رحمه الله
May Allah have mercy on him
Ali Banat
He had everything this world could offer. He gave it away for the sake of Allah, and his story has reached millions.
Returned to Allah on 29 May 2018, in Ramadan
7:43
Gifted With Cancer
The interview with Mohamed Hoblos that carried his story around the world. Told he had seven months to live, he calls his illness a gift from Allah.- 15M+ views of his five best-known talks YouTube, 11 October 2026
- 3 years lived after doctors gave him seven months SBS News, 1 June 2018
- 200+ widows in the village he planned in Togo UK Fundraising, 9 November 2016
- $1.6M+ US dollars given to carry on his work within ten days of his death BBC News Indonesia, 7 June 2018
Who was Ali Banat?
Ali Banat was a young businessman from Greenacre, in Sydney, with a security and electrical company of his own. A Ferrari convertible. A diamond bracelet. Dozens of pairs of designer sunglasses and shoes (The National, 1 June 2018).
In his own words: “we had the cars, we had the money, we had everything” (SBS News, 1 June 2018).
One lasting gift is water: build a water well and see it finished.
What was Ali Banat’s business?
Ali Banat was a businessman: he owned a security and electrical company in Sydney (SBS News, 1 June 2018).
After his diagnosis he sold his successful business and flew to Togo, in West Africa, to build a mosque and a school (The National, 1 June 2018).
Ali Banat, gifted with cancer
July 2015. Stage 4 adenoid cystic carcinoma. Seven months to live (AboutIslam, 13 December 2017; SBS News, 1 June 2018).
He did not despair. He called it a gift, a chance from Allah to change (Gifted With Cancer, OnePath Network, 16 November 2015).
Alhamdulillah it is a gift because Allah has given me a chance to change.
How Ali Banat gave it all away
He lived for about three more years, and he spent them giving. His cars, his watches, even his clothes, which he took overseas and gave to people who needed them (SBS News and The National, 1 June 2018).
In Togo, moved by the Muslims he met there, he set out to build a mosque and a school with his own money and the funds he raised, and he set up Muslims Around the World so that others could join in and his good deeds could carry on after his death (The National, 1 June 2018).
What Ali Banat built
Wells, schools and mosques across Africa (The National, 2 June 2018). A village planned in Togo for more than 200 widows, with a school for 600 orphans (UK Fundraising, 9 November 2016). Projects that helped thousands of people in Togo, Ghana and Burkina Faso (SBS News, 1 June 2018). See everything he built.
How his story reached millions
His story did not stay in Sydney. Gifted With Cancer has been watched more than seven million times on OnePath Network’s YouTube channel, and his final message more than six million: over 15 million views for his five best-known talks (YouTube’s counts on 11 October 2026).
And people answered. Within days of his death, more than 25,000 people had given about €1 million to carry on his work (NOS, 1 June 2018). By 7 June the total had passed US$1.6 million (BBC News Indonesia, 7 June 2018).
Try to have a goal, try to have a plan, try to have a project that you work towards.
When Ali Banat returned to Allah
Ali Banat passed away on Tuesday 29 May 2018, in the month of Ramadan, about three years after the doctors gave him seven months. He was farewelled at Lakemba mosque in Sydney the next day (SBS News and The National, 1 June 2018). We say what the Quran teaches us to say at every loss (Quran 2:156):
ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَصَٰبَتۡهُم مُّصِيبَةٞ قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيۡهِ رَٰجِعُونَ ١٥٦
alladhīna idhā aṣābathum muṣībatun qālū innā lillahi wa-innā ilayhi rājiʿūna
Who, when disaster strikes them, say, "Indeed we belong to Allāh, and indeed to Him we will return."
Explore Ali Banat’s legacy
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His talks
Gifted With Cancer, his interviews and his final message. Watch them, then share them. -
What he built
A mosque and a school in Togo, wells, and a village planned for widows and orphans. -
Letting go of the dunya
He had the cars, the money, everything, and gave it away. What he taught about wealth. -
For the sake of Allah
The intention behind everything he did, and how to work for Allah in your own life. -
For the next generation
A reminder for the young: what he did with his wealth, and what he said about it. -
Dua for him
The duas to make for him, each one with its reference.
Carrying on Ali Banat’s legacy
Muslims Around the World is protecting Ali Banat’s legacy, and every site in our family says so. His story, his talks and his reminders are kept together on Muslims Around the World.
The best gift we can still give him is a dua. The next best is to act on what he taught.
Questions about Ali Banat
Who was Ali Banat?
A businessman from Greenacre, in Sydney, who gave away his wealth after he was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2015, and set up Muslims Around the World to help people in need (SBS News, 1 June 2018).
What was Ali Banat’s business?
He was a businessman who owned a security and electrical company in Sydney (SBS News, 1 June 2018). After his diagnosis he sold his successful business and flew to Togo to build a mosque and a school (The National, 1 June 2018).
When did Ali Banat pass away?
Ali Banat died on Tuesday 29 May 2018, in Ramadan, about three years after doctors gave him seven months to live. He was farewelled at Lakemba mosque in Sydney on 30 May (SBS News, 1 June 2018).
What did Ali Banat build?
A mosque and a school in Togo, built with his own money and the funds he raised (The National, 1 June 2018), wells, schools and mosques in Africa (The National, 2 June 2018), and a village planned for more than 200 widows with a school for 600 orphans (UK Fundraising, 9 November 2016).
How many times has Gifted With Cancer been watched?
More than seven million times on OnePath Network’s YouTube channel alone, where it was published in November 2015 (YouTube’s count on 11 October 2026).
Was Ali Banat given an award?
Yes. The TRT World Citizen Awards named him their 2021 Lifetime Achievement Awardee, at a ceremony in Istanbul on 25 November 2022 (TRT World Citizen Awards).
How old was Ali Banat?
SBS News described him as 32 in a video recorded shortly before he passed away (SBS News, 1 June 2018).