سَيِّدِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ خَاتِمِ النَّبِيِّينَ شَفِيعِ الْمُذْنِبِينَ أَنِيسِ الْغَرِيبِينَ رَحْمَةٍ لِلْعَالَمِينَ

حَبِيبِنَا وَمَلْجَئِنَا وَرَاحَةِ قُلُوبِنَا وَنُورِ عُيُونِنَا،سَيِّدِنَا وَمَوْلَانَا

Muhammad Rasul Allah ﷺ

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ

And, (O Esteemed Messenger,) We have not sent you but as a mercy/blessing for all the worlds.

Islamic Scholars Timeline: Imams, Fuqaha, Muhaddithun, Sufis & Scholars by Era

This interactive timeline works best with JavaScript enabled. Below is the full list of scholars it covers.Islamic scholars, jurists, hadith compilers, Sufis, philosophers & scientists by era

Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (RA) (573–634 CE) — Khulafa: 1st Rightly-Guided Caliph (Rashidun). His decisive, unifying leadership during the Ridda wars preserved the young Muslim polity at its most vulnerable moment, and he initiated the first compilation of

Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) (584–644 CE) — Khulafa: 2nd Rightly-Guided Caliph, renowned for stern justice, administrative innovation (including the founding of the Islamic calendar), and the rapid expansion of Muslim rule across the Levant, Egypt, and

Uwais al-Qarani (593–657 CE) — Sufi: Never able to meet the Prophet ﷺ in person because he stayed in Yemen caring for his elderly mother, Uwais became, through a hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ described him by name and asked companions to seek his prayers, the archetype of 'Uwaisi' spiritual attainment — sainthood recognized without a living teacher physically present. He later moved to Kufa, joined Ali's forces, and was killed at the Battle of Siffin in 657.

Uthman ibn Affan (RA) (576–656 CE) — Khulafa: 3rd Rightly-Guided Caliph, remembered for commissioning the standardized written compilation of the Qur'an (the 'Uthmanic codex') still used today, and for further expanding the caliphate before his a

Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA) (600–661 CE) — Imam (Ahl al-Bayt): 4th Khalifa of the Rashidun Caliphate and 1st Imam of the Ahl al-Bayt. Renowned for his early acceptance of Islam, closeness to the Prophet ﷺ, valor in early battles, and depth in Qur'anic exegesis an

Hasan ibn Ali (RA) (625–670 CE) — Imam (Ahl al-Bayt): 2nd Imam. Known for prioritizing the unity of the Muslim community over prolonged conflict by ceding the caliphate to Mu'awiya, and for his reputation for generosity and piety.

Husayn ibn Ali (RA) (626–680 CE) — Imam (Ahl al-Bayt): 3rd Imam. His stand against the illegitimate, corrupt, rule of Yazid I, and his martyrdom at Karbala, became a central paradigm of sacrifice, justice, and resistance to tyranny across the Muslim histo

Zayn al-Abidin (RA) (659–713 CE) — Imam (Ahl al-Bayt): 4th Imam, one of the few survivors of Karbala. Known for al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, a collection of supplications ('the Psalms of the Family of Mohammad') emphasizing humility and devotion — a text late

Mohammad al-Baqir (RA) (676–732 CE) — Imam (Ahl al-Bayt): 5th Imam; his teaching circle helped bridge early jurisprudence and the ascetic (zuhd) movements — students associated with his gatherings appear later in both fiqh chains and early ascetic/proto-Sufi

Ja'far al-Sadiq (RA) (702–765 CE) — Imam (Ahl al-Bayt): 6th Imam and one of the most influential teachers in early Islamic history. His students reportedly included Abu Hanifa and Malik ibn Anas, and he is a key link in Sufi silsilahs (most trace their cha

Abu Hanifa (699–767 CE) — Sunni Fiqh Scholar: Founder of the Hanafi school, the most widely followed madhhab today (Central/South Asia, Turkey, much of the Ottoman world). Emphasized reasoned analogy (qiyas) and juristic preference (istihsan) alo

Malik ibn Anas (711–795 CE) — Sunni Fiqh Scholar: Founder of the Maliki school, dominant historically in North and West Africa and parts of the Gulf. Built jurisprudence on the practice ('amal) of the people of Medina as a living link to the Prophet'

Hasan al-Basri (642–728 CE) — Sufi: Considered the earliest major figure of Islamic asceticism (zuhd) and a proto-Sufi teacher. His sermons on the fleeting nature of worldly life, the certainty of death, and sincerity of intention shape

Sufyan al-Thawri (716–778 CE) — Sufi: A hadith authority and jurist (with his own short-lived legal school) equally renowned as an ascetic. His refusal of worldly position under the Abbasids became a model of scholarly integrity for later

al-Shafi'i (767–820 CE) — Sunni Fiqh Scholar: Founder of the Shafi'i school and the systematic discipline of usul al-fiqh (legal theory) through his work al-Risala, formalizing how Qur'an, hadith, consensus, and analogy interrelate.

Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780–855 CE) — Sunni Fiqh Scholar: Founder of the Hanbali school and one of the most influential hadith-jurists in history; his steadfastness during the Mihna made him a symbol of scholarly integrity under state pressure.

