Outstanding Muslim Women Scholars

By Zakaria Virk, Toronto, Canada

There is a misconception that there have been no women scholars in Islam. In this article, we are presenting brief biographies of 55 eminent Muslim women who were gifted scholars. Some women established girl’s schools, and some were matrons of scholars. Some were rulers who spent money stupendously in disseminating knowledge. Some were lecturers, author’s and some were translators. Some women were so learned that men drank from the fountain of their learning. Each woman described here contributed to the total of human knowledge in her unique way.

We agree there should have been more women scholars. Still, the severe social taboos and religious restrictions placed on women in Islamic countries were insurmountable barriers in their pursuit of knowledge. Women were not allowed to go out of their houses. To this day, in many modern Islamic societies, women are considered a distracting influence. Some men feel threatened by the educated woman or consider them a challenge to their authority. Women were obliged to observe veil-purdah, which was a hindrance in interacting with male professors. They were not allowed to talk to strangers. Mothers taught their young daughters’ surrender to male domination.  Men were considered inherently superior. Women were expected to procreate, satisfy men, stay at home, and raise children. Any time a woman did something for her own free will it was considered a disgrace to family-honor. In the 10th century, Muslim scholars banished women from mosques claiming dogs, donkeys (unbelievers), and women disrupt prayer just bypassing too near a mosque. Independent travel by women was not allowed. Women, evil temptresses, who acted like men were cursed. Immodest women aroused uncontrollable urges in men.  (M. French, History of Women, page 281

Some women, however, were allowed to attend schools, hence they made a name as we shall see in this article.

Muslim woman daring to read a book – “the best person in the sight of God is one reading a book.”

Things are improving around the world. Particular those Muslim women who have been born or raised in Western culture. These women are making big strides in every field. Those women, who emigrated from Muslim countries to Europe or America, have made tremendous advances because they are free to think and make choices. As for Muslim countries, women are scoring victories, small and large. Iran’s parliament compromised with conservative clerics to allow a single young woman to study abroad, albeit with her father’s permission. Bangladesh passed legislation increasing the punishments for crimes against women, including rape, kidnapping, and acid attacks. Egypt has banned female circumcision and made it easier for women to sue for divorce. In Qatar, women have the right to participate in municipal elections and are promised the same rights in the first-ever parliamentary balloting in 2003. Bahrain has assured women voters and candidates that they will be included in new elections for its suspended parliament. Saudi Arabia has started issuing ID cards to women since 2010 so they can travel in the absence of a guardian though permission is still needed. The Turkish parliament has reformed family law. Previously, a man was the head of the household, able to make unilateral decisions concerning children. No more. The law also establishes community property in marriages and raises the marriageable age of girls from 15 to 18. In India and Pakistan, women’s plight is so egregious that it is better not to say anything.  In May 2014 a pregnant 25 years old woman was bricked to death near the Lahore High Court because she married the man she loved.

When we compare the plight of women in Muslim countries with that in the Western world it was no different. In Europe and America university women were confined to basement laboratories and attic offices. They crawled behind furniture to attend science lectures. They worked in universities without pay as volunteers, in the US as late as the 1970s. Science was supposed to be rigorous and rational; women were deemed to be soft, physically weak, and irrational. Until the 1920s most European high schools for girls were finishing schools. Women who wanted university training had to hire private tutors to learn math, science, Latin, and Greek – required subjects for admission to a university.

If a woman established a scientific partnership with a man, it was assumed that he was the brain and she was the brawn. Western women suffered racial and religious discrimination. German mathematician Emmy Noether (1935), founder of abstract algebra & who did difficult calculations for Einstein, lectured in Gottingen under another mathematician’s name after the Prussian government refused her to be a university lecturer. Nobel Prize winner Italian Rita Levi-Montalcini began her research in her bedroom hidden from the Nazis. China-born C.S. Wu (d.1997) who overturned the law of parity could not get a research job during WWII due to discrimination against Asians. Gertrude B Elion, winner of the Nobel Prize in medicine 1998 worked without pay. In the US universities were the main sponsors of research positions for men. Gerty Cori (Nobel Prize 1947) husband Carl was offered a job of his dreams at an American university, provided he stopped working with his wife. Collaborating with one’s wife in the 1920s was un-American.

