Family Barmakid (600 AD - 900 AD)
Barmakid family is an influential Buddhist family of Balkh region, now in the territory of Afghanistan. At the time of the Umayyad dynasty conquered the area, in the mid-600s AD, this family embraced Islam. After the Abbasid revolution of 750 AD, the family Barmakid began to show their talents as a reliable administrator. They inherited the experience of their ancestors who never care bureaucracy Persian empire for centuries. Experience dealing with these large bureaucracies that are not owned by the Abbasid family.
As a minister or government executive, family Barmakid have a significant effect in the stability of the kingdom at the end of the 8th century, Yahya bin Khalid al-Barmaki is is one such example. Yahya was appointed as a mentor Harun al-Rashid who is still young at the time. The result we have seen, Harun al-Rashid is known as the best in the days of the Abbasid caliph and managed to bring the kingdom reached the golden age. Under the direction and guidance, Harun al-Rashid built a good relationship with neighboring countries, foster a progressive economy, guarantees against the clergy, and the infrastructure systems that rival the splendor of the ancient Roman era. Barmakid family who greatly influence the management of the politics of the Islamic world which lasted for several centuries.
Berke Khan (died 1266 AD)
He is the grandson of Genghis Khan of the Mongol conqueror. Berke Khan is an important figure in the history of the Mongols in the mid-1200s AD He was the king of Dynasty Golden Horde, one of the generation that brought the Mongols savor their golden years. As his ancestors, Berke also adopts Shamanism before he embraced Islam. Berke is a strong leader, he never sent troops to the North Caucasus mountains and Southeast Europe to conquer the Kipchak Turks. He has also mobilized its troops to conquer the whole territory of Hungary.
Having completed its military mission in these areas, the way back to the Mongols, he stopped in the Bukhara region, where curiosity about Islam emerged. Then he asked about Islam to the locals. Hear explanations about Islam, Berke believes the messages brought by Islam is completely in line with the objectives of creation of man and reconcile restless soul in animist beliefs and teachings dynamism brought by Shamaniah. He decided to embrace Islam as well as a first Mongol leader who accepted Islam. His Islam is also followed by many soldiers.
Islamic Berke and his army automatically embed their fraternal spirit among the Muslims. That's when the body began to emerge tensions Mongolian army, especially with his cousin Hulagu Khan faction of dynasty Chagtai. Mongol Hulagu Khan was the ruler of the area marks the Persian empire, he was known to cruel and very similar to their grandfather Genghis Khan. Hulagu had slaughtered millions of Muslims in the expansion-expansion in Islamic regions.
After hearing the fall of Baghdad by his cousin, Hulaghu Khan, in 1258, with full confidence and the spirit of brotherhood among Muslims, he set aside consanguinity or nasabnya by Hulagu. He said that "Hulagu has devastated all the towns and killing Islamic caliphate, with God's help I will reply and make calculations with him on a lot of blood of Muslims that he shed." With the support of the royal troops Mamluks in Egypt, Berke mobilized its troops to hit Hulagu army retreated.
Zaganos Pasha (1446-1466 AD)
Zagaros Pasha is someone who comes from Greece there are also those who say an Albanian. he was drafted into the Janissaries, the elite corps of the Ottoman Empire. Like the other Janissaries, he is equipped with the Islamic religious sciences, administration, and military training. He was appointed as a mentor and advisor to the king of the seventh candidate Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II or better known as Sultan Muhammad al-Fatih is still very young.
Currently serving as the king of the Ottoman Mehmed, Zaragos was appointed as a minister. Zaragos always involved in all the affairs of the state, especially the planned conquest of Constantinople in 1453. When the attack Constantinople, Zaragos assigned fortress besieged Constantinople from the north, and the army is the first group that managed to touch the walls of Constantinople, known so solid. Zaragos relics still remaining in the area Edrine form of mosques, public kitchens, and public baths.
