List of Muslim military leaders

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

Muslim military leaders[]

  • Muhammad (Arabic: مُحَمَّد‎, pronounced [muˈħammad];c. 570 CE – 8 June 632 CE) was a prophet, Arab religious, social, and political leader. During his military career, he led many major battles including Battle of Badr, Battle of Uhud, Battle of Khandaq and Conquest of Mecca to name a few.
  • Ali (Arabic: عَلِيّ ٱبْن أَبِي طَالِب‎, ʿAlīy ibn ʾAbī Ṭālib; 13 September 601 – 29 January 661), was the fourth Rashidun caliph, also known as Asadullah (Arabic: أَسَدُ ٱلله‎) or Haydar was a cousin, son-in-law and companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Ali is considered to be one of the greatest and one of the most valiant muslim warriors. Muhammed gave him the famous Zulfiqar, the unbeaten two bladed sword. Ali took part in almost all the battles fought by the nascent Muslim community. His contributions in the Battle of Khyber and the Battle of Badr are very well known.
  • Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib was a foster brother, companion and paternal uncle of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was Martyred in the Battle of Uhud on 22 March 625 (3 Shawwal 3 hijri). His kunyas were "Abū ʿUmārah"[1]: 2  (أَبُو عُمَارَةَ) and "Abū Yaʿlā"[1]: 3  (أَبُو يَعْلَىٰ). He had the by-names Asad Allāh[1]: 2  (أَسَد ٱللَّٰه, "Lion of God") and Asad al-Jannah (أَسَد ٱلْجَنَّة, "Lion of Heaven"), and Muhammad gave him the posthumous title Sayyid ash-Shuhadāʾ (سَيِّد ٱلشُّهَدَاء).
  • Khalid ibn al-Walid, also known as “The Sword of Allah”, was an Arab Muslim commander who was in the service of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the caliphs Abu Bakr (r. 632–634) and Umar (r. 634–644). He played a leading role in the Ridda wars against rebel tribes in Arabia in 632–633 and the early Muslim conquests of Sasanian Iraq in 633–634 and Byzantine Syria in 634–638.
  • Abu Bakr (Arabic: أَبُو بَكْرٍ عَبْدُ ٱللهِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ ابي قحافة‎; c. 573 CE – 23 August 634 CE)[note 1] was the senior companion and was, through his daughter Aisha,[1] a father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as well as the first caliph of Islam. He was the first to claim himself to be a Rightly Guided Caliph.
  • Umar (Arabic: عمر بن الخطاب‎; c. 583/584 – 3 November 644), also known as Umar or Omar, was the second Rashidun caliph. He was one of the most powerful and influential Muslim caliphs in history. He was a senior companion and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He succeeded Abu Bakr (632–634) as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate on 23 August 634.
  • Uthman (Arabic: عثمان بن عفان‎, romanized: ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān; c. 573/576 – 17 June 656), also spelled by the Turkish and Persian rendering Osman, was a second cousin, son-in-law and notable companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as well as the third of the Rāshidun, or "Rightly Guided Caliphs". Born into a prominent Meccan clan, Banu Umayya of the Quraysh tribe, he played a major role in early Islamic history, and is known for having ordered the compilation of the standard version of the Quran.[6] When Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab died in office aged 59/60 years, Uthman, aged 64/65 years, succeeded him and was the second-oldest to rule as Caliph.
  • Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas was one of the companions of the Islamic prophet. Saʿd was reportedly the seventh[2] person to embrace Islam, which he did at the age of seventeen. He is mainly known for his commandership in the Battle of al-Qadisiyyah and in the conquest of Persia in 636, his governorship over Persia, and his diplomatic sojourns to China in 651.
  • Amr ibn al-As was the Arab commander who led the Muslim conquest of Egypt and served as its governor in 640–646 and 658–664.


