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 The 100 Greatest Muslims

Everett Jenkins' 2022 Executive Summary Version

1.    The Prophet Muhammad

Muhammad (Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullāh) (Muhammed) (Mohammed) (ca. 53 BH [570 CC], Mecca, Hejaz, Arabia – d. June 8, 632, Medina, Hejaz, Arabia).  The Prophet of Islam.  


Muhammad ibn Abdullah  was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of the world religion of Islam.  According to Islamic doctrine, Muhammad was a prophet, divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets. He is believed to be the final prophet of God in all the main branches of Islam, though the modern Ahmadiyya movement diverges from this belief.  Muhammad united Arabia into a single Muslim polity, with the Qur'an as well as his teachings and practices forming the basis of Islamic religious belief.


Muhammad was born around 570 CC in Mecca.  He was the son of Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib and Amina bint Wahb.  His father Abdullah was the son of Quraysh tribal leader Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim,  and he died a few months before Muhammad's birth. His mother Amina died when he was six, leaving Muhammad an orphan. He was raised under the care of his grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib, and paternal uncle, Abu Talib. In later years, he would periodically seclude himself in a mountain cave named Hira for several nights of prayer. When he was 40, Muhammad reported being visited by Gabriel in the cave and receiving his first revelations from God. In 613, Muhammad started preaching these revelations publicly, proclaiming that "God is One", that complete "submission" (islam) to God is the right way of life (din), and that he was a prophet and messenger of God.


Muhammad's followers were initially few in number, and experienced hostility from Meccan polytheists for 13 years. To escape ongoing persecution, Muhammad sent some of his followers to Abyssinia in 615, before he and his followers migrated from Mecca to Medina (then known as Yathrib) later in 622. This event, the Hijra, marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar, also known as the Hijri Calendar. In Medina, Muhammad united the tribes under the Constitution of Medina.  In December 629, after eight years of intermittent fighting with Meccan tribes, Muhammad gathered an army of 10,000 Muslim converts and marched on the city of Mecca.  The conquest went largely uncontested and Muhammad seized the city with little bloodshed. 


In 632, a few months after returning from the Farewell Pilgrimage, Muhammad fell ill and died. By the time of his death, most of the Arabian Peninsula had converted to Islam. 


The revelations (each known as Ayah – literally, "Sign [of God]") that Muhammad reported receiving until his death form the verses of the Qur'an, regarded by Muslims as the verbatim "Word of God" on which the religion is based. Besides the Qur'an, Muhammad's teachings and practices (sunnah), found in the hadith and sira  (biography) literature, are also upheld and used as sources of Islamic law (sharia).


2.     Umar ibn al-Khattab

 ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab ('Umar I) (Omar) (Umar the Great) (Farooq the Great) (b.c. 583, Mecca, Hejaz, Arabia [now in Saudi Arabia]  – d.  November 3, 644, Medina, Hejaz, Rashidun Caliphate).  Second Rashidun caliph and founder of the Arab empire (r. 634-644).  At first, he was a declared enemy of the Prophet’s message.  Hadith places his conversion to Islam in 618 when he was 26 years old.  He belonged to the Banu ‘Adi ibn Ka‘b who enjoyed no political influence at Mecca.  Due to his strength of will, his influence began in Medina after the Hijra, in perfect agreement with Abu Bakr.  He became the Prophet’s father-in-law when the Prophet married his daughter Hafsa.  He took part in the battles of Badr, Uhud and later ones, although his part was that of a counsellor rather than of a soldier.

Umar ibn al-Khattab was a devoted companion of Muhammad and was the initiator of the administrative mechanisms which made the Islamic empire possible.  Throughout Muhammad’s Medinan career, ‘Umar seems to have been in complete harmony with the policies of both the Prophet and Abu Bakr, the first caliph, with whom he shared the honor of being father-in-law of Muhammad.  No military exploits were credited to him, but he was involved in the revelation of portions of the Qur’an {see Sura 2:125; 33:53; and 66:6}. 

