The 500 Most Influential Muslims (also known as The Muslim 500) is an annual publication first published in 2009, which ranks the most influential Muslims in the world.
The publication is compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Amman, Jordan. The report is issued annually in cooperation with Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University in the United States.
Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamid Al-Thani took first place in the 2022 edition. He was followed by King Salman of Saudi Arabia, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. King Abdullah II of Jordan, Pakistani scholar Muhammad Taqi Usmani, King Mohammed VI of Morocco, President of the UAE Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Iranian cleric Ali al-Sistani are also among the top 9 in the list.
Critics have noted that its top 50 list gives more weight to political leaders, who due to the nature of political systems in Middle East enjoy considerable clout and influence in the regional politics. As such the influence of individuals listed in the top 50 owes much to the fact of their existence in the political spectrum.
Overview
The publication highlights people who are influential as Muslims. That is people whose influence is derived from their practice of Islam or from the fact that they are Muslim. The influence can be of a religious scholar directly addressing Muslims and influencing their beliefs, ideas and behaviour, or it can be of a ruler shaping the socio-economic factors within which people live their lives, or of artists shaping popular culture. The first two examples also point to the fact that the lists, and especially the Top 50, are dominated by religious scholars and heads of state. Their dominant and lasting influence cannot be denied, especially the rulers, who in many cases also appoint religious scholars to their respective positions.
Nominations are evaluated on the basis of the influence that particular Muslims have had within the Muslim community and the manner in which their influence has benefited the Muslim community, both within the Islamic world and in terms of representing Islam to non-Muslims. "Influential" for the purposes of the book is defined as "any person who has the power (be it cultural, ideological, financial, political or otherwise) to make a change that will have a significant impact on the Muslim World".
The publication defines eligible entries with the following: "Traditional Islam (96% of the world's Muslims): Also known as Orthodox Islam, this ideology is not politicized and largely based on consensus of correct opinion—thus including the Sunni, Shi'a, and Ibadi branches of practice (and their subgroups) within the fold of Islam, and not groups such as the Druze or the Ahmadiyya, among others."
The book starts with an overall top 50, ranked the most influential Muslims in the world. The remaining 450 most prominent Muslims is broken down into 15 categories without ranking, of scholarly, political, administrative, lineage, preachers and spiritual guides, women, youth, philanthropy/charity, development, science and technology, arts and culture, Qu'ran reciters, media, radicals, international Islamic networks and issues of the day. Each year the biographies are updated.
The publication also gives an insight into the different ways that Muslims impact the world and also shows the diversity of how people are living as Muslims today. The book's appendices comprehensively list populations of Muslims in nations worldwide, and its introduction gives a snapshot view of different ideological movements within the Muslim world, breaking down clearly distinctions between traditional Islam and recent radical innovations.
Publications
2009 edition
In 2009, the book was edited by Professors John L. Esposito and Ibrahim Kalin at Georgetown University in Washington.
The 500 most influential Muslims were chosen largely in terms of their overt influence. The top 50 is dominated by religious scholars and either heads of state, which automatically gives them an advantage when it comes to influence, or they have inherited their position. Lineage is a significant factor – it has its own category – and the predisposition to include children of important people reveals a mindset that indicates achievement is an optional extra. The top 50 fits into six broad categories as follows: 12 are political leaders (kings, generals, presidents), four are spiritual leaders (Sufi shaykhs), 14 are national or international religious authorities, three are "preachers", six are high-level scholars, 11 are leaders of movements or organizations.