Abu Saeed Muhammad Omar Ali (; 1 October 1945 — 14 August 2010) was a Bangladeshi Islamic scholar, author, teacher and translator. As a member of the Islamic Foundation's encyclopaedia project's board of directors and editing board, his most notable works are Islami Bishwakosh (25 volumes), Sirat Bishwakosh (14 volumes) and Al-Quran Bishwakosh. He was also the editor of the Hakkatha and Islamic Foundation Magazine. Ali became acquainted with Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi after translating his books, and later become among his senior disciples and his principal Bengali commentator. Early life and education Ali was born on 1 October 1945 to a Bengali Muslim family of Mandals in the village of Qabilnagar in Chuadanga, then under the Nadia district of British Bengal. His mother, Nekjan Nesa, was housewife. Ali's father, Mufazzal Husayn Mandal, was enthusiastic about Islamic education and enrolled him at the local Qabilnagar Nasrul Uloom Madrasa after spending some years at the Taluqkarra Primary School. Ali then became a student at the Quwwatul Islam Alia Madrasa of Kushtia where he passed his fazil certificate in 1965. He then proceeded to study at the Pabna Alia Madrasa where he graduated with a kamil in Hadith studies in 1967. He then completed a BA in political science in 1974 and MA in 1975 from the University of Dhaka. During his student life, he was associated with the Tamaddun Majlish. Career After completing his Islamic education in 1967, Ali began his career as a teacher at the Barishkhali High School and Pardakhalpur K. B. Academy in Harinakunda, Jhenaidah for two and a half years. He then joined the Abudharr Ghifari College in Malibagh serving under Dewan Mohammad Azraf for 10 months. After that, he returned to his former school, the Qabilnagar Madrasa, where he served as principal for a short while. Following his graduation from Dhaka University in 1975, Ali joined the Islamic Foundation. After that, he served as a professor at Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani's Santosh Islamic University in Tangail. During that time, he was also the editor of the Hakkatha magazine in 1978. After that, Ali returned to Dhaka and continued to work at the Islamic Foundation and be the khatib of Abudharr Ghifari Complex Jame Mosque. He has also led Eid prayers at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque and established numerous mosques and madrasas in the country. Ali used to regularly give dawah to Islam and appear