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

Nawab Ali Yavar Jung Bahadur

Birth:1905

Death:1976

An administrator. Ali Yavar Jung was the Home Secretary in the last Asifjahi Nizam of Hyderabad, a princely state of British India. He also became the vice-chancellor of Osmania University and later, of Aligarh Muslim University. Ali Yavar Jung was India's ambassador in Argentina & Chile, ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin /Syed Abid Hussain Bilgrami

Nawab Asif Ud Daulah

Birth:1748

Death:1797

The ruler of Oudh, son of Nawab Shuja-ud-daula. A generous patron and accomplished Urdu poet. He made Lucknow his capital and constructed the famous Imam Bara where he was buried.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nuruddin Farah

Birth:1945

Death:

The Somalian writer and the first English language-author of his country. Farah's books debate the great themes - people versus the state, clan versus nationality, family versus the individual - the sort of writing that stirs heart and mind. His ninth novel, 'Links', begins and ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nazim Hikmet

Birth:1902

Death:1963

A Turkish Writer. While a student of economics in Moscow (1922-24) Hikmet joined the Communists party and after returning to Turkey, started writing avant-garde plays, novels and poetry and became Turkey's best known literary figure. He introduced free verse in Turkish poetry. Hikmet was imprisoned ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nazir Hussain

Birth:

Death:1902

The leader of the Ahl-e-Hadis, a branch of the Tariqah-i-Muhammadiyah, founded by Syed Ahmad Barelivi who was a disciple of Shah Waliullah. Nazir Hussain was educated at his hometown, Sadiqpur, Patna, India. In 1826 he came to Delhi and met Shah Abdul Aziz the eldest son ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nuruddin Abd Ar Rahman Jami

Birth:1414

Death:1492

The last of the great classical Persian poets. Jami Nuruddin was a mystic and belonged to the Naqshbandi Sufi order. The great part of his life was spent in Herat. He was the author of Yusuf and Zulaikha, Laila Majnun Three Diwans, Bahiristan, an imitation ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Necip Fazil Kisakurek

Birth:1905

Death:1983

A Turkish poet and writer. In his autobiography Ove ban (He and myself) Kisakurek described his encounter with a Naqshbandi order Shaikh who changed his life. Though committed to Islam, he never succeeded in abandoning his bohemian life-style.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Naguib Mahfouz

Birth:1911

Death:2006

The first Arab writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Writing from the age of 17, his first three novels - published in Arabic in 1939, 1943 and 1944 - were set in ancient Egypt, were followed by 10 more before the Egyptian revolution of July 1952. Some of Naguib's ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nabih Berri

Birth:1938

Death:

A Lebanese leader. He joined the movement of the dispossessed to achieve Muslim equality. After its military wing AMAL, which was headed by Nabih, drove the troops loyal to the President Amin Gemayel in 1984, he joined the cabinet. Backed by Syria, Amal was the main ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nabivey Rakhmon

Birth:1930

Death:

President of Tajikistan since 1991 after Tajikistan became independent of USSR. He was the deputy chairman of USSR council of ministers from 1973 to 1982.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nadim Ahmad

Birth:1681

Death:1730

A Turkish poet. He was Caliph Sultan Ahmad's friend thus his name Nadim (companion). He lived during the Tulip age of Ottoman history, so called because tulip growing had become a passion during this peaceful period of Ottoman history.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nader Shah

Birth:1687

Death:1747

Shahanshah of Iran The dizzying rise of Nader Shah from a shepherd's son to the throne, as Shahanshah (King of Kings) is an amazing story of warfare, intrigue and ambition. Nader Shah assisted Shah Tahmasp of Iran to regain his kingdom from the Afghan chief ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nafi Bin Al Azraq Al Hanfi Al Hanzali Abu Rashid

Birth:

Death:683

The founder of the Azraqi order, branch of the extreme Kharigis. He was killed in the battle of Dulab.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nahhas Pasha

Birth:1876

Death:1965

An Egyptian leader who figured dominantly in the Egyptian politics until the revolution of 1952. After World War I Nahhas Pasha joined the nationalist Wafd party and was its chairman in 1927. He was the prime minister of Egypt for five times, first in 1928 then again in 1929. ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Najaf Khan

Birth:1733

Death:1782

He recovered the city of Agra from the Jats in 1771 and was given the title of Zulfiqar uddaula, by Shah Alam. The Raja of Jaipur and other Hindu princes were his tributaries. Najaf Khan was born in Iran.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Najah

