Dr Amir Ali Passes Away
Dr. Amir Ali passed away
November 19, 2005. He was dedicated to the cause of Islam
in North America and consistently strove to elevate the image
of Islam and Muslims by providing the correct information
about Islamic beliefs, history and civilization from authentic
sources.
Dr. Amir Ali wrote and read many articles, both in print and
on the Internet. His collection, written by many authors,
represents those he felt were the best ones showing what Islam
is, what Muslims are, what Muslims believe, what political
views Muslims hold, and the condition of the Islamic world.
Mir Amir Ali was born on August 6, 1937 in Hyderabad Deccan.
In 1967, Amir was admitted to the University of Illinois at
Chicago where he began his doctorate studies and received
his Ph.D. in bio-organic chemistry in 1972.
After obtaining his doctorate degree, Amir worked at a number
of hospitals, eventually becoming the Director of the clinical
laboratories at Edgewater Hospital in Chicago.
In 1986 Amir moved back to Chicago. By this time, he had learned
a tremendous amount about Islam and felt that he had spent
enough time earning a living for himself and dedicated the
rest of his life to the service of Allah. He chose to live
with a poverty level income and founded the Institute of Islamic
Information and Education with the mission of educating the
people of North America about Islam. At the time, the III&E
was the only organization in North America that dedicated
100% of its time and resources on the education of non-Muslims
and new Muslims about Islam.
Amir Ali lived a simple life. He never owned a home, despite
many opportunities for doing so. He drove used cars, wore
clothes until they were threadbare, and had little money to
spare. He invested whatever money he had in books, always
seeking to increase his knowledge. His personal library numbers
hundreds of volumes. The last thing he was observed doing
before he died was reading.
On November 14 he went for a heart scan and it was determined
that he needed open-heart bypass surgery, which was successfully
performed on the 16th. At 1 am on the morning of the 19th
he was observed by the nurses to be sitting in his bed and
reading. At 4 am, while he was sleeping, his heart slowed
down and stopped. The doctors were unable to resuscitate him.
He was buried in Chicago on the 20th. His burial marked one
of the largest Muslim funeral gatherings in Chicago. Inna-Lillahi
wa Inna Ilaihi Raje’oun (we are all from Allah and we
all return to Him)
His most earnest wish was that the work of the III&E continue
after his death. Contributions to the III&E can be made
online at www.iiie.net/donate.
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