  • Abdallah ibn Sa'd, during his time as governor of Egypt (646 CE to 656 CE), Abdallah ibn Sa'd built a strong Arab navy. Under his leadership the Muslim navy won a number of victories including its first major naval battle against the Byzantine emperor Constans II at the Battle of the Masts in 654 CE.

8th century[]

  • Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik, was an Umayyad prince and one of the most prominent Arab generals of the early decades of the 8th century, leading several campaigns against the Byzantine Empire and the Khazar Khaganate. He achieved great fame especially for leading the second Arab siege of the Byzantine capital Constantinople.
  • Sa'id ibn Abd al-Malik, also known as Sa'id al-Khayr (Sa'id the Good) was an Umayyad Prince, Governor and Military leader.
  • Tariq ibn-Ziyad d.720: An Amazigh (Berber) general who converted to Islam after the Arab conquest,he was a governor in tangier (city in morocco), he later led the Muslim army which conquered Hispania.
  • Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi: A Spanish Umayyad general born in Yemen who fought Charles Martel twice in France in the battles of Tours and Narbonne, and was defeated in both engagements.
  • Maslama ibn Hisham, also known as Abu Shakir, was an Umayyad prince and Military commander.
  • Sulayman ibn Hisham, was an Arab general, the son of the Umayyad Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik (r. 723–743). He is known for his participation in the expeditions against the Byzantines.
  • Zaid ibn Ali: An Arab who fought the Banu Umayyad.
  • Muhammad bin Qasim: 695–715: An early Arab General who captured Sind and Multan and parts of Punjab in Pakistan.
  • Isma'il ibn Jafar: An Arab who fought the Banu Umayyad.
  • Marwan II Last Umayyad Caliph and a military leader
  • Qutaibah bin Muslim: An Arab Muslim general who captured Transoxiana.
  • Abdallah ibn Ali, Abbasid General and Governor of Syria.
  • Salih ibn Ali, Abbasid General and Provincial Governor.
  • Abu Muslim, the Abbasid general, Governor of Khorasan under As-Saffah.
  • As-Saffah Abbasid Caliph, founder of Abbasid Dynasty and a military leader.
  • Al-Mansur Abbasid Caliph and a powerful military leader.
  • Al-Mahdi Abbasid Caliph and a powerful military leader.
  • Abd al-Malik ibn Salih, (died 812) was a member of the Cadet branch of Abbasid dynasty who served as general and governor in Syria and Egypt. He distinguished himself in several raids against the Byzantine Empire.
  • Idris I of Morocco, founder of the Idrisid dynasty.

9th century[]

  • Al-Amin Abbasid Caliph and a military leader.
  • Al-Abbas ibn al-Ma'mun Famous Abbasid Prince and a military leader.
  • Al-Mu'tasim Abbasid Caliph and the powerful military leader.
  • Al-Muwaffaq Abbasid Prince and a talented military leader, brother of Caliph Al-Mu'tamid.
  • Al-Mu'tadid Abbasid Caliph and a powerful military leader (892-902).
  • Tahir ibn Husayn d.822: A soldier of the Abbasid Empire.
  • Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Hashimi, known as Burayh was an Abbasid Military leader in 9th century involved in the defense of Basra during the Zanj rebellīon war, and later served as a governor of Mecca.

10th century[]

  • Mahmud of Ghazni 971–1030: Ruler of Ghazni. Conquered the temple of Somnath.
  • Abd al-Rahman III 8th Umayyad Emir of Córdoba.
  • Jawhar as-Siqilli: A commander of Fatimid forces, he founded Cairo and built Al-Azhar Mosque.
  • Ziri ibn Manad Founder of Zirid Dynasty who played a major part in defeating the rebellion of Abu Yazid, he also killed caliph Ibn Wasul of Sijilmasa
  • Abdallah Ibn Yasin, was a Moroccan theologian, founder and first leader of the Almoravid movement and dynasty.

