Timeline of Key Islamic Scholars and Historic Figures
Timeline of Key Islamic Scholars and Historic Figures
Note: The dates are in accordance with the Islamic calendar (H/AH) (which starts on July 16, 622 CE, the date of the Messenger’s arrival in Madīnah). The year corresponds to the date of death of each authority (unless otherwise indicated). A short description of each scholar’s specialization is included or one of their major publications is cited in order to remove any discrepancies, given that sometimes more than one person shared the same name and/or the same kunyah.
Format: Year – Name of Scholar or renowned person (major publication or title/description)
List of Scholars and Figures by Death Year (AH)
| Death Year (AH) | Name of Scholar or renowned person (major publication or title/description) |
| 11 | Muḥammad (Messenger and Prophet) |
| 13 | Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (first Caliph) |
| 17 | Mu`āth Ibn Jabal (Companion, Qāḍī) |
| 18 | Abū `Ubaydah Ibn al-Jarrāḥ (Companion) |
| 23 | `Umar Ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (the second Caliph, Companion) |
| 32 | Abd Allāh Ibn Masūd (Companion) |
| 32 | Abū al-Dardā’ (Ḥadīth transmitter) |
| 35 | Uthmān Ibn `Affān (Caliph/Companion) |
| 37 | `Ammār Ibn Yāsir (Companion) |
| 40 | `Alī Ibn Abī Ṭālib (fourth and last of the Rāshid Caliphs) |
| 45 | Zayd Ibn Thābit (Companion/Qur’ān Ḥāfiẓ) |
| 54 | Usāmah Ibn Zayd (Companion and military Amīr) |
| 58 | `Ā’ishah Bint Abī Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (Prophet’s wife) |
| 58 | Abū Hurayrah (Ḥadīth transmitter) |
| 60 | Mu`āwiyah Ibn Abī Sufyān (First Umayyad Caliph) |
| 68 | Ibn `Abbās (Ḥadīth transmitter) |
| 68 | Abū al-Aswad al-Du’alī (Reformed Arabic script) |
| 73 | Abd Allāh Ibn Umar (Companion, son of the second Caliph) |
| 74 | Mālik Ibn Abī `Āmir (Ḥadīth transmitter, Mālik’s grandfather) |
| 78 | Jābir Ibn `Abd Allāh (Companion) |
| 95 | al-Ḥajjāj Ibn Yūsuf (Umayyad governor) |
| 96 | Ibrāhīm al-Nakh`ī (Faqīh from Kūfah) |
| 97 | `Urwah Ibn al-Zubayr (One of the seven fuqahā’ from Madīnah) |
| 101 | Umar Ibn Abd al-Azīz (Umayyad Caliph) |
| 104 | Mujāhid (author: Tafsīr Mujāhid) |
| 110 | Ibn Sīrīn (Faqīh and ḥadīth transmitter from Baṣrah) |
| 110 | Ṭāwūs (Tafsīr and fiqh scholar) |
| 122 | Zayd Ibn Alī (Shiite Imām, Zaydī Shi`ites) |
| 131 | Wāṣil Ibn Aṭā’ (Mutazilite thinker from Baṣrah) |
| 136 | Zayd Ibn Aslam (Faqīh from Madīnah) |
| 143 | Yaḥyā Ibn Sa`d al-Anṣārī (Qāḍī and faqīh from Madīnah) |
| 148 | Jafar al-Ṣādiq (Seventh Imam, Ismāīlī Shi`ites) |
| 150 | Abū Ḥanīfah (“Founder” of the Ḥanafī School of law) |
| 158 | Ismāīl Ibn Jafar (Qāḍī and faqīh from Madīnah) |
| 160 | Shu`bah Ibn al-Ḥajjāj (collector of ḥadīth) |