For women, science education was much easier than getting a research job. Most colleges, universities, industries, and governments refused to hire women. The majority of women scientists taught in women’s colleges. Only 4% of women scientists in the US were employed by colleges and universities, in low ranking positions such as instructors, assistants, and assistant professors.

Where some women succeeded in science it was due to religious values stressing education. Astronomer Joycelyn Bell Burnell, discoverer of pulsars was a Quaker. Half of the women who won Nobel prizes had a Jewish background. Of the three women born and educated in the US, & who won Nobel prizes two are Jews. The Jew’s commitment to learning and abstract thinking has helped them immensely.

Before WWII in the ’40s Princeton Institute NJ, Columbia University NY, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology refused to admit women as students. Maria Mayer, Emmy Noether, Lise Meitner, and Hertha Sponer none of them became a regular professor in Germany. Johns Hopkins in Baltimore was a coeducational medical school, but the university JHU was vehemently opposed to admitting women as regular undergraduates. Maria Mayer, the winner of the 1963 Nobel Prize in physics, was never listed with 30 male research associates at Johns Hopkins in its catalog. When she asked for an empty office on the main floor, she was sent to the attic. She worked there for a number of years without pay just to stay active in physics.                                                                                        (Nobel Prize women in Science by Sharon McGrayne, Joseph Henry Press, Washington dc 1998)

Brief Biographies of Muslim woman scholars

Rāby‘a al-‘Adawīyya (d. 801) Iraq

Raby’a Basri (or Rabya al-Adwiyya ) was a prominent scholar of Sufi Islam. She was a women-slave of the tribe of Qais bin Addi, hence she was called Adwiyya. By virtue of her external and internal beauty, she was given the title of Umm al-Khair (mother of virtues). One of her titles is Taj al-Rijal that is Crown of Men.

She was born in Basra (Iraq) in 713 in a very poor family. As she was the fourth daughter of her parents, she was given the name of Rabya (fourth). In her childhood someone snatched her and sold her as a slave, so she grew up as a slave. While doing the housework, whenever she got a free moment she prayed. Seeing this owner freed her. There is no written record of her education, her teachers, nor did she get education from male teachers while sitting behind a screen. Some historians say she remained a celibate all her life, while others say she got married, had children but became a widow in her old age. No one knows how many children she had. All of her biographers have praised her piety, her wisdom, and her ascetic high status.

It is stated that after freedom from slavery she lived in a desert. In this period she had close contact with God. Now she settled down in Basra, her fame spreading far and wide on account of her ascetics, her mystic knowledge, and direct communion with the Creator. People started flocking to her which included many pious people, religious divines like Imam Sufian Sauri, Hazrat Malik bin Dinar, Hazrat Shafiq Balkhi.

Her discourses were penned down which shows she was intoxicated with the intense love of God. All she wanted was the pleasure of God. Her love of God was selfless, it was totally for Him. She would exhort people to do the same. She founded the Sufi school of “Divine Love,” which emphasizes the loving of God for His own sake, rather than out of fear of punishment or desire for reward. She lays this out in one of her poems:

“O, God! If I worship You for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell,
and if I worship You in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise.
But if I worship You for Your Own sake, grudge me not Your everlasting Beauty.”

Once someone suggested to her why you don’t ask for help from those who profess their loyalty to you. She replied I am ashamed of asking for something from God who is the owner of all things, then why should I ask for something from those who are not true owners. On one occasion she said: Is God going to forget the poor on account of their poverty, or is He going to remember the rich due to their wealth? When He knows the situation I am in, why should I remind him? Whatever He wills we should submit to that.