Bayazid Bistami (c. 804–874 CE) — Sufi: One of the earliest 'ecstatic' Sufi mystics, known for startling utterances (shathiyat) describing the annihilation of the self (fana) in the experience of divine unity — sayings that provoked controv

Al-Bukhari (810–870 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Compiler of Sahih al-Bukhari, considered by Sunni Muslims the most authentic hadith collection after the Qur'an, the product of an extraordinarily rigorous method of verifying chains of transmission (

Musa al-Kadhim (RA) (745–799 CE) — Imam (Ahl al-Bayt): 7th Imam. Repeatedly imprisoned by Caliph Harun al-Rashid and died in Abbasid custody in Baghdad, widely held by Shia tradition to have been poisoned; his imamate saw significant expansion of the netw

Ali al-Ridha (RA) (765–818 CE) — Imam (Ahl al-Bayt): 8th Imam, uniquely drawn into direct Abbasid succession planning by al-Ma'mun before his death in Khurasan, which Shia tradition holds was by poisoning; his shrine in Mashhad, Iran, built around his t

Mohammad al-Taqi (al-Jawad) (RA) (811–835 CE) — Imam (Ahl al-Bayt): 9th Imam, recognized as a leading authority on jurisprudence and theology from a young age; his brief life did not prevent him from becoming a major reference point for later legal and theological sch

Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (815–889 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Compiler of Sahih Muslim, ranked alongside (and by some scholars above, in terms of arrangement) Sahih al-Bukhari as one of the two most authoritative Sunni hadith collections.

Abu Dawud (817–889 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Compiler of Sunan Abi Dawud, one of the six canonical Sunni hadith collections, focused heavily on hadith with direct legal application.

Ali al-Hadi (RA) (828–868 CE) — Imam (Ahl al-Bayt): 10th Imam. Spent much of his life under effective house arrest in the garrison town of Samarra, yet maintained an active network of representatives (wukala) across the Islamic world for religious guid

al-Nasa'i (829–915 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Compiler of Sunan al-Nasa'i, the most rigorously critical of the six canonical hadith collections in its selection standards.

Junayd al-Baghdadi (830–910 CE) — Sufi: Known as the 'Master of the Sober School,' Junayd insisted mystical experience be held to the discipline of law and sound doctrine, in contrast to more ecstatic contemporaries. His careful, legally-gr

Hasan al-Askari (RA) (846–874 CE) — Imam (Ahl al-Bayt): 11th Imam. Like his father, he lived under close watch by Abbasid authorities and communicated with followers largely through a network of deputies, laying groundwork for the concept of representation

Mohammad al-Mahdi (RA) (869 CE – present) — Imam (Ahl al-Bayt): According to Shia belief, he is the 12th and final Imam, who has been in occultation since 874 CE. This belief in his occultation shaped the development of Shia jurisprudence (through deputyship and l

Ibn Majah (824–887 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Compiler of Sunan Ibn Majah, generally counted as the sixth of the canonical Sunni hadith collections, notable for including some material not found in the other five.

al-Tirmidhi (824–892 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Compiler of Jami' al-Tirmidhi (Sunan al-Tirmidhi), distinctive for grading each hadith's reliability and for including juristic differences of opinion alongside the reports.

Mansur al-Hallaj (858–922 CE) — Sufi: Famous — and executed — for the ecstatic utterance 'Ana al-Haqq' ('I am the Truth/the Real'), understood by supporters as an expression of total self-annihilation in God and by critics as a claim to d

al-Qushayri (986–1074 CE) — Sufi: Also a hadith scholar and Ash'ari theologian, best known for al-Risala al-Qushayriyya, a landmark systematization of Sufi doctrine, terminology, and biography that explicitly grounds mystical practice

Hujwiri (Data Ganj Bakhsh) (c. 990–1077 CE) — Sufi: Author of Kashf al-Mahjub ('The Unveiling of the Veiled'), the earliest major Persian treatise on Sufism and a foundational text for South Asian Islam. His shrine in Lahore remains one of the subconti

Abu Sa'id Abu'l-Khayr (967–1049 CE) — Sufi: Among the earliest Persian Sufi poets to teach primarily through short verse rather than prose treatises, emphasizing ecstatic love, communal remembrance (sama'), and generosity over formal asceticism

al-Ghazali (1058–1111 CE) — Sufi: One of the most influential scholars in Islamic history. After a personal crisis of doubt, he left his prestigious teaching post to pursue Sufi practice, then wrote Ihya' Ulum al-Din ('The Revival of

Abdul Qadir Jilani (1077–1166 CE) — Sufi: A Hanbali jurist as well as a Sufi master, Jilani combined rigorous adherence to Islamic law with popular preaching on repentance, sincerity, and reliance on God (tawakkul). The Qadiriyya order his st

Ahmad Yasavi (1103–1166 CE) — Sufi: A pioneering figure in bringing Sufi teaching to Turkic-speaking Central Asia in the vernacular, making mystical Islam accessible far beyond Arabic- and Persian-literate elites. His disciples spread S

Ibn al-Jawzi (1116–1201 CE) — Scholars: A prolific Hanbali jurist, preacher, and historian who wrote extensively against what he saw as excesses and innovations among some Sufis (in his work Talbis Iblis, 'The Devil's Deception'), while at

Moinuddin Chishti (1141–1230 CE) — Sufi: Founder of the Chishti order in South Asia, the most influential Sufi order on the subcontinent, emphasizing service to humanity, tolerance, and love over asceticism for its own sake. His shrine (darg

Najm al-Din Kubra (1145–1221 CE) — Sufi: Known for detailed teachings on the stages of mystical vision and the psychology of the spiritual path, including descriptions of colored lights experienced in meditation. His order's later branches c

Ibn Arabi (1165–1240 CE) — Sufi: Known as al-Shaykh al-Akbar ('the Greatest Master'), Ibn Arabi produced an immense body of speculative mystical philosophy centered on the doctrine of the 'oneness of being,' interpreting Qur'an and h

Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki (1173–1235 CE) — Sufi: Established the Chishti order's presence in Delhi itself, making the city a lasting center of Chishti devotion; Delhi's Qutb Minar complex stands near his shrine, and the area is named in his honor (M

Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (1177–1274 CE) — Sufi: One of the most popularly venerated Sufi saints of Sindh, whose shrine in Sehwan Sharif remains a major pilgrimage site known for ecstatic devotional dance (dhamaal) and music, reflecting the Qalandar

