RISSC ranks CA Yunus 50th most influential Muslim in global listing

Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh and Nobel Peace Prize winner, has been ranked 50th in 2026 edition of 'The World's 500 Most Influential Muslims'.

Jordan-based research institute 'The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center' (RISSC) has published its list of 'The World's 500 Most Influential Muslims' for 2026. Like every year, this list includes Muslim personalities who have made a global impact in various fields including politics, social service, religion and culture.

This time, a total of three prominent Bangladeshis have been included in the list. Among them, Dr. Muhammad Yunus is included in the main list of the top 50 and two other women are included in the honorary list of 450.

The women are

1. Dr. Hamida Hossain: She has been listed in the 'Social Issues' category. Dr. Hamida Hossain is a human rights activist and one of the founding members of the Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK).

2. Razia Sultana: She is also mentioned as an influential figure in the ‘Social Issues’ category. Razia Sultana is a lawyer and human rights activist who has gained global recognition for her work in protecting the rights of the Rohingya people, especially for documenting and exposing incidents of sexual violence against Rohingya women. She is a coordinator of the ‘Free Rohingya Coalition’ (FRC).

This year, the prestigious list has been topped by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. The second place on the list is occupied by Pakistan’s renowned Islamic jurist (faqih), former judge and leading scholar, Sheikh Muhammad Taqi Usmani.

Sheikh Muhammad Taqi Usmani is widely respected in the Muslim world for his contributions to Islamic economics and Hadith worldwide. In third place is Yemeni Sunni Sufi scholar and founder of the Dar al-Mustafa school, Sheikh Habib Omar bin Hafez.

The top ten is followed by Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran (4th), King HM Abdullah II ibn al-Hussein of Jordan (5th), Grand Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Muhammad al-Tayyib of Al-Azhar University (6th), President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (7th), King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia (8th), President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (9th) and Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim (10th).

Other figures in the top 50 include Iraq's Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hussein al-Sistani (11th), HM Muhammad (Mohammed VI), the King of Morocco (12th). Sheikh Salman al-Awda, scholar and academic, Saudi Arabia (13th), Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (14th), Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (15th), and India's Maulana Mahmud Madani (16th).

Also in the top 50 are Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, US Sheikh Hamza Youssef Hanson, Burkina Faso's interim president Captain Ibrahim Traore, Pakistan's Maulana Tariq Jameel, UK scholar Dr. Timothy Winter (Sheikh Abdal Hakim Murad), Egyptian footballer Mohamed Salah, Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada and Malaysian Muslim philosopher Professor Syed Muhammad Naqib al-Attas.

For the first time in its history, The Muslim 500 collectively honours the people of Gaza as the Person of the Year, recognizing their resilience, endurance, and moral courage amid devastating humanitarian challenges.