Famous Muslims Scholars, scientists, travellers and leaders of Muslim history

Twelve centuries, four fields

Famous Muslims in history

From the jurists of Kufa and Madinah to the astronomers of Samarkand and the teachers of Sokoto: short, plain lives, with further reading for each.

People of history only · plain facts in our own words · further reading for each

Scientists Scholars

Famous Muslims through the centuries

  1. 699–767

    Abu Hanifa

    The jurist whose method became the Hanafi school, the most widely followed of the four. Scholars of the faith · Kufa and Baghdad, Iraq
  2. 711–795

    Malik ibn Anas

    The scholar of Madinah whose Muwatta is among the earliest surviving books of Islamic law. Scholars of the faith · Madinah
  3. 767–820

    Al-Shafi‘i

    The jurist who first set out the principles of Islamic law in a book of their own. Scholars of the faith · Gaza, Makkah, Baghdad and Cairo
  4. 780–855

    Ahmad ibn Hanbal

    The Baghdad scholar of narrations whose name is carried by the Hanbali school. Scholars of the faith · Baghdad, Iraq
  5. c. 780–c. 850

    Al-Khwarizmi

    The mathematician whose book gave us the word “algebra”, and whose name gave us “algorithm”. Scientists and physicians · Khwarazm and Baghdad
  6. c. 800–c. 880

    Fatima al-Fihri

    The woman credited with founding the al-Qarawiyyin mosque in Fez, later a university. Leaders and builders · Kairouan and Fez, Morocco
  7. c. 801–c. 873

    Al-Kindi

    The first great philosopher writing in Arabic, also a mathematician, physician and music theorist. Scientists and physicians · Kufa and Baghdad, Iraq
  8. 810–870

    Al-Bukhari

    The compiler of Sahih al-Bukhari, the most relied-on collection of narrations in Sunni Islam. Scholars of the faith · Bukhara (Uzbekistan) and Samarkand
  9. c. 810–c. 887

    Abbas ibn Firnas

    The inventor of Córdoba, reported to have tried to fly with wings he built himself. Scientists and physicians · Córdoba, al-Andalus
  10. 815–875

    Imam Muslim

    The compiler of Sahih Muslim, the second of the two most trusted collections of narrations. Scholars of the faith · Nishapur, Iran
  11. c. 858–929

    Al-Battani

    The astronomer of Raqqa whose careful measurements were used in Europe for centuries. Scientists and physicians · Raqqa, Syria
  12. 936–1013

    Al-Zahrawi

    The surgeon of Córdoba whose illustrated encyclopaedia taught surgery in Europe for centuries. Scientists and physicians · Córdoba, al-Andalus
  13. c. 965–c. 1040

    Ibn al-Haytham

    The scientist who showed how we see, and tested his ideas by experiment. Scientists and physicians · Basra, Iraq, and Cairo, Egypt
  14. 973–1048

    Al-Biruni

    The polymath who estimated the size of the Earth and wrote a careful study of India. Scientists and physicians · Khwarazm and Ghazni
  15. c. 980–1037

    Ibn Sina

    The physician and philosopher whose Canon of Medicine was a standard textbook for six centuries. Scientists and physicians · Bukhara and Hamadan
  16. 1058–1111

    Al-Ghazali

    The scholar who left a top teaching post in Baghdad and wrote the Revival of the Religious Sciences. Scholars of the faith · Tus, Iran, and Baghdad
  17. 1100–1165

    Al-Idrisi

    The geographer who made one of the most detailed world maps of the Middle Ages for a Norman king. Travellers and map-makers · Ceuta and Palermo, Sicily
  18. 1136–1206

    Al-Jazari

    The engineer whose illustrated book of machines included the famous elephant clock. Scientists and physicians · Upper Mesopotamia (Diyarbakır)
  19. 1137–1193

    Salah al-Din

    The Kurdish sultan who took Jerusalem back in 1187 and was respected even by his enemies. Leaders and builders · Tikrit, Cairo and Damascus
  20. 1213–1288

    Ibn al-Nafis

    The Cairo physician who first described how blood passes through the lungs. Scientists and physicians · Damascus and Cairo
  21. 1233–1277