Birth:

Death:1060

Slave. The Ziyadid kingdom of Yemen at Zabid (819-1018) was divided between two slaves, Hafis and Najah. Najah took charge in 1022 and attained the recognition of the Abbasid Caliph and established his rule over Tihamah, which was known as the Najahid dynasty of Ethiopian Mamluks.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Najibullah Ahmadzai

Birth:1947

Death:1996

President of Afghanistan 1987.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Najmuddin Abdul Hasan Ali Bin Daud

Birth:1172

Death:1274

A famous jurisconsult, a good grammarian and a celebrated professor of the Hanfi sect in Ruknia College, Damascus. Najmuddin was born at Qahqar a place in Chaldea near Basra.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Najmuddin Kubra

Birth:1145

Death:1221

The founder of the Kubrawiyya order. Najmuddin was the author of many works in Arabic but he wrote Sifat al Adab in Persian. The main orders deriving from Najmuddin Kubra, were Firdawsiyya (Indian branch) Hamdaniyya (Kashmiri branch) Nuriyya (Baghdadi branch) and Rukniya (Khurransani branch). Najmuddin ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Naqshbandi Muhammad Bin Muhammad Bahauddin Al Bukhari

Birth:1317

Death:1389

The founder of the Naqshbandi order. Bahauddin went to Samarqand and then to Bukhara where he got married. During his travels he encountered a Turkish called Khalil, who eventually became Sultan Khalil of Trans Oxiana in 1340. After Khalil's fall in 1347, Bahauddin experienced a revulsion against ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Naseem Hamed

Birth:1974

Death:

Boxer. Naseem shot to prominence in the early 1990s and became famous for his limitless confidence for his boxing. He made his professional debut in 1992 and remained unbeaten until 2001 when he lost to Mexico's Marco Antonio Barrera. Naseem won the European bantamweight title and the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Naseruddin Qajar

Birth:1831

Death:1896

Shah of Qajar dynasty of Iran from 1843 to 1896. Naseruddin inherited the throne after the death of his father in 1848, and introduced reforms under the able guidance of his prime minister Mirza Taqi Khan. But Taqi Khan was later disgraced and murdered due to the influence ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nasiruddin Qabbacha

Birth:

Death:1225

The ruler of Sindh. Nasiruddin Qabacha was the governor, appointed by Shahabuddin Muhammad Ghori in 1203, but declared himself independent in 1210. He twice repulsed the attacks of Tajuddin Elduz of Ghanzi, but could not defeat Altamish and perished in sea while trying to escape.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nasr Ibn Sayyar

Birth:663

Death:748

Governor of Kharasan from 738 to 748 under the Ummayad caliphs. He served under caliph al Malik, Hishamal Walid II and Yazid III. He introduced the system of land taxation for Muslims and poll taxes for non-Muslims.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nasser Hussain

Birth:1968

Death:

Skipper of English cricket team. He was born in Madras, India, of an Indian father and English mother.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nawab Bahadur Yarjung

Birth:1905

Death:1943

Born in a rich family, (Hyderabad, India), he devoted himself for the betterment of Muslims.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nazia Hassan

Birth:1965

Death:2000

Asian pop queen. Nazia a singer of nasal quality and rare expressiveness pioneered the disco revolution in the Indian sub-continent film music and in young British Asians pop scene in the 1980s. She shot into prominence in her successful album, Disco Deewane (1981) with its racy ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nazim Al Qudsi

Birth:1906

Death:1998

A Syrian statesman. Qudsi was the most important political leader to emerge from Aleppo, a major city of Syria, which, for generations, had sat astride the trade route from Europe to Asia. It was Qudsi's enduring ambition to bring about a 'fertile crescent' union of ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nazim Yahaya

Birth:1649

Death:1726

Turkey's religious poet. His forte was na't, devotional hymns.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nazir Akbarabadi

Birth:c1730

Death:1830

An Urdu poet. Nazir Akbarabadi wrote poems on different subjects like Hindu's festival of Holi, Diwali, Dasehra etc., and also composed a Tarjiband in Urdu on the pindnama of Saadi. He was a true poet of the common folks. Nazir Akbarabadi was born Shaikh Wali ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nesri Husayin Ibn Eyne Beg

Birth:

Death:c1520

An Ottoman historian. Nesri's Jahan Nama or Cihan Numa was a universal history and its sixth part was the longest section, which dealt with Ottoman dynasty. Nesri also prepared an almanac to provide the court with astrological information, which contained a list of historical events.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nimat Allah Kirmani

Birth:

Death:1431

The founder of a Sufi order in Iran in the 14th century, that shifted its centre to India in the 15th century.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nasreddin Hodja

Birth:

Death:c1284

The centrepiece of Turkish folk stories. Nasreddin Hodja or Molla Nasruddin believed to have lived during the reign of Timurlane. Second view, however, was that he was a contemporary of Alauddin Seljuqi (13th century). The number of the stories of his adventures, wit and follies ...