11th century[]

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

12th century[]

Saladin and Guy of Lusignan after Battle of Hattin
  • Muhammad of Ghor
  • Nur ad-Din Zangi 1118–1174: A Syrian ruler and military leader who fought in the Crusades.
  • Ṣalaḥ ad-Dīn Yusuf bin Ayyub 1137-1193: He unified Egypt, Syria, and Palestine under his rule, led the Muslims to victory at the Battle of Hattin and was able to reclaim several cities from the Crusaders, especially Jerusalem.
  • Saif ad-Din Ghazi I: A leader during the crusades.
  • Al-Muqtafi Abbasid Caliph of Baghdad and a military leader.
  • Al-Nasir Abbasid Caliph and a military leader.
  • Abd Al-Mu'min The first caliph of Almohad Caliphate, who defeated the Almoravids and also brought the Maghreb and Al Andalus under one creed and government
  • Yaghmurasen Ibn Zyan Founder of the Zayyanid dynasty Yaghmurasan ben Ziyan ben Thabet ben Mohamed ben Zegraz ben Tiddugues ben Taaullah ben Ali ben Abd al-Qasem ben Abd al-Wad) was the founder of the Zayyanid dynasty. Under his reign the Zayyanid Kingdom of Tlemcen extended over present-day north-western Algeria.
  • Abu Yusuf Yaqub ibn Abd al-Haqq Sultan of the Marinid dynasty of Morocco defeated the Spanish in the Battle of Écija (1275).

13th century[]

  • Ertuğrul Gazi: Father of Osman I, leader of the Kayi tribe and the Margrave or uch bey in the service of Sultanate of Rum.He was the conqueror and the ruler of Söğüt he also conquered Karacahisar Castle and gave tough time to mongols and byzantines
  • Osman Ghazi I: The Son of Ertuğrul Gazi, The founder and the first sultan of the Ottoman Empire. who defeated Byzantine Empire and Mongols he conquered Bilecik, yenişehir, and Inegöl.
  • Qutb-ud-din Aybak: He built the Qutub Minar.
  • Az-Zahir Abbasid Caliph and a military leader.
  • Jalal ad-Din Mingburnu: The last Khwarzmian, He Defeated the mongols in the battle of parwan and the father of Qutuz.
  • Al-Nasir Abbasid Caliph and a military leader.
  • Shams ud-Din Iltutmish: He conquered Multan and Bengal from contesting rulers, and Ranthambhore and Siwalik from their rulers.
  • Shah Jalal: Known to have propagated Islam into north-eastern Bengal after a long history of travel between the Middle East, Persia, Central Asia and South Asia.
  • Razia Sultana: Turkish princess who ruled the Delhi Sultanate in modern-day India.
  • Mu'in ad-Din Unur
  • Al-Kamil: A Sunni Kurd leader.
  • Baibars: The fourth Sultan of Egypt in the Mamluk Bahri dynasty, he fought Crusaders and Mongols.
  • Saif ad-Din Qutuz: fought Crusaders and Mongols.
  • Qalawun: fought Crusaders.
  • Khalil
  • Ghiyas ud din Balban
  • Ala ud din Khilji: A Turko-Afghan king who fought the Mongols.
  • Amir Timur:The conqueror and founder of the great Timurid Dynasty
  • Berke Khan: A ruler of the Golden Horde. he was a grandson of Genghis Khan and a Mongolian military commander and ruler of the Golden Horde (division of the Mongol Empire)[1] who effectively consolidated the power of the Blue Horde and White Horde[2] from 1257 to 1266. He was responsible for the first official establishment of Islam in a khanate of the Mongol Empire.
  • Aybak: The founder of the Mamluk Dynasty.
  • Ala ad-Din Kay Qubadh I: The 11th ruler of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum who fought the Byzantines and Mongols.
  • Orhan Ghazi: Son of Osman I and the second bey of the Ottoman Empire, He extended the Ottoman territory to Europe.