Shams Tabrizi (1185–1248 CE) — Sufi: An itinerant, unconventional dervish whose intense spiritual friendship with the jurist-turned-poet Rumi transformed Rumi's life and teaching, redirecting him from formal legal scholarship toward ecst

Baba Farid (1188–1280 CE) — Sufi: A pioneering figure in Punjabi-language devotional poetry, some of whose verses were later incorporated into the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib — a notable example of cross-community devotional reac

Abu Madyan Shu'ayb (c. 1126–1198 CE) — Sufi: Known as the 'Shaykh of Shaykhs' in Maghrebi Sufism, his teaching produced a generation of disciples who spread organized Sufi practice across North Africa; Ibn Arabi himself is said to have sought (u

Sidi Ahmad al-Badawi (1200–1276 CE) — Sufi: One of Egypt's four principal Sufi 'poles' (aqtab) in popular veneration, known for reclusive practices (including reportedly staring at the sun for long periods as an ascetic discipline) before becom

Ibrahim al-Disuqi (1255–1296 CE) — Sufi: Regarded as one of the four great 'poles' of Egyptian Sufism; his shrine in Disuq remains an active pilgrimage and festival site.

Haji Bektash Veli (1209–1271 CE) — Sufi: Founder of a distinctively Anatolian Sufi tradition blending Turkic folk religion, strong veneration of Ali and the Twelve Imams, and heterodox practice; the order he inspired later spread widely into

Jalaluddin Rumi (1207–1273 CE) — Sufi: One of the most widely read poets in the world, Rumi's vast body of verse — especially the Masnavi and Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi — expresses mystical love (ishq) as the engine of the soul's return to Go

Nizamuddin Auliya (1238–1325 CE) — Sufi: Perhaps the most famous Chishti saint of Delhi, known for his refusal to accept government positions or patronage from the sultans, his emphasis on serving the poor, and his circle's role in fusing Pe

Amir Khusrow (1253–1325 CE) — Sufi: Court poet, musician, and devoted disciple credited traditionally with major innovations in North Indian classical music and the qawwali form; his Persian and Hindavi verse remains central to South As

Rukn-e-Alam (1251–1335 CE) — Sufi: A major Suhrawardi saint of Multan whose large mausoleum, built during his own lifetime, remains one of South Asia's most significant examples of early Tughlaq-era architecture and a major regional pi

Ibn Taymiyyah (1263–1328 CE) — Scholars: An immensely influential Hanbali jurist and theologian whose insistence on returning directly to Qur'an and hadith (rejecting what he saw as unwarranted theological and devotional innovation) became t

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (1292–1350 CE) — Scholars: The most prominent student of Ibn Taymiyyah, who systematized and extended his teacher's positions into more accessible, widely read works covering law, spirituality, and practical piety.

Sari Saltik (13th century CE) — Sufi: A semi-legendary wandering dervish credited with spreading Islam and Sufi practice across the Balkans; numerous shrines from Romania to Albania and beyond claim association with him, reflecting his en

Jahaniyan Jahangasht (1308–1384 CE) — Sufi: Known as 'Jahangasht' ('the world-traverser') for extensive pilgrimages and travels across the Islamic world before returning to teach in Uch, building a wide network of disciples across South Asia.

Shah Hamadan (Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani) (1314–1384 CE) — Sufi: Credited with a major role in the Islamization of Kashmir, along with introducing Persian arts and crafts (including elements of shawl-weaving and calligraphy traditions) that shaped the region's cult

Baha-ud-Din Naqshband (1318–1389 CE) — Sufi: Founder of the Naqshbandiyya, which became one of the most widespread and politically influential Sufi orders across Central Asia, the Ottoman world, and South Asia, distinguished by its emphasis on s

Attar of Nishapur (c. 1145–1221 CE) — Sufi: Author of Mantiq al-Tayr ('The Conference of the Birds'), an allegorical masterpiece describing the soul's journey toward God through the metaphor of birds seeking their king — one of the most influen

Khoja Ahrar (1404–1490 CE) — Sufi: One of the wealthiest and most politically influential Sufi shaykhs in history, Khoja Ahrar used his standing to mediate between competing Timurid rulers and expanded the Naqshbandi order's reach and

Jami (1414–1492 CE) — Sufi: Considered the last of the great classical Persian Sufi poets, Jami wrote extensively on love, both mystical and human, and produced influential prose works on the lives of earlier Sufi saints (Nafaha

Yunus Emre (1240–1320 CE) — Sufi: The most celebrated early poet of Turkish-language Sufism, whose simple, direct verses on divine love and human unity remain foundational to Turkish literary and devotional culture to this day.

Otman Baba (d. 1478 CE) — Sufi: A wandering, unconventional dervish figure of the early Ottoman Balkans, remembered in a distinctive hagiography (the Vilayetname-i Otman Baba) for wild, antinomian behavior framed as a higher form of

Shah Hussain (1538–1599 CE) — Sufi: A pioneering figure of Punjabi kafi poetry, known for an unconventional lifestyle that broke with orthodox social expectations of his time, expressing intense divine love through simple, sung Punjabi

Shah Daula (17th century CE) — Sufi: A regionally significant Punjabi Sufi figure whose shrine in Gujrat remains an active local pilgrimage site; much of his popular biography reflects local oral tradition more than extensively documente

Sultan Bahu (1630–1691 CE) — Sufi: Author of over a hundred short devotional works and a large body of Punjabi verse, emphasizing direct, ecstatic love of God over dry ritualism, with lasting influence on Punjabi Sufi music and poetry

Shah Inayat Shaheed (c. 1655–1718 CE) — Sufi: Remembered as 'Shaheed' (martyr) for teachings that included communal landholding and equitable sharing of cultivation among his followers, which brought him into conflict with local authorities and l