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

Niyaz Fatahpuri

Birth:1884

Death:1966

Journalist and publisher. Niyaz started publishing the famous magazine Nigar from Bhopal in February 1922, and later on from different places, which continued for forty-two long years without missing a single issue. The magazine, he named, after the Turkish poetess Nigar Bint Usman. Niyaz migrated to ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nizami Ganjavi

Birth:1141

Death:1209

Author Nizami authored five titles Laila wa Majnun, Khusro wa Shirin, Haft Paikar, Sikander Nama and Makhazan ul Asrar. These poems were together called Khamsa Nizami. His Diwan contained nearly 20,000 verses on all subjects. Nizamuddin was a native of Ganja.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nizamuddin Aulia

Birth:1236

Death:1325

The founder of Silsila-e-Nizamia. Khawaja Nizamuddin Aulia was the founder of Silsila-e-Nizamia a branch of Chistiya order. Nizamuddin Aulia was one of the most famous Sufi saints of India and was a follower of Khawaja Moinuddin Chisti (1141 - 1236), one of the most outstanding figures in ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nizam-U-Mulk Asaf Jah

Birth:1671

Death:1748

The favourite Turkman Nabob of Emperor Aurangzeb. Farukhsiyar made him the governor of Deccan. Muhammad Shah offered him the post of prime minister but Nizamul Mulk was fed up of the intrigues in the Mughal Darbar and marched off to Deccan where he governed for ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nizar Qabbani

Birth:1923

Death:1998

A Syrian poet and diplomat. Nizar Qabbani's verses on love and life inspired generations of Arabs. 'His poetry was more powerful than all the Arab regimes put together, although it entailed only moral power'. Nizar authored Childhood of a Breast (1954), a collection of poems that ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Noor Jehan

Birth:1926

Death:2001

Singer and actress. Pakistan's popularly acclaimed the 'queen of melody' who made many films and sung around 20,000 numbers during her career, many were hits, that lasted more than half a century. Her music provided a common bridge and a platform for the shared cultural heritage ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Noureddine Morceli

Birth:1970

Death:

An Algerian athlete. In 1992, he broke the world record in 1500 meters race by running the distance in 3 minutes 28.2 seconds.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nural Hilmi Burhanuddin Bin Muhammad

Birth:1911

Death:1969

A Malaysian nationalist leader. He went to India in 1928 and attended Aligarh Muslim University and came in touch with leading Muslim leaders there. After his return, he started a Madrasa in Singapore and was a member of Young Malay Union. During the Japanese occupation of ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nureddin Kianouri

Birth:1912

Death:1999

Activist of the communist movement; Tudeh, in Iran. He died of a heart attack in Tehran.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nuri As Said

Birth:1888

Death:1958

An Iraqi leader and prime minister for fourteen times. In 1909 when Iraq was a province of the Ottoman Empire, Nuri was commissioned in the Turkish Army and participated in the First World War against the British. When British captured Nuri in 1916 he then joined the ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nurjahan Begum

Birth:1574

Death:1646

Nurjahan's father Mirza Ghiyasuddin came to India from Iran. She was married at an early age to Quli Khan entitled Sher Afgan. At the behest of Jahangir, Sher Afgan was killed and Nurjahan was brought to the imperial court four years later. At the age ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nursultan Nazarbayev

Birth:1940

Death:

President of Kazakhstan over 16 years who bent the Central Asian nation. Nursultan who, in 2005, won a crushing re-election as president of Kazakhstan, for another seven-year term, is a man with ambitions as big as his sprawling country and who has bent his country of 15 million ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nuruddin Muhammad Zangi

