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Our Story

Built on a single, enduring conviction — that institutions founded on integrity, service, and sincerity of purpose can outlast any one person's lifetime.

How It All Began

Ibadat — Service Rendered With Devotion

Ibadat Group traces its roots to a single, enduring conviction held by its founder: that institutions built on integrity, service, and sincerity of purpose can outlast any one person’s lifetime. What began as one man’s determination to serve the community through education and, later, through the sacred journey of pilgrimage, has today grown into a diversified group spanning higher education, Hajj & Umrah services, and international travel — united by the same founding principle: Ibadat, service rendered with devotion.

1999

The year the founding vision took its first institutional form

Our Guiding Principles

The Values That Shape Every Journey

Four founding principles quietly guide every decision the Group makes — from a classroom in Lahore to a hotel doorstep in Makkah.

Integrity

Sidq

Service

Khidmat

Sincerity

Ikhlas

Excellence

Ihsan

The Founder

Mr. Muhammad Abdul Raoof (Late)

Founder & Patron-in-Chief, Ibadat Group

The story of Ibadat Group begins with the life of its founder, Mr. Muhammad Abdul Raoof — a man whose journey from humble beginnings to building one of Pakistan’s largest private institutional groups remains a testament to patience, discipline, and unwavering faith.

Age 18

Began his career as secretarial staff to the Vice Chancellor at the University of the Punjab.

1970s

Progressed through the University of Engineering & Technology (UET) Lahore, and later the Federal Ministry of Education.

1968

Joined the founding team that established Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad — serving over three decades in progressively senior administrative roles.

Age 58

Took early retirement with a single ambition: to build a private institution of the same calibre and integrity.

1999

Founded The University of Lahore under the Ibadat Educational Trust — starting with two departments and fewer than 200 students, later growing into Pakistan’s largest private-sector university group.

A man of deep personal faith, he took a close, hands-on interest in facilitating the sacred journeys of Hajj and Umrah — personally overseeing arrangements, accommodations, and the wellbeing of pilgrims long before this care was formalised into an organised service. It was this personal devotion to khidmat-e-hujjaj (service to the pilgrims) that laid the moral and operational foundation of Ibadat Group’s Hajj & Umrah Services.

“Running educational institutions should be an act of worship. Alhamdulillah, the satisfaction I gained from establishing this institution was my true reward.”

Mr. Muhammad Abdul Raoof, on the founding vision behind The University of Lahore

Mr. Muhammad Abdul Raoof

Founder & Patron-in-Chief, Ibadat Group

Chairman’s Message

“Ibadat Group was not built as a business — it was built as a responsibility. My father, Mr. Muhammad Abdul Raoof, taught us that true success is measured not by what an institution earns, but by how faithfully it serves the people who place their trust in it — whether that is a student seeking an education, or a pilgrim seeking a dignified, worry-free journey to the House of Allah.”

“For over two decades, this belief has guided everything we have built — from The University of Lahore and Lahore Business School, where we shape the next generation of leaders and professionals, to our Hajj & Umrah services, where we carry forward my father’s personal devotion to the comfort and care of every Hujjaj we are honoured to serve. On behalf of the entire Ibadat Group family, I welcome you — as a student, a pilgrim, or a partner — to be part of a legacy that continues to grow, one act of sincere service at a time.”

Mr. Awais Raoof

Chairman, Ibadat Group

Ibadat Group at a Glance

A Family of Institutions, One Founding Vision

From a single university founded in 1999, the Group has grown into a family of institutions and enterprises spanning higher education, pilgrimage services, hospitality, and travel.

At the centre sits Ibadat Group itself — and its own founding service tradition, offering VIP-to-economy Hajj packages, guided Umrah journeys, visa assistance, and scholar-guided orientation. Nine sister institutions and enterprises have since grown from that same founding conviction, each still orbiting the principle that gave the Group its name.