Bulleh Shah (1680–1757 CE) — Sufi: Among the most celebrated Punjabi Sufi poets, known for verse that combined intense mystical love with pointed social critique of religious hypocrisy and rigid orthodoxy, sung widely today in Punjabi

Ma Laichi (1681–1766 CE) — Sufi: One of the founding figures of organized Sufism among China's Hui Muslim minority, establishing the first major Naqshbandi menhuan ('teaching lineage') in northwest China, a model that shaped Chinese

Ma Mingxin (1719–1781 CE) — Sufi: Introduced vocal, communal dhikr practice to Chinese Sufism after study in Yemen, producing a distinct and eventually persecuted lineage; the resulting Jahriyya uprising against Qing authorities (1781

Qi Jingyi (Qi Daozhen) (1656–1719 CE) — Sufi: Founder of the distinctive Chinese Qadiriyya tradition centered on the Da Gongbei shrine complex in Linxia, notable for developing a celibate lineage of shrine-keepers, an unusual institutional adapta

Shah Waliullah Dehlawi (1703–1762 CE) — Sufi: A major reformist scholar who sought to reconcile the four Sunni legal schools, revive hadith scholarship in India, and integrate Sufi spiritual training with rigorous textual scholarship; his student

Mohammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1703–1792 CE) — Scholars: Founder of the literalist movement (often called Wahhabism by outsiders, Salafiyya or Muwahhidun by adherents) that became the religious foundation of the Saudi state, calling for a strict, literal re

Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai (1689–1752 CE) — Sufi: Author of the Shah Jo Risalo, the foundational text of Sindhi literature, using folk stories and heroines of Sindhi legend as allegories for the soul's longing for union with God — a landmark work of

Sachal Sarmast (1739–1829 CE) — Sufi: Known as 'Sachal' ('the truthful one') and 'Sarmast' ('intoxicated'), he composed boldly ecstatic multilingual poetry expressing radical themes of divine unity, provoking controversy among more conser

al-Shawkani (1759–1834 CE) — Scholars: A Yemeni judge and scholar who argued strongly against rigid adherence (taqlid) to any single legal school in favor of direct engagement with Qur'an and hadith, a methodological stance that later infl

Syed Ahmad Barelvi (1786–1831 CE) — Sufi: Led an activist reform and military movement aiming to establish Islamic governance in the northwest frontier region against Sikh rule, blending Sufi spiritual discipline with revivalist reform ideas

Amadou Bamba (1850–1927 CE) — Sufi: Founder of the Muridiyya order, emphasizing disciplined work and non-violent endurance of hardship (understood as a spiritual practice) alongside devotion to the Prophet ﷺ; his non-violent resistance

Meher Ali Shah (1859–1937 CE) — Sufi: A leading Punjabi Sufi scholar of the late colonial period, known for public debates defending shrine-centered devotional practice and traditional Sufi belief against emerging reformist and revivalist

Ibn Baz (1910–1999 CE) — Scholars: One of the most prominent 20th-century Salafi authorities, serving in senior religious and judicial roles in Saudi Arabia and issuing influential fatwas on matters ranging from theology to contemporar

al-Albani (1914–1999 CE) — Scholars: A largely self-taught hadith specialist who became one of the most influential 20th-century voices in hadith authentication, producing detailed re-gradings of hadith found in classical collections tha

Ibn Uthaymeen (1925–2001 CE) — Scholars: One of the most widely studied 20th-century Salafi jurists, known for accessible, systematic teaching of Islamic law and creed that trained a large generation of later Salafi scholars and students wor

Abdullah ibn Abbas (RA) (619–687 CE) — Tafsir Author: Called 'Tarjuman al-Qur'an' ('Interpreter of the Qur'an'), Ibn Abbas is regarded as the founding figure of tafsir as a discipline, having reportedly received the Prophet's ﷺ personal prayer for deep u

Mujahid ibn Jabr (642–722 CE) — Tafsir Author: Chief student of Ibn Abbas in tafsir; his transmitted commentary (recorded by later students) became one of the most heavily cited early tafsir sources, valued for sticking close to the wording and pl

Muqatil ibn Sulayman (d. 767 CE) — Tafsir Author: Author of one of the earliest surviving complete tafsir texts, notable for a narrative, story-driven approach explaining the circumstances of revelation (asbab al-nuzul) in accessible prose.

al-Tabari (839–923 CE) — Tafsir Author: Author of Jami' al-Bayan 'an Ta'wil Ayi al-Qur'an, the single most influential early tafsir, compiling and evaluating the entire preceding tradition of transmitted interpretation verse by verse — also

al-Tha'labi (d. 1035 CE) — Tafsir Author: Author of al-Kashf wa'l-Bayan, a tafsir notable for weaving in extensive moral, narrative, and devotional material — including stories of the prophets and pious reports — making it especially popular

al-Zamakhshari (1075–1144 CE) — Tafsir Author: A Mu'tazili theologian and master of Arabic rhetoric whose tafsir al-Kashshaf is prized above all for its unmatched linguistic and rhetorical analysis of Qur'anic style, despite its Mu'tazili theologi

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (1149–1209 CE) — Tafsir Author: A philosopher-theologian whose tafsir, Mafatih al-Ghayb ('Keys to the Unseen'), is one of the longest and most philosophically engaged Qur'an commentaries ever written, drawing extensively on logic, n

al-Qurtubi (1214–1273 CE) — Tafsir Author: Author of al-Jami' li-Ahkam al-Qur'an, a Maliki legal-exegetical tafsir prized for extracting detailed juristic rulings verse by verse, alongside careful attention to language and earlier interpretive

al-Baydawi (d. 1286 CE) — Tafsir Author: Author of Anwar al-Tanzil wa-Asrar al-Ta'wil, a concise digest combining al-Zamakhshari's rhetorical insight with more theologically orthodox Sunni positions, which became the single most widely taugh