Once Rabay’a noticed a young man wearing a headband. She asked him the reason for this; he said it was due to a headache. She asked how old are you? He replied 30. She asked him during these 30 years did you ever fall sick? He replied NO. Hazrat Rabia retorted: In these 30 years you did not wear a headband of thankfulness but one day’s sickness you are wearing a band of ungratefulness.

A man asked her do you consider Allah to be your friend. She replied indeed I consider Him my friend. The man asked now do you consider Satan your enemy? She replied I am so engrossed in the love of Allah that I am not the least fearful of Satan, nor do I have time to think about it.

Once a group of Basra residents came to her and asked why have men been given certain positions which women were not? Does this not mean that women are dim-witted, and for this reason, evidence of two women is equal to one man? Then only men have been given the prophethood, and God deprived women of this distinction. Hazrat Rabay’a said: O my brothers have you ever heard of any women claiming to be God, only men have done this. As far as why no women have been granted the status of prophethood, you should also think about all those prophets, Siddiqs, Shaheed, and Walis who were given birth by women. They were educated & raised by women. This is no mean feat. Every one was speechless with this reply.

She was an accomplished poet. Imam Ghazali has quoted many of her poems in his book Ahya Uloom-dim. She passed away in 801 and was buried in Basra, Iraq. (Mashahir Niswan, Tazkirat ul aulia, Daira Ma’arif Islamia).

Princess Aaliyya  8th century Iraq

Princess Aaliyya was the daughter of the 3rd Abbasid Caliph Mahdi (d.785). Her father made sure she was given a good education. She studied the Quran and Hadith and was conversant with other subjects. She loved poetry and music. She was a beautiful combination of faith and worldly matters. Aliyya was a devout Muslim who offered her Salat and fasted religiously. After Fajr prayers, she used to recite the Quran in a melodious voice, later on, studied books of all sorts. In her spare time, she would shut the door of her room and played music.

She was intelligent and a paragon of beauty. However, she had a scar on her forehead which looked awful. In order to cover this scar, she invented a piece of jewelry that was studded with diamonds. After she started wearing it, it wasn’t very long that it was copied in many other countries. In India and Pakistan, this piece of jewelry is called ‘Jhoomer’ which is worn usually by brides on the occasion of their wedding. Hence her memory is alive in the form of this unusual jewelry. She passed away during the reign of Caliph Mamoon al-Rasheed at the age of fifty. (daily Kohistan, Lahore 20^th March 1964 & Aqdal Fareed).

Hazrat Amna Ramliyya     b.780 Baghdad

Hazrat Amna Ramliyya was a distinguished scholar and mystic of the 8th century. She was born in  780 in Ramla, a suburb of Baghdad. As her parents were poor she could not get a good education. However, she participated in the lectures of Majid Haram in Mecca and gained intimate knowledge of the Qur’an and Hadith. Imam Malik was giving lessons in Medina, so she moved there. She was trained in the science of Hadith for many years and memorized one hundred Prophetic traditions.

She journeyed to Mecca for the second time to be instructed in problems of jurisprudence. She was 36 at the time. When Imam Shafee left for Egypt, she moved to Kufa which was a magnet for scholars and writers. She took a lesson from various scholars; soon she was an outstanding scholar in her own right. She started her own ‘halqa dars’ circle of study which was attended by top-class learned men of Hadith. Hazrat Imam Hanbal was an admirer of her high status, fertile mind, and unique abilities. (Daira Ma’arif Islamiyya, Mashaheer Niswan)

