THE 500 MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS - CESD

Scholarlymaarif, syafiiMaarif is one of Indonesia’s most famous scholars whose political comments regularly attractsignificant attention. This former president of the influential Muhammadiyah organization isactively involved in the interfaith and peace movements both domestically and internationally,largely through his Maarif Institute for Culture and Humanity. Maarif is also a professor of historyat the National University of Yogyakarta, and a productive author and columnist, currently writingtwo regular columns in ‘Republika’ newspaper and also in GATRA Magazine.MALAYSIAal akiti, dr muhammad afifi [new]Dr Muhammad Afifi al Akiti is a briliant young scholar, a trained theologian and philologist. Heis a lecturer of Islamic studies with the Faculty of Theology at Oxford University, a KFAS Fellowin Islamic Studies, and a fellow at Worcester College. He is internationally acclaimed for his 2005fatwa, ‘Defending the transgressed by censuring the reckless against the killing of civilians’ writtenin response to the 7 July London bombings, which was praised by scholars of Islam and gained amassive readership on the internet.al attas, dr syed muhammad naquib [new]Dr al Attas is considered by many to be a scholar giant in the Muslim world. An influentialphilosopher and thinker, he is well-written on the traditional Islamic sciences as well as sufism,metaphysics, and philosophy. He has served at various global academic institutions as an educatorand lead administrator and is also a noted calligrapher.kamali, prof. dr mohammad hashimKamali is the world’s leading expert and author on comparative studies between Islamic andmodern law. He is one of the most prolific producers of quality scholarship on Islam in the worldtoday. Originally from Afghanistan, Kamali is a dean and professor at the International Instituteof Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC) and the International Islamic University in Malaysia.Kamali is also the current Chairman and CEO of the International Institute of Advanced IslamicStudies in Malaysia.PAKISTANakhtar, hazrat maulana shah hakeem muhammad [new]Maulana Shah Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar is a Sufi scholar of the Ashrafia order based in Karachi.He has authored numerous books on Islamic spirituality including a popular commentary on theMathnawi of Jalaluddin Rumi. Akhtar attracts a vast audience at his spiritual center or khanqah forislah-e-nafs (self-correction) and online, where his talks are broadcast live daily.hashmi, dr farhat [new]Hashmi is an influential lecturer and scholar. She has been instrumental in the burgeoning fieldof the role of women in Islam and has contributed greatly to its literature. Hashmi is the founderof Al-Huda International, an NGO actively promoting Islamic education and welfare since 1994.najafi, his eminence grand ayatollah muhammad hussain [new]Grand Ayatollah Hussain Najafi is the only marja in South Asia. Based in the Sargodha district ofthe Punjab province in Pakistan, he was the first scholar from that country to be given the status ofmarjiyyat and is one of only two Ayatollahs from Pakistan.qadiri, sheikh muhammad ilyas attar qadiri [new]Sheikh Muhammad Ilyas Attar Qadiri is a leader of the Qadiriyyah, Radaviyyah, Attariya branchof the Qadri Sufi order. He is also the founder of Dawat-e-Islami, a Sunni Barelwi revivalistmovement centering on the propagation of Islamic knowledge. Qadiri is a widely-respected sheikhwith a significant global following.102