A Muslim millionaire who gave all his money and sports cars to charity dies from cancer
Sports
By
Mirror
| Jun 02, 2018
A young millionaire who gave away his fortune to good causes after being diagnosed with cancer has died, aged 32.
Australian businessman Ali Banat was known for his lavish lifestyle but decided to use his money for good after being diagnosed three years ago.
Banat, who became accustomed to sports cars was initially given seven months to live but survived for more than two years longer than expected.
Ali, a young Muslim man from Greenacre, Sydney, ditched his designer wares and sold his company before heading to Togo, Africa where he built a Masjid - a Muslim place of worship - as well as a school for local children.
'My cheeky little boys climbed into bed with me and went to sleep... but they never woke up'
He made his money from his security and electrical company and in his viral Gifted With Cancer video, he showed off his Louis Vuitton shoes and a Ferrari Spider worth £339,000 ($600,00AUD).
In a now viral video called Gifted With Cancer, Ali described his diagnosis as a "gift" as it gave him the "chance to change".
He said: "When you find out you’re sick or you don’t have much time to live, this is the last thing you want to chase. And that’s how we should live our lives everyday."
After his trip to Togo he set up a charity called Muslims Around The World (MATW) whose aim was to "provide financial assistance and outreach to those in need".
Ali wanted to use 100% of the money raised to build a village which will be home to over 200 widows, a school to house 600 orphans and a mini hospital or medical centre to support the local community.
His followers have donated to MATW in the wake of Ali's death and they have currently raised £736,000 ($1.3million AUD) with donations still coming in.
In another video which he shared shortly before his death, Ali asked people to continue his work.
He said: "As you can see in this life we had the cars, we had the money, we had everything.
"So during your life brothers and sisters just try to have a goal, try to have a plan that you work towards.
"Even if it's not you personally funding it, and you are funding someone else's projects just do something because Wallah you are going to need it on the Day of Judgement."