Nafeesa binte Hassan   d.824 Egypt

Hazrat Nafeesa binte Hassan is considered to be one of the preeminent scholars and mystics of 8^th century. She was a descendant of Hazrat Ali bin Talib (599-661). She was raised in the family of the Prophet of Islam. She was an embodiment of sterling virtues. She committed to memory the entire Nobel Quran, then mastered Tafseer, hadith, and various other religious sciences. She would spend most of her time in remembrance of Allah. After her marriage to cousin Ishaq bin Jaafar Sadiq, she lived for a long time in Medina and Mecca. During this period hundreds of scholars were educated under her guidance so much so that she was given the title of Nafisatul Ilm wal-ma’arifat. She went to Egypt with her illustrious husband and settled there permanently. While in Egypt she devoted more time to worship and seeking the pleasure of God. She would tremble at the recitation of the word Allah. She recited istighfar (God’s forgiveness) all the time. She performed Hajj 30 times in her lifetime.

Famous Islamic jurist Hazrat Imam Shafee (d.820) was a contemporary of Hazrat Nafeesa. Both exchanged views on important intellectual questions. One report says that Imam Shafee sought guidance in matters of Hadith from her. Both recognized each other’s high scholarly status. Imam wrote in his Will that when I die my body should be taken in front of her house, so she performed funeral prayer inside her house. When she passed away in 824, her husband wanted her to be buried in Medina but the people of Egypt would not let this happen. It was a national day of mourning in Egypt. Accordingly, she was buried near Cairo. Her tomb is called Mashad Nafeesa which is visited by millions every day.             (Mshaheer Niswan, Ibn Khallikan)

Fatima Muhammad Al-Fihri    (d.880)

She was chiefly known as the founder of the world’s first academic degree-granting institution of higher education, which is still in operation today as the University of Qarawiyyin in Fes, Morocco. Fatima Al-Fihri was the daughter of Muhammad Al-Fihri, a wealthy businessman. After Fatima and her sister Mariam inherited their deceased father’s fortune, they decided to support the construction of mosques or educational institutions such as the Qarwiyyin mosque as a waqf –endowment.

 

 

 

The University of Qarawiyyin in Fes, Morocco.

In 859, Fatima founded the world’s first academic degree-granting institution of higher education, which is still in operation today as the University of Qarawiyyin in Fes, Morocco.^[1] The university was regarded as a major intellectual center in the Mediterranean. Its excellent reputation attracted Gerbert of Auvergne to study there. Auvergne later went on to become Pope Sylvester II and has been given credit for introducing Arabic numerals and the concept of zero to the rest of Europe. Fatima’s sister Mariam is said to have been responsible for the construction of the Al-Andalus (Andalusian) Mosque in Fez. (Wikipedia).

Queen Boran   9th century

Khadija commonly known as Queen Boran was the wife of Caliph Mamoon al-Rasheed (786-833). She was born in 806 and got married to Mamoon at the age of 10. Mamoon’s Prime Minister Hassan bin Sahal spent five million dirhams at the wedding. In the role of a Queen, Boran was famous for her obedience, her superb abilities, and incredible housekeeping. Soon she overwhelmed the Caliph with her wit and wisdom. She was generous and gave out large sums as a charity. In Baghdad, many hospitals and schools were constructed especially girls’ schools. She passed away at the ripe old age of 80.

Bibi Safiyya and Bibi Muazzina – 9th century

Bibi Safiyya was an eminent scholar during the reign of Amir Abdur Rahman III (889-961), ruler of Islamic Spain. Her father was Abdullah Razi. Besides having mastery over several branches of knowledge, she was an incredible calligrapher. She had good command over poetry. Her poetry style was simple but full of meaning. The ruler admired her poetry greatly.

Bibi Muazzina lived also during the reign of Amir Abdur Rahman III in Islamic Spain.  She was a slave in the haram of the ruler. She was blessed with a melodious voice. She was an exquisite poet enjoying felicity of phrase. Caliph used to listen to her poetry in her own voice. She was an excellent writer; her articles were prime examples of elegant composition and style.

