List of Muslim military leaders


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

8th century

9th century

10th century

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. 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, son of the great Sultan Alp Arslan, who took his empire to a greatest extent. Malik-Shah, along with the vizier Nizam al-Mulk, tried to unite Muslims of the world and fought many wars against anti Islamic fitna movement called Batiniyya, he also built many madrasahs. He is considered one of the greatest Muslim leaders of all time.
  • 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

13th century

14th century

  • Murad I 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.
File:Zonaro GatesofConst.jpg|thumbnail|right|130px|Sultan Mehmed II's entry into Constantinople

15th century

16th century

17th century

18th century

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 who followed Wahhabism He Conquered Kingdom of Hejaz in 1925.
  • Faisal of Saudi Arabia : he was a Saudi Arabian statesman and diplomat who was King of Saudi Arabia from 2 November 1964 until his assassination in 1975.
  • Ahmad Shah Massoud.
  • Alija Izetbegovic: 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 : Founder of Taliban and First Emir of Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan
  • Hadji Kamlon, Tausug freedom fighter, Sunni Muslim, Ash'ari in Aqeeda, Shafi'i in Madh'hab
  • Mat Salleh, Sabah warrior from Inanam who led the Mat Salleh Rebellion until his death. He was a relative of Sattiya Munuh son of Sayyid Qasim, grandfather of Panglima Bandahala who was the right hand of Sultan Jamalul Kiram II.
  • Tun Datu Mustapha, shared a common lineage with Sayyid Capt. Kalingalan "Apuh Inggal" Caluang, both tracing their ancestry back to the Sultans of Sulu. First Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sabah and third Chief Minister of Sabah.
  • Daud Beureueh, Acehnese Indonesian who served as the military governor of Aceh and leader of Darul Islam rebellion in Aceh.
  • Zainal Mustafa, Indonesian Islamic Scholar and National Hero of Indonesia from Tasikmalaya who resisted Japanese occupation.
  • Syam'un, Indonesian Islamic Scholar and Regent of Serang.
  • Sayyid Captain Kalingalan "Apuh Inggal" Caluang, son of Caluang son of Panglima Bandahala son of Sattiya Munuh son of Sayyid Qasim, one of the Fighting 21 of Sulu. he was one of the founders of Ansar El Islam along with Domocao Alonto,Rashid Lucman, Salipada Pendatun, Hamid Kamlian, Udtog Matalam, and Atty. Macapantun Abbas Jr. Accordingly, "it is a mass movement for the preservation and development of Islam in the Philippines".
  • Panglima Bandahala son of Sattiya Munuh, trusted adviser and close relative of the Sultan Jamalul Kiram II, he held significant positions such as Municipal President, peace emissary and was also entrusted with overseeing the Giba ceremony for the enthronement of a Sultan.
  • Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysian 10th Prime Minister. Proposed a petition to expelled Israel from the UN.