After the death of Abu Bakr, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab was recognized as the latter’s successor by the majority of the Companions, there being dissatisfaction only on the side of the party of ‘Ali and of the “Helpers,” who had already suffered defeat when Abu Bakr became caliph two years earlier.  At the death of Abu Bakr, there seems to have been no formal designation of ‘Umar as successor, but his rule received almost unanimous acceptance, the only opposition deriving from supporters of Ali.  Once in office, he assumed the title Commander of the Faithful, and dared to dismiss Khalid ibn al-Walid, early Islam’s most successful general.  Khalid ibn al-Walid had challenged the authority of ‘Umar.

During the great expansion of Muslim conquests, which had already begun, ‘Umar never lost control of his generals.  He dismissed Khalid ibn al-Walid and treated ‘Amr ibn al-‘As with tact.  He also made use of the powerful family of the Umayyads.  All the political institutions by which the Muslim state was later to be ruled had their origin in his caliphate.

‘Umar instituted a system of checks on provincial administrators by dividing the authority between the military and civil commander and the fiscal officer.  He established the pension register and the office of judge, regulated worship in the mosques, and established a number of military centers, which later developed into famous Islamic cities. 

The regulations for the non-Muslim subjects, the institution of a register of those having right to military pensions, the founding of military centers out of which were to grow the future great cities of Islam, and the creation of the office of judge (qadi), were all the work of  ‘Umar ibn Khattab.  Religious ordinances, such as the prayer of Ramadan and the obligatory pilgrimage, as well as civic and penal ordinances, such as the era of the hijra, the punishment of drunkenness, and stoning as a punishment for adultery, go back to him.

‘Umar is said to have substituted in 640 the title of “Commander of the Believers” (in Arabic, amir al-mu’minin) for that of khalifa –“deputy.”  He fell in 644 by the dagger of Abu Lu’lu’a.  As a motive for the murder, hadith gives the very heavy tax against which the slave had appealed in vain to the caliph. 

‘Umar was assassinated by the disgruntled slave, Abu Lu’lu’a, before providing for a successor.  Despite rumors, there is no indication of a conspiracy to kill him.  However, the histories are unanimous that ‘Umar was more feared than liked, particularly because he expected all to adhere to his own severe ascetic standards.

‘Umar really was the second founder of Islam, but the Shi‘a have never concealed their antipathy to him because he was the first to thwart the claims of ‘Ali.


3.     Ali ibn Abi Talib


‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (b. 597, Mecca, Hejaz, Arabia - d. January 28, 661 [21 Ramadan 40 AH], Kufa, Rashidun Caliphate [present day Iraq]) was a cousin, son-in-law and companion of the Prophet Muhammad.  He ruled as the fourth rightly guided caliph from 656 until his assassination in 661. He is one of the central figures in Shia Islam as the first Shia Imam and in Sunni Islam as the fourth of the "rightly guided" (rāshidūn) caliphs (name used for the first four successors to Muhammad). He was the son of Abu Talib and Fatimah bint Asad, the husband of Fatima, and the father of Hasan, Husayn, Zaynab, and Umm Kulthum.

As a child, Muhammad took care of 'Ali. After Muhammad's invitation to his close relatives, 'Ali became one of the first believers in Islam at the age of about 9 to 11. 'Ali then publicly accepted Muhammad's invitation on Yawn al-Inzar and Muhammad called him his brother, guardian and successor. 


'Ali helped Muhammad emigrate on the night of Laylat al-Mabit, by sleeping in his place. After migrating to Medina and establishing a brotherhood pact between the Muslims, Muhammad chose 'Ali as his brother.  In Medina, 'Ali was the flag bearer in most of the wars and became famous for his bravery.


The issue of 'Ali's right to the post-Muhammad caliphate caused a major rift between Muslims and divided them into Shia and Sunni groups. On his return from the Farewell Pilgrimage, at Ghadir Khumm, Muhammad uttered the phrase, "Whoever I am his Mawla, this Ali is his Mawla." But the meaning of Mawla was disputed by Shias and Sunnis. On this basis, the Shias believe in the establishment of the Imamate and caliphate regarding Ali, but the Sunnis interpret the word mawla as friendship and love. 