Bibi Qadeyfa 10th century

Bibi Qadeyfa was a leading scholar during the reign of Caliph al-Hakam II (ruled 961-976) of Islamic Spain. Caliph Hakam himself was very well versed in numerous sciences. He would have books purchased from Damascus, Baghdad, Constantinople, Cairo, Mecca, Medina, Kufa, and Basra and brought to Spain. As a patron of sciences brought him fame across the Muslim world to the point that even books written in Persia were dedicated to him. During his reign, a massive translation effort was undertaken, and many books were translated from Latin and Greek into Arabic. He formed a joint committee of Muladi Muslims and Mozarab Catholics for this task. His personal library was of enormous proportions. Some accounts speak of him having more than 600,000 books. The catalog of his royal library consisted of 44 volumes.

Qadeyfa was passionate about reading books on various sciences and collecting books for her private library. She had a worthy collection of books. With an elegant speech, she became a prodigious orator.  (Jose Antonio Conde -History of Spain, Historia de la Dominación de los Árabes en España,)

Lubna of Cordoba (d. 984).

Originally a slave-girl of Spanish origin, Lubna rose to become one of the most important figures in the Umayyad palace in Cordoba. She was the palace secretary of the caliphs ‘Abd al-Rahmān III (d. 961) and his son al-Hakam b. ‘Abd al-Rahmān (d. 976). She was also a skilled mathematician and presided over the royal library, which consisted of over 400,000 books. The famous Andalusian scholar Ibn Bashkuwāl says: “She excelled in writing, grammar, and poetry. Her knowledge of mathematics was also immense and she was proficient in other sciences as well. There were none in the Umayyad palace as noble as her.” [Ibn Bashkuwal, Kitab al-Silla (Cairo, 2008), Vol. 2: 324]. In the library of Cordoba, she was responsible reproduce, write, and translate new volumes. She was also with Hasdai ibn Shaprut at the initiative of creating the fabulous library of Madinat al-Zahra.

According to Arab chronicles, at the time of Al-Hakam II, there could be, in some areas of  Cordoba, more than 170 women literate responsible for copying books, which gives an idea of ​​the culture, but also the place of women in the reign of this enlightened Caliph.  Lubna, scribe, and scholar of Cordoba

Bibi A’ayza bint Ahmad

Bibi Aayza lived in Cordoba during the reign of Caliph al-Hakam. She copied by hand several dozen books for her patron. Spanish historian Ibn Hayyan says no one could match the writings and discourses of Aayz. She was one of a kind in Andalus. She was a top-class poet also.

Bibi Meryem Andalusia 10th century

She was an accomplished scholar born in Shalab (Islamic Spain), later moved to Seville. She studied religious as well as secular sciences. She founded a girl’s school in Seville where women came to study from all over the country. Daughters of well-to-do families of Seville studied under her guidance. She taught them rhetoric, creativity, literature, belles-lettres, and meaning of poems. Those who completed their education under her became reputable civil servants. Spanish historian Allama Maqari 1578–1632 has quoted many of her poems in his celebrated book Nafh-tayyab (Breath Of Perfumes).

Fatima Bintey Zaka Riyat al-Zableri 10^th century

Fatima was a Georgian woman in the haram of Caliph al-Hakam II (d.976), the ruler of Islamic Spain. She lived in al-Qasr, Lubna. She was a well-educated lady who had a good grip on grammar, literature, mathematics, and various other secular sciences. Al-Hakam gave her preference over other ladies of the palace due to her magnificent style of composition and elegant writing. She was given the task of composing all of imperial letters & orders which were sterling examples of eloquence. No man in Andalus could claim to be equal to her. She had collected a vast number of literary and technical books. (Jose Antonio Conde, History of Spain, Historia de la Dominación de los Árabes en España,)

Ayesha bintey Ahmad 10th century Cordoba

Ayesha lived in the 10th century in Cordoba. Historian ibn Hayyan states no women in Andalus were so proficient in poetry, knowledge, and deep understanding of intellectual matters. All the rulers of Andalus respected her greatly and would shower her gifts and awards. Besides being a master of various secular sciences she was a magnificent calligrapher. Whoever saw her handwriting was dumbfounded. She copied scores of books with her own hand and scholars of Andalus benefited immensely. She was considered one of the topmost poets among her contemporaries. (Mashaeer Niswan).

Bibi Arooziyya 11th century

Bibi Arooziyya is considered one of the internationally renowned scholars of the 11th century. She was a freed slave of Allama Abul Mutrif Abdur Rahman. Bibi lived in Valencia, Islamic Spain. She was one of kind experts in the science of prosody, philology, rhetoric, and grammar. She mastered the subject of grammar from her owner but very soon surpassed her teacher. She knew by heart Kitab Kamel of Mubarrad and Kitab al-Niwader of Qali. She passed away in 1065 and was buried in the city of Dania.                      (Nafh –tayyab by Maqqari)

Ummay Zainuddin 11th century

She was a consummate scholar of the 11th century. Although she had a good understanding of all the religious sciences, her specialty was the commentary of the Nobel Quran. Her brother Imam Abdul Wahhab was a learned commentator of the Quran who penned a large commentary in thirty volumes. It is said Ummay Zainuddin had committed the entire volumes of tafsir to memory. Her son Zainuddin was also a polymath. Her favorite pastime was spending time in worship ‘ibadat’ sitting on the mosque. It is said she spent 40 years on the prayer-mat.

Kareema bintey Ahmad Marozi – 11th-century IRAN

She was a famous scholar of the 11th century, daughter of Ahmad bin Muhammad abee Hatem of Merv Iran. She was enrolled in the study of religious sciences for many years. She studied Hadith from a variety of divines and received IJAZA (diploma or certificate). The renowned Hadith narrator of Andalus Abu Bakr bin Sabeq al-Siqli was a disciple of Bibi Kareema Marozi. After the fall Islamic government in Sicily Abu Bakr traveled to Mecca where he became a student of Bibi Kareema, subsequently he traveled to Islamic Spain. He settled down in Granada where he gathered many followers. Famous historian Allama Khateeb Baghdadi has written in his multi-volume History of Baghdad that he attended the lectures (Daras) of Kareema during the days of Hajj in Mecca. She was acquainted with mysticism also. This learned lady passed away in 1079.                (History of Sicily)

Fatima Bintey Muhammad Saljooqi   12th century IRAQ

She was the daughter of Sultan Ghayasuddin Saljooqi. Fatima was married to 31^st Abbasid Caliph al-Muktafi lay-Amrillah (d1165). She was a well-mannered, talented lady. She had penetrating insight in household affairs but politics as well. She used to read and write all the royal correspondence of her illustrious husband. Her opinion in state matters was wide-ranging. Her official residence Dargah-Khatoon was an important gathering place for all. She died in 1157.  (Syed Ameer Ali)

Fāṭima b. Abī al-Qāsim Ghālib al-Ansārī al-Sharrāṭ    (d. 1216).

She was one of the most learned women in al-Andalus during the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Her engagement with works of legal theory, jurisprudence as well as mysticism makes it apparent that she was familiar with a wide variety of Islamic sciences. She was the mother of the eminent professor Abū al-Qāsim b. al-Ṭaylasān. According to the Andalusi scholar Abū Ja’far al-Gharnāṭī (d. 1309): “She memorized innumerable books under the guidance of her father, including al-Makki’s Tanbīh, al-Qudā‘ī’s al-Shihāb, Ibn ‘Ubayd al-ulayṭalī’s Mukhtasar, all three of which she knew by heart.

