List of Muslim military leaders

Entries in this chronological list of Muslim military leaders are accompanied by dates of birth and death, branch of Islam, country of birth, field of study, campaigns fought and a short biographical description. The list includes notable conquerors, generals and admirals from early Islamic history to the 21st century.

Kindly note this page for how to refer to the names of religious Islamic figures: Islamic honorifics.; (s.a.w.) = ṣallā -llāhu ʿalayhī wa-sallam = Blessings of God be upon him [Muhammad] as well as peace

Muslim military leaders
  • Muhammad (s.a.w.) (Arabic: مُحَمَّد‎, pronounced [muˈħammad];c. 570 CE – 8 June 632 CE) was a prophet, and a religious, social, and political leader. The prophet (s.a.w.) led the muslims against the tribes of Arabia. Most of Arabia was annexed in his lifetime in a series of coordinated campaigns. The most notable battles were Battle of Badr, Battle of Uhud, Battle of the trench, and Conquest of Mecca.
  • Ali Ibn Abi Talib (Arabic: عَلِيّ ٱبْن أَبِي طَالِب‎, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib; 13 September 601 – 29 January 661), nicknamed Haidar ('fierce lion'), was the fourth Rashidun caliph. He was a cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.). Ali is traditionally considered to be one of the greatest and one of the most valiant Muslim warriors. He took part in almost all the battles fought by the nascent Muslim community. His contributions in the Battle of Khyber are very well known.
  • Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib (568-625) was a foster brother, companion and paternal uncle of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.). He was Martyred in the Battle of Uhud on 22 March 625 (3 Shawwal 3 hijri). His kunyas were "Abū ʿUmārah"[1]: 2  (أَبُو عُمَارَةَ) and "Abū Yaʿlā"[1]: 3  (أَبُو يَعْلَىٰ). He had the by-names Asad Allāh[1]: 2  (أَسَد ٱللَّٰه, "Lion of God") and Asad al-Jannah (أَسَد ٱلْجَنَّة, "Lion of Heaven"), and Muhammad (s.a.w.) gave him the posthumous title Sayyid ash-Shuhadāʾ (سَيِّد ٱلشُّهَدَاء).
  • Hassan ibn Ali (Arabic:حسن ابن علی ), also known as 'Sebt e rasool' (grandson of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.)ؐ). Hassan resembled Muhammad (s.a.w.) by his beauty and Ali in his bravery. Historical accounts prove his bravery in Battle of Siffin, Battle of the Camel and Battle of Nahrawan where he fought along with his father Ali and brothers Hussain and Abbas.
  • Hussain ibn Ali (Arabic: حُسین ابن علی ), was the son of Ali and grandson of Muhammad (s.a.w.). His courage on the day of Ashura against an army of 40 thousand where he stood alone proves his bravery and courage. He killed a total of 4,000 people in his attacks in the Battle of Karbala.
  • Omar ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (Arabic: عمر بن خطاب, romanized: ʿUmar bin Khaṭṭāb, also spelled Omar, c. 582/583 – 644) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr (r. 632–634) as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate on 23 August 634. Umar was a senior companion and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.). He was also an expert Muslim jurist known for his pious and just nature, which earned him the epithet Al-Fārūq ("the one who distinguishes (between right and wrong)"). Hazrat Umer has the honor of introducing new prison systems, advanced court systems, and an improved financial system.[2]
  • Khalid ibn al-Walid: 592-642 (Arabic: خالد بن الوليد), also known as "The Sword of Allah" (a title bestowed upon him by prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.)), was an Arab Muslim commander who was in the service of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) and the caliphs Abu Bakr (r. 632–634) and Umar (r. 634–644). He played a leading role in the Ridda wars against rebel tribes in Arabia in 632–633 and the early Muslim conquests of Sasanian Iraq in 633–634 and Byzantine Syria in 634–638. Khalid ibn al-Walid was one of the few undefeated generals in history.
  • Abdallah ibn Sa'd, during his time as governor of Egypt (646 CE to 656 CE), Abdallah ibn Sa'd built a strong Arab navy. Under his leadership the Muslim navy won a number of victories including its first major naval battle against the Byzantine emperor Constans II at the Battle of the Masts in 654 CE.

