A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Z

Muhammad Said Abdullah

Birth:1918

Death:1991

He is regarded as the father of Swahili popular literature. He started his career as a journalist and was the editor of several newspapers such as Zanzibar, Al Mahda, Al-Flaq, etc. His success as a fiction writer came in 1957-58 when he won the first ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muzaffar Ahmed

Birth:1889

Death:1973

A prominent member of Communist Party of India. A revolutionary and pioneer of the communist movement in India, Muzaffar Ahmad, affectionately called Kakababu (uncle) by party comrades and sympathisers was a true communist in every sense of the term. Son of a lawyer, Muzaffar Ahmed ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Maulana Akram Khan

Birth:1868

Death:1969

Journalist, politician and scholar. Editor of several Islamic publications, during the British rule in India, journalist, politician and scholar Maulana Muhammad Akram Khan and his magazine Sebak supported the Non-cooperation and the Swadeshi Movements. Sebak was banned and Maulana was arrested for anti-government editorials. In 1936 ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Idris Al Shafi

Birth:767

Death:820

The founder of the Shafi school of jurisprudence who revolutionalised the study of fiqh by laying down the principles (usul) of Islamic law. Al-Shafi studied Hadis and Fiqa in Makkah, went to Madinah in 787 and studied under Malik bin Anas, till his death in 796, and ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mir Babar Ali Anis Lucknawi

Birth:1803

Death:1874

An acclaimed Marsia (Elegy) writer in Urdu. Writing of marsias - elegiac poem commemorating the martyrdom and valour of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his comrades at the Battle of Karbala - catapulted Mir Babar Ali Anis Lucknawi's reputation. A master of simple, natural utterances and ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Dr Syed Ali Imam Zaidi

Musa Anter

Birth:1918

Death:1992

A Kurdish writer who wrote against Turkish bans on the official use of Kurdish names, literature and language.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Khan Aqa

Birth:

Death:1797

The founder of Qajar dynasty in Iran. Muhammad Khan Aqa, the King of Iran, ruled for twenty years, was the son of Muhammad Hasan Khan Qajar, the ruler of Mazandaran.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mirza Abul Qasim Arif

Birth:1880

Death:1934

Persian poet. His poems are satires on corruption.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Arkoun

Birth:1928

Death:2010

Scholar in the field of Islamic studies The philosophical and intellectual ideals of the Enlightenment profoundly influenced the work of Muhammad Arkoun. In the 'golden age' of classical Islam, from the eight to the 12th centuries, Islamic humanism flourished leading to the rise and flowering ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi

Birth:1863

Death:1943

An Indian religious leader and scholar. Maulana Thanvi authored about 1,200 publications ranging from small booklets to his widely known encyclopaedic works like 'Bashisti Zevar', which has seen millions of copies in print. He also translated the Qur'an and wrote its tafsir in Urdu. Maulana Thanvi ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Majrooh Sultanpuri

Birth:1919

Death:2000

Poet, who came in prominence, in 1946, in his first lyrics in Shahjahan of India's Bollywood film. Asrar Hasan Khan wellknown by his penname Majrooh Sultanpuri was part of the 1950s golden era that established songs as a significant idiom of Indian cinema. He composed several ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Ayub Khan

Birth:1907

Death:1974

A Pakistani military and political leader who followed a strongly secularising policy. Ayub Khan became Commander-in-Chief of the Pakistani army in 1951 and the President of Pakistan after a coup in 1958. 'Ayub Khan had long ago come to the conclusion that parliamentary government based on Westminster ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Hussain Azad

Birth:1833

Death:1910

An Urdu poet After the fall of Delhi to the British invasion, Azad, who believed that there was an arrest warrant out for him, was smuggled out of the city and began a life of wandering that would see him spend four years drifting alone ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mirza Aziz Koka

Birth:

Death:1624

The foster brother of Akbar, for his mother was the wet-nurse of Akbar and also a good General.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mufti Sadruddin Khan Azurda

Birth:c1804

Death:1868

The Grand Mufti and an Urdu poet. The Grand Mufti of Dehli (Delhi), 'Azurda' whose highly exalted position had the final say in the shariat matters played an important role as bridge between the English and Mughal elites in the early days of the British ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin / Ashar Najmi

Mansur Ibn Yunus Al Bahuti

Birth:

Death:1641

Born in Bahut in Egypt. He was an exponent of the Hanbali school of Islamic laws. His books are still being taught in Egypt.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mir Baqar Ali

Birth:1850

Death:1928

A famous Dastan-go, storyteller, of Delhi. Some of his Dastan's had been published such as Khalil Khan Fakhta, Tilsm Hosh Afza, Bahadur Shah Ka Hathi etc.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Maulana Barkatullah

Birth:1859

Death:1927

The member of the Ghadr party. In his book Bolshevism and the Islamic body Politik he had identified Islam with Russian socialism.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mustafa Barzani

Birth:1904

Death:1979

The Iraqi Kurdish leader who fought for fifty years to win Kurdish independence. Barzani, a prominent Kurdish national leader, became the leader of the Barzani tribe, who had revolted against the government in 1931. In 1945 he led 6,000 Kurds to Iran where the Soviet Union established a ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin / Serkan Kurdi

Mehdi Bazargan

Birth:1907

Death:1995

The Iranian reformer who studied Engineering in Paris. He collaborated with Mosadaq after the Second World War and headed a Committee that supervised the nationalisation of Iranian Oil and also played an active role when Ayatullah Khomeini toppled the Shah. Bazargan was the first prime ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mirza Abdul Qadir Bedil

Birth:1644

Death:1730

A Persian poet of India. His works included Chahar Unsar, Irfan, Tilsim e Hairat, etc. and a Diwan. He was a Sufi poet and never wrote a single line in praise of a monarch or a ruler. Bedil was born at Azimabad, Bihar, he came ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mehdi Ben Barka

Birth:1920

Death:c1965

The Moroccan revolutionary leader, whose murder in Paris, being exiled there, caused a crisis for Charles de Gaulle, the French President. Ben Barka founded the National Union of popular forces in 1959 and when Algeria and Morocco had a war in 1963, Ben Barka sided with Algeria. ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Maulvi Chiragh Ali

Birth:1844

Death:1895

One of most learned Maulana of his time. Maulvi Chiragh who knew Arabic, Persian and even a little Greek and Latin authored many books including those in English. Tahqeeq Jihan and Azam ul Kalam Fi Irteqa ul Islam, have been translated from Urdu into English. ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mirza Salaamat Ali Dabeer

Birth:1803

Death:1875

An acknowledged master of Marsiya writing in Urdu. His Marsiyas were noted for their elegance and style.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mulay Al Arabi Al Darqawi

Birth:1737

Death:1823

19th century Mujadid (renewer) of Islam in the Maghrib (West Africa) and founder of the Darqawi order.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mehmed Esad Efendi

Birth:1789

Death:1848

Ottoman scholar, historian. His library is one of the most important private collections in Turkey.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Maulana Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi

Birth:1797

Death:1861

The descendent of Bahaudddin whose brother Shamsuddin was the progenitor of Shah Waliullah. The colonial British for signing a Fatwa against them in the war of Independence in 1857 exiled him to Andaman Island.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Ibn Ibrahim Fazari

Birth:

Death:777

The first Muslim astronomer. Fazari translated Sidhanta, a treatise on astronomy brought by an Indian traveller in 771. He also translated the Hindu work about numeral system (called Hindi in Arabic) and the concept of Zero. He was also the first to construct an astrolabe.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Moloud Feraoun

Birth:1913

Death:1962

The Algerian writer and teacher who supported the cause of Algerian independence. Feraoun authored La Terre At Le Sang and Less Chemins Qui Montent. Feraoun Moloud was assassinated by terrorists.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mamoon Abdul Gayoom

Birth:1937

Death:

Moldavian President. Among 1975 and 1978 Gayoon held many ministerial and diplomatic posts before succeeding Ibrahim Nasir as President. He was re-elected President in 1983 and 1980. Gayoom who was educated at Al Azhar University, Cairo, lectured in Islamic studies at the American University during 1967-69.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mulla Tahir Ghani

Birth:

Death:1668

A Persian poet from Kashmir. Mulla Tahir Ghani was the greatest Persian poet produced by Kashmir and is famous worldwide. He lived saintly and is admired by Allama Iqbal for his love for Kashmir. Mulla Ghani Kashmiri is famous for his book of odes called ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin /Murtaza Shibli / Hakim Imtiyaz Hussain

Muhammad Al Ghazali

Birth:1917

Death:1996

An Egyptian scholar. A leading member of Ikhwan-al-Muslimun. Ghazali was educated at Al-Azhar, taught at King Abdul Aziz University, Saudi Arabia, Amir Abdul Qadir's University, Algeria and Qatar. Ghazali is a jurist and an author of about forty works.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Hassanein Heikal

Birth:1923

Death:2016

A deeply respected Egyptian journalist and historian No political commentator in the Arab world had ever come close to the iconic status enjoyed by Muhammad Hassanein Heikal, writer and one-time editor-in-chief of Al Ahram (1957-74) Egypt's flagship state newspaper. The newspaper was a club as ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhsin Al Hakim

Birth:1889

Death:1970

Born in Najaf, Iraq, he was the most followed Mujtahid in the 1960s. When he declined to side with the Ba'thist government of Iraq in 1969, his son was sentenced to death and the funds, belonging to his hawzah (theological centre) were confiscated.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Hatta

Birth:1902

Death:1980

Politician. Hatta studied in the Netherlands from 1922 to 1932. Returning to Indonesia, he was arrested for his political activities in 1934 by the Dutch authorities. He was exiled in 1935 to the island of Bandanaaira, where he remained till the Japanese invasion of Indonesia in World War II. ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Husayn Haykal

Birth:

Death:1956

A leading figure of Egyptian cultural and political life. Haykal authored Zaynab (1913), the first Arabic novel, on the difficulties of Egyptian villagers, and other works.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Hedayatullah

Birth:1905

Death:1992

Vice President of India in 1979 and former Chief Justice.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Ibn Ishaq

Birth:704

Death:767

Author of the first major biography of Hazrat Muhammad, peace be upon him, which is based on carefully sifted hadith. Ibn Ishaq's Sirah was one of the most important sources on the life of Hazrat Muhammad, peace be upon him. Ibn Ishaq started to collect ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Maulana Muhammad Ilyas

Birth:1885

Death:1944

The founder of the Tablighi Jammat, whose annual meetings in India are said to attract the largest gathering after the pilgrimage to Makkah. Maulana Muhammad Illyas, after his initial studies, went to the Deoband Islamic Centre where he attained higher Islamic studies. Later he took ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin / Syed Sharfuddin

Muhammad Imad Al Katib

Birth:

Death:1201

The author of the Arabic history of Sultan Salahuddin (Saladin) of Egypt and Syria in seven volumes entitled Barq Ush Shami (the lighting of Syria).

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mirza Muhammad Ismail

Birth:1883

Death:1959

Indian administrator. Ismail Mirza joined Maharaja of Mysore as private secretary in 1923 and Diwan in 1926-41. He made Mysore and especially Bangalore famous for its gardens and its beauty. He represented Mysore at London's Round Table Conference in 1930-32. Ismail Mirza became prime minister of ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Ismail Shahid

Birth:1779

Death:1831

The Indian Muslim reformer who was martyred at Balakot, fighting against the Sikhs. A disciple of Sayyid Ahmad and a grand son-in-law of Shah Waliullah, he joined the holy war (Jihad) led by Sayyed Ahmad in 1824-26 against the Sikhs. Ismail assumed the leadership of ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

Birth:1876

Death:1948

Father of the Nation Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's achievement as the founder of Pakistan, dominates everything else he did in his long and crowded public life spanning some 42 years. Yet, by any standard, his was an eventful life, his personality multi-dimensional and his achievements in ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin / Funeela

Muizuddin Kaiqubad

Birth:

Death:1288

The grandson of Sultan Ghyasuddin Balban, whom he succeeded in 1286 on the throne of Delhi in the absence of his father Nasiruddin Bughra Khan, who was then in Bengal. In 1287, Kaiqubad's father having heard of the mismanagement of the state of affairs marched from Bengal ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mustafa Kamil Pasha

Birth:1874

Death:1908

Journalist and lawyer To promote his thoughts Mustafa Kamil Pasha founded al Liwa, a newspaper in 1900 and founded the National party, al Hizb al watani in 1907. Kamil Pasha first sought help from France but after the British French Entente in 1904, he sought assistance from the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mustafa Khalifa Ibn Abdullah

Birth:1609

Death:1657

A Turkish historian, geographer and bibliographer. Mustafa's magnum Opus was Kashfal Zunun an Asami al Kutub wa al Funoon (The removal of doubt from the names of books and the sciences) which was a most valuable bibliographical encyclopaedia in Arabic by giving information about 15,000 Arabic, ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad I Kenyatta

Birth:1894

Death:1992

An American civil right activist.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Ahmad Khalafallah

Birth:1916

Death:1991

An Egyptian intellectual. Khalaf did his doctorate from Cairo University in 1954 and wrote many articles on the Qur'an and Islam. He was the editor of Al Yaqzah al-Arabiya and author of many books including Al-Qur'an wa mushkilat hayatina al mu'asirah, Islam wa al-Usubah etc.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Abdul Khaliq Hassuna

Birth:1989

Death:1992

Diplomat. Khaliq was the Secretary General of the League of Arab States for 20 years from 1952 to 1972. Khaliq died in his hometown Cairo.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Khatr Eddin

Birth:1941

Death:

A Moroccan poet and novelist, who wrote in French, Khatr's first novel in 1967, called Agadir, and other works included Corps Negatif Moilaigre, La Deterreur and his collection of poems, Soleil Arachnide and Ce Maroc. He often used words borrowed from Arabic and even invented new ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Ghayasuddin Khwandamir

Birth:1475

Death:1535

Author. Ghayasuddin authored Habib us Siar, Masir ul Maluk, Akhbar ul Akhbar, Mukarimul Akhlaq, Muntakhib Tarikh Wassaf and many other works including Khulasat ul Akhbar that was considered an abridgement of Rauzat us Safa. Ghayasuddin attached himself to the court of Humayoon, after Babar's death, ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Aziz Lahhabi

Birth:1922

Death:1993

A Moroccan poet and novelist. Lahhabi taught philosophy at the University of Rabat and was the Dean of the faculty of Arts at Algiers University. He was the founder of the union of Arab writers of the Maghrab. Lahhabi's works included La personalisme Musulman, Du ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Ma Ming Hsin

Birth:1719

Death:1781

The founder of the 'new sect' as opposed to the 'old sect' which embraced long accepted Chinese Muslim doctrines of accommodation to Confucian ideology. Ma taught the way of the Zahriya branch of the Naqshbandi order after he returned from pilgrimage to Makkah in 1781. Armed ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Maulana As'ad Hussain Ahmad Madani

Birth:1928

Death:2006

Patriarch of India's Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind Maulana Madani president of Jamiatulema-i-Hind, since 1973, was also an elected parliamentarian, from 1968 to 1994, of the Indian Parliament. A freedom fighter, and a staunch nationalist known for his commitment to one-nation theory Maulana Madani fought against communalism. A highly respected person ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahabat Khan Zaman Beg

Birth:

Death:1634

Akbar's Commander who in 1626 had seized Jahangir in person, but Nurjahan got him released after a fight.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahbub Anam

Birth:1931

Death:2001

Journalist Mahbub was the editor of a number of newspapers in Bangladesh, and was an activist in the Bengali language movement in his country in 1952.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mahbub Ul Haq

Birth:1934

Death:1998

A Pakistani economist. Mahbub was particularly concerned with the countries of South Asia. It was 'tragically comic' that India and Pakistan, after 'bleeding their economies' to pay for arms, 'beg and submit to all sorts of conditionalities from international lending institutions'. Haq was not sure ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Ahmad Bin Sayyid Abdullah

Birth:1844

Death:1885

A leader. Mahdi created a vast state, which extended from Red Sea to Central Africa. In 1881 he proclaimed to be Mahdi (the right guarded one) and after capturing Khartoum in 1885 he established a theocratic state in Sudan. Mahdi had begun to attract followers by the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahmud I

Birth:1696

Death:1754

Ottoman Sultan. Mahmud succeeded the throne in 1730 and fought a successful war against the Russians and Austrians, which resulted in the treaty of Belgrade in 1739 and established his supremacy. Mahmud was a patron of music and literature, he used to write poetry in Arabic.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahmud II

Birth:1785

Death:1839

Ottoman Sultan who introduced the modernising Tanzimat reforms. Sultan Mahmud II had inaugurated the Tanzimat (Regulations) in 1826, which abolished the Janissaries, modernised the army, and introduced some of the new technology. He introduced postal services in 1834, and made primary education compulsory. The European dress was ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahmoud Zuabi

Birth:1935

Death:2000

Politician. Syria's prime minister for 13 years, Mahmud gained prominence when the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 forced Syria to open up its economy. He attracted private investment through a major economic package in 1994. He championed ideas of Arab common market and opened the first ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mahmud Ghaznavi

Birth:971

Death:1031

First Sultan of the Gaznavi dynasty in Afghanistan. Mahmud the eldest son of Amir Subtagin, helped his father gain a kingdom from the Samanids. Between 1000 and 1026, Mahmud launched at least seventeen attacks on India and plundered the rich temples. His expedition of Somnath Temple in 1025 ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahmud Mulla

Birth:

Death:1652

Author. Mahmud authored famous work called Shams Bazigha and Hawashi Farid fi Sharahul Fawaed in 1632. Mahmud Mulla was a native of Jaunpur.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mustafa Mahmoud

Birth:1921

Death:2009

Scientist and philosopher. Mahmud autobiography Rihlati min al shakk ila al iman became a best seller in Egypt in the 1970s. Mahmud founded the Mustafa Mahmud's Society in 1975 in Cairo to help the poor and thousand of families have been benefiting by the Society. The ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mahmud Muzaffar Shah

Birth:1823

Death:1864

The last Sultan of Riau and Lingga, south of Singapore. Mahmud came to the throne in 1834, but the Malay State of Pahang proved disastrous for him and he was deposed by the Dutch, then the colonial power, in 1857.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahmud Nadim Pasha

Birth:c1818

Death:1883

Ottoman Grand Vizier during 1871-72 and 1875-76. Mahmud was over-influenced by count Nikolay Ignatyev, the Russian ambassador, who engineered a rebellion in Bulgaria in 1857. Sultan had to dismiss him to mollify public opinion.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahmud Shah

Birth:1488

Death:1528

Sultan of Malaca, Sumatra, from 1488 to 1511. Malaca was an important centre of Southeast Asia because of its location on the Malay Peninsula. When Mahmud Shah inherited the throne, the Portuguese were trying to establish their empire there. In 1511 they succeeded in capturing Malaca under the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahmud Shah Baigra

Birth:1441

Death:1511

The ruler of Gujrat for fifty-five long years. Mahmud had surrounded the city of Ahmadabad by a wall in 1487 and had inscribed on the face of the fortification a sentence in Arabic which meant whosoever was within was safe.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahmud Shah I Bahmani

Birth:

Death:1397

The fifth Bahmani Sultan of the Deccan. Mahmud ascended the throne in 1378 and was a great patron of poets from Iran and Arabia.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahmud Shah Sharqi

Birth:

Death:1457

Ascended the throne of Jaunpur after the death of his father Sultan Ibrahim Shah Sharqi in 1440. He reigned about seventeen years.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mai Talsine

Birth:1927

Death:1980

The Nigerian leader. Mai Talsine accepted only the Qur'an as a valid source of religious teaching. He was born Muhammadu Marwa in Cameroon, from where his family migrated to Nigeria in 1931.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Maja Abu Abdullah Ibn

Birth:824

Death:886

He authored Kitab-as-Sunan.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Majid Sirhan

Birth:1940

Death:2001

Journalist Majid was an outstanding Palestinian broadcaster for the BBC whose popular voice went from London, across the Middle East for more than 30 years. He was admired for his professionalism, humour and ability as a current affairs presenter. Majid Sirhan was born in Halhoul, outskirts ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhahmmad Baqir Majlisi

Birth:1628

Death:1698

Iranian religious scholar Al-Majlisi became one of the most influential ulama of all time, but he displayed a new bigotry. He tried to suppress the teaching of Falsafah and mysticism (irfan) in Isfahan, and mercilessly persecuted the remaining Sufis. He insisted that the ulama should ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Malcolm X

Birth:1925

Death:1965

The charismatic leader who achieved a high profile in America during the Civil Rights movement. In the Sixties, black rage in America spoke with many voices. After seven years imprisonment as a Harlem hoodlum, this autodidact emerged to preach black power and black separation - ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mirza Malkam Khan

Birth:1833

Death:1908

Iranian secularist reformer. Mulkum Khan urged Iranians to acquire a Western education and replace the Shariah with a modern secular legal code, parliamentary government, a reformed military and a national bank as the only way to progress. Secularists joined the more liberal ulama in the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Malik Ambar

Birth:1549

Death:1626

An Abyssinian who rose from being a slave to a great influence and command in the Deccan. When Ahmad Nagar was taken by the Moghuls in 1600, Malik Ambar taking advantage of the happenings in the Delhi government, owing to the rebellion of Sultan Salim, the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Malik Bin Anas

Birth:c710

Death:795

The founder of the Maliki School of Islamic jurisprudence. Malik Bin Anas compiled a compendium, which he called Kitab al Muwatta (The Beaten Path). It was a comprehensive account of the customal law and religious practice of Madinah, which Malik believed, still preserved the original ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Moizuddin Aibak Malik

Birth:

Death:1257

The Turkuman slave of the Ayyubite dynasty who got married to the Queen Shajrat-ul-Dar the last of the Ayyubite ruler. Malik was the founder of the Mamluk Sultans who reigned in Egypt and Syria for nearly a hundred years.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mouloud Mammeri

Birth:1917

Death:1989

An Algerian playwright and novelist. Mammeri was one of the foremost literary figures of this century. He was the best known advocate of the Berber language and culture. He became the mentor of a generation of outstanding Kabyle singers. Memmeri's first novel was published in 1955, ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mansur Hoda

Birth:1930

Death:2001

Engineer. Mansur was a champion of small enterprises for India's poor through the concept of 'intermediate technology'. He was born in Chapra, India, and died in London.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mansur I Samani

Birth:

Death:976

A prince of the race of Samanides, brother of Amir Abdul Malik whom he succeeded in 961. Mansur compelled the Dilami ruler of Iran and Iraq to pay him an annual tribute of 15,000 dinars of Gold. Mnasur's Wazir Abu Ali Bin Muhammad translated into Persian the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhmammad Ibn Ahmad Al Maqdisi

Birth:c946

Death:1000

Geographer and author. Maqdisi's Ahsan At Taqasim Fi Marifat Al Aqalim was based on his twenty years of travel in all the Muslim countries. He was known as Maqdisi because he was born at Bait-ul-Maqadas. Maqdisi was also an architect, and so was his grand ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mustafa Al Maraghi

Birth:1881

Death:1945

An Egyptian educationalist. As a Rector of Al-Azhar, Maraghi brought many changes there and ensured that the institution remained under full authority of the Ullemas who were losing control over it.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mariam Uz Zamani

Birth:1542

Death:1623

A title of the mother of Jahangir and wife of Akbar.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Marwan II

Birth:688

Death:750

The last Ummayed caliph, the grandson of Marwan I. Before ascending the throne in 744, Marwan II was the governor of Armenia. He completed the conquest of Syria by 746. In 750, he was killed at the battle of the great Zab River by the combined forces of ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Marwan Ibn Al Hakam

Birth:623

Death:685

The first Marwanid caliph of the Ummayad family. Marwan I seemed to have resigned to accepting Ibn al Zubayr as caliph, till he met 'Ubayd Ullah bin Ziyad who persuaded him to change his mind. The Kalbi chief ibn Bahdal and Ubaydullah called a meeting ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Maryam Jameelah

Birth:1934

Death:2012

An American Jewish revert to Islam, who wrote extensively on Islamic topics in the 60s and 70s, though often with a strong polemical style. In a biography she writes that her interest in Islam commenced at an early age, when, while attending a Sunday School, ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin/M A Sherif

Masud I Sultan

Birth:

Death:1041

The son of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, who enthroned Ghazna in 1030 and was defeated by Tughral Beg Saljuqi in 1038.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Masud Salman

Birth:

Death:1121

A poet and native of Jurjan, author of a Diwan in Arabic and Persian and flourished about 1060. He had come to the Gaznavid Court in Lahore, where he died.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Masudur Rahman Baidya

Birth:1968

Death:

An Indian swimmer. The first handicapped swimmer from Asia and the second in the world to cross the English Channel in 1997 and 81 Km stretch in Murshidabad (West Bengal) in 1993 and 1995.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Maula Sidi Muhammad

Birth:1757

Death:1790

Sultan of Morocco. He developed trade with Europe, restored peace and prosperity after a period of political chaos, and limited the intervention of Europe in Moroccan politics.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Maulana Amin Ahsan Islahi

Birth:1904

Death:1997

He will long be remembered for his lasting contribution to the Qur'anic studies, especially for his approach based and evolved around the concept of order and coherence in the contents of the divine book. He was influenced by the Indian freedom movement and, for some ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Birth:1888

Death:1958

Politician, scholar, and author who dedicated all his life in the pursuit of Muslim-Hindu partnership in India - a leader in the realm of ideas. After his sojourn of the Middle East, he was convinced that Indian Muslims must cooperate in the work of political ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Maulana Muhammad Manzoor Numani

Birth:1905

Death:1997

India's eminent Islamic scholar. Maulana Nu'mani was also founder member of, All India Muslim Majlis Mushawarat, a member of, All India Personal Law Board, Majlis-e-Shoora of Dar al-'Uloom Deoband and the constituent council of the Muslim World League, Makkah. Maulana Nu'mani's 'political thinking' was greatly ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Maulana Muhammad Tasin

Birth:1923

Death:1998

Noted Islamic scholar, author and teacher and head of Majlis-e-Ilmi, Karachi, which he founded and from where he conducted his own research work. He served various Islamic bodies in Pakistan. Maulana Tasin was born in Haripur Hazara in Frontier province.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Maulana Sadruddin Islahi

Birth:1917

Death:1998

India's Islamic scholar. Maulana had deep learning and understanding of the Qur'an and the Hadith of the Prophet (PBUH). He spent all his life in Islamic da'wah and Islamic movement including Jama'at-e-Islami Hind. One of Maulana's monumental works is Talkhis Tafhi-mul-Qur'an which contains the original ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Rizwan Ahmad Falahi

Maulana Sa'duddin Tarabali

Birth:1912

Death:1999

Kashmir's thinker, writer, scholar and statesman. Maulana Tarabali stood for self-determination of Kashmir. He set up and was the first Amir of Jama'at-e-Islami in Jammu and Kashmir and also founded Azan, which eventually became daily newspaper. Maulana Tarabali set up schools, libraries and relief camps ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Maulana Sa'eed Ahmad

Birth:1903

Death:1998

One of the founders of Jama'at Tablighue, a door-to-door international movement. Maulana Sa'eed was able to attract an international following for his mission and toured many European and African countries. His was the life of Nasiha. Maulana Sa'eed was born in U.P. India and ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Maulana Zafar Ali Khan

Birth:1883

Death:1956

Author, poet, journalist, and freedom fighter. A prolific writer and a tireless political activist, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan is best remembered for Zamindar, the Urdu weekly which his father founded but into which he infused new life when he took over its editing. He turned ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mazhar Khan

Birth:1953

Death:1998

A popular character actor of India's film and television; typecast in a role of gangster. A man of a flamboyant lifestyle.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mehboob Khan

Birth:1906

Death:1964

Bollywood film-maker and director. The amazing rags-to-riches saga of a fascinating larger-than-life personality who rose from an unpaid 'extra' to the heights of international fame as one of India's greatest film-makers. Mehboob's masterpiece hit movies such as Aurat, Taqdeer, Anmol Ghari (1946), Andaz (1949), Ann (1952) and above ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mehmet Akif Ersoy

Birth:1873

Death:1936

The great Turkish poet. He composed the lyrics of what became the Turkish national anthem in 1922. He was a modernist who criticised fellow Muslims for venerating the Qur'an, but failing to apply their reason to it. Ersoy left his country soon after being disappointed by ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mehmet III

Birth:1566

Death:1603

Sultan of Turkey, son of Murad III. Mehmet III ascended the throne in 1595, and on his succession invoked the law of fratricide by which the Sultan could have his brother put to death. All nineteen of his brothers were executed by strangulation.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mehmet IV

