beating South Korea in the finals in front of a crowd of 100,000.

[68] He is also credited for bringing up and nurturing Indian talents during his tenure, including Peter Thangaraj,[69] Nikhil Nandy, Kesto Pal, Chuni Goswami,[70][71] Jarnail Singh,[72][73] Tulsidas Balaram,[74] Sheikh Abdul Latif,[75] Mariappa Kempaiah,[76] Dharmalingam Kannan,[77] Hussain Ahmed,[78][79] Mohammed Rahmatullah,[80][81] Yousuf Khan,[82] Arun Ghosh,[83] Nikhil Nandy,[84] and Amal Dutta.

[85] Rahim was succeeded by English coach Harry Wright in 1964, who led the side to the runners-up spot in the 1964 Asian Cup.

[88] Rahim was a teacher in his early career and coached Hyderabad City Police FC,[89] which made him a strict disciplinarian and a good tactician.

[90] Rahim introduced the classic 4–2–4 formation in Indian football team much before Brazil popularised it in the 1958 World Cup.

[24]Rahim was popularly known as 'Maulvi Sahib' due to his gentleman gesture and tireless works and dedications in developing football at that time.

Their son Syed Shahid Hakim was a former professional football player,[93] who represented India at the 1960 Summer Olympics.