Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and His peace and blessings be on Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets as well as on his family and Companions and on those who faithfully followed him, until the Day of Judgment.
To proceed: It is a historical fact that until the partition of India in 1947, its capital Delhi enjoyed the distinction of being the hub of multifarious educational and religious activities of the Muslims of the country. It was home to a number of important Islamic educational institutions and seminaries. Prominent among them were: the educational institution founded by Shah Waliullah of Delhi; the International Darul Uloom, a well-reputed centre of learning founded by the patriarch of religious education and inheritor of Shah Waliullah's legacy of knowledge and learning Mian Nazeer Husain of Delhi; and a prominent centre of learning Dar-ul-Hadith Rahmania established by Mian Nazeer Husain's worthy disciples. The valuable services rendered by these centres of learning in the field of education are a bright chapter in the history of the Muslims of the subcontinent. Even today we cannot but look with pride at those great centres of learning and education of yester years.
The orgy of death, displacement and destruction that the partition of the country brought in its wake not only unsettled and disorganized the Muslim community but also did great harm to the ongoing peaceful Da'wah and preaching activities being carried out by Muslim in the subcontinent. For many years the torch-bearers of the teachings of Allah's Book and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) found themselves deeply depressed and without hope. It took the Muslims of the country many years to come out of this predicament. However, as the situation eased, a number of organizations sprang up among the Muslims who took up anew the threads of their social, economic and educational development activities.
The Setting up
Allah in His Munificence and Wisdom decreed that the honour of reviving the educational, religious and Da'wah activities in the country would fall to the lot of His able servant Maulana Abdul Hameed Rahmani (Mercy be on him). His dynamic personality, his all-round capabilities, his burning desire to serve the people and his sagacious assessment of the needs of the time propelled him to devote his entire energies to the accomplishment of his mission. He, therefore, collected around him a team of like-minded associates drawn from different parts of the country.It was in the holy month of Ramadan in the year 1400 AH (July 1980) that the Maulana took the groundbreaking step of founding a minority religious-cum-educational Society under the title of Islamic Awakening Centre. The Centre held its first meeting on 23 August 1980 in Delhi with Maulana Abdul Hameed Rahmani in the chair. In the meeting, the Maulana introduced the Society to the participants, outlined its aims and objectives and unveiled his program of religious, educational, Da'wah and social welfare activities. September 13 (1983) was the date when, in consultation with his well wishers, Maulana Rahmani got the newly established Society, the Abul Kalam Azad Islamic Awakening Centre registered under the Societies Registration Act- 1860.