14th century[]

  • Murad I (Ottoman Turkish: مراد اول‎; Turkish: I. Murad, Murad-ı Hüdavendigâr (nicknamed Hüdavendigâr, from Persian: خداوندگار‎, romanized: Khodāvandgār, lit. 'the devotee of God' – meaning "sovereign" in this context); 29 June 1326 – 15 June 1389) was the Ottoman Sultan from 1362 to 1389. He was a son of Orhan Gazi and Nilüfer Hatun. Murad I came into the throne after his elder brother Süleyman Pasha's death.
  • Bayezid I: The Fourth Sultan of Ottoman empire and The victor at the Battle of Nicopolis
  • Zheng He 1371–1433: A Chinese mariner, explorer and admiral who was born into a Muslim family but embraced a broader ranging religious faith later.
Sultan Mehmed II's entry into Constantinople

15th century[]

  • Oruç Reis (Ottoman Turkish: عروج ريس; Spanish: Aruj; c. 1474–1518) was an Ottoman seaman, who became bey (governor) of Algiers, beylerbey (chief governor) of the West Mediterranean, and admiral of the Ottoman Empire. The elder brother of the famous Ottoman admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa, he was born on the Ottoman island of Midilli (Lesbos in present-day Greece) and died in battle against the Spanish at Tlemcen in the Ottoman Eyalet of Algeria.
  • Hayreddin Barbarossa (Arabic: خير الدين بربروس‎, romanized: Khayr al-Din Barbarus, original name Khiḍr; Turkish: Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa), also known as Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis (c. 1466/1478 – 4 July 1546), was an Ottoman corsair and later admiral of the Ottoman Navy.[1] Barbarossa's naval victories secured Ottoman dominance over the Mediterranean during the mid 16th century.
  • Zahiruddin Babur: Conqueror of India and founder of the powerful Mughal Empire.
  • Shah Ismail I of Persia: the founder of the Safavid dynasty of Iran, ruling from 1501 to 23 May 1524 as shah (king).
  • Selim I: Also known as "Yavuz Sultan Selim Khan", he was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire and Ottoman Caliph.On the eve of his death in 1520, the Ottoman Empire spanned about 3,400,000 km2 (1,300,000 sq mi), having grown by seventy percent during Selim's reign.
  • Mehmed II: Also known as "Mehmed the Conqueror", he captured the Byzantine stronghold of Constantinople.
  • Sharifa Fatima: A female Zaidi chieftain of Yemen, she conquered Sa'dah.
  • Ahmad al-Mansur: was Sultan of the Saadi dynasty of Morocco that defeated the Songhai Empire.
  • Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik I Saadi: was Sultan of the Saadi dynasty of Morocco that defeated the Portuguese army at the Battle of Alcácer Quibir.

16th century[]

Suleiman with army
  • Bairam Khan: The Regent and military leader of the Mughal Empire
  • Dragut: also known as "The Drawn Sword of Islam", Ottoman Naval Commander, Beylerbey, and famed Corsair
  • Humayun: Second Mughal emperor.
  • Isa Khan Niazi: Commander of Sher Shah Suri.
  • Malik Ambar: An Ethiopian slave who became a general and challenged the might of the Mughal army.
  • Sayyed Mahmud Khan: A Commander–in– Chief of the Mughal Empire.
  • Sher Shah Suri: Founder the short-lived Sur Dynasty.
  • Suleiman the Magnificent: Suleiman I (Ottoman Turkish: سليمان اول‎, romanized: Süleyman-ı Evvel; Turkish: I. Süleyman; 6 November 1494 – 6 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the West and Suleiman the Lawgiver (Ottoman Turkish: قانونى سلطان سليمان‎, romanized: Ḳānūnī Sulṭān Süleymān) in his realm, was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1520 until his death in 1566
  • Tahmasp I: He ensured the survival of the Saffavids of Persia.
  • Abbas I of Persia: was the 5th Safavid Shah (king) of Iran and is generally considered the strongest ruler of the Safavid dynasty.
  • Sharif ibn Ali Founder of the Alaouite dynasty of Morocco.

