the top of the list went to sheikh ahmed el-tayeb, the grand sheikh of the al azhar university for the prominent role played by him in egypt's troubled democratic transition his astute decision making over the past couple of years has preserved the traditional approach of al-azhar which faced threats from islamists and salafis in the years that have followed mubarak's fall. his public support of general abdel fattah el-sisi's coup also gave it a strong religious grounding that was necessary for it to achieve the legitimacy needed to prevent a civil war, effectively making him a "king-maker" and cementing his place at the top of the list. he was followed on the listing by saudi king abdullah bin abdul-aziz al-saud and iranian grand leader ayatollah sayyid ali khamenei.