While 'Ali was preparing Muhammad's body for burial, a group of Muslims met at Saqifah and pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr. 'Ali pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr after six months, but did not take part in the subsequent wars and political activity, except for the election of the third caliph Uthman.  However, 'Ali advised the three caliphs on religious, judicial, and political matters whenever they wanted.


After Uthman was killed, 'Ali was elected as the next Caliph, which coincided with the first civil wars between Muslims.  Ali faced two separate opposition forces: a group led by Aisha, Talha, and Zubayr in Mecca, who wanted to convene a council to determine the caliphate; and another group led by Mu'awiya in the Levant, who demanded revenge for Uthman's blood. 'Ali defeated the first group in the Battle of the Camel.  However, in the end, the Battle of Siffin with Mu'awiya was militarily ineffective, and led to an arbitration which ended politically against 'Ali. Then, in the year 38 AH (658-659 CC), 'Ali fought with the Kharijites - who considered 'Ali's acceptance of arbitration as heresy, and revolted against him.  'Ali fought the Kharijites in Nahrawan and defeated them. However, 'Ali was eventually killed in the mosque of Kufa by the sword of one of the Kharijites, Ibn Muljam Moradi.  'Ali was buried outside the city of Kufa.  Later, 'Ali's shrine and the city of Najaf were built around his tomb.


Despite the impact of religious differences on Muslim historiography, sources agree that 'Ali strictly observed religious duties and avoided worldly possessions. Some writers accused him of a lack of political skill and flexibility. 'Ali tended not to want to involve himself in the game of political deception which deprived him of success in life, but, in the eyes of his admirers, he became an example of the piety of the primary un-corrupted Islam, as well as the chivalry of pre-Islamic Arabia. Several books are dedicated to the hadiths, sermons, and prayers narrated by him, the most famous of which is Nahj al-Balagha. 


4.     Abu Bakr al-Siddiq

Abu Bakr (Abu Bakr al-Siddiq) (Abu Bakr as-Siddiq) ('Abdallah bin Abu Quhafah) (b. October 27, 573, Mecca, Hejaz, Arabia (present day Saudi Arabia) - d. August 23, 634, Medina, Hejaz, Rashidun Caliphate (present day Saudi Arabia) was the first Caliph -- the first political successor to Muhammad -- and the father of Muhammad’s wife, ‘A’isha.  Abu Bakr is said to have been three years younger than Muhammad, but little is known of his life before his conversion to Islam. 


Abu Bakr
 was the founder and first caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate ruling from 632 until his death in 634. He was the most prominent companion, closest advisor and a father-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. Abu Bakr is one of the most important figures in Islamic history. 

Abu Bakr was born in 573 CC to Abu Quhafa and Umm Khayr.   He belonged to the Banu Taym tribe.  In the Age of Ignorance, he was a monotheist and condemned idol-worshipping. As a wealthy trader, Abu Bakr used to free slaves. He was an early friend of Muhammad and often would accompany Muhammad on Muhammad's trading trips to Syria. After receiving Muhammad's invitation to Islam, Abu Bakr became one of the first Muslims. He extensively contributed his wealth in support of Muhammad's work and also accompanied Muhammad on Muhammad's migration -- the hijra -- to Medina. By the invitations of Abu Bakr, many prominent Sahabis -- companions of the Prophet -- became Muslims. He remained the closest advisor to Muhammad, being present at almost all his military conflicts. In the absence of Muhammad, Abu Bakr led the prayers and expeditions.


Following Muhammad's death in 632, Abu Bakr succeeded to the leadership of the Muslim community as the first Rashidun -- the first rightly guided -- Caliph, being elected at Saqifah.  During his reign, he overcame a number of uprisings, collectively known as the Ridda wars, as a result of which he was able to consolidate and expand the rule of the Islamic state over the entire Arabian Peninsula. He also commanded the initial incursions into the neighboring Sassanian and Byzantine empires, which in the years following his death, would eventually result in the Muslim conquests of Persia and the Levant. Abu Bakr also had an essential role in the compilation of the Qur'an during his reign. The first finished codex of the Qur'an was kept with Abu Bakr.  All modern versions of the Qur'an are derived from Abu Bakr's codex.


Abu Bakr's caliphate lasted for only two years, ending with his death after an illness in 634. On his deathbed, he dictated his last testament to 'Urhman ibn Affan, in which he appointed Umar ibn al-Khattab as his successor. Abu Bakr's ghusl  -- his ritual purification -- was performed by 'Ali ibn Abi Talib and the funeral prayer was performed by Umar. Along with Muhammad, Abu Bakr is buried in the Green Dome at the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina, the second holiest site in Islam.  


Though the period of Abu Bakr's caliphate was short.  It included successful invasions of the two most powerful empires of the time, a remarkable achievement in its own right. He set in motion a historical trajectory that in a few decades would lead to one of the largest empires in history. His victory over the local rebel Arab forces is a significant part of Islamic history. Accordingly, Abu Bakr is widely honored among Muslims. 


5.     Uthman ibn Affan

6.     Aisha bint Abu Bakr

7.     Khadija bint Khuwaylid

8.     Khalid ibn al-Walid

9.     Husain ibn Ali

10.    Abu Hurayra

11.     Fatimah bint Muhammad

12.     Bilal ibn Rabah

13.      Al-Bukhari

14.      Abu Hanifah

15.      Abu'l-Hasan al-Ash'ari

16.     Saladin

17.     Abu Hamid al-Ghazali

18.    Abu Abdullah ibn al-Shafi'i 

19.     Al-Khwarazmi

20.    Ahmad ibn Hanbal

21.    Ibn Khaldun

22.    Malik ibn Anas

23.     Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz

24.    Abdul Qadir Gilani

25.     Ibn Sina

26.     Ibn Taymiyyah 

27.    Nizam al-Mulk

28.    Al-Kindi

29.    Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan

30.     Jalal al-Din Rumi

31.    Harun al-Rashid

32.     Abd ar-Rahman I

33.    Tariq ibn Ziyad

34.    Mehmed II

35.    Al-Biruni

36.    Suleyman the Magnificent

37.    Ja'far al-Sadiq

38.    Abd ar-Rahman II

39.    Ziryab

40.    Ibn Ishaq

41.    Al-Ma'mun

42.    Ibn Rushd

43.    Timur

44.    Akbar

45.    Al-Farabi

46.    Al-Tabari

47.    Ibn Battuta

48.    Jabir ibn Hayyan

49.    Mimar Sinan

50.    Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariyya' al-Razi

51.     Hasan al-Basri

52.    Ibn al-Haytham

53.    Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj

54.    Mahmud of Ghazna

55.    Muhammad ibn al-Qasim

56.    Musa ibn Nusayr

57.    Shah Jahan

58.    Al-Mas'udi

59.    Al-Zahrawi

60.    Ibn Arabi

61.    'Omar al-Khayyam

62.    Jamal al-Din al-Afghani

63.    Ibn Abd-al Wahhab

64.    Rabi'a al-Adawiyyah

65.    'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan

66.    Al-Hallaj

67.    Shahrastani

68.    Khwaja Baha' al-Din Naqshband

69.    Ibn Hazm

70.    Al-Tusi

71.    Shah Rukh

72.    Gowhar Shad

73.    Fakhr al-Din al-Razi

74.    Firdausi

75.    Zheng He

76.    Mumtaz Mahal

77.    Mu'in al-Din Chishti

78.    Nur al-Din Zangi

79.    Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi

80.    Malik Ambar

81.    Aurangzib

82.    Ibn Tufayl

83.    Malik Ibrahim 

84.    Mansa Musa

85.    Al-Nawawi

86.    Muhammad Abduh

87.    Hafiz Shirazi

88.    Shadhili

89.    Shah Wali Allah

90.    Shamil

91.    Ibn Jubayr

92.    Shihab al-Din Suhrawardi

93.    Shaykh Sa'di

94.    Sayyid Ahmad Khan

95.    The Mahdi of Sudan

96.    Al-Muranabbi

97.    Uthman Dan Fodio

98.    Mulla Sadra

99.    Ali al-Rida 

100.   Fatima bint Musa 

Others worthy of consideration:

Abdul Qadeer Khan, Hasan al-Banna, Ibn Saud, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Muhammad IlyasMuhammad Yunus, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Osama Bin Laden, Ruhollah Khomeini, Sa'id Nursi, Sayyid Qutb

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Pre-2020 Version

(Based on Muhammad Mojlum Khan's 2008 The Muslim 100)

1.    The Prophet Muhammad

2.     Umar ibn al-Khattab

3.     Ali ibn Abi Talib

4.     Abu Bakr al-Siddiq

5.     Uthman ibn Affan

6.     Aisha bint Abu Bakr

7.     Khadija bint Khuwaylid

8.     Khalid ibn al-Walid

9.     Husain ibn Ali

10.    Abu Hurayra

11.     Fatimah bint Muhammad

12.     Bilal ibn Rabah

13.      Al-Bukhari

14.      Abu Hanifah

15.      Abu'l-Hasan al-Ash'ari

16.     Saladin

17.      Abu Hamid al-Ghazali

18.    Abu Abdullah ibn al-Shafi'i 

19.     Al-Khwarazmi

20.    Ahmad ibn Hanbal

21.    Ibn Khaldun

22.    Malik ibn Anas

23.     Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz

24.    Abdul Qadir Gilani

25.     Ibn Sina

26.     Ibn Taymiyyah 

27.    Nizam al-Mulk

28.    Al-Kindi

29.    Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan

30.     Jalal al-Din Rumi

31.    Harun al-Rashid

32.     Abd ar-Rahman I

33.    Tariq ibn Ziyad

34.    Mehmed II

35.    Al-Biruni

36.    Suleyman the Magnificent

37.    Ja'far al-Sadiq

38.    Abd ar-Rahman II

39.    Ibn Ishaq

40.    Al-Ma'mun

41.    Ibn Rushd

42.    Timur

43.    Akbar the Great

44.    Al-Farabi

45.    Al-Tabari

46.    Ibn Battuta

47.    Jabir ibn Hayyan

48.    Mimar Sinan

49.    Abu Bakr al-Razi

50.     Hasan al-Basri

51.    Ibn al-Haytham

52.    Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj

53.    Mahmud of Ghazna

54.    Muhammad ibn al-Qasim

55.    Musa ibn Nusayr

56.    Shah Jahan

57.    Abul Hasan al-Mas'udi

58.    Abul Qasim al-Zahrawi

59.    Ibn Arabi

60.    Umar Khayyam

61.     Jamal al-Din al-Afghani

62.    Ibn Abd-al Wahhab

63.    Rabi'a al-Adawiyyah

64.    Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan

65.    Al-Hallaj

66.    Hasan al-Banna

67.    Khwajah Naqshband

68.    Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi

69.    Nasir al-Din al-Tusi

70.    Muhammad Ali Jinnah

71.    Fakhr al-Din al-Razi

72.    Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud'

73.    Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

74.    Firdawsi of Persia

75.     Mu'in al-Din Chishti

76.    Nur al-Din Zangi

77.    Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi

78.    Ayatollah Khomeini

79.    Awrangzeb Alamgir

80.     Ibn Tufayl

81.    Muhammad Ilyas

82.    Sayyid Qutb

83.    Yahya al-Nawawi

84.    Muhammad Abduh

85.    Muhammad Iqbal

86.     Abul Hasan al-Shadhili

87.    Shah Waliullah

88.    Shamyl of Daghestan

89.    Abul A'la Mawdudi

90.     Shihab al-Din Suhrawardi

91.    Muhammad Yunus

92.    Shaykh Sa'di of Shiraz

93.    Sayyid Ahmad Khan

94.    The Mahdi of Sudan

95.    Al-Muranabbi

96.    Uthman Dan Fodio'

97.     Mulla Sadra

98.     Malcolm X

99.      Sa'id Nursi

100.    Muhammad Ali


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