17th century[]

  • Murad IV: Rejuvenated the Ottoman Empire with reforms and reconquered the city of Yerevan and Baghdad.
  • Aurangzeb: Also known as Aurangzeb Alamgir, he was the 6th Mughal Emperor who expanded the Mughal Empire to its largest extent.
  • Zulfiqar Khan Nusrat Jung: Son of a renowned nobleman of Emperor Aurangzeb. He held several appointments under Emperor Aurangzeb in the Mughal Empire.
  • Mohammed ben Abdallah: Sultan of Morocco took part during Siege of Melilla (1774).
  • Daud Khan Panni: He was a Mughal commander, Nawab of the Carnatic and later Viceroy of Deccan. The Emperor Aurangzeb appointed him as a leading commander of the Mughal Army in 1701, while Zulfikhar Ali Khan was the Nawab.

18th century[]

  • Nadir Shah 1688–1747: Also known as Nadir Qoli Beg and Tahmasp-Qoli Khan, he was Shah of Iran and a military leader.
  • Ahmad Shah Durrani 1722–1772: He was the founder of the Durrani dynasty and is regarded as the founder of the modern state of Afghanistan. He is best known for his victory against the Maratha at the Battle of Panipat (1761).
  • Muhammad IV of Morocco: Sultan of Morocco who took part in the 19th-century Hispano-Moroccan War.
  • Hyder Ali 1722–1782
  • Imam Shamil 1797–1871: An Avar (from modern-day Dagestan) who is considered both a political and religious leader for Chechens, Dagestanis, and Caucasians.
  • Tipu Sultan 1750–1799): Better known as the Tiger of Mysore, Tipu was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He directed Mysorean military operations against rival Indian powers and the East India Company during the second half of the 18th century.
  • Lalla Fatma N'Soumer An important figure in North African history who fought against the French.

19th century[]

20th century[]

  • Abdulaziz al-Saud, also known as Ibn Saud was the founder of Saudi Arabia, the third Saudi Empire. He was King of Saudi Arabia from 23 September 1932 to his death. He had ruled parts of the kingdom as early as 1902, having previously been Emir, Sultan, and King of Nejd and King of Hejaz. He was an Arab Military leader. He Conquered Kingdom of Hejaz in 1925.
  • Allama Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938): He was a poet, philosopher and politician of South Asia the visionary of a separate state for the Muslims of British-ruled India. He is the national poet of Pakistan
  • Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1887–1948): served as the leader of the Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pakistan on 14 August 1947, and then as the Dominion of Pakistan's first Governor-General until his death. He is revered in Pakistan as the Quaid-i-Azam "Great Leader"
  • Ahmad Shah Massoud (1953–2001): also known as the He was the conqueror of cold war in Afghanistan, guerrilla commander during the resistance against the Soviet occupation between 1979 and 1989).
  • Alija Izetbegovic: (1925-2003) was a Bosnian politician;lawyer and Islamic philosopher.who became the 1st president of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992.he was a member of tripartiate presidency of Bosnia until his death.he bravely defended the Bosnian nation and Bosnian Muslims from Serb aggression during the civil war in Bosnia and brought peace and stability to Bosnia.
  • Mullah Mohammad Omar (1960–2013): Founder of Taliban and First Emir (Supreme Leader) of Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan

See also[]

  • Rules of war in Islam
  • Jihad

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Muhammad ibn Saad. Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir vol. 3. Translated by Bewley, A. (2013). The Companions of Badr. London: Ta-Ha Publishers.
  2. ^ Thomas Patrick Hughes (1895). "Saʿd Ibn Abī Waqqās". A Dictionary of Islam. London: W.H. Allen & Co. p. 554.
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