Criteria for Presence on the List of the 100 Greatest Muslims

Criteria for Presence on the List of 100 Greatest Muslims

In recent years, the United States has endured a great deal of turmoil over the historical reassessments that many of its historical leaders have undergone.  The major focus has been on historical figures associated with the Confederate States of America.  Such figures as Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, and Stonewall Jackson had been memorialized in many places in the country.  However, their role in a rebellion in support of slavery has tarnished their reputations and led to the removal of their statues and the renaming of schools.  Similarly, the reputations of such figures as Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Woodrow Wilson have, in recent years, undergone re-evaluations.

These recent historical re-evaluations highlight the problem in making historical assessments of individuals when preparing a list of the 100 Greatest of anything.  Based on what I have observed, an accurate historical assessment cannot be made any sooner than 100 years after the death of an individual.  The 100 years allows for the passage of time which tends to facilitate a more full evaluation of the individual.  

Based on this observation, the list of the 100 Greatest Muslims contained herein will be confined to those individuals who have been deceased for at least 100 years.  Accordingly, such individuals as Ibn Saud, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, and Osama Bin Laden will not be found on this list.  Their names will be listed in an appendix for future consideration ... for consideration by other historians who will follow me.

As salaam alaikum,

Everett Jenkins

Fairfield, California

January 24, 2022