Birth:1642

Death:1693

Sultan of Turkey from 1648-87. Mehmet conquered Polish Ukrain, but lost it to Russia in 1681. After defeat at the famous battle of Mohacs in 1687 Mehmet was deposed and was replaced by Sulaiman II.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Merali Haj Ahmad

Birth:1898

Death:1974

An Algerian nationalist leader. Mehali was the head of Worker's Association in 1927, and spent his life in forming pro-independence organisations, participating in underground activities, suffering imprisonment and agitating both in Algeria and France. In 1929 Mehrali called for revolt against the French rule and founded PPA ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Midhat Pasha

Birth:1822

Death:1883

Twice Grand Vizier of Turkey. Midhat Pasha was given the task of halting revolt in Rumania, Balkans, and proved successful in 1854. He also was successful in restoring order in Bulgaria in 1857. Midhat Pasha was the Governor of Baghdad in 1859, Grand Vizier in 1872 for a brief ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mir Ali Tabrezi

Birth:c1360

Death:1420

Calligrapher. Mir Ali, a contemporary of Timur (Tame Lane), was the inventor of Nastaliq script, which was the most elegant of Persian, scripts. He developed Nastaliq out of the Arabic Nashk and Persian Taliq script. His copy of Khwaja Karmanis Huma wa Humayoon is preserved ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mir Damad Muhammad Baqar

Birth:

Death:1632

A teacher, philosopher and leader of the cultural renaissance of Iran in the 17th century. Mir Damad authored Taqwim ul Iman and was given the title of al Muslim as salis (i.e. third teacher - the first two being Aristotle and Al Farabi). Mir ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mir Jumla Muhammad Said

Birth:

Death:1663

The famous Mirjumla who was a trusted general of Aurangzeb. Mir Jumla conquered many parts of South India for Aurangzeb. He was first the Prime Minister of Abdullah Qutb Shah of Golkanda but because of his son's dispute with Qutb Shah, he threw himself in ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mir Khalil Ur Rehman

Birth:1926

Death:1992

Journalist and media magnet. Mir Khalil was the founder of the Jang group, biggest media empire of Pakistan. Jang is the largest selling Urdu newspaper in the world. Khalil's another creation is the weekly magazines Akhbar-e-Jahan, its circulation is more than that of all magazines ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mir Khwand Muhammad

Birth:1433

Death:1498

An Iranian historian. Mir Khwand spent most of his life in the court of Hussain Bayqrah, the last Timuried Sultan. Ali Shir Navai, the celebrated minister of the Sultan was his patron. At his request Mirkhwand wrote Rowzat os Safa, which composed seven large volumes ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mirsaid Sultangaliev

Birth:1892

Death:1940

Tartar leader. Mirsaid was one of the highest-ranking figures in the Russian Communist Party hierarchy in the early 1920s during the Stalinist regime and who was executed for being an independent 'Muslim' leader. Mirsaid promotion through the Communist Party hierarchy had been meteoric. He seemed ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mir Taqi Mir

Birth:1723

Death:1810

Poet. Mir Taqi Mir was known as the Shahan Shah of Urdu Ghazals. He was the author of six Diwans and several Masnawis. His Nukat-e-Shura was the first Tazkirah of Urdu poets written in Persian. Mir Taqi Mir was born in Agra.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Miraji Sanaullah

Birth:1912

Death:1949

An Urdu poet.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib

Birth:1797

Death:1869

A great Urdu and Persian poet of the Indian sub-continent. Mirza Ghalib was born forty years after the battle of Plassey, which gave the first clear signal of the ascendancy of British power and died twelve years after the upheaval of 1857, which ended with the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mirza Taqi Khan

Birth:1807

Death:1852

Prime Minister of Iran from 1848 to 1851. Mirza Taqi went to Russia and Turkey on government assignments and after his return in 1847, he was appointed to the court of the crown prince Nasiruddin. After the death of Muhammad Shah in 1848, he helped the prince to succeed ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mohsin Ul Mulk

Birth:1837

Death:1907

The title of Syed Mehdi Ali, who really proved a Mohsin for Aligarh College. After his 22 years of service to Nizam of Hyderabad, Mohsin settled in Aligarh in 1893 and after Sir Syed Ahamd's death worked as the Secretary of Aligarh College. During his tenure the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Moizuddin Hasain Kurd

Birth:

Death:1370

The seventh king of Kurd dynasty. He succeeded his brother in 1322 and reigned over Herat Ghazni for 38 years.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Momin Khan Momin

Birth:1800

Death:1852

Delhi's Urdu poet and a physician. Momin was chiefly famous for his love poetry, emotional, tender and sensual verses - for one of which his great contemporary Ghalib declared he would have given his own divan. Some of his best-known poems refer discreetly and indirectly ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola

Birth:1937

Death:1998

A Nigerian politician. Chief Abiola was the apparent winner of 1993 presidential elections cancelled by then-dictator Gen. Sani Abacha, who jailed him the following year on charges of treason. Abiola was close to be released by the new military leader, but died of a heart attack ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Mossadegh

Birth:1882

Death:1967

An Iranian patriot. For the past century, Britain handled its relationship with Iran as badly as possible, running the gamut of folly from condescension through exploitation to oppression. For a long time the country was run for the benefit of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Moustapha Akkad

Birth:1930

Death:2005

He produced religious and horror films. Filmmaker, Moustapha Akkad, who produced horror movie franchise died of his wounds sustained in the triple hotel bombings in Amman, Jordan. He lived in Los Angeles and was in Jordan to attend a wedding. Moustapha came to the US ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mozaffar Din Shah Qajar

Birth:1852

Death:1907

A Qajar ruler of Iran. When he was enthroned in 1896, Mozaffar Din Shah was forced to capitulate to popular demands for a constitution and a parliament. Iran's constitutional revolution of 1905-11 was a national struggle for democratic government, the rule of law and a limit ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muammar Gaddafi

Birth:1942

Death:2011

Libyan ruler convinced he made his country great. Emerged in 1969 as 'leader of the revolution' at the head of the Libyan officers, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi overthrew the sick, ageing, self-effacing and pro-western monarchy of King Idris of Libya, that vast, underpopulated, least known of north ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muawiya Ibn Abu Sufyan

Birth:c601

Death:680

The founder of the Umayyed dynasty. He did not accept Islam till the conquest of Makkah in 630. He was the governor of Syria during Hazrat Umar's Khilafat in which capacity he served for 20 years. He made a strong base there and launched raids into Byzantine, ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mubanad Al Abu Al Abbas Muhammad Ibn Yazid

Birth:826

Death:898

An Arab grammarian. He was at the court of al multawakil, when the caliph was killed in 860. After that he spent the rest of his life in teaching at Baghdad. His Al Kamil was a storehouse of knowledge.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mubarak Shah Khilji Qutbuddin

Birth:

Death:1321

Ascended the throne of Delhi in 1317 after the death of his father Alauddin Khiiji. He reigned for only four years for his favourite slave and Wazir Khusrvo Malik ascended the throne after killing his master. But Khusro was assassinated too by Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mughira Bin Shu'ba Al Saqafa

Birth:

Death:670

He had accepted Islam in 630 and was appointed as one of the secretaries of the Prophet , peace be upon him, . He took part in the conquest of Iran and was appointed governor of Iraq, a post he held for ten years till his death.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhallab Ibn Abi Sufra Al

Birth:c630

Death:702

The Arab general who served under Mu'awiyah and under his command attached Multan and Kabul. After Muawiyab death in 680, he deserted the Ummayads and joined the forces of Hazrat Zubair, who appointed him governor of Khurasan. He was asked to lead expeditions to central Asia. ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad II

Birth:c1417

Death:1481

He brought an end to the eastern-Christian world of Byzantium. Muhammad II, the Conqueror, brought an end to the eastern-Christian world of Byzantium when he seized Constantinople on Tuesday the 29th May 1453. He marked the conquest by making the greatest Byzantine church, Haghia Sophia, a ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Al Fatih

Birth:1432

Death:1482

The Sultan of the Ottoman Turkish Empire from 1451 to 1481. He laid siege of Constantinople in early 1453. Despite strong resistance by Constantine XI, he took it by storm on 29 May 1453, consolidated the Ottoman empire and made it his capital and which until now is under Turk ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad III

Birth:953

Death:1012

Emperor of the Turks who succeeded his father Murad in 1595. He waged war against the emperor of Germany and invaded Hungary where his progress was halted by Maximillian, the emperor's brother.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad IV

Birth:

Death:1691

Emperor of the Turks, enthroned in 1649, conquered Venice and Poland but routed from there the very next year.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad V

Birth:1844

Death:1918

Ottoman Sultan from 1909 to 1918.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad V of Morocco

Birth:1911

Death:1961

He succeeded his father at the age of 16. In 1912 when the French occupied Morocco, Muhammad's father Yusuf replaced his brother as Sultan. In 1927 at the age of 16 Muhammad was chosen to succeed his father. The choice was made by the French who had imagined to ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad VI

Birth:1861

Death:1926

Ottoman Sultan from 1918 to 1922.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Abduh

Birth:1844

Death:1905

An Egyptian reformer who sought to modernise Islamic institutions to enable Muslims to make sense of the new Western ideals and reunify the country. Abduh's reforms appealed to those who were looking forward for Nahdah (renaissance) in the face of material backwardness compared to the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Abdul Ahad

Birth:1959

Death:

The first Afghan cosmonaut in space on Soyuz TM5 with the Russians in 1988.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Abdur Rob

Birth:1943

Death:2000

Educationalist and community leader of Bangladeshi community in London's East End. Abdur Rob was born in Borni, Bangladesh, and died of cancer in London.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Adil Shah

Birth:

Death:1656

King of Bijapur. Adil Shah succeeded his father in 1626. Shahjahan, the Moghul king of Delhi invaded Bijapur in 1634 and forced him to pay tributes. Adil Shah's tomb at Bijapur called Gol Gumbad, has a dome which measures 130 ft in diameter and can be seen from ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Akbor Ali

Birth:1937

Death:2000

Businessman and community leader active in charitable, social and religious affairs in London's East End. Akbor Ali was born in Bagirhat, Bangladesh and died in London.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Al Jawahiri

Birth:1899

Death:1997

One of the greatest Arab poets. Al Jawahiri, the poet was talented, passionate and controversial: the poetry of the 'Singer for the Sunlight' for which he was known reflected his country's turbulent history. He published his first poems in 1921, followed by a collection in 1923 and 1935. ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Alam Chaana

Birth:1955

Death:1998

The world's tallest man, 2.32-m frame, dubbed by The Guinness Book of Records, in Islamabad, Pakistan.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Ali

Birth:1769

Death:1849

An Albanian officer in the Ottoman army who made Egypt virtually independent of Istanbul and who achieved a major modernisation of the country. Pasha Muhammad Ali who came to power in 1804 almost single-handedly dragged the backward province into the modern world. But the brutality of ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Ali

Birth:1942

Death:2016

The American athlete who 'literally changed the world of sports forever.' The former boxing champion, named 'Athlete of the Century' by USA Today, was high on the list of other centennial selections for athletic achievement. The greatest orator sport has known who floated like ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Ali Fardin

Birth:1930

Death:2000

Film star. Ali Fardin was Irarnian film star best remembered for the role in King of Hearts and a world-class wrestler. He won the silver medal at the 1952 world freestyle wrestling championship in Tokyo. Ali Fardin died of a heart attack in his native city, ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Ali Jamalzadeh

Birth:1892

Death:1997

An Iranian writer and political thinker. Ali Jamalzadeh was often described as 'father of modern Persian fiction'. He certainly made a success of the genre, and his style was widely emulated. He addressed himself to the daily problems of the urban poor and the peasantry. ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Maulana Muhammad Ali Jouhar

Birth:1878

Death:1931

Politician and journalist. The founded Jamia Millia Islamia, 'a flowering institution with its own individuality and usefulness.' He launched The Comrade, a weekly in English, from Calcutta, and outlined in the opening number of January 14, 1911 'the frank recognition of yawning differences that divide' Hindus ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Aly Rangoonwala

Birth:1924

Death:1998

Businessman. Muhammad Aly set up the first toothpaste and cosmetic factories in newly established Pakistan and owned group of companies. Muhammad Aly drafted the Pakistan Trade Bodies Ordinance 1960, and played an important role in the International Chamber of Commerce and dealt with regulations affecting international ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Askia Ture

Birth:c1443

Death:1538

The founder of the Askiya dynasty of the West African Songhay empire, now Senegal, who extended the conquests of his maternal uncle Sunni Ali and increased the political influence of Muslims in his state.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Ayad

Birth:1921

Death:1999

Playwright and actor. Stage-named Rouiched, Ayad was the foundation stone of Algerian theatre. His big break came in 1940 when he worked in troupe touring cafes, halls and theatres and later radio gave him a new outlet for comedy, song writing and singing. Rouiched will be ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Bin Abdullah

Birth:

Death:762

The great grandson of Hazrat Hasan, called Nafs al Zakia (the pure soul ) for he was gentle, brave and an ideal character. After the death of Walid the Ummayed caliph, many including the Mutaazilites recognised him as the legitimate heir to the caliphate and even ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Bin Hussain

Birth:

Death:1686

Authored an Arabic work on Jurisprudence called Badaya ul Hidaya.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Bin Ishaq Un Nadim

Birth:

Death:995

Author. Commonly called Abu Yaqqub, author of the Kitab ul Fihrist, the most ancient record of Arabic literature written about 987. The book told us that the thousand and one nights (Arabian Nights) had a Iranian origin. Nadim also informed us that the first book of ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Bin Qasim

Birth:693

Death:715

The first Muslim to conquer Sind. Qasim took possession of Sind in 712 and thus paved the way to conquer India. He was seventeen only when he conquered Sind with 6,000 soldiers at his command.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Bin Tughlaq

Birth:

Death:1351

The son of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq, the founder of Tughalq dynasty that replaced the Khiliji rule in Delhi. Tughlaq was crowned in 1325. His reign was marred by rebellions: Deccan in 1326, Malabar 1334, Bengal 1338, Gujrat 1345 and Sind in 1350. Partly due to these rebellions and partly because he wanted ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Bin Yaqub Qulini

Birth:

Death:939

Distinguished Islamic scholar; author of Jama-al-Kafi and Kafi fi Ilm ad-din (All you need about the science of Religion).

