The Muslim 500 2017 edition names most influential Muslims of 2016

Source: The Muslim 500 website.

The 2017 edition of the annual The Muslim 500: The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims was launched in October this year. The publication aims to measure the impact - whether positive or negative - some Muslims exert on the Muslim community, or on behalf of the community.

Thirteen categories of influence are covered: 

• Scholarly
• Political
• Administration of religious affairs
• Preachers and spiritual guides
• Philanthropy/charity and development
• Social issues
• Business
• Science and technology
• Arts and culture
• Quran reciters
• Media
• Celebrities and sports stars
• Extremists

While influence can be gauged quantitatively, the authors base their choices on the qualitative and lasting effect of that influence, giving more weight to the achievements of a lifetime rather than achievements within the current year.

The top 12 Muslims chosen for 2017 are:

1. HE Professor Dr Sheikh Ahmad Muhammad Al-Tayyeb, Grand Sheikh of the Al-Azhar University, Grand Imam of AlAzhar Mosque, Egypt
2. HM King Abdullah II ibn Al-Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Custodian of the Holy Sites of Jerusalem
3. HM King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, King of KSA, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
4. HE Grand Ayatollah Hajj Sayyid Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
5. HM King Mohammed VI, King of Morocco, His Majesty Amir al-Mu’minin
6. HE Justice Sheikh Muhammad Taqi Usmani, a leading scholar of Islamic jurisprudence in Pakistan
7. HE Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hussein Sistani, Marja of the Hawza, Najaf, Iraq
8. HE Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey
9. HE Sheikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah, President of the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies
10. Amir Hajji Muhammad Abd Al Wahhab, Amir of Tablighi Jamaat, Pakistan
11. HM Sultan Qaboos bin Sa’id Al Sa’id, Sultan of Oman
12. HH General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces

The Muslim 500 is by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (MABDA المركز الملكي للبحوث والدراسات الإسلامية), an independent research entity affiliated with the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, itself an international Islamic non-governmental, independent institute headquartered in Amman, the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Interested?

Read the regional survey of the Muslim world for the 2017 edition

Download the 2017 edition of The Muslim 500 in low resolution (PDF). A high-resolution PDF costs US$4.99 and the print version is US$29.95 including shipping and handling