Alhaj Advocate Md. Shah Alam is widely recognized as a wealthy businessman in the country, but he is primarily a renowned lawyer. He is one of Bangladesh’s leading industrialists and a successful entrepreneur. Approximately four thousand employees work under his established Matador Group, and he has earned widespread acclaim for ensuring timely salary payments.
In 1980, he entered the business world with Matador Pen and, through relentless efforts, transformed the Matador Group of Industries into a well-established industrial entity in the country. The group encompasses numerous enterprises in sectors such as stationery, personal care products, plastic goods, entertainment, and healthcare. In essence, he has achieved unprecedented success in business.
In Old Dhaka, he is known as Shah Alam Ukil, a distinguished son of the region. He has gained widespread recognition in Old Dhaka for providing legal services and financial assistance to the poor and distressed. However, he remained averse to publicity regarding his charitable activities and stayed away from mainstream or news media.
He said, “To the best of my knowledge, I have never wished ill upon the people of my locality or my kin. I strive to the best of my ability to do something good for the community. What I could not accomplish, I pray to Allah that my children will.
I request everyone to pray for me and my children.” As an elder in the community, Advocate Shah Alam, the Chairman of Matador, is respected throughout the Hazaribagh and Lalbagh areas.
He has constructed the Rafiqul Islam Molla Madrassa and Mosque Complex at a cost of several crores of taka. He built the Borhanpur Jame Mosque in Hazaribagh in the Saudi style, the architectural beauty of which captivates everyone.
Additionally, he has donated generously to the Kazirbag Mosque and Madrassa, Azim Uddin Huzur’s Orphanage, Matador Staff Quarters Mosque, the Joy Sara Chowdhury Bari Mosque-Madrassa and Orphanage in Chandpur Hajiganj, among others. He has personally financed the construction of numerous mosques and madrassas in Dhaka’s Kamrangirchar area.
Beyond constructing a mosque in Habiganj district, he has provided financial support to hundreds of madrassas, orphanages, and mosques across Bangladesh. Among his many contributions, he considers enabling underprivileged people to perform the holy Hajj as his most significant achievement. Additionally, he provides financial assistance to the children of his employees and scholarships to meritorious students.
He has also established the Matador Hospital in the locality. Regarding his stance during the student-people’s uprising on August 5, he stated, “I am a lawyer and a businessman. I do not directly support any political party, nor do my children.
Since the beginning of my career, I have naturally faced the struggles of life. Thus, I strive to raise my children as good human beings. What I have done for people is visible, so how can I evaluate myself? It is up to the local community and media personnel to assess me.”
One of his sons is a professor and chairman of the Law Department at Dhaka University [specific institution to be clarified]. Another son, Md. Jahangir Alam, serves as the president of a local school and mosque.
Like their father, his sons are engaged in social service. They provide financial assistance to parents burdened with dowry obligations and stand by the poor, distressed, and hardworking people in every way. The Muslim Ummah hopes that benevolent and socially committed individuals like Shah Alam will emerge in every corner of Bangladesh, dedicated to the welfare of the nation and its people.
