Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has once again been named among the world’s 500 most influential Muslims — this time securing a position within the top 50.

The ranking was published by the Jordan-based Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (RISSC) in its annual publication “The Muslim 500: The World’s Most Influential Muslims.” The centre has been releasing the list every year since 2009, recognising individuals who have made significant global impact in areas such as politics, religion, social service, culture, economics, and media.

At the top of this year’s list is Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, followed by prominent Pakistani Islamic scholar Sheikh Muhammad Taqi Usmani in second place and Yemeni Sufi scholar Sheikh Habib Umar bin Hafiz in third.

Rounding out the top ten are Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei (4th), Jordan’s King HM Abdullah II ibn Al-Hussein (5th), Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Dr Ahmad Muhammad Al-Tayyeb (6th), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (7th), Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (8th), UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (9th), and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (10th).

Prof Yunus, who took charge as Chief Adviser of the interim government following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5 last year, was also featured in the same list last year.

Born on June 28, 1940, Prof Yunus has received numerous international awards over his career. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his pioneering role in founding Grameen Bank and advancing microcredit to fight poverty.