Ibn Kathir (1300–1373 CE) — Tafsir Author: Author of Tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Azim, a hadith-centered tafsir that deliberately favors interpreting the Qur'an through the Qur'an itself and through hadith and companion reports over speculative or ph

al-Suyuti (1445–1505 CE) — Tafsir Author: An extraordinarily prolific polymath (reportedly author of over 500 works) across tafsir, hadith, grammar, and law, who co-authored the immensely popular Tafsir al-Jalalayn, still one of the most wide

al-Alusi (1802–1854 CE) — Tafsir Author: Author of Ruh al-Ma'ani, a major 19th-century tafsir combining classical grammatical, legal, and theological analysis with mystical (Sufi) interpretive layers, reflecting Baghdad's Naqshbandi-influenc

Ibn Ashur (1879–1973 CE) — Tafsir Author: A leading modern Maliki scholar and rector of the Zaytuna institution, whose tafsir is known for engaging classical exegesis alongside modern linguistic and social concerns, and for developing higher-

al-Kulayni (864–941 CE) — Shia Hadith Scholar: Compiler of al-Kafi, the first and most authoritative of the Twelver Shia 'Four Books' of hadith, systematically organizing reports on doctrine, law, and ethics attributed to the Prophet ﷺ and the Ima

Ibn Babawayh (Shaykh al-Saduq) (923–991 CE) — Shia Hadith Scholar: Compiler of Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, the second of the Twelver 'Four Books,' focused on practical legal rulings drawn directly from hadith.

Shaykh al-Tusi (995–1067 CE) — Shia Hadith Scholar: Known as Shaykh al-Ta'ifa ('Shaykh of the Community'), compiler of the third and fourth of the Twelver 'Four Books' (Tahdhib al-Ahkam and al-Istibsar) and founder of the Najaf hawza (seminary), still

Shaykh al-Mufid (948–1022 CE) — Shia Fiqh Scholar: The foundational systematizer of Twelver Shia theology and jurisprudence, moving the tradition from pure hadith transmission toward rigorous rational (usuli) argumentation; taught both Sharif al-Murta

Sharif al-Murtada (966–1044 CE) — Shia Fiqh Scholar: A leading rationalist theologian-jurist and student of Shaykh al-Mufid, known for applying rigorous rational methods to Twelver theology and elevating the role of reason ('aql) alongside hadith in der

al-Muhaqqiq al-Hilli (1205–1277 CE) — Shia Fiqh Scholar: One of the most influential Twelver jurists in history; his Shara'i al-Islam systematized Twelver fiqh into a clear, comprehensive legal code that remains a foundational text studied in Shia seminarie

al-Allama al-Hilli (1250–1325 CE) — Shia Fiqh Scholar: Nephew and student of al-Muhaqqiq al-Hilli, an extraordinarily prolific jurist and theologian credited with systematizing the distinction between a source-based jurist (mujtahid) and a layperson who f

Shahid al-Awwal (1334–1385 CE) — Shia Fiqh Scholar: Author of al-Lum'a al-Dimashqiyya, reportedly written in a matter of days while imprisoned awaiting execution, which became one of the most heavily studied legal texts in Twelver seminaries for the ne

Shahid al-Thani (1506–1558 CE) — Shia Fiqh Scholar: Author of a major commentary on al-Lum'a al-Dimashqiyya (al-Rawda al-Bahiyya), which became — and remains — one of the two or three most widely studied texts in Twelver seminary education worldwide.

Sheikh Murtaza Ansari (1781–1864 CE) — Shia Fiqh Scholar: Regarded as the founder of modern Twelver usul al-fiqh methodology; his systematic treatment of legal principles under uncertainty reshaped how Shia jurisprudence is taught and practiced, underpinning

Abu Yusuf (731–798 CE) — Sunni Fiqh Scholar: Chief disciple of Abu Hanifa and the scholar most responsible for turning Hanafi legal reasoning into a court-tested, empire-wide administrative system as the Abbasid state's first Chief Judge.

Mohammad al-Shaybani (749–805 CE) — Sunni Fiqh Scholar: Along with Abu Yusuf, the principal systematizer of Hanafi doctrine; his extensive written works (the 'zahir al-riwaya') became the authoritative core texts of the school, later also studied and trans

al-Muzani (791–878 CE) — Sunni Fiqh Scholar: The leading direct disciple of al-Shafi'i in Egypt, credited with condensing and preserving his teacher's legal reasoning at a formative moment when the Shafi'i school could easily have fragmented aft

Ibn Rushd al-Hafid (Averroes) (1126–1198 CE) — Sunni Fiqh Scholar: A Maliki qadi and celebrated philosopher whose legal work systematically compares the reasoning behind the differing rulings of the Sunni schools, while his separate philosophical writings (widely rea

Ibn Qudama al-Maqdisi (1147–1223 CE) — Sunni Fiqh Scholar: The most influential later systematizer of Hanbali law, whose comprehensive legal encyclopedia remains a core reference for the school; he also fought alongside Saladin's forces earlier in his career.

al-Nawawi (1233–1277 CE) — Sunni Fiqh Scholar: One of the most widely read authorities in Sunni Islam, whose concise, accessible works on law, hadith, and devotional ethics are still core texts in seminaries and popular study circles worldwide, de

Khalil ibn Ishaq al-Jundi (d. 1365 CE) — Sunni Fiqh Scholar: Author of the single most widely studied and commented-upon text in the Maliki legal tradition, still the core reference work in Maliki-majority North and West Africa today.

al-Kasani (d. 1191 CE) — Sunni Fiqh Scholar: Author of one of the most systematically organized law codes in the Hanafi tradition, prized for its clear, almost encyclopedic structure covering the reasoning behind each ruling.

Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (1504–1567 CE) — Sunni Fiqh Scholar: A leading later Shafi'i authority whose legal opinions (fatwas) were sought across the Ottoman world; his prolific output helped standardize later Shafi'i practice from Egypt to Southeast Asia.

Ibn Abidin (1784–1836 CE) — Sunni Fiqh Scholar: The most influential later Hanafi jurist, whose vast legal commentary systematically updated and reconciled centuries of accumulated Hanafi rulings for Ottoman-era practice; his work remained a workin

Ibn Hibban (884–965 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Compiler of a major hadith collection organized by subject matter rather than narrator, along with an important biographical dictionary evaluating the reliability of hadith transmitters.

al-Hakim al-Naysaburi (933–1014 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Compiler of a major hadith collection explicitly gathering reports that met (in his judgment) the authenticity standards of Bukhari and Muslim but which they had not included, significantly expanding

al-Daraqutni (918–995 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Widely regarded as one of the most exacting hadith critics in history, specializing in identifying subtle defects ('ilal) in chains of transmission that other scholars had missed.

al-Bayhaqi (994–1066 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: An immensely prolific Shafi'i hadith scholar whose vast compilations systematically supported Shafi'i legal positions with extensively documented hadith evidence, while also compiling material on ethi

Ibn Abd al-Barr (978–1071 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: The leading Maliki hadith scholar of al-Andalus, whose major commentaries on Malik's Muwatta became standard references for the Maliki school across North Africa and Iberia.

Ibn Asakir (1105–1176 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Compiler of a monumental biographical history of Damascus, weaving together hadith transmission chains, biography, and urban history into one of the largest single works of medieval Islamic scholarshi

al-Mundhiri (1185–1258 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Compiler of an enormously popular collection organizing hadith by ethical theme — encouragement toward good conduct and warning against bad — designed explicitly for accessible moral instruction rathe

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (1372–1449 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Widely regarded as the single most important later authority on hadith science; his monumental commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari remains the standard reference used by scholars and students of hadith to

al-Mizzi (1256–1341 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Compiler of the standard reference work on the biographies and reliability of hadith narrators found across all six canonical collections, a foundational tool for hadith verification still used today.

al-Dhahabi (1274–1348 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: One of the most important hadith critics and historians of the later medieval period, whose vast biographical histories remain essential sources for the lives of thousands of early scholars, narrators

Ibn Ata'illah al-Iskandari (1259–1309 CE) — Sufi: A trained Maliki jurist who became the third master of the Shadhiliyya Sufi order, uniquely bridging rigorous legal scholarship and concentrated spiritual aphorism; his short devotional maxims remain

Said Nursi (1877–1960 CE) — Sufi: A modern Turkish scholar whose vast Qur'anic commentary blends close textual and rational argument with a devotional, spiritually-attentive tone, addressed to a 20th-century readership he saw as caugh

Syed Abd al-Rahman al-Gillani (1841–1927 CE) — Sufi: Hereditary Naqib al-Ashraf (head of the Prophet's ﷺ descendants) of Baghdad and custodian of the shrine of his ancestor Abdul Qadir al-Jilani, he was chosen in 1920 to head Iraq's first Council of Min

Syed Mahmood Hussamuddin al-Gillani (c. 1875 – c. 1950 CE (exact dates not publicly documented)) — Sufi: Son of Abd al-Rahman al-Gillani and, in his own generation, custodian of the mausoleum of Abdul Qadir al-Jilani in Baghdad; personally responsible for the spiritual training of his youngest son, Tahir

Syed Tahir Alauddin al-Gillani al-Qadri (1932–1991 CE) — Sufi: Head of the Qadiriyya Baghdadia tariqa and custodian of the shrine of his ancestor Abdul Qadir al-Jilani, widely regarded by followers as a reformer of Sufi practice; after migrating from Baghdad to P

Dhul-Nun al-Misri (796–859 CE) — Sufi: Considered the first to systematically articulate the Sufi concept of gnosis (ma'rifa) as direct, unmediated knowledge of God attained through spiritual unveiling rather than study, ranked by later tr

Muhammad al-Faqih al-Muqaddam (1178–1255 CE) — Sufi: Founder of the Ba'Alawi tariqa, the Sufi order centered on the Hadhrami Sayyid families that would go on to carry Shafi'i Sunni Islam and devotional Sufism across the Indian Ocean rim — to East Africa

Muhammad al-Jazuli (1404–1465 CE) — Sufi: Author of Dala'il al-Khayrat, the single most widely copied and recited prayer book blessing the Prophet ﷺ in Islamic history, and founder of the Jazuliyya Sufi order, whose emphasis on intense devoti

Sunan Kalijaga (1450–1513 CE) — Sufi: One of the Wali Songo ('nine saints') credited with Islamizing Java, Sunan Kalijaga is remembered for a distinctively gradual, culturally syncretic method of da'wah — using existing Javanese wayang sh

Imam Shamil (1797–1871 CE) — Sufi: Third Imam of the Caucasian Imamate, Shamil led a 25-year armed resistance against Russian imperial conquest, uniting Dagestan and Chechnya under a Sharia-based state built explicitly on the religious

Sheikh Uways al-Barawi (1847–1909 CE) — Sufi: Credited with reviving Islamic scholarship and Sufi practice across the Horn of Africa, Uways travelled to Baghdad to receive formal authorization in the Qadiriyya order at the shrine of Abdul Qadir a