Birth:1117

Death:1173

The son of Imad Uddin Zangi, the ruler of Syria. After his father's death in 1146 he took control of Syria, while Iraq fell to the elder brother Saifuddin. The earlier exploits of the reign of Nuruddin were in continuance of the Holy war, which his ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nurul Haq Shah

Birth:

Death:1662

The son of Abdul Haq bin Saifuddin of Delhi and was the author of Zubdatul Tawarikh.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Birth:1948

Death:1997

The Shahen-shah-e-qawwali from Pakistan. Qawwali, a version of devotional music, was established in the Indian sub-continent at the end of 13th century. Nusrat came from a line of Qawwals stretching back over 600 years. Nusrat's implacable power of the voice could rend the soul even as ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nuruddin Pasha

Birth:1873

Death:

Governor. Nuruddin was the son of Field Marshal Ibrahim Pasha who was educated in England and was an active member of the Young Turks Party. He defeated General Townsed of Britain in 1914 in Iraq. He was governor of Samarna.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nawal El Saadawi

Birth:1930

Death:

An Egyptian feminist and activist. Arab world's most influential and polemical feminist thinkers Nawal el Saadawi enjoys a status among progressives. Her polemics against the position of women in the Middle East are couched in a wider analysis of the role that western imperialism and ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nawaz Sharif

Birth:1949

Death:

Politician. Emerged on Pakistan's political scene during 1980s, Nawaz Sharif's first term as prime minister (1990-93) was halted when he was accused of corruption by the country's president. He got into fights with anyone who stood in his way, including the President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nawab Shuja Uddaula

Birth:1731

Death:1775

The Nawab of Oudh. Nawab Shuja Uddaula who enthroned Oudh, in 1753, was present in the famous battle of Panipat in 1761 that was fought between the Marathas and Ahmad Shah Abdali. Nawab Shuja Uddaula was appointed Wazir of Shah Alam, Emperor of Delhi, and who was ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nawab Sikandar Begum

Birth:1817

Death:1868

Begum of Bhopal After the demise of her husband in 1844, Sikandar Begum was appointed the regent of her young daughter, Shahjahan Begum. Sikandar Begum ruled Bhopal the second biggest Muslim princely state of British India. Sikandar Begum, the Nawab of Bhopal, who ruled for about ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nawab Sirajuddaula

Birth:1737

Death:1757

Nawab of Bengal, India. Nawab Sirajuddaula was the nephew and son-in-law of Aliwardi Khan, Governor of Bengal. He succeeded to the throne in 1756. Clive defeated him in the battle of Plassey, aided by the treachery of Mir Jaffar. He attacked Calcutta in 1756 and had 146 Europeans ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nasiruddin Subaktagin

Birth:941

Death:997

According to some historians he was purchased as a slave by Alaptagin Sultan of Ghazni and was raised to the throne of Ghazni after the death of the son of Alaptagin in 977. He conquered a part of India, which extended his kingdom up to Punjab. ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Naim Suleymanoglu

Birth:1967

Death:

A Turk, known as the king of Weight lifting. He had won altogether 16 Gold medals at World Championships. By winning the Gold medal in Atlanta Olympics (1996) he became the only lifter in the history to bag 3 consecutive Olympics gold medals.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan

Birth:1914

Death:1944

Hers is a remarkable chapter in the history of Muslims in Britain. Noor-un-Nisa was the daughter of an Indian sufi shaikh, poet and musician, Pir Inayat Khan (1882 - 1927) and the great-great-great granddaughter of Tippu Sultan, the legendary 'Tigore of Mysore'. Her mother was a Scottish-Irish ...

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Compiled by:M. A. Sherif

Naseem Bano

Birth:1916

Death:2002

Bollywood first female superstar known as 'beauty queen' or Pari Chehra. Naseem entry to the movies was accidental when she visited Bombay and was offered a role in Hamlet, which made her an overnight sensation. She shot Khoon ka Khoon, President, Divorce, Khan Bahadur, Meetha ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Haroon Ashraf

Nasar Asmim

Birth:

Death:

He was the first man to introduce diacritical marks in the Qur'an, by order of Khalifa Usman.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nasiruddin Muhtashim

Birth:

Death:

He was the person in whose name Khawaja Nasiruddin Tusi wrote the famous book called Akhlaq Nasiri.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nawal Al Metawakil

Birth:1962

Death:

A Moroccan athlete. Nawal was the first Muslim woman to win an Olympic gold medal in 400 meters hurdles in 54.61 seconds in 1984.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nazik Al Malaika

Birth:1923

Death:2007

A widely known poet in Arab world One of Arab world's most famous poets, al-Malaika was an early exponent of the free verse movement in Arabic. She was one of a small group of Iraqi poets who broke away from classical Arab poetry, with rigid ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Niyamat Khan

Birth:1670

Death:1742

commonly known as Sadarang, he introduced khayal in Indian vocal music during the reign of Muhammad Shah Rangeela in 1719 -1748.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nizam Al Mulk

Birth:1017

Death:1092

The famous Wazir of Sultan Alp Arslan, second king of the Seljuqs. Nizamul Mulk served as a minister to Arslan and his son for thirty long years. He was a classmate of Umar Khayyam. Nizalmul Mulk authored the famous book Siyasat-nama. But he will be ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nooruddeen Hathoom

Birth:1919

Death:2000

Historian Prof Hathoom a noted Syrian historian left behind an encyclopaedia of history, several translations and more than 30 books on Arab and European history.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nazer Muhammad Rashid

Birth:1910

Death:1975

An Urdu poet, known for his free-verse and authored two collections namely Mawra and Iran Men-Ajnabi. He also Worked for UNESCO.

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nawab Mir Yusuf Ali Khan Salarjang

Birth:1889

Death:1949

Prime Minister of British princely state of Hyderabad. Nawab Salarjung museum, he being an art collector, had one of the largest individual collections in the world, with 40,000 pieces stacked in 78 rooms. The Museum was nationalised in 1961 by the Indian government and it was moved to ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nizami Uruzi

Birth:12th century

Death:

His full name was Nizami Uruzi Samarqandi and Chahar Maqala was his most famous work in Persian, written in 1156, which discussed about the perfect secretary, poet, astrologer and physician (four discourses)

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan / Ghulam Mohiuddin

Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan

Birth:1918

Death:2003

The politician who battled for democracy against Pakistan's authoritarian governments. Nawabzada was a consistent voice of dissent and a crusading democrat against authoritarian government throughout the history of Pakistan. He had uncanny ability to unite diverse parties around the fundamentals of the rule of law. ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nadeem Aslam

Birth:1966

Death:

Novelist. Nadeem had his first short story published in Urdu in a Pakistani newspaper when he was only 13. His debut novel, Seasons of the Rainbirds (1993), set in rural Pakistan, won the Betty Trask and the Author's Club Best First Novel awards, and was shortlisted for ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nuha Al Radi

Birth:1941

Death:2004

Iraqi ceramist and painter committed to her beloved country. Al-Radi was a versatile artiste whose ceramics, sculptures and paintings were shown throughout the Arab world and in the west. But it was as a critic of sanctions, war and occupation - 'humiliation' - that she ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Naushad Ali

Birth:1919

Death:2006

One of Bollywood's best-known music maestro. Naushad's first independent break was in Prem Nagar (1940) and Rattan (1944) catapulted him to the top but by Mughal-e-Azam (1960) - particularly the two songs by noted classical singer Bade Ghulam Ali Khan - he was crowned to be the greatest ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nasrat Parsa

Birth:1969

Death:2005

Afghan pop star singer Nasrat had a large fan base in both his native country and its diaspora with his classical Afghan music in his repertoire with his pop songs. In 1981, at the height of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Parsa's family left for Pakistan ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nishat Khan

Birth:1960s

Death:

India's Sitar player Nishat Khan has been consistently brilliant, intensely innovative and shown formidable range - his tanns in Raah Hameer further showcase his range. For him, the sitar is both a lover to be treated gently and an adversary to be conquered, but respectfully. ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nurcholish Madjid

Birth:1939

Death:2005

Indonesian scholar who was instrumental in persuading President Suharto to step down. In 1998, when Jakarta was rocked by anti-Suharto demonstrations Madjid visited the general at the presidential palace and told him it was time to leave - next day President Suharto announced his resignation. Soft-spoken ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nasreen Huq

Birth:1959

Death:2006

Bangladeshi women's activist Nasreen who was hit by a vehicle in Dhaka and died of her wound worked as director of the British charity, Action Aid, in Bangladesh. She focused her efforts on relieving poverty, championing the disabled, supporting communities affected by HIV/AIDS, and ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nadia Yassin

Birth:1958

Death:

A feminist out to tackle Moroccan taboos. Nadia, daughter of Moroccan's main opposition leader, runs the women's section of al-adl wal-Ihsan (Justice and Charity), an association that is tolerated by the government although not allowed to operate as a political party. She condemns her country's ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Noor Hassanali