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mehmet Fuat Koprulu

Birth:1890

Death:1966

A Turkish historian, statesman and scholar. Fuat belonged to the famous Korpulu family and was the founder of the institute of Turkology. He entered politics in 1936 and became foreign minister (1950-54). Fuat Korpulu authored the First Mystics in Turkish literature and Les Origines de Lim ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Hadid

Birth:1907

Death:1999

Iraqi politician, economist and industrialist. Hadid was controversial, accused by some of compromising his socialist ideals and defended by others as a pragmatist. He firmly rejected Communist ideas but insisted that the evils of capitalism should be fought, not capitalism itself. In 1956, during Suez conflict, ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Hamri

Birth:1932

Death:2000

Artist and musician. Hamri participated in the activities of the Tangier beat generation. From the barrios of Marrakech to the gilded palaces of Casablanca, his vision of Morocco became a dominant cultural voice. Hamri was born at Ksar El Kebir and died in Tangier.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Hussain Muhammad Ashraf

Birth:1948

Death:2000

Politician. Ashraf who formed a Muslim political party, in a short period of time, made tangible contribution to the community in Sri Lanka. A charismatic leader endowed with courage and vision was also controversial who did not tolerate dissent. Ashraf was born in the backwoods ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Ibn Al Hanafiya

Birth:637

Death:710

The son of Hazrat Ali, but not by his wife Hazrat Fatimah. Despite support by various groups, who liked to make him caliph, he pledged allegiance to Abd al Malik, the Ummayyad caliph in lieu of an annual pension.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Ibn Falah

Birth:c1400

Death:1461

The Iraqi theologian who founded the extremist Musha Sha sect of Shiism. He claimed himself to be the representative of Hazrat Ali and the Mahdi (the rightly guided). He captured the city of Hoveyzeh in 1441, and from where he propagated his movement. His doctrines were ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Ibn Tughj

Birth:935

Death:969

The founder of the Ikhshidid dynasty in Egypt. Caliph al Razi gave him the old Iranian princely title Ikhshid in 939. In the next two years he added Syria and Palestine to his quasi-independent state of Egypt and captured both Makkah and Madinah. Abu-al-Misk Kafur, his ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Ishaque

Birth:1910

Death:1998

India's Urdu poet and educational writer also known as Mael Khairabadi was born in U. P. He edited a number of magazines and authored hundreds of story books for children to educate, inform and inspire on the main topics of Tawhid, Risalat and Akhirat.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Khuda Banda

Birth:1531

Death:1595

Saffarid Shah 1578-88. The eldest son of Tahmasp Shah of Iran and father of Shah AbbasI who became king after deposing him.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Murtala Rahmat

Birth:

Death:1976

Commander-in-Chief of Nigerian Armed forces and head of the state in 1975, after overthrowing General Goowon. He was killed in a coup.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Metwali Alsharawi

Birth:1911

Death:1998

An Egyptian religious preacher. Sharawi graduated from Al-Azhar in 1941. He had the ability to articulate a Muslim identity for ordinary Arabs unpersuaded of the moral coherence of either Western materialism or of violent religious extremism. In his influential and hugely popular books he shows himself ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Muzaffar

Birth:

Death:1364

He was the founder of Muzzafer dynasty in Iran. When confusion began to reign in Iran after the death of Abu Said Khan, King of Iran, Muhammad Muzzafar retired to Yazd and took possession of that country in 1335. In the year 1353 Muzaffar, whose proper name ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Rabbani

Birth:1956

Death:2001

One of the founders and a prominent leader of Afghanistan's Taliban movement. Rabbani fought against Soviet's invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. Rabbani believed in the establishment of Islamic system of governance. Rabbani died in Rawalpindi and buried in Kandahar where he was born.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Rafi

Birth:1924

Death:1980

A man who sang for the soul. Muhammad Rafi a playback singer in India's Bollywood films with his mellifluous and catharsis-inducting songs continue to provide succour to millions of his ardent fans in and around Indian sub-continent with broken hearts. It is impossible to conceive ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

Birth:1919

Death:1980

The second Pahlavi Shah of Iran whose aggressively modernising and secularising policies led to the Islamic revolution. Reza Pahlavi succeeded his father Reza Shah in 1941. Muhammad Reza lacked experience and failed at first to dominate Iran's political forces, which included Muslim clergy, secular nationalists and ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Said Fellag

Birth:1950

Death:

Comedian who spins his audiences roaring with laughter. Said's savage satires on Algeria's present political panorama are always 'based on the stuff that hurts.' His shows are examples of 'the liberating power of humour.' Said Fellag was born in Algeria's Berber-speaking highlands, and ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Taki Abdoulkarim

Birth:1936

Death:1998

Fourth president (1996-1998) of Islamic Republic of the Comoros Islands, since its independence from France in 1975. He was born in Mbeni and died at Beit Salam, Moroni. He believed in independence of his country and contributed to in achieving the same.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Umar Ali Mukri

Birth:1922

Death:2000

Bollywood actor. Mukri with his toothless smile, diminutive stature and perfect timing entertained audiences in over 600 films, over six decades, in Bollywood, India's film capital Bombay. The pint-sized Mukri was born in Alibagh and died in Bombay.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad XI Abu Abdullah

Birth:1460

Death:1527

The last Sultan of Granada. Abu Abdullah the king was called Boabdil by the Spanish. He rebelled against his father Abu Al Hasan and seized Alhambra in 1482 and ruled until 1492. The Roman Catholic rulers of Aragon and Castile, Ferdinand and Isabella, jointly attacked Granada in 1491 ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Yusuf Ludhianvi

Birth:1930

Death:2000

Scholar. Muhammad Yusuf was an Islamic scholar whose works included a nine-volume Aap kay masail aur unka hal (Your problems and their solutions). He also edited a number of scholarly weekly magazines. An unidentified person shot him dead in Karachi.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Yunus

Birth:1940

Death:

The banker who changed the world. The man, Muhammad Yunus, and his concept of microcredit has swept the world and more than 100 million people have benefited. His mission to eradicate world poverty uplifted the impoverished people of Bangladesh where almost half the country's 140 million people ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muin Muinuddin

Birth:1928

Death:1998

Canadian Muslim pioneer, leader, visionary and activist. Muin was a driving force to numerous national and international organisations and lately he turned to his mission of interfaith dialogue and understanding. Muin was born in Aligarh, India, and migrated to Canada from Pakistan in 1959.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muizzaddawala

Birth:

Death:967

The Buyid ruler of Iraq, and brother of the dynasty's founder.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mulla Do Piaza Abul Hasan

Birth:1540

Death:1600

He was not a fictional character. Abul Hasan came to India from Iran along with Humayoon on his return journey and became a favourite courtier of Akbar because of his wit and humour. It was said that when he landed in India he liked the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mulla Mohsin Kashani

Birth:1598

Death:1680

The best known student of Mulla Sadra. Nearly 120 works both in Persian and Arabic were attributed to Mulla Mohsin, and have become a mainstay of the curriculum of Shia religious schools. His most important work outside the domain of Hadis, where he was the undisputed ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Munir Ahmad Khan

Birth:1926

Death:1999

Nuclear power engineer and civil servant. Munir Ahmad Khan was the chairman (1972 - 1991) of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and is considered as one of the architects of the nuclear programme of his country. Munir Khan was involved in building Kahuta establishment by 1976 and the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Mansoor Ahmad

Munshi Abudllah Bin Abdul Kadir

Birth:1796

Death:1854

The Malaya born writer of mixed Yemeni and Tamil descent that grew up in Malacca. His Hikayat Abdullah published in 1849 and translated into English and other languages, gave a vivid picture of his life and times. He is considered to be father of modern Malay ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Bin Ahmad Shamsuddin Muqaddasi

Birth:c949

Death:1000

Author. He wrote in c985, Ahsan Ul Taqasim Fi Marfatul Aqalim, a book of geography, which was published from Lyden in 1877. He was also an architect. Muhammad Bin Ahmad Shasuddin was born in Bait-ul-Maqaddas.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muqimuddin Farooqi

Birth:1920

Death:1997

An Indian politician. Farooqi was Secretary of the Communist party of India for 25 years and a member of its central executive committee for 27 years. 'Amidst the rapid degeneration of ideals in politics, Farooqi clung to the values of the freedom struggle'. He never fought an ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Murad IV

Birth:1612

Death:1640

Sultan of Turkey. He succeeded his father Mustafa I, in 1623, put down the revolt among the Janisaries in 1630, eliminated corruption and recaptured Baghdad in 1638 from Abbas the great, who had captured it in 1624.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Murad V

Birth:1840

Death:1904

Ottoman Sultan.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Murad I

Birth:c1318

Death:1389

Ottoman Sultan. Sultan Murad was the Usmani Sultan who succeeded his father in 1359. He was the first of Turks to organise the formidable force with the discipline of its trained infantry, known as the 'new troop' (yeni-cheri or Janissaries). He had become the most powerful ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Murad II Sultan

Birth:1404

Death:1451

Ottoman emperor. He succeeded his father Muhammad I in 1422, and was the first Sultan of the Turks to use canon on the battlefield. He abdicated in favour of his son Muhammad II in 1443 who later on took Constantinople.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Musa Hitam Datuk

Birth:1934

Death:

Deputy prime minister and minister of Home affairs of Malaysia from 1981 to 1986.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Musa Ibn Nusair

Birth:640

Death:715

Governor of Afriqiya in 698 and conqueror of north Africa. He sent his deputy Tariq in 710 to Spain whose successful invasion paved the way for further victories. Musa followed Tariq in 712 and conquered most of Spain by 714.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Musa Nabawiyah

Birth:1886

Death:1951

An Egyptian feminist. Nabawiyah was the first woman principal of a Girls' school in Cairo in 1909, and who joined Egyptian Feminist Movement in 1923. She authored Alayah al bayyinah fi tarbiyat al banat, Diwan al Fatah and Riwayah Nabhutub. The Egyptian government issued a commemorative stamp ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muslim

Birth:817

Death:875

The widely known collector of an authoritative anthology of Sahih hadith - book of traditions. Muslim widely travelled Arabia, Egypt, Syria and Iraq to collect traditions. Two sound and authoritative anthologies were completed by al-Bukhari (d. 870) and Muslim, which stimulated interest in fiqh, and led ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mustafa Al Bakri

Birth:

Death:1749

A Syrian scholar and a disciple of a Naqshbandi Shaikh, Abdul Ghani of Nablus (1641-1731) who strove to create a revitalised theology and reformed Sufism. Mustafa al Bakri was based in Cairo where his ideas gained great influence at the al Azhar University. His leading ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mustafa Al Zarqa

Birth:1904

Death:1999

Scholar. Mustafa al-Zarqa ranked among the top Islamic scholars of twentieth century. He taught fiqh, civil law, hadith and other disciplines and worked as a lawyer. His famous book, Al Madkhal al-Fiqhi al-A'am, (Comprehensive Introduction to Islamic Law) in two large volumes bridges the gap ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mustafa Ameen

Birth:1914

Death:1997

A Journalist, writer and publisher. Mustafa Ameen grew up with his great-uncle Saad Zaghloul who led the 1919 Egyptian Revolution and founded the Al-Wafd political party, which that year had called for a British withdrawal from Egypt. The house in which he with his twin brother ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mustafa Bin Datu Harun

Birth:1918

Death:1996

The chief minister of the Malaysian state of Sabah from 1967-1975.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mustafa Shukri

Birth:1942

Death:1978

The Egyptian reformist who founded Takfir al-Hijrah a Muslim organisation in 1970s. Mustafa Shurki was arrested in 1965 but released in 1971 as part of Anwar Saadat's general amnesty. His organisation was alleged to have kidnapped and killed Muhammad al-Zahbi, a minister and, therefore, Shukri and other ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mustafa II Sultan

Birth:1664

Death:1703

He came to the throne of Turkey in 1695. He subdued Poles, Russians and Venetians at Mustali.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mustafa III Sultan

Birth:1717

Death:1774

He succeeded his nephew as emperor of Constantinople in 1757. He was succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamid.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

Birth:1881

Death:1938

The founder of modern Turkey. Mustafa Kemal joined the army of Sultan Abdul Hamid II just as the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans was being torn from Istanbul's grasp by nationalism and the plotting of the European powers. Military postings in Damascus, Salonika, Albania and ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Murtuza Mutahhari

Birth:1920

Death:1979

Religious leader and scholar. Mutahhari was an Iranian religious leader and scholar who developed close relations with Ayatollah Khomeini, Alama Hussain Tabatabai and others and settled in Qom. Mutahhari was appointed to the Shura-yi Inqilab-i-Islami after the revolution in 1979 but was assassinated soon after by ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Al Mutamid

Birth:1040

Death:1095

The last ruler of the Abbadid dynasty of Seville, Spain. After his father's death in 1069 he succeeded the throne. In 1071 he annexed Cordoba and Murcia under his domain. In 1085, Alfanso VI king of Leon and Castile had captured Toledo and was eyeing towards Seville. Al ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muttanabbi Al Abu Tayyab Ahmad Ibn Hussain

Birth:915

Death:965

An Arab poet. His ornate style with its flowery rhetoric makes him, to the present day, the most widely quoted poet in the Arab world. He claimed to be a Nabi (Prophet): hence his title Muttanabbi.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muzaffar Al Din

Birth:1853

Death:1907

King of Iran. Muzaffar was enthroned in 1896 and reigned till 1907, but unable to withstand the pressure of foreign powers for concessions, granted new constitution in 1905 and was succeeded by his son Muhammad Ali.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muzzafar Ali

Birth:f1c1540

Death:1576

An Iranian miniature, painter and calligrapher of safivid Shahs. Muzaffar was a relative of the great painter Behzad, who is believed to have taught him. He was the court painter of Shah Tahmasp I, and painted the Shah Namah for him, illustrated the Khamsa between 1539 ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Hussain Naimi

Birth:1860

Death:1936

The Iranian mujtahid who granted legitimacy to the rule of Reza Shah Pahlavi. Shaikh Naimi treatise Tanbih al Ummah va tanzih al millah dar asas va usul-i-mashrutiyat (An Admonition to the Nation and an Exposition to the People Concerning the Foundations and Principles of Constitutional ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Malak Hifni Nasif

Birth:1886

Death:1918

Egyptian feminist who wanted women to be allowed to participate in congregational worship in mosques, enter all occupations and contribute to the welfare of the society. She initiated a programme in Cairo to train women as nurses when Italy invaded Libya in 1911.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Natsir

Birth:1908

Death:1993

An Indonesian journalist and politician. Natsir was fluent both in Dutch and English. He played an active part in Indonesian politics from 1920 to 1958. He was attached to a Muslim-led insurrection in Sumatra from 1958 to 1961 and was jailed between 1962 and 1966. After his release he devoted rest ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Ibn Abdul Jabbar Niffari

Birth:

Death:956

A Sufi. Niffari authored Mawaqif and Mukhatabat, Nimat Allah, Wali Amir, Nuruddin (1329-1431). He was a poet and had written many Risals on different topics of Sufi doctrine. Niffari was the founder of Nimat Allahi order and is highly respected in Iran. Niffari came from ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mulla Nizamuddin Firangi Mahli

Birth:c1673

Death:1748

The celebrated Dars-e-Nizamiya was named after him and is still being taught in the Madrasas of the India-Pakistan.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mir Nurullah Shushtari

Birth:

Death:1610

A noble man of the court of Akbar, and was the author of Majalisul Mominin, a biographical account of the notable persons.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahmud Shaukat Pasha

Birth:1857

Death:1914

The son of the Governor of Basra. Mahmud was educated at the Defence College, Constantinople. He joined Anjuman Itihad wa Taraqi (Young Turks) which was founded in 1904 and became its active member. Mahmud Shaukat Pasha became the prime minister of Turkey in 1908, but he was ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi

Birth:1941

Death:2011

Aristocratic Indian Cricketer. Batsman and captain of India with a special place in cricket history Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, known as 'Tiger', hailed from an aristocratic family. He lost most of the sight in his right eye in a car accident in Hove, East Sussex, ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad

Birth:1835

Death:1908

The founder of a sect called Jammat Ahmadiya. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian founded the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association in 1889 and declared him to be Mahdi in 1891. He made the spurious claims in a series of assertions: that he was the Promised Messiah of the Christian ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mir Qasim Ali Khan

Birth:

Death:1777

He was commonly known as Mir Qasim, and he was the son-in-law of Mir Jaffer Ali Khan, the Nawab of Bengal. The English brought him to the throne in 1760. He tried to throw off the yoke of the British but was defeated in 1763 and the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Maulana Qasim Nanotve

Birth:c1831

Death:1880

The founder of the Madarsa Deoband in 1866 at Saharanpur, India, which was called Madarsa-e-Qasim-ul-ulum and in much renowned for it Islamic education in Asia.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mustafa Rashid Pasha

Birth:1800

Death:1858

Ottoman grand Vizier for six times. Rashid Pasha was ambassador to France in 1834 and during his stay there studied French. He supported the westernising reforms of Sultan Mahmud II and his son. Between 1839 and 1858 he was the grand Vizier for six times and twice minister ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Musa Al Sadr

Birth:1928

Death:1978

One of the charismatic leaders of the Middle East. Musa moved to Tyre and was granted Lebanese citizenship in 1963. He founded Harakat al Mahrumin (movement of the deprived) which adjunct to a militia in 1975. The militia, Afwaj al Muqawamah al Lubnaniyah better known by its ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Maulana Saeed Ahmad

Birth:1888

Death:1959

The founder Secretary of Jamait ul Ulema I Hind. Maulana Saeed was a religious leader who attacked the British for interference in affairs of Islamic countries and was close to India's Gandhi.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Ibn Ali Sanusi Sidi

Birth:1787

Death:1860

Founder of the Sufi brotherhood. Saunsiyah, founded in 1837, was reformist movement aimed at return to the simple faith and life of early Islam. By the turn of the 20th century, the order was well entrenched in Libya, central Sahara and the Hejaz. Sanusi authored As ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mirza Muhammad Rafi Sauda

Birth:1711

Death:1781

An Urdu poet of Delhi. Sauda's Qasedas and Ghazals on various subjects are excellent. He wrote an eulogy on Richard Johnson, and Asifuddullah and many other nobles of his time. His Hajw (satires) created him many enemies. Sauda was a pupil of Sirajuddin Ali Khan ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Hossein Behjat-Tabrizi (Shahriar)

Birth:1905

Death:1988

An Iranian poet whose admirers dubbed him as the second Hafiz. He authored divane shahryar.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Shaybani Khan

Birth:1451

Death:1510

Uzbak Chief. Shaibani Khan drove out Babur from Samarqand in 1497. Babur though succeeded in taking the city soon after, but Shaibani again defeated him in 1501. Babur set off on his celebrated wandering and was not able to gain a foothold until 1504 in Kabul, from where ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahmud Esad Cosan

Birth:1938

Death:2001

Turkey's leading light of Naqshbandi tariqua, also known as Mahmud As'd Joshan. Having established a publishing company Prof Cosan launched popular magazines, wrote articles and published many books and taught Theology in Ankara University. He also lectured as a visiting professor at various universities abroad. ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Hasan H Erkaya

Muhammad Nasiruddin Al Albani

Birth:1909

Death:1999

Scholar of Hadeeth. Shaikh Nasir began work in transcribing al-Haafiz al-Iraaqee's monumental 'al-Mughnee an-Hamlil-Asfaar fil-Asfaar fee takhreej maa fil-Ihyaa minal-Akhbaar' and adding notes to it. He delved further into the field of Hadeeth and its various sciences and engrossed to the extent that he would ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Abu Ubaydullah Anwar

Maulana Shaukat Ali

Birth:1873

Death:1938

An Indian nationalist Muslim and freedom fighter. Maulana Shaukat Ali the elder brother of Maulana Muhammad Ali founded (1919) and presided over Khilafat committee's annual session (1923). He led the boycott of the Simon Commission. Maulana Shaukat Ali, a committed and sincere worker of Muslim cause and ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahmud Shevket Pasha

Birth:1858

Death:1913

Grand Vizier of Turkey.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Siad Basre

Birth:1919

Death:1995

A Somali political leader. Said Basre was Commander in chief of the armed forces from 1966 and after a coup in 1969, and served as the head of the state and president of the supreme revolutionary council (1969-76). After the start of war with Ethiopia (1977) a Soviet ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mustafa Al Siba'i

Birth:1915

Death:1964

The Syrian political leader and founder of Akhwanil-Mulimun in Syria. He studied at Al Azhar and was close to Hasan al Banna. Mustafa was arrested by the then British government on charge of subversion in 1934 and 1940 and finally deported to Palestine. Mustafa's book Ishtirakyat al-Islam ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Maulvi Sikandar Shah

Birth:

Death:1856

Maulvi Sikandar Shah of Faizabaid (India) was the first to revolt in February 1856 and was put to death by the British though it is generally believed that it was Mangal Pandey who did so.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai

Birth:1903

Death:1981

An Iranian philosopher and Qur'anic commentator. Tabatabai's al mizan was originally written in Arabic and then translated into Persian under his supervision. His Qur'an dar Islam and Shiah dar Islam have been translated into English. His philosophical writings included usul-i-falsafah-yi ri'alism, Bidyat al Hikma, Nihayat ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahmoud Teleghani

Birth:1910

Death:1979

Mahmud was one of the supporters of Mossadeq and a candidate in the 1952 parliamentary election. Mahmud worked on a Qur'anic commentary in which he concluded that Muslims had to take their destiny into their own hands and strive against internal and external foes to achieve ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab

Birth:1703

Death:1792

A reformer who tried to affect a radical return to the fundamentals of Islam. Abdul Wahhab's Kitab at-Tawhid was the main text of the Wahhabi doctrines - a typical reformer, in the tradition of Ibn Taymiyyah. Abdul Wahhab believed that the current crisis was best ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Maulana Zamiri

Birth:

Death:1565

A Persian poet and author of Wamiq wa Uzra, Laila wa Majnun etc.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mehmet Zia Gokalp

Birth:1876

Death:1924

A Turkish nationalist, writer, poet and sociologist. Zia played an important role as an intellectual after the young Turk revolution in 1908. He wanted to modernise and westernise Turkey. He was elected as a member of the Parliament of the new Turkish Republic in 1923. Zia's best-known ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Zia Ul Haq

Birth:1924

Death:1988

Pakistani President who pursued a more avowedly Islamic government. In 1977, Zia Ul Haq led a coup and deposed prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan and became the Chief Martial Law administrator. In 1978 he assumed the presidency and established an ostensibly more Islamic regime. He ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Asad

Birth:1900

Death:1992

Muhammad Asad (Leopold Weiss) was born in a family of Jewish scholars in Poland, and died in Spain. He converted to Islam in 1926. Two of his books are landmarks in Twentieth Century Muslim literature: 'Islam at the crossroads' (1934), and 'The Road to Mecca' (1954). Both parents ...

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Compiled by:M A Sherif

Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

Birth:1875

Death:1936

Marmaduke Pickthall, the son of an Anglican clergyman, was drawn to Islam in the course of extensive travels and contacts with Muslims in Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Turkey. A distinguished novelist and respected member of a brilliant literary circle that included Olivia Manning, his work ...

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Compiled by:M A Sherif

Mansoor Hekmat

Birth:1951

Death:2002

Iran's revolutionary humanitarian Marxist who was frustrated in his dream. Mansoor was among a handful of revolutionaries who continued to believe in the possibility of a workers' revolution in Iran and across the Arab world. The weakness and subsequent disunity of the movement of the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mohand Aarav Bessaoud

Birth:1924

Death:2002

Writer and campaigner. Bessaoud was one of the great defenders and militants of the Berber cause in Algeria and one who devoted his life to the liberation of his country from French colonialism. He was a spiritual leader of the current campaign to win official ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Akchiche Mzk

Muhammad Al-Hosseini Al-Shirazi

Birth:1922

Death:2002

Religious leader. Ayatollah al-Shirazi was a moderate and reformist cleric among the religious leaders in Iran. He believed in collegiality and equality among eminent theologians and advocated the acceptance of plurality and open scholarly discourse and disagreement. He tried to separate the spiritual leadership from ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Ibrahim Egal

Birth:1928

Death:2002

Politician. He earned high standing when steered his country from colonialism to political independence. The Somali government collapsed in 1991 and the ever-impetuous north unilaterally declared its resumption of the independence. Thus the Republic of Somaliland was reborn and in 1993 a council of elders handed the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Taqi Al-Hakim

Birth:1924

Death:2002

Religious leader. Ayatollah al-Hakim was an eminent for his openness and improving inter-faith relations. He played in the modernist transition of traditional religious schools and set up Montada Nashr School on that basis. He also helped found the first formal college of jurisprudence (Kuliyyat al ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Hamidullah

Birth:1908

Death:2002

Scholar and historian. Dr. Hamidullah was a great searcher of Islamic knowledge who did his D. Phil on International Laws of Islam from Bonn (Germany) and later D. Litt on the subject of the Islamic Ambassadorship during the time of the Prophet, peace be upon ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Syed Faiyazuddin Ahmad / Syed Basheeruddin

Mubarak Al Sabah

Birth:1844

Death:1915

Ruler of Kuwait who made a treaty with Britain. The ruler of Kuwait, Mubarak al-Sabah, who made an agreement with Britain, in 1899, that established his country a de-facto British protectorate although Kuwait remained under nominal Ottoman suzerainty until 1914. Kuwait finally gained independence, in 1961, and an ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari

Birth:1880

Death:1936

Politician, Muslim nationalist. Mukhtar went on a scholarship to Britain for higher studies paid by the Nizam of the princely state of Hyderabad. While in England he was the first Indian to be appointed as a resident medical officer at the Charing Cross Hospital in ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Azharuddin

Birth:1966

Death:

The captain of the Indian Cricket team. The wonder boy who became the first batsman in the world in the 108 years history of test Cricket to score a century in each of his first three tests. The Sportstar's Sportsperson of India's Year Award for 1998.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Maulana Ahmad Raza Khan Barelvi

Birth:1855

Death:1921

Maulana Ahmad Raza is a central figure of the Barelwi movement, more formally known as the Ahl-e Sunnat wa Jama'at. He was born in Bareilli in Northern-Central India, or UP, in 1855 and died in 1921. The town of Bareilli was a centre of Muslim power in ...

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Compiled by:M A Sherif

Maurice Buccaille

Birth:1920

Death:1998

The French author of the celebrated book, The bible, the Qur'an and science.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahamat Saleh Haroun

Birth:1961

Death:

Writer and film director Haroun makes films about his homeland, Chad, and his second feature film, Abouna, which means Our Father in Arabic, set in and around Chad's capital N'djamena, was screened at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 2002. The film is the story of two ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mustafa Mashhour

Birth:1921

Death:2002

Politician, scholar and writer. Shaikh Mashhour was the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, the party that was founded by Shaikh Hassan al-Banna in 1928 but has been outlawed since 1954 by the State Administrative Court in Egypt. He had a life-long commitment to the Islamic movement for ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Ershad

Birth:1929

Death:

A Bangladesh politician. He was a colonel during the 1971 civil war of Bangladesh, deputy chief of Staff in 1975, chief of Staff in 1979, and chief Martial Law administrator in 1982 and after a coup Bangladesh's Prime Minister and President in 1983. Re-elected President in 1986 but was ousted by ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahmud Saedon Othman

Birth:1943

Death:2002

Scholar. Mahmud studied in Al Azhar University and after taking a doctorate in Islamic Shari'ah (1976) joined the National University Malaysia (1976 - 83) and later the International Islamic University of Malaysia (1984 - 94). Mahmud was recalled to Brunei in 1994, as an expert on Islamic Law at the ministry ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mehmet Namiq Kemal

Birth:1840

Death:1888

A Turkish poet and nationalist. Kemal was the editor of Tasvir-i-efkar. After having differences with the government officials he left for Paris and started publishing Hurriyet from there. However, he was known in Turkey for his patriotic poetry. He was a champion of the young ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Hashim Khan Khafi

Birth:17th century

Death:

Author. Khafi wrote Tarikh Khafi Khan, also known as Mantakhib ul Lubab, a history of India, from Babar down to Muhammad Shah's accession that was published in 1732, during the reign of Muhammad Shah. He lived during the latter part of Aruangzeb's reign.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mir Amman Luft

Birth:

Death:

The Urdu poet and writer who was attached to the Fort William College. Lutf authored Bagh O Bahar, an Urdu version of Nautarz Murassa completed in 1802.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Ma Hualung

Birth:

Death:1871

Chinese Muslim leader Ma led a rebellion in Kansu and Shessi from 1862 to 1877 and tried to establish a Muslim state. Over 90 per cent of the population believed to have been killed during the rebellion.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Ma Tehsin

