The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center untuk pertama kalinya menerbitkan buku “The 500 Most Influential Muslims In The World” tahun 2009.Para tokoh Muslim dari seluruh dunia yang terpilih masuk dalam daftar itu adalah kalangan Muslim yang dianggap memiliki kemampuan untuk mempengaruhi kondisi kemanusian dan mampu membawa perubahan dalam kehidupan banyak orang.
“500 Muslim Paling Berpengaruh di Dunia” sepanjang tahun 2009 itu, dibagi dalam 15 katagori, antara lain katagori ulama, politisi, cendikiawan, perempuan, pemuda, ilmu dan teknologi, media sampai katagori muslim radikal.
Dalam pengantar buku yang diterbitkan bersama lembaga Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Christian-Muslim Understanding ini disebutkan, tujuan diterbitkannya buku ini untuk membantu dan membuka wawasan tentang pengaruh umat Islam di dunia saat ini dan beragamnya kelompok-kelompok Islam yang ada di seluruh dunia.
Penyusunan buku ini melibatkan pengamat dunia Islam yang namanya sudah dikenal luas di dunia internasional, Profesor John Esposito dan Profesor Ibrahim Kalin sebagai editor utama.
Dalam daftar 500 Muslim yang dianggap paling berpengaruh di dunia, terdapat sejumlah nama tokoh Muslim dari Indonesia, antara lain Profesor Doktor Din Syamsuddin, pimpinan Muhammadyah, dai kondang Abdullah “AA Gym” Gymnastiar dan Dr KH Ahcmad Hasyim Muzadi, pimpinan Nahdlatul Ulama.
Ketiga tokoh Muslim Indonesia itu bahkan masuk dalam jajaran 50 tokoh peringkat teratas diantara 500 tokoh yang paling berpengaruh di dunia. Dua tokoh Muslim lainnya yang masuk dalam buku “The 500 Most Influential Muslim 2009″adalah penulis dan tokoh sastra Indonesia, Helvy Tiana Rosa, pengusaha Muslim Haidar Bagir-pendiri dan direktur penerbitan buku Mizan, Ustadzah kondang Tutty Alawiyah bahkan Abdurahman Wahid (Gus Dur), Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono dan sejumlah tokoh Muslim yang di Indonesia justeru kerap menimbulkan kontroversi dan pengusung Islam liberal, misalnya tokoh feminis Musdah Mulia yang juga masuk dalam daftar di buku tersebut.
His Majesty King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Hajj Sayyid Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
His Majesty King Mohammed VI, King of Morocco
His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
His Excellency Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Turkey
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Sa’id al Sa’id, Sultan of Oman
His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hussein Sistani, Marja of the Hawza, Najaf
His Eminence Sheikh Al Azhar Dr Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, Grand Sheikh of the Al Azhar University, Grand Imam of Al Azhar Mosque
Sheikh Dr Yusuf Qaradawi, Head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars
His Eminence Sheikh Dr Ali Goma’a, Grand Mufti of the Arab Republic of Egypt
His Eminence Sheikh Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdullah Aal al Sheikh, Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Mohammad Mahdi Akef, Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood
Hodjaefendi Fethullah Güllen, Turkish Muslim Preacher
Amr Khaled, Preacher and Social Activist
Hajji Mohammed Abd al Wahhab, Ameer of the Tablighi Jamaat, Pakistan
His Royal Eminence Amirul Mu’minin Sheikh as Sultan Muhammadu Sa’adu Abubakar III, Sultan of Sokoto
Seyyed Hasan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Hezbollah
Dr KH Achmad Hasyim Muzadi, Chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia
Sheikh Salman al Ouda, Saudi Scholar and Educator
His Highness Shah Karim al Hussayni, The Aga Khan IV, 49th Imam of the Ismaili Muslims
His Highness Emir Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates
His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces
Sheikh Dr M Sa’id Ramadan al Bouti, Leading Islamic Scholar in Syria
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam
His Eminence Professor Dr Sheikh Ahmad Muhammad al Tayeb, President of Al Azhar University
His Eminence Mohammad bin Mohammad al Mansour, Imam of the Zaidi Sect of Shi‘a Muslims
His Eminence Justice Sheikh Muhammad Taqi Usmani, Leading Scholar of Islamic Jurisprudence, Pakistan
His Excellency President Abdullah Gül, President of the Republic of Turkey
Sheikh Mohammad Ali al Sabouni, Scholar of Tafsir
His Eminence Sheikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah, Deputy-Head of the International Union of Muslim Scholars
Her Eminence Sheikha Munira Qubeysi, Leader of the Qubeysi Movement
His Eminence Sheikh Ahmad Tijani Ali Cisse, Leader of Tijaniyya Sufi Order
Sheikh al Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Director of Dar al Mustafa, Tarim, Yemen
Khaled Mashaal, Leader of Hamas
Professor Dr M Din Syamsuddin, Chairman of Muhammadiyya, Indonesia
Maulana Mahmood Madani, Secretary General of Jamiat Ulemae-Hind, India
Sheikh Habib Ali Zain al Abideen al Jifri, Director General of the Tabah Foundation, UAE
Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Hanson, Founder of Zaytuna Institute, USA
His Eminence Sheikh Professor Dr Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina
His Excellency Professor Dr Ekmelledin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference
General Mohammad Ali Jafari, Commander of the Revolutionary Guard, Iran
Dato’ Haji Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, Religious Guide of the Islamic Party of Malaysia
Motiur Rahman Nizami, Ameer of the Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh
Professor Sayid Ameen Mian Qaudri, Barelwi Leader and Spiritual Guide
His Holiness Dr Syedna Mohammad Burhannuddin Saheb, 52nd Da‘i l-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohras
Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, Pakistani Nuclear Scientist
Professor Dr Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Islamic Philosopher
Abdullah ‘Aa Gym’ Gymnastiar, Indonesian Preacher
Sheikh Mehmet Nazim Adil al Qubrusi al Haqqani, Leader of Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi Order
His Excellency Dr Abd al Aziz bin Uthman Altwaijiri, Secretary General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization