Both brothers, Shaukat Ali and Muhammad Ali were among the architects of Pakistan's freedom. Maulana Shaukat Ali, being the elder of the two Ali Brothers, was deeply interested in Islam and totally committed to the cause of freedom movement.

He was born in Rampur and educated at Aligarh. At Aligarh he became the captain of the cricket team and idol of cricket-loving crowds. He served in the provincial civil service of the United Provinces of Oudh and Agra for 17 years, from 1896 to 1913.

He actively assisted Maulana Muhammad Ali in the publication of "Hamdard" and "Comrade" that played a vital role molding the political policy of Muslim India. In 1915 he was imprisoned along with Maulana Mohammad Ali. In 1919, while he was in jail, he was elected President of the First Khilafat Conference. Upon his release the same year, he was elected Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Central Khilafat Committee. In 1921, he was again imprisoned along with Maulana Muhammad Ali and was released in 1923. He attended the All Parties Conference in Delhi in 1929, and the First and Second Round Table Conferences. He helped organize the World Muslim Conference held at Jerusalem, in 1932.

In 1936 he became a member of the All India Muslim League Council and also of the Muslim League Parliamentary Board. From 1934 to 1938 he was a member of the Legislative Assembly. From 1936 to 1938, he not only helped the Quaid-i-Azam in popularizing the Muslim League at various levels, but also toured Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the United States where he delivered speeches on the Freedom Movement of India and on Islam.