| 161 | Sufyān al-Thawrī (Ḥadīth collector) |
| 169 | NāfiIbnAbd al-Raḥmān Ibn Abī Nu`aym (qāri’ from Madīnah) |
| 169 | al-Khalīl Ibn Aḥmad al-Farāhīdī (Reformed the writing system) |
| 179 | Mālik Ibn Anas (Author of al-Muwaṭṭa’) |
| 181 | Ibn al-Mubārak (Kitāb al-zuhd wa-‘l-raqā’iq) |
| 182 | Abū Yūsuf (Kitāb al-āthār) |
| 189 | al-Shaybānī, Muḥammad Ibn al-Ḥasan (faqīh from Kūfah) |
| 193 | Ziyād Ibn `Abd al-Raḥmān (Transmitter of Muwaṭṭa’) |
| 197 | `Abd Allāh Ibn Wahb (al-Muwaṭṭa’, kitāb al-muḥārabah) |
| 197 | Warsh (Qāri’ of the Qur’ān from Egypt) |
| 198 | Sufyān Ibn `Uyaynah (Ḥadīth scholar) |
| 198 | Yaḥyā Ibn Sa`d al-Qaṭṭān (Ḥadīth scholar) |
| 204 | al-Shāfi`ī (Kitāb al-umm) |
| 204 | Ibn al-Kalbī (Jamharat al-nasab) |
| 211 | Abd al-Razzāq al-Ṣanānī (al-Muṣannaf) |
| 218 | Ibn Hishām (Sīrat Ibn Hishām) |
| 220 | Qālūn (Qur’ān reciter from Madīnah) |
| 224 | Abū Ubayd (Kitāb al-nāsikh wa-‘l-mansūkh) |
| 230 | Ibn Sa`d (al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā) |
| 231 | al-Naẓẓām (Mu`tazilite thinker) |
| 234 | Ibn al-Madīnī (Ilal al-ḥadīth, Marifat al-rijāl) |
| 234 | Yaḥyā Ibn Yaḥyā al-Laythī (Transmitter of Muwaṭṭa’) |
| 235 | Ibn Abī Shaybah (Muṣannaf) |
| 238 | Ibn Ḥabīb `Abd al-Malik (al-Wāḍiḥah) |
| 240 | Suḥnūn (Compiler of Muwaṭṭa’ Mālik) |
| 240 | Suwayd al-Ḥadathānī [aka Abū Sa`īd] (Transmitter of Muwaṭṭa’) |
| 240 | al-Iskāfī (Mu`tazilite from Baghdād) |
| 241 | Aḥmad Ibn Ḥanbal (Musnad) |
| 254 | Muḥammad al-Mahdī ([Birth date] twelfth Imam, Twelvers Shi`ites) |
| 255 | al-Dāramī (Sunan) |
| 256 | al-Jāḥiẓ (Renowned Mu`tazilite literary figure) |
| 256 | al-Bukhārī (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī) |
| 256 | Muḥammad Ibn Suḥnūn (Transmitter of Muwaṭṭa’) |
| 261 | Muslim (al-Jāmi` al-ṣaḥīḥ) |
| 273 | Ibn Mājah (Sunan) |
| 275 | Abū Dāwūd (Sunan) |
| 276 | Ibn Qutaybah (Kitāb ta’wīl mukhtalaf al-ḥadīth) |
| 277 | al-Fasawī, Abū Yūsuf Yaqūb Ibn Sufyān (Kitāb al-marifah) |
| 279 | al-Tirmidhī (Ḥadīth collector) |
| 298 | Yaḥyā Ibn `Awn (Ḥadīth transmitter) |
| 303 | Abū Alī al-Jubā’ī (Mutazilite scholar debated Ibn Ḥanbal) |
| 303 | al-Nasā’ī (al-Sunan) |
| 309 | al-Ḥusayn Ibn Manṣūr (authority on naskh) |
| 310 | al-Ṭabarī (Tafsīr and Tārīkh) |
| 312 | Abd Allāh Ibn Sulaymān al-Ashath (authority on naskh) |
| 313 | Muḥammad Ibn Zakkariyā’ al-Rāzī (Ethics and medicine) |
| 317 | al-Zubayr Ibn Aḥmad al-Zubayrī (authority on naskh) |
| 324 | Ibn Mujāhid (Kitāb al-sab`ah fī al-qirā’āt) |
| 327 | Ibn Abī Ḥātim (Taqdimatu al-marifah, al-Jarḥ wa-‘l-tadīl) |
| 330 | Abū al-Ḥasan al-Asharī (Asharite theological school) |
| 333 | Abū al-Arab M. Ibn Tamīm (Ṭabaqāt ulamā’ ifrīqiyyah) |
| 338 | al-Fārābī (philosophy and ethics) |