Birth:19th century

Death:

The first leader of the Yunnan rebellion against the Chinese government from 1856 to 1873. Ma was a member of the 'old sect' and a major scholar. Ma Tehsin was the first to translate the Qur'an into Chinese.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahathir Bin Muhammad

Birth:1925

Death:

He proved with example to show that it was possible for a poor Muslim country to progress without sacrificing its identity and cultural values. Dr Mahathir Muhammad when he became Malaysia's Prime Minister in 1981 his world's view was conditioned by the complex racial politics of ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahmud Burhan Ush Shariat

Birth:13th century

Death:

Author of Muslim Jurisprudence Wiqaya which was the introduction to the study of the Hidaya.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mahmud Sheit Khattab

Birth:1918

Death:1998

Soldier, scholar and patriot. Brig. Mahmud took leading part in the failed revolution of 1941. He held ministerial position after the fall of Qasim in 1963 but quit in 1964 to devote him self exclusively to studying, writing, teaching and lecturing on Muslim military history and Islamic law (...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mahmud Ul Hasan

Birth:1851

Death:1920

An Indian religious and political leader. The founder of Jamia Milia and Jamait-e-Ulma in 1919, Maulana Mahmud ul Hasan, also known as Sheikh-ul-Hind, was a great Islamic scholar and a dedicated nationalist guide. He was arrested, on his visit to Makkah in 1916, by the British and ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Majnun

Birth:

Death:

This name was given to Qais who lived in the time of the Caliph Hasham of the House of Ummaya, about the year 721. Majnun had fallen in love with Laila. These lovers are still very famous throughout the east. They were separated because of the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Minak Kamal Bumi

Birth:14th century

Death:

Propagator of Islam. Minak Kamal was credited with the spreading of Islam into Java. It was mainly from Sumatra that Islam spread in Malaysia in the 13th and 14th centuries. Small colonies of Muslims were set up by seafarers on the east coast of Malaya ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mir Syed Ali

Birth:16th century

Death:

Miniature painter. Mir Syed Ali came from Iran to India and along with his fellow countrymen founded the Mughal School of painting. He went to India at the invitation of the Mughal King Humayoon in 1545. He and Abdus Samad were appointed to help and instruct ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muffadal Al Ibn Muhammad

Birth:8th century

Death:

The compiler of an anthology of ancient Arabic poems. The poets represented in his Al Mufaddaliyat were highly respected such as Algamah ibn Abadah, Muhammad ibn Muwayrah, Salman ibn Jandai, Shanfra, abd Yaghuth and Abu Dhu'ayb.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Agha

Birth:16th century

Death:

The Turkish architect whose master-piece is the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. Agha first studied music in 1567 but then switched to architecture and became a pupil of the great architect Sinan, Turkey's most celebrated architect. Agha, from 1609 till 1616, worked on the Sultan Ahmad Cami (Blue Mosque). ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Al Nasir

Birth:1199

Death:1214

The Mawahhid ruler of Spain and son of Al Mansur. A contemporary English chronicler claimed that Al Nasir received in 1213 from King John of Magna Carta fame, an offer to hold England under tribute to him and to exchange the Christian faith for Islam.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Maulvi Muhammad Ali

Birth:20th century

Death:

The leader of the Lahorite branch of (Qadyanis), Ahmadiyah sect who hold Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadyani to be a Mujaddid or renewer only and not a Prophet. He has translated the Qur'an into English and was the author of The Region of Islam published in 1935.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Athar Ali

Birth:1925

Death:1998

An Indian historian. Prof. Athar Ali was associated with Aligarh Muslim University. Prof. Ali authored The Mughal nobility under Aurangzeb (1966) and The apparatus of Empire: Awards of ranks, offices and titles to the Mughal nobility, 1574-1658 (1985). Athar, in his books, allowed the facts to interpret ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Eunos Bin Abdullah

Birth:1876

Death:1934

Journalist Eunos was known as the `Father of Malay Journalism', and he founded various newspapers, including Utusan Melayu' (Malaya Courier) an influential paper. Eunos or Yunus who was born in Singapore founded a political party, Malaya-Singhapur Union, which helped make the Malaya's politically more aware.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Fawzi

Birth:1915

Death:2000

A feared disciplinarian who was entrusted with the task of rebuilding the shattered and demoralised Egyptian army in the aftermath of the War of 1967. Gen Fawzi passionately believed in Nasser's principle of Arab socialism. Out of loyalty to Nasser's memory he tried to topple Anwar ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Hussain Nai'mi

Birth:1923

Death:1998

Scholar. Mufti Nai'mi established his own college, Jam'iyah Nai'miyah that developed into an outstanding institution of Islamic learning. He was among those who rallied the 'Ulama to support the establishment of the Islamic state of Pakistan, and was secretary general of Jami'atul 'Ulama-e-Pakistan and member ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Ibrahim Kamel

Birth:1927

Death:2001

Politician. The former Egyptian Foreign Minister who was the key player during a crucial and sensitive juncture of Middle Eastern history when in 1977 Sadat took a bold initiative to make peace between Egypt and Israel. He resigned at Camp David in the wake of the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Mahdi Shamsuddin

Birth:1933

Death:2000

Lebanon's supreme, enlightened scholar and thinker. Shamsuddin authored some 25 books on Islamic system of rule and administration, challenging the materialistic intellect. In 1985, he coined the term adadiyya, or dialogue between Abrahamic faiths. He also fought against corruption and injustice and protested about human rights abuses. ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Mustafa Komura

Birth:1912

Death:1998

The Japanese who became a Muslim at the age of 26 and devoted rest of his long life in the service of Islam. Mustafa was a wealthy man who travelled extensively abroad. He set up a number of Muslim schools, research institute and other organisations and ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Shah

Birth:1702

Death:1748

The son of Prince Jahan Shah, one of the brothers who were killed in disputing the crown with their eldest brother Jahandar Shah, the son of Bahadur Shah. Muhammad Shah, also known as Muhammad Shah Rangila, was crowned by the Sayyad brothers in 1719. He reigned ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Siyah Kalam

Birth:15th century

Death:

The Turkman painter whose series of paintings are preserved in the Topkapi Museum, Istanbul. His two portraits of Sultan Muhammad the conqueror appeared in his Conqueror's Album

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mulla Sadra

Birth:c1571

Death:1640

The mystical philosopher, whose work was an inspiration to intellectuals, revolutionaries and modernisers, especially in Iran. Mulla Sadra believed in linking philosophy and spirituality, and training their disciplines, which enabled them to acquire a sense of alam al-mithal and the spiritual world. He insisted that ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mullanur Waxitov

Birth:1885

Death:1918

A Kazan Tartar and head of the Central Commissariat for Muslim affairs in Russia in 1917.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mushtaq Ur Rahman

Birth:1933

Death:1999

He made substantive contribution in his field of Cultural Geography and authored a number of books. He retired as professor in Iowa State University, USA. He was born in Agra, migrated in 1947 to Pakistan and died of a heart attack in Iowa.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Saqi Mustaid Khan

Birth:18th century

Death:

The author of Masir I Alamgiri. He finished this work in 1710, three years after the death of Almagir.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muzzafar Jang

Birth:

Death:1751

The Nawab of Farakhabad. Muzzafar Jang also called Muzzafar Hussain Khan succeeded his father Ahmad Khan Bangash in 1771. He ceded his territory to the English on a pension of Rupees 108,000 in 1802. After Muzzafar's death his grandson Taffazul Hussain Khan succeeded him who was the father ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Neguib

Birth:1901

Death:1984

Army General. Neguib carried out a coup against King Faruk in 1952, abolished the monarchy in 1953 and was succeeded by Col. Gamel Abdul Nasser - the chief power behind the coup in 1952.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Khudabanda

Birth:1280

Death:1316

The grandson of Halaku, during whose reign Shia branch of Islam was proclaimed the state religion of Islam. Khuda Banda or Oljeilu in his youth had converted to Buddhism, but later he became a Sunni and took the name of Muhammad Khudabandah. During 1307-08 a ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Shafi

Birth:1869

Death:1932

Politician. Muhammad Shafi presided over India's Muslim League Lucknow session in 1913 but later he differed politically with Muhammad Ali Jinnah and formed Shafi League in Punjab in 1927. The British government, in 1922, knighted him.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Malika Suraiya

Birth:20th century

Death:

The wife of the king of Afghanistan. Suraiya visited London with king Amanullah Khan in 1928. Her photographs in bare-shoulder gowns in London played a part in arousing the Afghans to revolt against the king. But she gave company to her royal consort even when he ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Din Tasir

Birth:1902

Death:1950

A Pakistani poet, critic and educationalist. Dr Tasir went to England for his PhD at Cambridge. He was the Editor of Nayrang-e-Khayal and was one of the founders of Anjuman Taraqi Pasand Musanafin (1936). He used to write Urdu poetry in free verse and was the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mardaviz Zeyar

Birth:10th century

Death:

The founder of the Zeyarid dynasty of Iran that ruled in Gurgan and Mazandaran. He ruled from 927 to 935, who taking advantage of a rebellion in the Samnid army seized control of northern Iran. The Seljuques drove them out in 1090.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Ziyad

Birth:9th century

Death:

The founder of the Ziyadid dynasty of Yemen. The Abbasid caliph al Mamun transferred the rule of Yemen to the Ziyad family in 819 to offset the power of the Alids. The last Ziyadid ruler was killed in 1018.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Muhammad Sultan Al Masumi

Birth:1880

Death:1960

Author. Sultan al-Masumi lived in a part of the Muslim world that was steeped in Sufism and following the madhhabs - there are at least five recognised law schools, each regarded with Muslim egalitarianism as equally valid - the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi, Hanbali and Jaferi ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mustafa Al Hallaj

Birth:1938

Death:2002

Artist Mustafa al-Hallaj known as Shaikh al Fannaneen was a legendary figure in the Arab-Palestine world of art. He produced hundreds of art works since 1960s including paintings, graphics, murals, illustrations, cover designs and etchings. Hallaj was attracted to the ancient pharaonic arts carrying symbols ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mustafa Sid Ahmad

Birth:1953

Death:1996

Sudanese patriotic singer. Mustafa's progressive selection of words in his songs inspired peace and democracy. He died in exile in Doha leaving an exceptionally huge heritage of songs.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Abdelhadi

Muhammad Rashid Rida

Birth:1865

Death:1935

Journalist who founded the Salafiyyah movement in Cairo and was the first to advocate a fully modernised Islamic state. Rida was alarmed by the growing secularism of Arab intellectuals who sometimes poured scorn upon Islam in the belief that it was holding their people back. ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammadu Buhari

Birth:1942

Death:

Army general turned politician. General Buhari who was ousted in a coup in 1985, after persecuting political opponents and introducing a series of autocratic measure, was Nigeria's presidential contender in 2003 election, representing All Nigeria Peoples party. The general is remembered for 'war against indiscipline' he launched ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Maqbool Fida Hussain

Birth:1915

Death:2011

Superstar of Indian art forced into exile by the controversy his work aroused. Forced out by threats from Hindu groups enraged by his paintings of nude gods and goddesses M F Husain was living in self-imposed exile in Dubai and London. It was a little-known 1970 ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Megawati Sukarnoputri

Birth:1947

Death:

Politician who apparently believes that silence is prudence. Megawati was hailed as a heroine on her appointment, in 2001, as Indonesia's fifth president, and inherited the role her father Sukarno established as her country's founding leader who led the country to independence from Dutch colonial rule ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mirza Tahir Ahmad

Birth:1928

Death:2003

Ahmadi's Khalifatul Masih IV. Mirza Tahir was the spiritual leader and fourth successor of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, who founded the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association in 1889. Mirza Ghulam's great-grandson, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, has been elected as Khalifatul Masih V (Masih II was his son and ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Dib

Birth:1920

Death:2003

Foremost novelist and writer who deplored injustice and assailed literary orthodoxy exiled himself from his native Algeria. Dib, a varied and versatile writer, was the undisputed doyen of Algerian literature. He authored, in French, some 30 novels, volumes of poetry, short stories and tales for children, ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Marjane Satrapi

Birth:1969

Death:

Iranian comic-book writer. Satrapi was sent to Europe while she was only 14 and now lives in Paris. She has been writing and illustrating children's books for years. But in Persepolis, named after Iran's ancient capital, she told her own story. The first three volumes, which ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Taqiuddin Al Nabhani

Birth:1909

Death:1977

The founder of Hizb ut-Tahrir. Shaikh an-Nabhani having graduated, in 1932, from al-Azhar University returned to Palestine and held high position at the court of Haifa until Israel overran Palestine in 1948. The exodus from Palestine took him to Syria and then to Jerusalem where he was ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Omar

Muhammad Abdel El Ghani El Gamasy

Birth:1921

Death:2003

The Egyptian general who was the mastermind behind the Ramadan war against Israel. General al-Gamasy as chief of military operation astounded Israel, in 1973, by breaching the Suez Canal and establishing three major bridgeheads in the Sinai Peninsula. He masterminded the audacious plan with his Syrian ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Najib Al Sarraj

Birth:1921

Death:2003

Syrian composer, musician and singer faithful to the instruments of traditional Arabic music. Al-Sarraj's had a far-reaching effect on the development of Arabic music in Syria particularly in traditional domain - his best known was 'Diar el-habib' ('The Home of the Beloved'). His soft music ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Malik Meraj Khalid

Birth:1916

Death:2003

Politician Khaild, after a stint as Punjab's chief minister, became federal agricultural minister, in 1970, in Z A Bhutto's government. In 1996, following the dismissal of Benazir Bhutto's second administration he became interim prime minister of Pakistan. After his exit from politics, in 1997, he was appointed rector ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Daud Yusuf

Birth:1916

Death:2003

Grand Mufti of Burma. Maulana Yusuf spent his life in Burma, (the country got independence from Britain in 1948 and was renamed Myanmar), in the field of education and provided moral and spiritual leadership to Burmese Muslims during a long and difficult times. Maulana Yusuf was ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Baqir Al Hakim

Birth:1939

Death:2003

Ayatollah who headed the largest opposition group in Iraq after the American occupation. Ayatollah al-Hakim was a high-ranking cleric who advocated a form of pluralism in his society after the illegal occupation of Iraq by American and British forces. He was a pragmatic critic of ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mallick Muhammad Yunus

