THE 500 MOST INFLUENTIAL MUSLIMS - CESD

48Professor Dr SeyyedHossein NasrScholar of Islamic PhilosophyCountry: United StatesDate of Birth: 7 April 1933Source of Influence: ScholarlyInfluence: Written major books andgiven countless lectures internationallySchool of Thought: Traditional Shi’aRank: 2010:48 · 2009:47 Seyyed Hossein Nasr is an Islamic Studiesprofessor at George Washington University.He remains one of the most influentialMuslim scholars in the world for his workon Islamic tradition and philosophy.Reviver of TraditionNasr’s work has covered the most importantareas of contemporary Muslimthought from classical Islamic philosophy,Islamic science, Sufism, and critique ofmodernity to interfaith relations, Islam–West relations, and the environmental crisis.Nasr was the first Muslim scholar everto be invited to give the prestigious GiffordLectures, which were later published asKnowledge and the Sacred.Islamic EnvironmentalismNasr’s work has been ahead of its time inpredicting the disastrous consequences ofthe environmental crisis. Books such asThe Encounter of Man and Nature: the SpiritualCrisis of Modern Man (1968), and Religionand the Order of Nature (1996), narratethe rise of a secular, modern conception ofnature as inert matter to be conquered bymodern technology, and attempt to revivea sacred notion of nature.49Sheikh MehmetNazim Adil alQubrusi al HaqqaniLeader of Naqshbandi-HaqqaniSufi OrderCountry: CyprusDate of Birth: 25 April 1922Source of Influence: Lineage, ScholarlyInfluence: Leader of sizeable worldwideSufi orderSchool of Thought: Traditional Sunni,Naqshbandi SufiRank: 2010:49 · 2009:49As Sufi master and leader of the Naqshbandi-Haqqaniorder, Sheikh Mehmet NazimAdil al Qubrusi is influential as one of thehighest-ranking Sufi spiritual guides andtraces his lineage back to the prominentSufis ‘Abd al Qadir al Jilani (1077-1166 CE)and Jalal al Din Rumi (d. 1273 CE).Stalwart MissionaryAl Haqqani’s travels have taken him tomeet with students and followers of theNaqshbandi Sufi order across the globe.This order, which traces its spiritual lineageback to Prophet Muhammad’s companionAbu Bakr, is one that practicessilent remembrance of God. Al Haqqanihas a great deal of influence with Muslimsaround the globe, having spent time withthe Muslim communities in the formerYugoslavia, the United Kingdom, the UnitedStates, Syria, and Uzbekistan—wherethe tomb of the founder of the NaqshbandiSufi order is located.Spiritual Guide to RoyaltyAl Haqqani has ministered to the Sultan ofBrunei, Sir Sultan Hamengkubuwono X ofIndonesia, and members of the Malaysianroyal family. He is credited for the growingpopularity of the Naqshbandi order, whichreaches millions through his followers.89