Ibrahim Muteferrika (1674 - 1745 AD)
Issues that are often directed against the Ottoman empire was science in the kingdom is not growing, stagnant, and very minimal with innovation, is not proportionate to the extent of the empire and the duration of their power. A person who comes from Hungary, Ibrahim Muteferrika, hear and observe these outstanding issues. As a diplomat assigned to bridge the Ottoman and European relations, in particular France and Sweden, Ibrahim Muteferrika capture the opportunities of European revival (Renaissance) where the use of the printing press into a new culture and by Ibrahim people of Europe have not been optimal use of these tools. He returned to Istanbul with the mission of developing innovative printing with these tools.
Ibrahim began printing and publishing world atlas containing maps of various countries, dictionaries, and religious books. Among the most famous printing result is an atlas made by a renowned expert geography, Katip Celebi, which depicts a map of the world in those days with the level of detail and incredible precision. Besides developing the printing of books, Ibrahim Muteferrika also written several books on history, theology, sociology, and astronomy.
Alexander Russell Webb (1846 - 1965 AD)
In the late 19th century, American journalism began to enter a new era. Influence of the writing world is very large and effective in shaping opinions in society. One of those who play a role in these developments is Alexander Russell Webb. Initially, Webb is someone who is a Christian, but the more days that religion has raised doubts for him, until he lost his belief in Christianity.
Having lost faith in the Christian religion, he began to open up and study of religions other than Christianity. And suddenly he felt an interest in Islam. When the US government designated to be one of the official US embassies in the Philippines in 1887, he used the opportunity to correspond with his friend, the Ahmadis of India and asked him about Islam.
Although his Islam adopts starts with the Ahmadis, he continued to develop his Islam by studying insight into various Islamic countries and meet with the scholars of Islam so that he gets a good understanding of Islam and in spite of the influence of Ahmadiyah.
In 1893, he resigned from the diplomatic world and returned to America. In the land of Uncle Sam this time he began his preaching appeals to Islam. With journalistic ability, he wrote several books and opinion columns in the media to explain to the American people about Islam. In the early 20th century, it is increasingly recognized as a viable and vocal Muslims in the propagation of Islam in America, even the Ottoman Sultan, Sultan Abdul Hamid II, gave him the honorary title of the kingdom as an appreciation of what he had done. Alexander Russell Webb died in 1916 and was buried in New Jesrey. May Allaah have mercy on him.
Malcolm X (1925 - 1965 AD)
Many things can be told from the life of Malcolm X as his journey was not as smooth as the previous figures. His life was colored by a negative track record. Born as a black man in his time is a problem, because the American people are still marginalized black people. Malcolm start his youth hard and trying to show their existence in life, although sometimes it brings problems for himself. He has been issued by the school and went to jail in 1946 for any crime which he did.
During 8 years of languishing in bars, Malcolm began to be affected by the thought of "Islamic State" brought by one of the deviant group founded in the 1900s. The group is campaigning for the supremacy of the blacks and whites are a group of demons. Of course, the background of the establishment of this group is the oppression committed by whites against blacks. After his release from prison, Malcolm met the "Prophet" movement NOI (Nation of Islam), Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm was appointed as a minister in the NOI.
In the 1950s, Malcolm highest office in this group. That's because a good wit and rhetoric. In the era of American freedom at the time, Malcolm became a prominent rights campaigner. He advocates for the rights of African Americans in order to be on par with those of whites. Malcolm struggle is similar to Martin Luther King who tried to make equal rights of blacks to whites, only, Malcolm struggles tend to be harder and radical.
1950s occurred again the ideology of Malcolm's transformation, he began to see the gaps and mistakes Nation of Islam movement. He also left this movement and start reviewing Islam, looking pristine values of Islam are peaceful. When the air-Hajj in 1964, when he found the essence of the teachings of Islam. He then returned to America to teach and spread the values and teachings to African-Americans in the environment.
In times of change is precisely Malcolm began to speak about the irregularities understand Nation of America. One by one member of the Nation of Islam out of the movement, but not a few members of this movement who hate and hostility. The climax is murder against him in 1965 by members of the Nation of Islam.
Although not so long past his Islam, Malcolm X is considered to have great influence on the struggle of Muslims in America and equal rights, marginalized blacks.
