[2] Zaheer began his career as a barrister in the Chiefs Court of Oudh (Awadh), based in Lucknow.
[citation needed] Since many of the land-owners of the region were Muslims, much of provincial politics in Awadh during the days of the British Raj was dominated by them.
Since he held an important position as a member of the Congress party, Zaheer refused to jump ship and join the Muslim League as many of his colleagues did.
[3] When the provisional government of India was formed, in 1946, as a prelude to independence, Zaheer was appointed Law Minister.
He remained the president of the Shia Degree College Management Committee and was succeeded by his son Kazim Zaheer to that post.