8th century

9th century

10th century

11th century
  • Alp Arslan Muhammad Ālp Ārslan ibn Dawūd Persian: ضياء الدنيا و الدين عضد الدولة ابو شجاع محمد آلپ ارسلان ابن داود‎;‎ 20 January 1029 – 15 December 1072, real name Muhammad bin Dawud Chaghri, was the second Sultan of the Seljuk Empire and great-grandson of Seljuk, the eponymous founder of the dynasty. He greatly expanded the Seljuk territory and consolidated his power, defeating rivals to south and northwest and his victory over the Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikert, in 1071, ushered in the Turkoman settlement of Anatolia.[2] For his military prowess and fighting skills he obtained the name Alp Arslan, which means "Heroic Lion" in Turkish.
  • Malik-Shah I: Sultan of Seljuk Empire, son of the great Sultan Alp Arslan, who took his empire to a greatest extent. Malik-Shah, along with the vizier Nizam al-Mulk, tried to unite Muslims of the world and fought many wars against anti Islamic fitna movement called Batiniyya, he also built many madrasahs. He is considered one of the greatest Muslim leaders of all time.
  • Tughril Beg: founder of the Seljuq Dynasty. He united many Turkmen warriors of the Central Asian steppes into a confederacy of tribes, who traced their ancestry to a single ancestor named Seljuk, and led them in conquest of eastern Iran. He would later establish the Seljuk Sultanate after conquering Iran and retaking the Abbasid capital of Baghdad from the Buyids in 1055. Tughril relegated the Abbasid Caliphs to state figureheads and took command of the caliphate's armies in military offensives against the Byzantine Empire and the Fatimids in an effort to expand his empire's borders and unite the Islamic world.
  • Yusuf ibn Tashfin: founder of the Almoravid Dynasty in the Islamic West, he secured several decisive military victories against the Christians in Al-Andalus and was able to reunify it under his rule after a period of internal fragmentation known as Muluk Al-Tawaif.
  • Ibn Tumart: Founder of the Almohad dynasty.
  • Ahmad Sanjar: Sultan of Seljuk Empire, son of Malik-Shah I.

12th century
Saladin and Guy of Lusignan after Battle of Hattin

13th century

14th century
  • Murad I (Ottoman Turkish: مراد اول‎; Turkish: I. Murad, Murad-ı Hüdavendigâr (nicknamed Hüdavendigâr, from Persian: خداوندگار‎, romanized: Khodāvandgār, lit. 'the devotee of God' – meaning "sovereign" in this context); 29 June 1326 – 15 June 1389) was the Ottoman Sultan from 1362 to 1389. He was a son of Orhan Gazi and Nilüfer Hatun. Murad I came into the throne after his elder brother Süleyman Pasha's death.
  • Bayezid I: The Fourth Sultan of Ottoman empire and The victor at the Battle of Nicopolis
  • Zheng He 1371–1433: A Chinese mariner, explorer and admiral who was born into a Muslim family but embraced a broader ranging religious faith later.
Sultan Mehmed II's entry into Constantinople
  • Timur: Sunni Muslim Turco-Mongol conqueror who hailed from the Chagatai Khanate, went on to be an undefeated military commander, including a crushing defeat he inflicted on Bayezid I at the Battle of Ankara.

15th century

16th century
Suleiman with army

17th century

18th century

19th century

20th century
  • Abdulaziz al-Saud, also known as Ibn Saud was the founder of Saudi Arabia, the third Saudi Empire. He was King of Saudi Arabia from 23 September 1932 to his death. He had ruled parts of the kingdom as early as 1902, having previously been Emir, Sultan, and King of Nejd and King of Hejaz. He was an Arab Military leader who followed Wahhabism He Conquered Kingdom of Hejaz in 1925.
  • Allama Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938): He was a poet, philosopher and politician of South Asia the visionary of a separate state for the Muslims of British-ruled India. He is the national poet of Pakistan
  • Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876–1948): served as the leader of the Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pakistan on 14 August 1947, and then as the Dominion of Pakistan's first Governor-General until his death. He is revered in Pakistan as the Quaid-i-Azam "Great Leader"
  • Ahmad Shah Massoud (1953–2001): also known as the National Hero of Afghanistan He was the conqueror of cold war in Afghanistan, guerrilla commander during the resistance against the Soviet occupation between 1979 and 1989).
  • Alija Izetbegovic: (1925-2003) was a Bosnian politician;lawyer and Islamic philosopher.who became the 1st president of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992.he was a member of tripartiate presidency of Bosnia until his death.he bravely defended the Bosnian nation and Bosnian Muslims from Serb aggression during the civil war in Bosnia and brought peace and stability to Bosnia.
  • Mullah Mohammad Omar (1960–2013): Founder of Taliban and First Emir (Supreme Leader) of Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan
  • Hadji Kamlon, Tausug freedom fighter, Sunni Muslim, Ash'ari in Aqeeda, Shafi'i in Madh'hab
  • Mat Salleh (Datu Muhammad Salleh), Sabah warrior from Inanam who led the Mat Salleh Rebellion until his death.
  • Tun Datu Mustapha (Tun Datu Mustapha bin Datu Harun), first Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Sabah and third Chief Minister of Sabah.

See also

References
  1. Muhammad ibn Saad. Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir vol. 3. Translated by Bewley, A. (2013). The Companions of Badr. London: Ta-Ha Publishers.
  2. "15 Muslim Leaders In History That Transformed The World". 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
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