PM Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir Share Top Spot in 2027 List of Most Influential Muslims

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir have been jointly ranked first in the 2027 edition of The 500 Most Influential Muslims, sharing the top position with Saudi King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The annual listing is compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (RISSC), a research institute based in Amman, Jordan, which has published the ranking since 2009. It is the first time in the publication's history that more than one name has been placed at the very top.

According to the RISSC, the decision was driven primarily by the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement involving Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. The institute states that the pact, signed on August 7, 2026, and activated at an emergency summit in Riyadh, combines Saudi financial resources, Turkish technology and manufacturing capacity, and Pakistani military strength under a collective security framework. The centre describes the arrangement as having significantly reshaped regional politics.

Pakistan features prominently throughout the 2027 ranking, with six names in the top 50. Alongside the prime minister and the field marshal, Mufti Taqi Usmani is placed seventh, Maulana Tariq Jamil 32nd, Tablighi Jamaat Amir Maulana Nazar ur-Rehman 41st and Sheikh Muhammad Ilyas Attar Qadiri 44th. Former prime minister Imran Khan appears among the honourable mentions in the political category.

Other notable entries include Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei at fourth, Jordan's King Abdullah II at fifth and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at sixth. UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan is ranked 12th, footballer Mohamed Salah 39th and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani 49th. Field Marshal Munir also appeared among the most influential Muslims in the previous year's edition.

The RISSC compiles its rankings each year to identify individuals whose influence shapes the lives of Muslim communities worldwide, drawing on criteria that include religious scholarship, political authority, philanthropy and cultural reach. The 2027 edition marks a departure from the publication's tradition of naming a single figure at the summit of its list.