Sheikh Nazim al-Haqqani (1922–2014 CE) — Sufi: 40th Grand Shaykh in the Naqshbandi order's 'Golden Chain,' Nazim al-Haqqani built the Naqshbandi-Haqqani branch into one of the most visible and transnational Sufi movements of the late 20th century,

al-Kindi (801–873 CE) — Philosopher: Known as 'the Philosopher of the Arabs,' the first major self-identified Muslim philosopher, who argued systematically for the compatibility of Greek philosophy with Islamic revelation and helped dire

al-Farabi (872–950 CE) — Philosopher: Known as 'the Second Teacher' (after Aristotle), a foundational Islamic philosopher whose work on logic, metaphysics, and — most influentially — political philosophy (al-Madina al-Fadila, 'The Virtuou

Ibn Tufail (1105–1185 CE) — Philosopher: Physician-philosopher and vizier best known for Hayy ibn Yaqzan, a philosophical novel about a boy raised alone on an island who reasons his way to ultimate truth without any teacher or revealed scrip

Suhrawardi al-Maqtul (1154–1191 CE) — Philosopher: Founder of the Illuminationist (Hikmat al-Ishraq) school of philosophy, synthesizing Platonic, ancient Persian/Zoroastrian, and Islamic mystical elements into a metaphysics of light — hugely influenti

Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406 CE) — Philosopher: Founder of what is now recognized as historiography and sociology as systematic disciplines; his theory of 'asabiyyah' (social/group cohesion) as the driving force behind the rise and fall of dynastie

Mulla Sadra (1571–1636 CE) — Philosopher: The most influential later Islamic philosopher in the Persian/Shia tradition, who developed 'al-Hikma al-Muta'aliya' ('Transcendent Theosophy'), a systematic synthesis of Peripatetic philosophy, Suhra

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817–1898 CE) — Philosopher: Founder of the Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental College (later Aligarh Muslim University) and leader of the 'Aligarh Movement,' arguing that modern science and reason were fully compatible with Islam and tha

Jamal al-Din al-Afghani (1838–1897 CE) — Philosopher: Father of modern pan-Islamism, arguing for Muslim political unity and scientific-technical modernization as the necessary response to European colonial encroachment; mentor to Mohammad Abduh and a maj

Mohammad Abduh (1849–1905 CE) — Philosopher: Student of al-Afghani and leading modernist reformer who, as Grand Mufti, reformed al-Azhar's curriculum and co-founded (with Rashid Rida) the Tafsir al-Manar reformist commentary movement, arguing Is

Allama Mohammad Iqbal (1877–1938 CE) — Philosopher: Poet-philosopher whose Urdu and Persian verse and philosophical prose reinterpreted Islamic thought through engagement with Western philosophy (Nietzsche, Bergson), centered on a dynamic concept of se

Maulana Abul A'la Maududi (1903–1979 CE) — Philosopher: Founder of Jamaat-e-Islami and one of the most influential 20th-century Islamist political theorists, developing a systematic theory of the Islamic state ('theodemocracy') grounded in the sovereignty

Fazlur Rahman Malik (1919–1988 CE) — Philosopher: A leading modernist Islamic philosopher who developed the 'double movement' method of Qur'anic interpretation — first understanding a verse's original historical context, then re-applying its underlyi

Ali Shariati (1933–1977 CE) — Philosopher: A revolutionary sociologist and lay religious thinker who blended Marxist-influenced sociological method with a reinterpreted, activist Shia Islam (his 'Red Shi'ism' of resistance versus the quietist

Jabir ibn Hayyan (721–815 CE) — Scientist / Innovator: Regarded as a founding figure of chemistry, credited with pioneering systematic experimental laboratory methods (including distillation and crystallization technique) that moved alchemy toward what wo

al-Khwarizmi (780–850 CE) — Scientist / Innovator: Founder of algebra as a systematic discipline (his book's title, 'al-Jabr,' gives algebra its name) and the figure whose Latinized name ('Algoritmi') gave rise to the word 'algorithm'; also central to

al-Razi (Rhazes) (854–925 CE) — Scientist / Innovator: One of the towering physicians of the medieval world, first to clinically distinguish smallpox from measles, and author of a vast medical encyclopedia that remained a standard European medical referen

Ibn Sina (Avicenna) (980–1037 CE) — Scientist / Innovator: Perhaps the single most influential physician-philosopher of the medieval world; his medical encyclopedia was the standard textbook in both the Islamic world and Europe for roughly six centuries, and

al-Biruni (973–1048 CE) — Scientist / Innovator: An extraordinary polymath — astronomer, mathematician, geographer, and pioneering scholar of comparative religion — whose remarkably precise measurement of the Earth's circumference and deeply empiric

Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen) (965–1040 CE) — Scientist / Innovator: A founding figure of the modern scientific method, whose systematic combination of theory and controlled experiment in optics — correctly establishing that vision results from light entering the eye r

al-Zahrawi (Abulcasis) (936–1013 CE) — Scientist / Innovator: Regarded as the father of modern surgery, whose thirty-volume medical encyclopedia included the first illustrated catalog of surgical instruments and remained the standard European surgical reference

Omar Khayyam (1048–1131 CE) — Scientist / Innovator: A mathematician who provided the first systematic geometric solution to cubic equations, and an astronomer who reformed the Persian solar calendar with a precision that rivaled the later Gregorian cal

al-Battani (858–929 CE) — Scientist / Innovator: One of the greatest observational astronomers of the medieval world, whose refined measurements of the solar year and the precession of the equinoxes achieved remarkable accuracy for the era, and dire

Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (1201–1274 CE) — Scientist / Innovator: A major astronomer and mathematician who convinced Hulagu Khan to fund the Maragha observatory, producing significantly revised planetary models (the 'Tusi couple') that directly influenced Copernicus

Ibn al-Nafis (1213–1288 CE) — Scientist / Innovator: First to correctly describe the pulmonary (lesser) circulation of the blood — three centuries before the same discovery was credited in Europe — correcting a long-standing error in Galen's anatomy.