    An-Nawawi

    The Damascus scholar whose collection of forty narrations and Riyad as-Salihin are read in homes and mosques everywhere. Scholars of the faith · Nawa and Damascus, Syria
  22. c. 1280–c. 1337

    Mansa Musa

    The king of Mali whose Hajj of 1324 made his wealth famous from Cairo to Europe. Leaders and builders · Niani and Timbuktu, Mali
  23. 1300–1373

    Ibn Kathir

    The Damascus historian and scholar best known for his verse-by-verse tafsir. Scholars of the faith · Damascus, Syria
  24. 1304–1369

    Ibn Battuta

    The traveller from Tangier who spent about thirty years on the road, from West Africa to China. Travellers and map-makers · Tangier, Morocco
  25. 1332–1406

    Ibn Khaldun

    The historian whose Muqaddimah explained how societies rise and fall. Travellers and map-makers · Tunis and Cairo
  26. 1394–1449

    Ulugh Beg

    The ruler of Samarkand who built a great observatory and catalogued a thousand stars. Scientists and physicians · Samarkand, Uzbekistan
  27. c. 1432–c. 1500

    Ahmad ibn Majid

    The Arab navigator who wrote some forty works on sailing the Indian Ocean. Travellers and map-makers · Julfar (Ras al-Khaimah)
  28. 1432–1481

    Mehmed II

    The Ottoman sultan who took Constantinople in 1453 and made it Istanbul. Leaders and builders · Edirne and Istanbul
  29. c. 1465–1553

    Piri Reis

    The Ottoman admiral whose 1513 world map shows the coast of South America. Travellers and map-makers · Gallipoli, Ottoman Empire
  30. c. 1490–1588

    Mimar Sinan

    The Ottoman chief architect behind some three hundred buildings, the Selimiye Mosque among them. Leaders and builders · Istanbul and Edirne
  31. 1751–1799

    Tipu Sultan

    The ruler of Mysore who pioneered iron-cased rockets against the British. Leaders and builders · Mysore, India
  32. 1793–1864

    Nana Asma’u

    The poet and teacher of Sokoto who built a network to educate women. Leaders and builders · Sokoto, Nigeria
  33. 1858–1931

    Omar al-Mukhtar

    The teacher who led Libya’s resistance to Italian rule for twenty years. Leaders and builders · Cyrenaica, Libya

Famous Muslims in numbers

  • 33 lives, from Abu Hanifa (born 699) to Omar al-Mukhtar (died 1931) Our collection
  • 11 scientists and physicians, from algebra to the circulation of the blood Our collection
  • 9 scholars whose books are still read today Our collection
  • 0 living people: lives are best judged when they are complete Our rule for the collection

Famous Muslims by field

About this collection

Lives whose work still matters. Scholars whose books shaped how Muslims pray and live, scientists and physicians whose discoveries passed into world science, travellers who described the known world, and leaders and builders whose cities and mosques still stand.

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How each life is written

Short, plain and checkable. Each biography keeps to what standard references agree on: when and where they lived, what they wrote or built, and what they are remembered for. Where the record is uncertain we say “about” or “reported”, and every page links to an encyclopaedia article with its own sources.

Why only people of the past

A complete life is a fairer subject. Writing fairly about the living is hard, so the collection is historical figures only. Being included isn’t an endorsement of everything a person did; it means their life is part of the story of Muslims around the world, which the learning library on muslimsaroundtheworld.org continues.

Famous Muslims: questions people ask

Who was the greatest Muslim scientist?

There is no single answer, as fields differ. Ibn al-Haytham in optics, Ibn Sina in medicine, al-Khwarizmi in mathematics and al-Biruni in astronomy and geography are among the most often named, and each has a page here.

Are there women in the collection?

Yes, including Fatima al-Fihri, credited with founding al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, and Nana Asma’u, the scholar and teacher of Sokoto. We would like to add more as we confirm good sources.

Can I suggest someone?

Yes, through muslimsaroundtheworld.org. We add people of the past whose lives are well documented.