Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Nayyar (ra) was born in 1883 in Phagwara village of Jalandhar district. He got his early education in Phagwara. 

Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Nayyar (ra) pledged allegiance to Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), the Promised Messiah, in 1901. In September 1906, he moved to Qadian permanently.

Initially, he was appointed as a teacher in Talim-ul-Islam High School. Later, he also served for some time as the Private Secretary of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad (ra), Khalifatul Masih II.

On 15 July 1919, he departed for England as a missionary.

Then, he was posted to West Africa to establish the Ahmadiyya Mission. He reached Sierra Leone on 19 February 1921, where he spread the message of Islam Ahmadiyyat. After that, he went to Nigeria and Ghana, where thousands of people accepted Ahmadiyyat through him. 

Due to the adverse effects of climate on his health, he was sent to London, where after working for two years, he returned to Qadian in 1924.

He then served in Bhopal and Hyderabad for about five years. He also had the opportunity to serve in various institutions in Qadian. Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Nayyar (ra) passed away on 17 September 1948.