Ulugh Beg (1394–1449 CE) — Scientist / Innovator: A Timurid prince-astronomer who built the great Samarkand observatory and produced the most accurate pre-telescopic star catalog of his era, rivaling — and in some measurements exceeding — the precisi

Taqi al-Din ibn Ma'ruf (1526–1585 CE) — Scientist / Innovator: A leading Ottoman polymath who built the short-lived Istanbul observatory and pioneered early mechanical clock-based methods for precise astronomical timing, contributing significantly to Ottoman scie

Wasil ibn Ata (700–748 CE) — Philosopher: Founder of the Mu'tazila, the first systematic rationalist theological school in Islam, after famously withdrawing ('i'tazala,' giving the school its name) from Hasan al-Basri's teaching circle over a

al-Ash'ari (874–936 CE) — Philosopher: Founder of the Ash'ari school of theology; originally trained as a Mu'tazili, he dramatically renounced pure rationalist theology for a middle path that used reasoned argument to defend traditional do

al-Maturidi (853–944 CE) — Philosopher: Founder of the Maturidi school of theology, developed independently of but roughly parallel to Ash'arism, and which became the dominant theological school within the Hanafi legal tradition across Cent

Ibn Miskawayh (932–1030 CE) — Philosopher: Regarded as the 'father of Islamic ethics,' who developed a systematic philosophical ethics synthesizing Aristotelian virtue theory with Islamic moral teaching, alongside a major universal history.

Ibn Hazm (994–1064 CE) — Philosopher: A polymath who championed the Zahiri ('literalist') school of law in al-Andalus — insisting on the plain sense of Qur'an and hadith over analogical reasoning — while also producing one of the earliest

Ibn Bajjah (Avempace) (c. 1085–1138 CE) — Philosopher: An Andalusian philosopher, physician, and vizier whose work on the isolated, self-perfecting individual directly influenced Ibn Tufail's Hayy ibn Yaqzan a generation later, alongside influential comme

Ikhwan al-Safa (Brethren of Purity) (c. 950 CE) — Philosopher: An anonymous collective of philosopher-scientists whose 52-part encyclopedia synthesized Greek philosophy, mathematics, and natural science with Islamic thought into a unified cosmology aimed at a bro

Khalil Gibran (1883–1931 CE) — Philosopher: Author of The Prophet (1923), one of the best-selling books of the 20th century, blending poetic parables with universalist spiritual philosophy; a leading figure of the Mahjar movement of Arab immigr

Taha Hussein (1889–1973 CE) — Philosopher: Blind from early childhood, 'the Dean of Arabic Literature' became one of the most influential modern Egyptian intellectuals, pioneering rationalist, historical-critical methods in literary scholarshi

Seyyed Hossein Nasr (b. 1933 CE) — Philosopher: A leading contemporary 'Traditionalist School' (Perennialist) philosopher and prolific author explaining Islamic philosophy, science, and Sufism to a global audience, with particular influence on mode

Hammam ibn Munabbih (d. c. 719 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Compiler of the Sahifah Hammam ibn Munabbih, a small notebook of roughly 140 hadith transmitted directly from his teacher Abu Hurayrah — among the very earliest written hadith documents to survive int

Abd al-Razzaq al-San'ani (744–827 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Compiler of al-Musannaf, one of the earliest large-scale hadith collections organized by legal topic, predating al-Bukhari's Sahih by roughly two generations and serving as a direct and indirect sourc

Ibn Abi Shaybah (776–849 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Compiler of al-Musannaf, an enormous topically-organized hadith and legal-opinion collection second in scale only to Abd al-Razzaq's among the early Musannaf works, and a direct teacher of al-Bukhari,

al-Tayalisi (Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi) (753–819 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Compiler of the earliest surviving Musnad-style hadith collection (organized by narrating companion rather than by topic), predating both al-Bukhari and even his own student Ahmad ibn Hanbal's much la

al-Darimi (797–869 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Compiler of the Sunan al-Darimi, sometimes counted by later scholars as a seventh major canonical collection alongside the standard six, distinctive for combining hadith with extended digressions defe

Ibn Khuzaymah (838–924 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Known to his contemporaries as 'Imam al-A'imma' ('Imam of Imams'), compiler of a hadith collection restricted only to reports he judged authentic beyond dispute — stricter in scope even than Bukhari a

al-Tabarani (873–971 CE) — Sunni Hadith Scholar: Compiler of the three 'Mu'jam' collections (al-Kabir, al-Awsat, al-Saghir), organized by narrating companion or teacher rather than topic, together forming one of the largest surviving bodies of hadit

An interactive map of few of the infinite blessings of Rahmat al lil Alamein صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ , across different eras. Each entry has clickable details. The page is best experienced on full screen desktop browsers. This way it allows full visual of contemporaries.

The data is AI generated/assisted. There may be discrepancies. This table will be cross checked and updated overtime by collective efforts and contribution. Anyone interested in the exercise is warmly welcome! Please report any issues and ideas and submit entries to add or update at: info@pinfin.fi

Select the columns and data you wish to see together.Note: on small screens many columns are hard to view together.

Era	Khulafa / Imams	Sunni Fiqh	Sunni Hadith	Shia Fiqh	Shia Hadith	Tafsir	Sufi	Scholars	Philosophers	Scientists / Innovators	Ruler/Dynasty

Rows are ordered chronologically by each figure's approximate starting date, so scanning across a row (or nearby rows) shows rough era-peers across traditions. Gold divider bars mark the ruling power and major geopolitical backdrop of each period. Dates for some early and regional figures vary between sources; where a conflict was clear it's flagged in that person's popup. This page is an educational overview, not a scholarly primary source.

Islamic Scholars Timeline: Imams, Fuqaha, Muhaddithun, Sufis & Scholars by Era

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