Imran Khan ranked among top 50 of 2026 list of 500 most influential Muslims

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is misleading.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan checked the 2026 edition of ‘The Muslim 500: The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims’ to see if PTI founder Imran Khan was included.

Multiple people on social media platform X, including PTI supporters, were claiming since November 4, 2025, that PTI founder Imran Khan was ranked among the top 50 in the list of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world for 2026 released by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (RISSC) in Jordan. However, Imran has not been ranked among the top 50 and has been listed as an honourable mention.

The RISSC is a research institute based in Amman, Jordan. It has been publishing an annual report titled “The 500 Most Influential Muslims” since 2009, recognising and highlighting individuals who have made significant contributions to Muslim communities.

It also includes an “Honourable Mentions” section, which features notable individuals who might not have made the main list but are still influential in their own right. These mentions are often seen as more of a gesture of recognition rather than a formal ranking.

HOW IT STARTED

On Nov 5, the official X account of PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa shared a post featuring a screenshot of the “Top 50 and Honourable Mentions Listed by Category” section from The Muslim 500 report for 2026.

The caption stated, “The Royal Institute of Strategic Studies of Jordan has released a list of 500 influential Muslims, with Imran Khan from Pakistan ranking 24th on the list of politicians.”

The same claim was also shared by journalist Khurram Iqbal, whose post received over 10,000 views.

Another journalist, Basharat Raja, shared a slightly different version of the claim, writing: “Imran Khan is included among the 500 most influential Muslims, ranking 19th on the list.”

He further added, “The magazine states that despite being imprisoned, Imran Khan retains widespread public support; PTI secured the highest number of seats in the 2024 elections; and Imran Khan continues to strive for reform in a system plagued by corruption and to curb the military’s influence.”

Raja’s post garnered more than 33,000 views.

The same claim was amplified by several PTI supporters on X, as seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, collectively gaining over 105,000 views.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the PTI founder.

Upon reviewing the 2026 edition of The Muslim 500, it was found, contrary to the claim made by the PTI KP account, that Imran was indeed included as the 24th number in the list of honourable mentions for rulers and politicians, but was not part of the ranked top 50 personalities.

Describing how the list of top-ranked 50 and honourable mentions worked, the list said: “The Top 50 individuals are ranked and listed first. The remaining 450 names are then listed (not ranked) in categories of influence, with a small number also chosen to be in our honourable mentions section to value the notable contributions made in their fields.”

Therefore, Imran was included as the 24th listing in the honourable mentions for rulers and politicians and not ranked at 24th. He was also not a part of the top 50 list, which is indeed ranked.

As for the second claim, the list circulated by PTI supporters and a journalist was actually from a different section titled “Top Social Media Statistics of The Muslim 500.”

This section highlights the most popular social media accounts (Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube) managed by Muslims, where Imran’s account is listed in 19th position, not in the main ranking of influential Muslims.

Upon reviewing the list, it was also found that Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were also included in the political category, while senior journalist Hamid Mir was listed under the media category. Renowned religious scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani was also featured in the list.

FACT-CHECK TITLE: MISLEADING

The claim that Imran Khan was ranked in the top 50 on the list of the 500 most influential Muslims for 2026 is misleading.

Imran is not ranked in the main top 50 list but rather is listed in the “Honourable Mentions” section of the report for rulers and politicians at 24th. The report clarified that, unlike the ranking in the top 50, the order of listing in the honourable mention sections carried no significance.

Evidence and References

The Muslim 500: The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims 2026:
https://themuslim500.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2026b-TheMuslim500-LowRes.pdf