| 338 | Aḥmad Ibn M. al-Murādī [al-Naḥḥās] (authority on naskh) |
| 354 | Ibn Ḥibbān (Kitāb al-thiqāt) |
| 363 | Ibn Muḥammad al-Numān (Daā’im al-islām) |
| 370 | al-Jaṣṣāṣ (Aḥkām al-qur’ān) |
| 377 | al-Ḥasan Ibn `Abd al-Ghaffār al-Fārisī (al-Ḥujjah) |
| 381 | Ibn Mihrān al-Isbahānī (al-Mabsūṭ fī al-qirā’āt al-`ashrah) |
| 386 | Ibn Abī Zayd al-Qayrawānī (Kitāb al-jāmi`) |
| 403 | Abū Bakr al-Bāqillānī (Nukat al-intiṣār linaql al-qur’ān) |
| 428 | Ibn Sīnā (Philosophy, medicine, and ethics) |
| 429 | Baghdādī, Abū Manṣūr (Uṣūl al-dīn) |
| 430 | Abū Nu`aym (Ḥilyat al-awliyā’) |
| 437 | Makkī Ibn Abī Ṭālib (al-Nāsikh wa’l-mansūkh) |
| 444 | al-Dānī (al-Muḥkam fī naqt al-maṣāḥif) |
| 456 | Ibn Ḥazm (Jamharat ansāb al-`arab) |
| 463 | al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī (Taqyīd al-`ilm) |
| 463 | Ibn `Abd al-Bārr (al-Intiqā’ fī faḍā’il al-a’immah) |
| 464 | Abū Bakr Abd Allāh Ibn Muḥammad al-Mālikī (Riyāḍ al-nufūs) |
| 468 | al-Wāḥidī (Qur’ān commentator) |
| 474 | al-Bājī (Iḥkām al-fuṣūl fī aḥkām al-uṣūl) |
| 475 | Ibn Khālawayh (Mukhtaṣar fī shawādhdh al-qur’ān) |
| 475 | Ibn Mākūlā (al-Ikmāl) |
| 478 | al-Juwaynī (al-Shāmil fī uṣūl al-dīn) |
| 483 | al-Sarakhṣī (al-Mabṣūṭ) |
| 520 | Ibn Rushd al-Qurṭubī —al-Jadd (al-Bayān wa-’l-taḥṣīl) |
| 543 | Ibn al-`Arabī (Aḥkām al-qur’ān) |
| 562 | al-Sam`ānī (al-Ansāb) |
| 571 | Ibn `Asākir (Tārīkh dimashq) |
| 593 | al-Marghīnānī (al-Hidāyah and Sharḥ bidāyat al-mubtadī) |
| 595 | Ibn Rushd al-Qurṭubī—al-Ḥafīd (Bidāyat al-mujtahid) |
| 597 | Ibn al-Jawzī (Manāqib Umar Ibn Abd al-`Azīz) |
| 630 | Ibn al-Athīr (al-Kāmil fī al-tārīkh) |
| 631 | Āmidī (jurisprudence scholar) |
| 676 | al-Nawawī (Tahdhīb al-asmā’) |
| 681 | Ibn Khallikān (Wafayāt al-a`yān) |
| 684 | al-Qarafī (al-Dhakhīrah) |
| 685 | al-Bayḍāwī (Anwār al-tanzīl wa-asrār al-ta’wīl) |
| 700 | Niẓām al-Dīn Ibn Muḥammad al-Nīsābūrī (Gharā’b al-qur’ān) |
| 711 | Ibn Manẓūr (Lisān al-`arab) |
| 728 | Ibn Taymiyyah (Ṣiḥḥat uṣūl madhhab) |
| 738 | Yaḥyā Ibn `Abd Allāh al-Wāsiṭī (al-Nāsikh wa al-mansūkh) |
| 741 | Ibn Juzayy (al-Qawānīn al-fiqhiyyah) |
| 751 | Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (Alām al-muwaqqiīn) |
| 774 | Ibn Kathīr (al-Bidāyah wa’l-nihāyah) |
| 776 | Khalīl Ibn Isḥāq (al-Mukhtaṣar) |
| 790 | al-Shāṭibī (al-Muwāfaqāt fī uṣūl al-sharī`ah) |
| 799 | Ibn Farhūd (al-Dībāj al-mudhahhab) |
| 808 | Ibn Khaldūn (Historian, philosopher, sociologist; author of al-Muqaddimah) |
| 833 | Ibn al-Jazarī (Ghāyat al-nihāyah fī ṭabaqāt al-qurrā’) |
| 836 | Aḥmad Ibn al-Mutawwaj al-Baḥrānī (al-Nāsikh wa’l-mansūkh) |
| 840 | Aḥmad Ibn Yaḥyā Ibn al-Murtaḍā (al-Baḥr al-zakhkhār) |
| 845 | Ibn Sa`d (al-Ṭabaqāt) |
| 852 | Ibn Ḥajar (Fatḥ al-bārī fī sharḥ ṣaḥīḥ al-bukhārī) |
| 853 | Muḥammad al-Rā`ī al-Andalusī (Intiṣār al-faqīr) |
| 864 | Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī (Tafsīr al-jalālayn) |
| 883 | Aḥmad Ibn Ismā`īl al-Abshīṭī (al-Nāsikh wa-’l-mansūkh) |
| 911 | al-Ṣamhūdī (Wafā’ al-wafā’ bi-akhbār dār al-muṣṭafā) |
| 911 | Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī (Tafsīr) |
| 1004 | al-Ramlī (Nihāyat al-muḥtāj ilā sharḥ al-minhāj) |
| 1025 | Ibn al-Qāḍī (Jadhwat al-iqtibās) |
| 1032 | Aḥmad Bābā al-Tinbuktī (Nayl al-ibtihāj bi taṭrīz al-dībāj) |
| 1033 | al-Karmī (author on naskh) |
| 1089 | Ibn al-`Imād (Shadharāt al-dhahab) |
| 1101 | al-Khirshī (Sharḥ al-khirshī `alā mukhtaṣar al-khalīl) |
| 1104 | Muḥammad Ibn al-Ḥasan al-Ḥurr al-Āmilī (Wasā’il al-shīah) |
| 1122 | al-Zurqānī (Egyptian scholar who commented on the Muwaṭṭa’) |
| 1190 | Aṭiyyat Allāh Ibn Aṭiyyah al-Ajhūrī (Irshād al-raḥmān) |
Timeline for Islamic political leaders:
List for the first three major caliphates, which cover the period from the death of the Prophet Muhammad up to the Mongol sack of Baghdad.
The dates are given in Anno Hegirae (AH/H), followed by the corresponding Common Era (CE) dates.
I. Rashidun Caliphate (The “Rightly Guided” Caliphs; Madina)
(AH 11–40 / CE 632–661)
| Caliph | Regnal Period (AH) | Regnal Period (CE) |
| Abu Bakr | 11–13 | 632–634 |
| ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb | 13–23 | 634–644 |
| ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān | 23–35 | 644–656 |
| ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib | 35–40 | 656–661 |
II. Umayyad Caliphate (Damascus)
(AH 41–132 / CE 661–750)
| Caliph | Regnal Period (AH) | Regnal Period (CE) |
| Mu’āwiyah I | 41–60 | 661–680 |
| Yazīd I | 60–64 | 680–683 |
| Mu’āwiyah II | 64 | 683–684 |
| Marwān I | 64–65 | 684–685 |
| ‘Abd al-Malik | 65–86 | 685–705 |
| Al-Walīd I | 86–96 | 705–715 |
| Sulaymān | 96–99 | 715–717 |
| ‘Umar II | 99–101 | 717–720 |
| Yazīd II | 101–105 | 720–724 |
| Hishām | 105–125 | 724–743 |
| Al-Walīd II | 125–126 | 743–744 |
| Yazīd III | 126 | 744 |
| Ibrāhīm | 126 | 744 |
| Marwān II | 127–132 | 744–750 |
III. Abbasid Caliphate (Baghdad)
(AH 132–656 / CE 750–1258)
| Caliph | Regnal Period (AH) | Regnal Period (CE) |
| al-Saffāḥ | 132–136 | 749–754 |
| al-Manṣūr | 136–158 | 754–775 |
| al-Mahdī | 158–169 | 775–785 |
| al-Hādī | 169–170 | 785–786 |
| Hārūn al-Rashīd | 170–193 | 786–809 |
| al-Amīn | 193–198 | 809–813 |
| al-Ma’mūn | 198–218 | 813–833 |
| al-Mu’taṣim | 218–227 | 833–842 |
| al-Wāthiq | 227–232 | 842–847 |
| al-Mutawakkil | 232–247 | 847–861 |
| al-Muntaṣir | 247–248 | 861–862 |
| al-Musta’īn | 248–252 | 862–866 |
| al-Mu’tazz | 252–255 | 866–869 |
| al-Muhtadī | 255–256 | 869–870 |
| al-Mu’tamid | 256–279 | 870–892 |
| al-Mu’taḍid | 279–289 | 892–902 |
| al-Muktafī | 289–295 | 902–908 |
| al-Muqtadir | 295–320 | 908–932 |
| al-Qāhir | 320–322 | 932–934 |
| al-Rāḍī | 322–329 | 934–940 |
| al-Muttaqī | 329–333 | 940–944 |
| al-Mustakfī | 333–334 | 944–946 |
| al-Muṭī’ | 334–363 | 946–974 |
| al-Tā’i’ | 363–381 | 974–991 |
| al-Qādir | 381–422 | 991–1031 |
| al-Qā’im | 422–467 | 1031–1075 |
| al-Muqtadī | 467–487 | 1075–1094 |
| al-Mustaẓhir | 487–512 | 1094–1118 |
| al-Mustarshid | 512–529 | 1118–1135 |
| al-Rāshid | 529–530 | 1135–1136 |
| al-Muqtafī | 530–555 | 1136–1160 |
| al-Mustanjid | 555–566 | 1160–1170 |
| al-Mustaḍī’ | 566–575 | 1170–1180 |
| al-Nāṣir | 575–622 | 1180–1225 |
| al-Ẓāhir | 622–623 | 1225–1226 |
| al-Mustanṣir | 623–640 | 1226–1242 |
| al-Musta’ṣim | 640–656 | 1242–1258 |
Ottoman Sultanate (Empire)
The most significant sultans from the major periods of the empire’s history is listed below, along with their accession and end dates in both AH (Anno Hegirae) and CE (Common Era).
The first two rulers, Osman I and Orhan, are typically referred to as Beys or Emirs; the title Sultan was first used by Murad I.
Major Sultans of the Ottoman Empire (AH Dates)
| No. | Sultan | Accession (AH) | End of Reign (AH) | Reign (CE) | Key Period |
| 1 | Osman I (Founder) | c. 699 | c. 726 | c. 1299–1326 | Foundation |
| 3 | Murad I (First to use “Sultan”) | 761 | 791 | 1360–1389 | Expansion |
| 4 | Bayezid I (Yıldırım) | 791 | 804 | 1389–1402 | Expansion & Interregnum |
| 7 | Mehmed II (Fatih, the Conqueror) | 855 | 886 | 1451–1481 | Rise / Conquest of Constantinople (857 AH / 1453 CE) |
| 9 | Selim I (Yavuz, the Grim) | 918 | 926 | 1512–1520 | Caliphate Acquired (923 AH / 1517 CE) |
| 10 | Suleiman I (the Magnificent) | 926 | 974 | 1520–1566 | Zenith / Golden Age |
| 14 | Ahmed I | 1012 | 1026 | 1603–1617 | Stagnation Begins |
| 17 | Murad IV | 1032 | 1049 | 1623–1640 | Restorative Period |
| 23 | Ahmed III | 1115 | 1143 | 1703–1730 | Tulip Period (Cultural Flourishing) |
| 28 | Selim III | 1203 | 1222 | 1789–1807 | Reform Efforts (Nizam-ı Cedid) |
| 32 | Abdülmecid I | 1255 | 1277 | 1839–1861 | Tanzimat Reforms |
| 34 | Abdülhamid II | 1293 | 1327 | 1876–1909 | Constitutional Era / Decline |
| 36 | Mehmed VI (Last Sultan) | 1336 | 1341 | 1918–1922 | Abolition of the Sultanate (1341 AH / 1922 CE) |
Full List of Ottoman Sultans
For a complete list of all 36 sultans, below is a concise table (using their primary, singular reign dates and omitting the founders and multi-reign dates for brevity):
| Sultan | AH Reign Dates | Sultan | AH Reign Dates | Sultan | AH Reign Dates |
| 1. Osman I | c. 699–726 | 13. Mehmed III | 1003–1012 | 25. Mahmud I | 1143–1168 |
| 2. Orhan | c. 726–761 | 14. Ahmed I | 1012–1026 | 26. Osman III | 1168–1170 |
| 3. Murad I | 761–791 | 15. Mustafa I (1st) | 1026–1027 | 27. Mustafa III | 1170–1187 |
| 4. Bayezid I | 791–804 | 16. Osman II | 1027–1031 | 28. Abdülhamid I | 1187–1203 |
| 5. Mehmed I | 816–824 | 15. Mustafa I (2nd) | 1031–1032 | 29. Selim III | 1203–1222 |
| 6. Murad II | 824–855 | 17. Murad IV | 1032–1049 | 30. Mustafa IV | 1222–1223 |
| 7. Mehmed II | 855–886 | 18. İbrahim | 1049–1058 | 31. Mahmud II | 1223–1255 |
| 8. Bayezid II | 886–918 | 19. Mehmed IV | 1058–1099 | 32. Abdülmecid I | 1255–1277 |
| 9. Selim I | 918–926 | 20. Suleiman II | 1099–1102 | 33. Abdülaziz | 1277–1293 |
| 10. Suleiman I | 926–974 | 21. Ahmed II | 1102–1106 | 34. Murad V | 1293 |
| 11. Selim II | 974–982 | 22. Mustafa II | 1106–1115 | 35. Abdülhamid II | 1293–1327 |
| 12. Murad III | 982–1003 | 23. Ahmed III | 1115–1143 | 36. Mehmed V | 1327–1336 |
| 24. Osman III | 1168–1170 | 37. Mehmed VI | 1336–1341 |
Rustumid Imamate
The Rustumid Imamate (also spelled Rustamid) was an Ibadi state centered in Tahert (near modern Tiaret, Algeria) that existed in the central Maghrib from the late 8th to the early 10th century. Here is a list of the Rustumid Imams with their approximate accession and end dates in both AH (Anno Hegirae) and CE (Common Era).
Imams of the Rustumid Imamate (Tahert, c. 778–909 CE)
| No. | Imam (Ruler) | Accession (AH) | End of Reign (AH) | Reign (CE) | Notes |
| 1 | ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Rustam | 161 | 171 | 778–788 | Founder of the Imamate in Tahert. |
| 2 | ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān | 171 | 208 | 788–824 | Consolidated the Ibadi state. |
| 3 | Abū Saʿīd Aflaḥ ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb | 208 | 258 | 824–872 | Longest and most stable reign; period of cultural and commercial zenith. |
| 4 | Abū Bakr ibn Aflaḥ | 258 | 260 | 872–874 | Short reign marked by internal strife. |
| 5 | Abū al-Yaqẓān Muḥammad ibn Aflaḥ | 260 | 281 | 874–894 | Ruled during a period of rising external threats. |
| 6 | Abū Ḥātim Yūsuf ibn Muḥammad (1st reign) | 281 | 282 | 894–895 | Deposed after a brief period of civil unrest. |
| 7 | Yaʿqūb ibn Aflaḥ | 282 | 286 | 895–899 | |
| (6) | Abū Ḥātim Yūsuf ibn Muḥammad (2nd reign) | 286 | 294 | 899–907 | Briefly restored to power. |
| 8 | Yaqẓān ibn Muḥammad Abī al-Yaqẓān | 294 | 296 | 907–909 | Last Imam. Defeated and the state was overthrown by the Fāṭimids. |
Fatimid Imamo-Caliphates
The Fatimid Caliphate was a Shia Isma’ili dynasty that ruled over a vast empire in North Africa, Egypt, and parts of the Levant and Arabia from the 10th to the 12th century CE. The Fatimid rulers held the dual titles of Caliph (political head) and Imam (spiritual head of the Isma’ili branch of Shi’a Islam).
The dynasty was founded in Ifriqiya (modern-day Tunisia and eastern Algeria) in 909 CE (297 AH) and later established its capital in Cairo (al-Qahira), founded in 969 CE (358 AH). The caliphate was abolished by Saladin in 1171 CE (567 AH).
List of Fatimid Imam-Caliphs
The table below lists the Fatimid Imam-Caliphs, their regnal names, and their approximate dates of reign in both the Common Era (CE) and the Hijri year (AH):
| # | Regnal Name (Arabic) | Given Name | Reign Start (CE/AH) | Reign End (CE/AH) | Notes |
| 1 | al-Mahdi bi’llah (المهدي بالله) | ‘Abd Allah | Aug 909 / 297 | Mar 934 / 322 | Founder of the dynasty in Ifriqiya. |
| 2 | al-Qa’im bi-Amr Allah (القائم بأمر الله) | Muhammad | Mar 934 / 322 | May 946 / 334 | Faced the major Kharijite revolt of Abu Yazid. |
| 3 | al-Mansur bi-Nasr Allah (المنصور بنصر الله) | Isma’il | May 946 / 334 | Mar 953 / 341 | Defeated the revolt of Abu Yazid. |
| 4 | al-Mu’izz li-Din Allah (المعز لدين الله) | Ma’ad | Mar 953 / 341 | Dec 975 / 365 | Conquered Egypt in 969 CE; moved the capital to Cairo. |
| 5 | al-Aziz bi’llah (العزيز بالله) | Nizar | Dec 975 / 365 | Oct 996 / 386 | Expanded Fatimid control over parts of Syria. |
| 6 | al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah (الحاكم بأمر الله) | Mansur | Oct 996 / 386 | Feb 1021 / 411 | Known for his eccentric rule and eventual disappearance. Considered divine by the Druze faith. |
| 7 | al-Zahir li-i’zaz Din Allah (الظاهر لإعزاز دين الله) | ‘Ali | Feb 1021 / 411 | Jun 1036 / 427 | A return to normalcy after the turbulent reign of al-Hakim. |
| 8 | al-Mustansir bi’llah (المستنصر بالله) | Ma’ad | Jun 1036 / 427 | Dec 1094 / 487 | Longest-reigning Fatimid caliph; his death led to the split into Musta’li and Nizari branches. |
| 9 | al-Musta’li bi’llah (المستعلي بالله) | Ahmad | Dec 1094 / 487 | Dec 1101 / 495 | His succession caused the major Musta’li-Nizari schism within Isma’ilism. |
| 10 | al-Amir bi-Ahkam Allah (الآمر بأحكام الله) | Mansur | Dec 1101 / 495 | Oct 1130 / 524 | Murdered by Nizari agents (Assassins). His death led to the second Musta’li split (Hafizi/Tayyibi). |
| 11 | al-Hafiz li-Din Allah (الحافظ لدين الله) | ‘Abd al-Majid | Oct 1130 / 524 | Oct 1149 / 544 | Declared caliph after a period of instability following al-Amir’s death. |
| 12 | al-Zafir bi-Amr Allah (الظافر بأمر الله) | Isma’il | Oct 1149 / 544 | Apr 1154 / 549 | Murdered by his vizier. |
| 13 | al-Fa’iz bi-Nasr Allah (الفائز بنصر الله) | ‘Isa | Apr 1154 / 549 | Jul 1160 / 555 | A child-ruler, succeeded by another child. |
| 14 | al-Adid li-Din Allah (العاضد لدين الله) | ‘Abd Allah | Jul 1160 / 555 | Sep 1171 / 567 | The last Fatimid Caliph; deposed by Saladin. |