Birth:1884

Death:1952

A prominent personality of Bihar, India. Yunus returned to Patna, in 1906, after obtaining his bar at law from London. He bought Bihar Bakhtiarpur Light railway, launched an English daily, The Patna Times, set up a Bank and a hotel. He also became the chief minister ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mehmet Ali Akpinar

Birth:1942

Death:2003

Turkish Cypriot journalist of international repute. Akpinar was keen that the world should not forget the oppression of the Turkish Cypriots at the hands of the Greek Cypriots that led to Turkey's 1974 armed intervention, which in turn led to the division of the island into ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mokhtar Ould Daddah

Birth:1924

Death:2003

The founder of independent Mauritania, who was forced into exile but retained the respect of his people. Mokhtar Ould Daddah was the founding father and who presided his country, Mauritania, which gained independence in 1960, until a coup deposed him in 1978. He spent the next 23 years ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Basri

Birth:1927

Death:2003

Moroccan opposition leader known as Fiqih. Muhammad Basri - known as 'Fiqih', the Erudite - opposition leader and fighter against French colonists returned home in 1995 after 28 years in exile to a huge welcome by thousands of his greeters. Basri an opponent of King Hassan II, ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Choukri

Birth:1935

Death:2003

A celebrated writer of Morocco. Choukri's impulse to write came from his deep love for Tangiers and a craving to put those feelings on paper. His style was marked by hardness and urgency, which speaks of his many lost years. He was Morocco's most famous ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad El Baradei

Birth:1943

Death:

He dreamt of a world free of nuclear arms. Muhammad El Baradei wanted 'a security structure that turns the Middle East into a zone free from nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.' While in office as world's chief nuclear inspector, Muhammad El Baradei, ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Sadeq Givi Khalkhali

Birth:1926

Death:2003

Ayatollah who was an active Islamist. Ayatollah Sadeq Khalkhali, a small rotund man with a pointed beard, was a founder member of the Militant Clergy of Tehran who were committed to Islamification. As the president of the Revolutionary Courts he was responsible for the trials ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Malika Pukhraj

Birth:1912

Death:2004

The eternal jewel vocalist of the ageless 'Abbhi to Main Jawan Hoon.' Malika Pukhraj who was coached by Ustad Allah Buksh (father of Bare Ghulam Ali Khan) joined Maharaja Hari Singh's court when she was only 8. Over the next 8 decades she captivated her audience ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Al Mamoun El Hodeiby

Birth:1921

Death:2004

Religious and political leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood. Mamoun el-Hodeiby was a 'supreme guide' who headed Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, which was founded, in 1928, by Hasan al-Banna, an Egyptian reformer and founder of the society of Muslim Brothers. El-Hodeiby was arrested in 1965 but was freed with ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Maleeha Lodhi

Birth:

Death:

A modern face of Pakistan. Maleeha Lodhi's rise from academia, journalism and to diplomacy is extra-ordinary. Her tenure as Lecturer, London School of Economics (1980-85) to Editor, The Muslim, Islamabad, (1987-90), to Editor, The News, Islamabad (1990-93), to Pakistan's Ambassador to the US (1994-97), to ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mubashar Jahangir Akbar

Birth:1951

Death:

India's well-know journalist. M J Akbar, founder and editor-in-chief of The Asian Age, a multi-edition daily newspaper, is a leading Indian journalist and author. After successfully launching and establishing a weekly newsmagazine, Sunday, and a daily newspaper, The Telegraph, in the Seventies and Eighties, he ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Khatami

Birth:1943

Death:

The reform-minded president of Iran. Khatami led the Islamic Revolution (1979) that overthrew the US-backed Shah. He was elected (1980) to the first parliament of the Islamic Republic and served as minister of culture and Islamic guidance from 1983 to 1992. Khatami was elected president in 1997 with 69 per cent ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mehmood Ali Khan

Birth:1932

Death:2004

Versatile Bollywood comedian. Mehmood with his unique brand of buffoonery, enacted with a perfect sense of timing, had generations of Indian cinema-goers guffawing uproariously in their seats with his outlandish antics for decades. His stardom stretched from late 1950s to early 1980s in many of ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Marwan Barghouti

Birth:1959

Death:

Palestinian leader of the second intifada. Marwan joined Fatah, the principal Palestinian liberation movement at the age of 15. He was arrested in 1978 and spent the next 10 years in and out of Israeli prisons and in exile. He was elected to the Palestinian legislative Council in 1996 ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mus'ab Ibn Umair

Birth:7th century

Death:

The first envoy of Islam. Mus'ab Ibn Umair was sent to Madinah by the Prophet (PBUH) where he won a number of followers of Islam. He won the hearts of the Madinites with his piety, uprightness and sincerity. And so they embraced the religion of ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mujahid Abu Shawarib

Birth:1939

Death:2004

Yemeni soldier and politician who helped to expel his country's Saudi-backed royalist rulers. Mujahid Abu Shawarib was one of the pillars of the republican movement that in 1962 overthrew the Zaidi imamate, which had ruled in northern Yemen for more than a thousand years, and proclaimed ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mamdouth Udwan

Birth:1941

Death:2004

One of Syria's best-known writers. Mamdouh Udwan, poet, novelist, dramatis, critic and translator, was a rebel and a champion of liberty. He continued to be a contributor to the Arab press for the rest of his life. His first collection of poems, 'The Green Shadow' (1967), ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mirza Hasan Askari

Birth:1924

Death:2005

Pakistan's noted writer and columnist. Mirza Hasan Askari started his career in Indian army's public relation section and after the end of the World War II joined The Statesman, Delhi and followed by the Dawn, Delhi, as a senior reporter. Hasan Askari migrated to Pakistan ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mushirul Hasan

Birth:1949

Death:

India's distinguished historian, journalist and writer. Mushirul Hasan is the vice chancellor of the Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, and well-known historian, an award winning journalist, a prolific writer and an enlightened administrator. He has travelled extensively and has written numerous articles and books. An ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Martin Lings

Birth:1909

Death:2005

One of the greatest scholars of Islamic mysticism of this generation Martin Lings was confirmed beyond all doubt by the publication of his classic biography: Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources (1983), the book written from the perspective of a scholar-historian who was also ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mahmoud Ahmadi Nejad

Birth:1956

Death:

The first non-cleric president of Iran. Mahmoud a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard commander, unabashedly conservative and loyal to Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei who turned out to be a dark horse in Iran's presidential race of 2005, and he won with a landslide victory. Mahmoud is ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Musa Mazzawi

Birth:1925

Death:2005

Lawyer and broadcaster who spoke out on the plight of the Palestinians. Professor Musa Mazzawi was a passionate and articulate advocate for the Palestinian cause. His views were published in detail in 'Palestine and the Law' (1997). His interest in world affairs led him into academia ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Irfan Shamsy

Birth:1952

Death:2005

Scholar on Islamic jurisprudence. Indian-born and Doha based, Maulana Shamsy was considered an authority on Islamic jurisprudence and was popular with his weekly Islamic question-answer programme on Qatar Broadcasting Urdu Service. Maulana Shamsy who had been residing in Doha since 1984 with the Dawah al-Irshad Centre ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Rizwan Ahmad Falahi

Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Birth:1943

Death:2006

Emir who presided over Dubai, overseeing the development, and revolutionised the world of horseracing. Sheikh Maktoum emir of Dubai and prime minister and vice president of the United Arab Emirates had presided over Dubai since 1990, overseeing the development of the emirate from a trading town ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mehmut Bakalli

Birth:1936

Death:2006

Former Kosovan Communist leader. Bakalli led the disputed province's Communists in the late 1970s and early 1980s, stepping down, in 1981, after disagreements with the central body of the Yugoslav Communist Party over the handling of unrest by ethnic Albanian students who demanded better living conditions ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Ali

Birth:1935

Death:2006

Pakistani film star. With his appearances in over 100 Urdu films, Muhammad Ali was the undisputed 'Lion of Lollywood', Pakistan's film city of Lahore, impressing audiences for nearly three decades with his acting versatility, rich baritone and towering personality. In 1956, Ali joined Radio Pakistan where his ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mizanur Rahman

Birth:1934

Death:2006

Bangladeshi physician who dedicated his research career to saving lives In 1966, Dr Mizanur Rahman became the key physician in the Matab cholera hospital in Dhaka and participated in the 1968 trials for field use of oral re-hydration treatment. He spent his time in saving lives and ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Maulana Mahirul Qadri

Birth:

Death:

South Asia's scholar extraordinaire. In the filed of education, literature, and thinking Maulana Mahirul Qadri deserves his place in the Indian sub-continent. He went to Hyderabad, a princely state of British India, where the intellectual environment of the place helped excelled his scholarship. Born Manzoor ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mazharul Haque

Birth:1866

Death:1930

An ardent champion of communal harmony in India. A prominent activist in India's freedom movement, Maulana Mazhrul Haque established the 'Sadaqat Ashram', in Patna. When some students quit government schools and colleges on Gandhi's movement for the independence of India, Maulana Mazhrul Haque bought a ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Abdul Bari

Birth:1954

Death:

Advocate for British Muslim community. A behavioural specialist with a doctorate from King's College London, Abdul Bari has been elected, in 2006, secretary general of the umbrella organisation 'Muslim Council of Britain', established in 1996. His is a crucial voice in helping Muslims navigate between the conflicting ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Syed

Muhammad Muslim

Birth:1920

Death:1968

India's Muslim activist Commencing his career in journalism Muhammad Muslim also became active in the Khaksar Tehrik (movement), founded by Allama Mashriqi in British India. He was also associated with Jamait Ulema-e-Hind He became editor of Urdu newspapers - 'Nadeem' in 1947 and 'Daawat' in 1953. As ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Abdul Aleem Siddiqui

Birth:1892

Death:1954

Scholar and spiritual master A great exponent of his idea and cause Maulana Aleem Siddiqui al-Qadiri stood out elevated in his teaching, writing, preaching and propagating Islam. He who at the age of nine as a young student delivered his first public speech of ninety ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Qari M.J. Lallmohamed

Muhammad Imdad Hussain Pirzada

Birth:1946

Death:

Teacher, orator and author An established teacher, orator and the author of numerous books on Islam, Shaykh Muhammad Imdad Hussain Pirzada is well known by his widely acclaimed book, 'Islamic Way of Worship'. His books on Arabic Grammar are taught in institutions and mosques throughout ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mukarram Jah

Birth:1933

Death:

The holder of Nizam's legacy Having abandoned the opulence and intrigues of his Hyderabad palace Mukarram Jah bought 200,000-hectare sheep outback station in Western Australia, in 1972, to drive bulldozers on a dusty land. Mukarram who was sent to Doon School, then to Harrow, Cambridge and ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mahmud Ali

Birth:1919

Death:2006

Veteran Pakistan Movement leader. The Bengali politician who had remained committed to the cause of united Pakistan till the very last Mahmud Ali was a veteran Pakistan Movement leader. At the time of the beak-up of the country and creation of Bangladesh Ali had made ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammadu Maccido

Birth:1926

Death:2006

The Sultan of Sokoto, respected for his gentle diplomacy. The spiritual leader of Muslims in Nigeria and Niger, Alhaji Muhammadu Maccido Abubakar III, 19th Sultan of Sokoto, who held the position since April 1996, was revered as a primacy over all emirs, across a large swathe ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Munir Niazi

Birth:1928

Death:2006

Pakistan's renowned man of letters. The unforgettable film songs like 'Us Bewafa Ka Shehar Hey' composed by Munir Niazi catapulted him to fame in Pakistan. Niazi became associated with what was then Pakistan's budding film industry and penned a number of lyrical poems for films. ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mohsin Bhopali

Birth:1933

Death:2007

Urdu poet Mohsin who made his mark in poetry with ghazals started composing verses from 1948. He later migrated to Pakistan. He had the distinction of being Pakistan's first Urdu poet to write Haiko. Late Tanvir Abbasi, one of the most powerful Sindhi poets of modern ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Maulvi Sarfaraz Ali

Birth:

Death:

The Imam of the Mujahedin He was the first who preached jihad against the British, in India, in the days leading up to the outbreak, and as the siege of Delhi progressed and the number of jihadis increased, Maulvi Sarfaraz Ali's influence as a rebel ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Manzoor Ahmed

Birth:1931

Death:

Pakistan's philosopher and scholar. Well versed in many languages and doctoral degree from London University, Prof. Dr Manzoor Ahmed has been head of many national and international organisations. A member of Council of Islamic Ideology, Pakistan, and Prof Dr Ahmed was the vice Chancellor of ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Majid Al Hafeed

Birth:

Death:

Kurdish Imam Having gained international prominence through expressing the voice of Iraqi Kurds in numerous interfaith dialogues, Sheikh Majid al-Hafeed was named an honorary president of the World Conference of Religions for Peace. A prominent leader in Kurdistan and greater Iraq, Sheikh al-Hafeed represents the ...

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Compiled by:M Nauman Khan

Mehmed Uzun

Birth:1953

Death:2007

Kurdish writer and activist. The writer and novelist Mehmed Uzun was one of the most influential figures in the struggle by the Kurds to maintain their culture and identity and to lift ban on Kurdish language and culture from Turkey. One of the leading poineers ...

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Compiled by:M Nauman Khan

Merve Kavakci

Birth:1968

Death:

Former Turkish politician. When she won a seat in the Turkish parliament, Merve Kavakci was denied confirmation because she attended the ceremony wearing a hijab. Turkey, later, revoked Kavakci's Turkish citizenship, claiming that she had given up her Turkish identity in becoming a citizen of ...

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Compiled by:M Nauman Khan

Muhammad Khalid Masud

Birth:1939

Death:

Chairman of Pakistan's Council of Islamic Ideology The head of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), an official body charged with advising the Pakistani government on issues related to Islam, Dr Masud with knowledge of six world languages is the author of many works on ...

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Compiled by:M N auman Khan

Murad Wilfried Hofmann

Birth:1931

Death:

German diplomat and author Educated in Munich University and Harvard Law School, Murad Wilfred Hofmann served in the German Foreign Service (1961-1994), specialising in nuclear and defence strategy. He has held such prominent posts as Ambassador to Algeria and to Morocco. He also served as ...

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Compiled by:M Nauman Khan

Mustafa Ceric

Birth:1952

Death:

Grand Mufti of Bosnia. The recipient of numerous international awards for his work on interfaith dialogue, Dr. Mustafa Ceric, the Grand Mufti of Bosnia since 1999 has received global acclaim for his work in strengthening democracy and promoting world peace. He was considered a pivotal leader ...

