Barmakid Family (600s-900s)
The Barmakids were a family of Buddhist administrators from the city
of Balkh, in what is now Afghanistan. When the Umayyad Caliphate
conquered the area in the the mid-600s, the family converted to Islam.
After the Abbasid Revolution in 750, the Barmakids rose to prominence as
talented administrators. They carried with them centuries of experience
in the Persian Empire of how to manage large government bureaucracies,
something the Arab Abbasid caliphs were ignorant of.
As viziers, they exercised great influence on the formation of the
empire in the late 8th century. Yahya ibn Khalid al-Barmaki was
particularly influential. He was appointed as the tutor and mentor to
the young Harun al-Rashid, who would go on to become the caliph during
which the Abbasids had their golden age. Under his tutelage, Harun
al-Rashid managed to establish peace with the empire’s neighbors,
exponential economic growth, the patronage of scholars, and a system of
infrastructure that rivaled that of ancient Rome. The Barmakid family as
a whole thus had a huge impact on the political shape of the Muslim
world that would continue for centuries.
Berke Khan (Unknown-1266)
As the grandson of the great Mongol conqueror, Genghis Khan, Berke
Khan was an important figure in the Mongol world in the mid-1200s. Like
other Mongols, he originally practiced a form of pagan shamanism. As the
leader in the Golden Horde – a Mongol army – he was sent to the North
Caucasus Mountains and Eastern Europe to subdue the Kipchak Turks. He
eventually managed to lead armies all the way into Hungary.
Then during his travels back towards the Mongol homeland, he stopped
in Bukhara where he questioned local Muslims about their beliefs. He was
convinced of the message of Islam and converted, becoming the first
Mongol leader to accept Islam. After his conversion, many of the
soldiers in his army also converted, leading to tension with the other
Mongol armies, who were ravaging Muslim lands, including the ancient
capital of the Abbasids, Baghdad.
After hearing of the sack of Baghdad
in 1258 by his cousin, Hulagu Khan, Berke promised vengance,
declaring, ”He (Hulagu) has sacked all the cities of the Muslims, and
has brought about the death of the Caliph. With the help of God I will
call him to account for so much innocent blood.” By allying with the
Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, Berke managed to hold back Hulagu’s army
enough to prevent a major invasion (and destruction) of the remainder of
Muslim lands in Egypt, Syria, and the Hijaz.
Zağanos Pasha (Unknown-1461)
Of Greek or Albanian origin, Zağanos Pasha was drafted into the elite
Janissary corps of the Ottoman Empire as a child. Like other
Janissaries, he was educated in Islam, civil administration, and
military matters. He was soon appointed as a mentor and advisor for a
young Mehmed II, who would later become the seventh sultan in the
Ottoman dynasty.
When Mehmed became sultan, he appointed Zağanos Pasha as his second
vizier. Zağanos Pasha was commonly consulted on all matters of state,
especially the siege and conquest of Constantinople
in 1453. During the siege, he was given command of a section of the
army north of the city, and his troops were among the first to
successfully capture a portion of Constantinople’s legendary walls. His
legacy lives today in the numerous endowments (including mosques, soup
kitchens, and public baths) in his hometown of Balikesir as well as in
Edirne.
Ibrahim Muteferrika (1674-1745)
A common accusation thrown at the Ottoman Empire is that it was
intellectually stagnant and resistant to any innovation. A Hungarian
convert to Islam – Ibrahim Muteferrika – flies in the face of that idea.
He was originally an Ottoman diplomat who managed to cultivate close
relations between the Ottoman Empire and France and Sweden. As a result
of his diplomatic work, he was exposed to European ideas on the
Renaissance and the ubiquitous use of the printing press.
Back in Istanbul, he established a printing press, where he printed
copies of atlases, dictionaries, and some religious books. Among his
published works was a world atlas made by the famous geographer
Katip Çelebi, which illustrates the entire known world at that time in
incredible detail and precision. Besides simply printing books,
Muteferrika also wrote on numerous subjects, including history,
theology, sociology, and astronomy.
Alexander Russel Webb (1846-1916)
In late 19th century America, journalism was beginning to take off as
an effective and influential medium for influencing the public. One of
the men who helped spur this journalistic wave was Alexander Russell
Webb. Unconvinced about his Christian religion, and being a well-read
journalist, he began to read extensively about other religions, and was
particularly interested in Islam. When he was appointed by the U.S.
State Department to work in the American embassy in the Philippines in
1887, he took the opportunity to begin a correspondence with Muslims in
India about Islam.
Although he was originally introduced to Islam through members of the
unorthodox (and frankly, un-Islamic) Ahmadiyya Movement, he eventually
found a path to mainstream Islam. He proceeded to travel throughout the
Muslim world, studying Islam and meeting with scholars. In 1893, he
resigned his post at the State Department and returned to America. Back
in the United States, he published numerous books on Islam and started
an Islamic newspaper explaining the religion to the American public. In
the early decades of the 20th century, he continued to be a prominent
voice for Islam in the United States, even being appointed an honorary
Ottoman consul by Sultan Abdulhamid II. He died in 1916 and was buried
outside Rutherford, New Jersey.
Malcolm X (1925-1965)
Unlike others on this list, Malcolm X is hardly a man who needs much
introduction. Early in his life, he struggled finding his role in the
world. After dropping out of school early, he constantly found himself
in trouble, eventually landing himself in jail in 1946. During his 8
years in prison, he was exposed to the ideas of the Nation of Islam – a
pseudo-Islamic group founded in the early 1900s based on the ideas of
black supremacy and the evil of the white race. After being released in
1952, he met with the “prophet” of the NOI, Elijah Muhammad, and became a
minister for the group.
Due to his eloquence and incredible intelligence, Malcolm X quickly
rose through the ranks of the NOI, becoming a leader of the group by the
mid-1950s. As this was the era of the American Civil Rights Movement,
Malcolm X became one of the foremost voices in America advocating for
equal rights for African Americans. Contrary to another great leader,
Martin Luther King, Malcolm X believed black people should defend
themselves – even violently – if needed due to government oppression.
By the late 1950s, Malcolm X began to see some holes in the beliefs
and ideas of the Nation of Islam movement. He left the group and
embarked on a journey to find what true Islam is. He went to Hajj in
1964, then proceeded to tour Muslim and African countries. During this
time he accepted true Islam and came back to America with a new found
determination to spread Islam among the African American community. He
also changed his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, although most people
still knew him as Malcolm X.
His public speaking on behalf of Islam and against the Nation of
Islam made him many enemies among his old allies, especially when many
of his fans began to leave the Nation in favor of mainstream Islam. The
result of this was his assassination in 1965 at the hands of Nation of
Islam thugs. Although his time as a Muslim was short, he was remarkably
influential and continues to serve as a symbol for American Muslims and
civil rights activists in the United States.
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