Aside from being an educationist and his journalism, he was one of the founders of the nationwide Tamaddun Majlish which initiated the Bengali language movement.
[2] Ali was born in the village of Mahmudpur (presently in South Sripur Union) in Tahirpur Thana, Sunamganj Subdivision, Sylhet District to Bengali Muslim parents on 24 May 1925.
He received his bachelor's degree in 1947, and did a Master of Arts in Bengali language and literature from the University of Dhaka which he completed in 1950.
He was linked to several activities during the Bengali language movement between 1948 and 1952, as the general secretary of the Tamaddun Majlish, later becoming its president.
[3] In 1954, he was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for the Government of East Pakistan in 1954, representing the Khelafat-e-Rabbani Party at Sunamganj.