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Compiled by:M Nauman Khan

Masoumeh Ebtekar

Birth:1960

Death:

Iranian peace and environment activist An activist who made a name for herself in 1979 as a 19-year-old revolutionary student who became chief interpreter in the 444-day US embassy siege in Tehran is an inspiration for movement for better environment. Appointed Iran's vice-president by President Khatami ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Marjan Firouz

Birth:1914

Death:2008

Iranian feminist A born princess who renounced her own title as it did not fit in with her Marxist ideals, Princess Maryam Firouz Farman Farmayan simply became Maryam Firouz and engaged in political feminist movement in Iran. An intellectual quest drove Maryam towards communism, to ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mohsin Hamid

Birth:1971

Death:

Pakistani novelist In his latest book, Exit West Mohsin Hamid narrates a surreal tale of passion, war and sectarian strife. In his book, Discontent and its Civilisation: Dispatches from Lahore, New York, London, the novelist, Mohsin Hamid reflects on life, art and politics in the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mo Ibrahim

Birth:1947

Death:

Africa's cell-phone king and a leading voice for democracy. When Ibrahim started a mobile-phone company in 1998 to work exclusively in Africa, there were just 2 million cell phones on the continent. When he sold it seven years later, there were more than 100 million. A British national ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mustafa Khalil

Birth:1920

Death:2008

One of the architects of the Camp David accords. In November 1977 Anwar Saadat, former Egyptian president shocked the world by paying a dramatic visit to Jerusalem. Egypt's prime minister, Mustafa Khalil, a close aide to Anwar Sadaat, accompanied him on the historic visit that paved ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mahmoud Darwish

Birth:1941

Death:2008

Palestinian poet who gave stateless a voice 'Mahmoud was at the centre of Arab culture in the 20th century because he was a poet, and a Palestinian Poetry lies at the centre of all Arab arts, and Palestine at the centre of Arab collective consciousness. ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Baqer Qalibaf

Birth:1962

Death:

Iran's ambitious politician. The mayor of Tehran, Muhammad Baqer Qalibaf has political ambition and, according to speculation, he is to mount a challenge in 2009 elections to the present president of Iran. He was, one of Iran's youngest military commanders, playing a crucial role in the 1982 ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Dilawar

Birth:

Death:

An Indian scientist devoting his life to saving sparrow. The former lecturer in environmental studies Muhammad Dilawar is dedicating himself to saving the sparrow and warning that its disappearance is an ominous sign. Using his own money and working from his home in Nasik, Dilawar ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mahmoud Abdullah Haroon

Birth:1920

Death:2008

Pakistan's upright politician. When Pakistan was still an idea and a dream Mahmoud Abdullah Haroon had the passion to fight for the emergence of a sovereign Muslim state in South Asia. He became a member of the All India Muslim League in 1942. He served the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Maulana Shafi Daudi

Birth:1875

Death:1947

India's political activist. Fighting for the independence of India from the British rule was the hallmark of Maulana Shafi Daudi. He was in the forefront of the Movement and was hand in hand with the founding fathers of the Indian sub-continent. 'A staunch supporter of ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mahmood Mamdani

Birth:1946

Death:

An expert in African and international affairs Reputed to be an expert in African history, politics and international relations Mahmood Mamdani is an important voice in contemporary debates about Africa. Teaching Anthropology and political Science at Columbia University, USA Mahmood Mamdani is also President of ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mir Hossein Moussavi

Birth:1941

Death:

An Iranian architect and painter A self-effacing architect and painter, Mir Hossein Moussavi served as prime minister from 1981 to 1989 during the Iraq-Iran war. He was praised for his deft handling of the Iranian economy during the bitter eight-year war with Iraq. He has dedicated much ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Michael Jackson

Birth:1958

Death:2009

'King of Pop'. Nicknamed 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson hardly knew life outside the public eye. With shocking suddenness his turbulent and complex life ended that robbed the entertainment world as he 'moonwalked into history.' Born in the gritty steel-making town of Gary, Indiana, ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mustafa Abdullah

Birth:1983

Death:

Guantanamo's guard who converted to Islam. Six months into his stint as a guard at Guantanamo detention camp, Terry Holdbrooks converted to Islam and named himself Mustafa Abdullah. A godless with a love of drinking, hard rock music and tattoos, Terry 'questioned things from day ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mark Shaffer

Birth:

Death:

An American converted to Islam in Saudi Arabia An American millionaire and professionally lawyer converted to Islam on his holiday visit to Saudi Arabia in 2009. A well-know practicing lawyer in Los Angeles, specialising in cases of civil laws, Mark handled the case of famous American ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Manzooruddin Ahmed

Birth:1929

Death:

Former vice chancellor of Karachi University. Former vice chancellor of Karachi University, Dr. Manzooruddin Ahmed author of several books has recently co-authored titled Pakistan: Azadi ka natamam safar. The book has been launched on the Quaid's birthday, 25 December 2009, in the US. In his view Pakistan's ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mansoura Ez Eldin

Birth:1976

Death:

Egypt's novelist. In her successful debut novel, 'Maryam's Maze', published in 2004, Mansoura won widespread acclaim for her depiction of a young girl's struggle to distinguish between dreams and reality. Her second and latest novel 'Beyond Paradise' was shortlisted for 2010 International Prize for Arab Fiction. Started ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah

Birth:1935

Death:2010

Lebanon's inspiring Grand Ayatollah. One of the world's main spiritual leaders and also a political influence, Lebanese cleric Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah inspired the Dawa Party of Iraq and a generation of freedom fighters, through his writings and a series of preaching. He had ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Marzieh

Birth:1924

Death:2010

The great diva of Persian traditional song A household name in pre-revolutionary Iran, Marzieh was closely identified with her country's music. Starting her career in the early 1940s, she remained for decades a ubiquitous presence on radio and in concert. She performed for many world ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mehdi Hasan

Birth:1927

Death:2012

'The emperor of the ghazal'. One of the most popular singers of ghazal, in Pakistan and in wider Indian subcontinent, Mehdi Hasan was considered to be a master amongst singers. His mellow, velvety baritone voice began attracting a following, first in the Indian subcontinent and ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mehmet Kurdash

Birth:1924

Death:2010

Master shoemaker The master shoemaker whose extravagant designs adorned the well-heeled royalty and Hollywood celebrities Mehmet Kurdash produced sumptuous, handmade footwear whose quality would endure for generation. In 1950s, Kurdash came to London and rapidly progressed to setting up his own business. He named his ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Moin Akhtar

Birth:1950

Death:2011

Pakistan's versatile performer Pakistani television, film and stage actor, as well as a comedian, impersonator, and a host Moin Akhtar (or Moeen Akhtar) was also a play writer, singer, film director and a producer. Having made his debut for television in 1966 in a variety show ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Faris

Birth:1951

Death:

One of the astronauts of planet earth. A pilot in Syrian Air Force Muhammad Faris was selected to participate in the Inter-cosmos spaceflight program in 1985. He flew as Research Cosmonaut on Soyuz TM-3 to the Mir space station in 1987, spending 7 days 23 hours and 5 minutes in ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Michael Bukht

Birth:1941

Death:2011

TV chef British TV chef known to Food and Drink viewers as Michael Barry, his pseudonym, was born Mirza Michael John Bukht. While television made Michael Bukht a household name from Food and Drink, his role in broadcasting came as one of the founders of ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Ghani Hikmat

Birth:1929

Death:2011

Iraqi sculptor The sculptor who created many of Baghdad's most famous landmarks Muhammad Ghani Hikmat led the effort to recover works of art looted from the National Museum of Iraq after the US-led invasion of his country in 2003. Middle Eastern fables 'One thousand and one ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Masood Rana

Birth:1938

Death:1995

Pakistani playback singer Starting his singing career in 1955 on Radio Pakistan Hyderabad Masood Rana later established a music group in Karachi in the early 1960s. He made his debut as a playback singer in 1962 when he sang for the film 'Inqalab' - 'Mashriq ki tareek ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Hanif

Birth:1964

Death:

Pakistani journalist and author Acclaimed for his first novel, A Case of Exploding Mangoes (2008), a satire on Pakistani politics, Muhammad Hanif was awarded a Commonwealth Writers' Prize. Women lie at the heart of Hanif's new novel, 'Our Lady of Alice Bhatti' set in Karachi's extremely ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Maqbool Sabri

Birth:1945

Death:2011

Pakistani musician Founder member of the Sabri Brothers, Maqbool Sabri was a master of qawwali. Rooted in the mystical expression of Sufism, Sabri Brothers took qawwali, the devotional music, to the west. Qawwali is particularly popular in south Asia. Considered a master of improvisational wordplay ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mazhar Ali Khan

Birth:

Death:

The town Dehli was. When Shahjahan decided to move his capital from Agra to Delhi in 1638 he named the town Shahjahanabad. The town Dehli, now named Shahjahanabad, was the envy of the world as it was the King's dream abode. 'Its towers are the resting ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Bouazizi

Birth:1984

Death:2011

The ordinary man who became the Arab spring's figurehead. A humble fruit vendor, Muhammad Bouazizi, dowsed himself in petrol and set himself ablaze. In doing so he lit a fire across the Arab world that blazes to this day. His act of self-immolation stirred protests ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mansa Musa

Birth:1232

Death:1337

King of Mali famous for his journey to Makkah World's richest person ever, many historians point to was a medieval African king. Munsa Musa of Mali, whose capital was Timbuktu, was worth an estimated $400bn (adjusted for inflation) thanks to his kingdom's vast reserves of ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Lamari

Birth:1939

Death:2012

Chief of Staff of the Algerian army during most of the Algerian Civil War The Army officers who demanded the annulment of parliamentary elections which would have seen the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) come to power, in 1992, Muhammad Lamari was prominent amongst them. He advocated ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Morsi

Birth:1951

Death:

Egypt's first democratically chosen president. Egypt's first democratically chosen president, Muhammad Morsi ends sixty years of military domination of politics and heralds historic moment in the new Arab awakening. His challenge is to restore the most populous and pivotal Arab country to re-occupy its place ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mahmoud El Gouhari

Birth:1938

Death:2012

Football coach Widely known figure in the history of Egyptian and African football, Mahmoud el-Gouhari rose to fame, as a coach, when he led Egypt to the 1990 World Cup. His career peaked with victory in the African Nations Cup in 1998. Described as the 'football general' ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mersad Berber

Birth:1940

Death:2012

Acclaimed Bosnian artist The extraordinary Bosnian artist Mersad Berber whose paintings reflecting the crimes of the Balkan won acclaim internationally. His international recognition chiefly as a graphic artist won a Gold Medal at the First International Exhibition of Graphic Arts in Trieste in 1971, the Grand ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Tahir UL Qadri

Birth:1951

Death:

A Sufi scholar A former professor of international constitutional law and a Sufi scholar Tahir ul-Qadri is the founder and Chairman of Minhaj-ul-Quran International, an education charity promoting religious tolerance. A Canadian national, hailing from Barelvi tradition of south Asian Islam, he emerged from nowhere ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mariam Farhat

Birth:1949

Death:2013

'Mother of Martyrs'. A Palestinian lawmaker known as the 'mother of martyrs' after three of her sons died in attacks against Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip was also known as Umm Nidal. Mariam Farhat was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006. Four years ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Zillur Rahman

Birth:1929

Death:2013

A former President of Bangladesh A former lawyer and historian and pioneer of Bangladeshi independence movement Zillur Rahman made his first public utterance in 1952 in defence of the Bengali language. He had played a crucial role for more than half his lifetime in preserving and ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mishal Husain

Birth:1973

Death:

British news presenter for the BBC One of the BBC's leading broadcast journalists, Mishal Husain was a global star even before she became a British one by joining the 'TODAY' programme. She was the BBC's first Washington-based news anchor, where she presented a nightly programme ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Malala Yousafzai

Birth:1997

Death:

A Pakistani school pupil and education activist. The Pakistani schoolgirl, Malala Yousafzai, shot by the Taliban has astonished the world with her courage and determination to fight for education and equal rights for women. There was her speech at the United Nations, delivered on her 16...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mohammadreza Mahdavi Kani

Birth:1931

Death:2014

Cleric who led the institution that chooses Iran's Supreme Leader. Cleric who headed Iran's most influential body charged with choosing or dismissing the nation's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mohammadreza Mahdavi Kani was the chairman of the Assembly of Experts - a body of 86 senior clerics that ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mustafa Hassan

Birth:1963

Death:

Aid worker A familiar sight to children playing in the dusty lanes of Jordan's Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps, Mustafa Hassan, an International Rescue Committee aid worker, from Sudan, is a calming presence amid the chaos and ravages of war. A father figure to the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mariem Hassan

Birth:1958

Death:2015

Great Sahrawi singer One of North Africa's great singers, Mariem Hassan used her powerful voice to publicise the plight of those who were forced to flee their homeland when Morocco took control of Western Sahara in 1975. She spent much of her life in the camps, ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed

Birth:1936

Death:2015

Chief minister of Indian-controlled Kashmir The chief minister of Indian-controlled Kashmir Mufti Mohammad Sayeed was well-known politician of India. India and Pakistan have long battled over control of Kashmir, the Himalayan region that has been divided between them since 1947. The Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Mohsin Ali

Birth:1923

Death:2015

Diplomatic editor of Reuters The long-time diplomatic editor of Reuters, Mohsin Ali who later on became a key member of London's The Times staff in Washington produced scoops for the global news agency as well as international analysis for its readers across the world. Joined ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Malick Sidibe

Birth:1936

Death:2016

Malian photographer Known as the 'eye of Bamako' Malick Sidibe's joyous black and white portraits showing Malian dancing carefree in the 1960s after the country claimed independence from France became celebrated around the world. When his work was shown at the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Muhammad Khan

Birth:1942

Death:2016

One of Egypt's leading film directors. One of Egypt's leading directors, Muhammad Khan whose films focussed on social ills and often featured feminist protagonists. While Muhammad Khan was not prominent beyond the Middle East, his neorealist films were both popular and critically acclaimed in the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Mostafa El Abbadi

Birth:1928

Death:2017

A prominent historian of Greco-Roman Egypt and an Egyptian public intellectual The universe of Mostafa el-Abbadi was the ancient Great Library of Alexandria, which had occupied his mind and heart since his student days. His dream of a new library — a modern version of the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan