discussion, it is clear that the Qur’anic concept of history, unlike the modern Western philosophies of history, is not only an integrative and multi-dimensional one, but is also based on a profound understanding of human nature and its possibilities. To his credit, Ibn Khaldun understood and appreciated this multi-layered approach to history, as is evident from his pioneering Muqaddimah fi’l Tarikh. Inspired by Ibn Khaldun and others, Arnold J. Toynbee also pursued a similar approach to history in his monumental A Study of History, but ultimately his notion of history was dominated by the Christian idea of a ‘saviour’ rather than the Qur’anic view of man and his role and purpose in the universe. ‘And remember Abraham was tried by his Lord with certain commands, which he fulfilled: He said: “I will make you a leader to the nations.” He pleaded: “And also (leaders) from my offspring!” He answered: “But My promise is not within the reach of the wrong-doers.” ’ (2:124). And ‘(remember) Noah, when he cried (to Us) aforetime: We listened to his (prayer) and delivered him and his family from great distress…And remember David and Solomon, when they gave judgement in the matter of the field into which the sheep of certain people had strayed by night: We did witness their judgement…And (remember) Job, when he cried to his Lord, “Truly distress has seized me, but You are the Most Merciful of those that are merciful.”…And (remember) Ishmael, Enoch and Dhul-kifl, all (men) of constancy and patience… And remember Zun-nun (Jonah)…And (remember) Zachariah… And (remember) her (Mary) who guarded her chastity: We breathed into her of Our Spirit, and We made her and her son (Jesus) a sign for all peoples.’ (21:76-91). In short, according to the Qur’an, the main purpose of history is to remind us of who we are, what our role and purpose is, and to learn lessons from the past.
If understanding human nature and our role and purpose within the Divine scheme of things is central to the Qur’anic view of history, then how should one explore and analyse Islamic history? And, indeed, what actually do we mean by Islamic history? Strictly speaking, Islamic history did not begin with the Prophet Muhammad or with Abraham or Ishmael. Rather, according to Islamic tradition, Adam was the first human being and also the first Muslim. Not surprisingly, the classical Islamic historians (such as al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir) began their works with Adam and covered the careers of all other prominent Prophets and Kings – including Noah (Nuh), Abraham (Ibrahim), Moses (Musa), David (Dawud), Solomon (Sulaiman), John the Baptist (Yahya) and Jesus (Isa) – all the way down to Prophet Muhammad, who is considered to be the Seal of Prophecy. Since these and all other Prophets are regarded as Muslims, the history of the whole of humanity was considered by the classical Muslim historians to be nothing other than the unfolding of Islamic history in its broadest sense. However, with regard to their methodology and approach, the vast majority of the classical and modern Muslim historians have explored Islamic history in a chronological way, without necessarily analysing their data and information in a rigorous and systematic manner.
This book, however, begins with the advent of the Prophet Muhammad and ends in our own time. Additionally, I have not adopted a chronological approach to the study of Islamic history. Instead, in this book an attempt has been made to explore Islamic history through the lives, thoughts and achievements of one hundred of the most influential Muslims. Influence, based on their contributions and achievements, was therefore my main criterion for selection and inclusion in this book. But this raises an interesting question, namely how the nature and extent of each person’s influence was to be measured? I began by examining their lives and thoughts, and then proceeded to assess the nature of their contribution by evaluating what they actually did and what was so special or extraordinary about their deeds, actions and accomplishments. In so doing, I was able to determine whether their contributions and achievements had made them national, regional or international figures. Against this I could evaluate the intellectual, social, political, economic or cultural importance, value and impact of their contributions and achievements over time. For example, by pursuing this approach I was able to include Muhammad Yunus (the great Bangladeshi economist, banker and the pioneer of the system of micro-credit) in this book, but exclude Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (the founding father of Bangladesh) since the latter’s accomplishment has been largely ‘national’ or, at best, ‘regional’, while the former is today widely considered to be an important ‘international’ figure whose contribution and achievement has become ‘global’, thanks to the increasing popularity of micro-credit across the world.
Likewise, in the field of hadith literature, both Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani and Yahya al-Nawawi were two remarkable figures and it is not surprising that today they are highly regarded by the scholars of Islam, but it is also a fact that the works of the latter are much more widely-known throughout the Muslim world and in the West than those of the former. In fact, al-Nawawi’s Kitab al-Arba’in (The Book of Forty hadith) and Riyadh as-Saliheen (The Garden of the Righteous) have not only been translated into all the world’s prominent languages, but they are also very popular across the globe. Consequently, I had no choice but to include al-Nawawi in this book and exclude Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani – despite being a big fan of the latter. In short, the one hundred people who feature in this book have been chosen and ranked on the basis of their all-round influence, which in turn was determined mainly – though not entirely – by their contributions and achievements. And although I have tried to be logical, critical and also fair and objective in my approach to, and exploration of, the lives, thoughts and achievements of all the people included in this book, I am aware that my method of selection and ranking may nonetheless generate some discussion and debate among scholars and lay people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Since one of the aims of this book is to popularise Islamic culture and history, and encourage both Muslims and non-Muslims to directly engage with Islamic thought and culture, I will feel my efforts duly rewarded if this book manages to generate some discussion and debate about the role played by some of the Muslim world’s most influential figures and personalities during more than fourteen centuries of Islamic history.
Issues of selection and ranking aside, exploring Islamic history through the lives of some of its most influential figures – whether that is ten people, fifty, or a hundred – does present a number of other challenges and difficulties. Not least of which was that I underestimated the amount of time, effort and energy that would be required to survey more than fourteen hundred years of Islamic history, beginning with the birth of the Prophet Muhammad and ending in our own time.
Additionally, given the multi-disciplinary nature of this book, I not only had to explore a large quantity of historical data and information; it was also necessary to acquire some understanding of kalam (Islamic theology), tafsir (Qur’anic exegesis), hadith literature, falsafah (philosophy), fiqh (jurisprudence), usul al-fiqh (science of Islamic jurisprudence), tasawwuf (mysticism), aspects of science, mathematics, Arabic literature, Persian poetry, heresiographical thought and architectural history among other subjects. What was even more difficult was selecting only a hundred people from the hundreds, if not thousands, of prominent and influential Muslims who have left their indelible marks in the annals of history. As one of the world’s great religions, Islam created a dazzling culture and civilisation which today extends from Morocco in North Africa, all the way to Indonesia in the Far East; and from Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, to as far as Uzbekistan in Central Asia.
Thus, consisting of more than fifty-five Muslim majority countries and over a billion people today, Muslims have left their fingerprints on every field of human endeavour. It is not surprising, therefore, that some of history’s most influential men and women have been Muslims. In the words of George Sarton, the renowned historian of science and author of Introduction to the History of Science, ‘The main task of mankind was accomplished by Muslims. The greatest philosopher, al-Farabi, was a Muslim; the greatest mathematicians, Abu Kamil and Ibrahim ibn Sinan, were Muslims; the greatest geographer and encyclopaedist, al-Mas’udi, was a Muslim; the greatest historian, al-Tabari, was still a Muslim.’ Chosen by the author, this book only briefly explores the lives, thoughts and achievements of one hundred such influential Muslim men and women. It should also be pointed out that Islamic scholars and historians have written extensively about most of the people covered in this book, so the readers should not take these biographies