Birth:1918

Death:2006

President of Trinidad and Tobago Second president (1987-97) of Trinidad and Tobago, after its independence (1962), Noor Hassanali was the first Muslim and its first of Indian origin, who saw off a coup and calmed the islands' racial and religious tensions. The islands' racial and religious ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nisar Bazmi

Birth:1925

Death:2007

One of Pakistan's most iconic musicians In his music career spanning 60 years Nisar Bazmi produced a number of instant hits and was responsible for the success of many star singers - Ahmed Rushdi's 'Kuchh loag rooth kar bhi', Noor Jehan's 'Abhi dhoond hi rahi thi', ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nadir Ali

Birth:1935

Death:

Stories writer Punjabi literature around which Nadir Ali revolves writes poetry and fiction and attends gathering called the Sangeet. During his spell with Pakistan army where he rose to the position of colonel he witnessed with his own eyes the brutal debacle in 1971 in what ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nouri Al Maliki

Birth:1950

Death:

Exile returned to rise to power Nouri al-Maliki fled Iraq in 1979 to escape Saddam's henchmen, who he believed had orders to execute him. For the next 24 years, al-Maliki remained an exiled dissident, travelling between Jordan, Syria and Iran. He settled first in Amman and then ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Natalia Khussainovna Estemirova

Birth:1959

Death:2009

Russia's human rights activist A researcher for the highly respected human rights organisation Memorial, Natalya Estemirova contributed to a Human Rights Watch report that accused Chechen government of burning more than two dozen homes in punitive attacks against the families of suspected rebels. Her determined ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nassima El Hor

Birth:

Death:

Moroccan mediator on television. In her primetime show, families and friends torn apart by problems - drugs, domestic violence, gambling - are very publicly reconciled by Nassima el Hor on Moroccan TV. Nassima heads a new TV show whose format of bringing together warring friends ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nasr Abu Zayd

Birth:1944

Death:2010

The Egyptian scholar who was declared an apostate for challenging mainstream Muslim views. Dr. Abu Zayd's liberal, critical approach to Islamic teachings angered some Muslim conservatives in Egypt in the 1990s. He further argued that the Qur'an was both a literary and religious text, a ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Necmettin Erbakan

Birth:1926

Death:2011

Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan served as prime minister of Turkey only a year before he was forced to stand down in 1997 by his country's staunchly secular military. His Welfare Party was banned in 1998, while Necmettin Erbakan was barred from politics for five years for ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nasser Hejazi

Birth:1949

Death:2011

Iranian soccer legend One of Iran's most beloved athletes Nasser Hejazi was a goalkeeper for the Tehran-based Esteghlal football team for almost two decades. In the soccer-crazed country such as Iran many considered him as a soccer legend. He played for his country on sixty-two ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Neslisah Sultan

Birth:1921

Death:2012

The oldest member of the former Ottoman Empire The oldest member of the dynasty that ruled the former Ottoman Empire Neslisah Sultan was the granddaughter of the last Ottoman sultan, Mehmed VI. She was the last member of the Ottoman dynasty to be born before ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz

Birth:1934

Death:2012

Saudi Crown Prince Prince Nayef had been interior minister since 1975, controlling both the police and the interior intelligence apparatus. His ministry controlled a paramilitary force of about 130,000 men, the secret security services, all national and local police officers, customs and immigration, the coast guard and ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat

Birth:1931

Death:2015

Malaysian spiritual leader A leader of the Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat who helped to keep his party in an opposition alliance was a man of humble lifestyle. He joined PAS in 1967 and served as a federal lawmaker for 19 years. ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan

Naaz Coker

Birth:1948

Death:2015

[Birth year to be confirmed] Naaz Coker will be particularly remembered by British Muslims for leading the Muslim Council of Britain's Leadership Development Programme, which, since 2003, has inspired men and women to excel and give service to the public good. Naaz Coker's career in the ...

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Compiled by:Source: mcb.org.uk

Nabil Maleh

Birth:1936

Death:2016

Father of Syrian cinema By using social realism Nabil Maleh challenged authority and was acclaimed as the father of Syrian cinema. His first feature film 'The Leopard' (1972) based on a novel of a Syrian author won first prize at the Locarno Film Festival that year. ...

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Compiled by:M. Nauman Khan