His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein

His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein

King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

King Abdullah II of Jordan has influence in Jordan and around the world due to his lineage in the Hashemite family, his custodianship of Jerusalem and activism on various fronts—from freedom of the press and reformed domestic policy to international diplomacy. He is noted for having developed Jordan's free market economy, arts and culture scene, as well as addressing issues of homelessness and poverty in his reign as King.

Prophetic Lineage

King Abdullah II is a member of the Hashemite family and the 42nd generation direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad through the lineage of the Prophet's grandson al Hasan. The Hashemites, or Bani Hashem, link back to the tribe of Quraish. Hashem was the name of the Prophet's great-grandfather. King Abdullah II is thus a member of the Ahl al Bayt (the family of the Prophet Muhammad).

Ruling Dynasty

The Hashemite family ruled Mecca from 1201 CE to 1925 CE and other branches of the family have ruled Mecca from 500 CE, when Qusayy, the grandfather of Hashem, became Mecca's first King. His dynasty is the oldest ruling dynasty in the Islamic world, and the second-oldest in the world, after that of Japan.

Custodian of Holy Sites in Jerusalem

As custodian of the Muslim holy sites in the city of Jerusalem, King Abdullah maintains a unique prestige in the region.

Islamic Outreach

King Abdullah has proven influence at the forefront of a global intrafaith movement, through the creation of the Amman Message, a call for greater intra-religions tolerance and unity in Islam that was endorsed by representatives from all major Muslim groups in 2004. He is also credited with the Royal Aal al Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought's most authoritative website on Qur’an and tafsir or Qur’anic exegesis (Al-Tafsir.com). An extensive resource for Islamic scholarship, Al-Tafsir.com includes Arabic texts from over 90 commentaries of the Qur’an, Hadith texts, among other tools for research of the Qur’anic sciences, with daily hits in the thousands. He is also noted for founding the new World Islamic Sciences and Education University in Jordan.

He is also lauded as an interfaith leader for the 2007 initiative, A Common Word—a groundbreaking initiative in Christian-Muslim engagement.

Peace Activist

King Abdullah is the leading player in the dialogue for peace in Israel-Palestine. He has constantly and openly called for a discussion on the negotiations toward a two-state solution in the region since his ascension to the throne in 1999.