Rahman got enrolled for Ph.D. in Bio-chemistry in Sheffield University, England, where he met George Sharton whose remarks on medieval Indian history made him shift his area of studies to history of science. While working on his own, he met J.D. Bernal and Joseph Needham, who later guided him in his studies. 

He has compiled the Bibliography of Source Material on Science in Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian (1963). His other works include Anatomy of Science (1972); Triveni: Science, Democracy and Socialism (1977); Science and Technology in Medieval India (1982); Intellectual Colonisation: Science and Technology in West-East Relations (1983): Philosophy of Science and Its Application to Scientific and Technological Advantage in India (1985); Science, Technology and Development (1995).