She also memorized the Qur’an under the guidance of Abū ‘Abd Allāh al-Madwarī, the great ascetic who is considered from among the abdāl [an important rank within Sufism]. With her father, she also learned Sahīh Muslim, Ibn Hishām’s Sīra Rasool Allah, al-Mubarrad’s al-Kāmil, al-Baghdādī’s Nawādir, and other works.”[Abū Ja’far Ahmad b. Ibrāhīm al-Gharnāṭī, Kitāb Silla al-Silla (Beirut, 2008), p. 460].                       (from the internet)

Safiyya bintey Abdul Malik 12th century, Cordoba

She was the daughter of most renowned Andalusian royal surgeon & physician Abu Marwan Abdul Malik bin abee Ala Zuhr (d.1162). She was trained in obstetrics. Her brother Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Abdul Malik (aka al-Hafeed) was the royal physician of Caliph Yaqoob al-Mansoor Billah (d.1199). She worked alongside her celebrated brother. Every woman in the royal household was treated by Safiyya especially during gestation.

Bintey Zuhr Cordoba

According to some reports, Bintey Zuhr was the daughter of Abu Bakr al-Hafeed but some say she was his niece. She was an expert in obstetrics. She treated women in the royal palace also.

Umm al-Hina Cordoba

She was an Andalusian scholar of the 12th century. She was born and raised in Cordoba. Her father Qazi Abu Muhammad Abdul Haq was a renowned Jurist of his age. Hence she was also proficient in jurisprudence. Umm al-Hina was a top-notch poet and authored books also. Her father was governor of the city of Murcia. She passed away towards the end of the 12th century & laid to rest in a suburb of Cordoba.

Al-Malika al-Ḥurra Arwa al-Sulayhi  d. 1138

Her full name was Arwa b. Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Sulayḥī. From 1067 to 1138, she ruled as the queen of Yemen in her own right. An Ismā‘īlī Shi’a who was well-versed in various religious sciences, Qur’an, hadith, as well as poetry and history. Chroniclers describe her as being incredibly intelligent. The fact that she ruled in her own right as queen is underscored by the fact that her name was mentioned in the khutba (Friday sermon) directly after the name of the Fatimid caliph, al-Mustanṣir-billah.

Jibla, Queen Arwa’s magnificent capital in Yemen

Arwa was given the highest rank in the Yemeni Fatimid religious hierarchy (that of ḥujja) by the Fatimid caliph al-Mustanṣir. She was the first woman in the history of Islam to be given such an illustrious title and to have such authority in the religious hierarchy. Her reign was marked by various construction projects and improvement of Yemen’s infrastructure, as well as its increased integration with the rest of the Muslim world. She was perhaps the single, most important example of an independent queen in Muslim history.

Shuhda Muhaditha wa katiba  12th century, Baghdad

She was the daughter of Abu Nasr Ahmad bin Umar al-Ibri who was a distinguished Islamic scholar of his time. She was born in 1088 in Deenwar, Iran. She received her early education from her father, later learned calligraphy from him as well. She was such a skilled scribe & calligrapher that an expert admitted her high status. She studied Hadith from leading Muhaditheen like Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Shashee, Ahmad bin Abdul Qadir bin Yusuf and abul-Hussaini. She grew up in Baghdad as her father moved there at the invitation of the Caliph. She gained a reputation in the science of Hadith so much so scholars visited her from far off places. Her lectures were attended by prominent scholars. She had a good knowledge of history and literature. She was a fiery orator. Because of her learned status, calligraphy, and oratory she was given the title of Fakhru Nisa (pride of women). Abbasid Caliph Hassan al-Mustade be-Amrillah (r.1170-80) gifted her big estate so she could continue the dissemination of knowledge. With revenues from this gift, she built a school on the banks of Euphrates where hundreds of students were enrolled for free education, all expenses born by her. She passed away in 1179. Her funeral was offered in the great mosque Jamay al-Qasr in Baghdad, attended by hundreds of illustrious scholars. (Ibn Khallikan, & Syed AmeerAli)

Zaifa Khatoon 12th century, Cairo

Zaifa was born in 1186, daughter of al-Malik al-Adil Saifuddin Ayub -the brother of Sultan Salahuddin Ayubi, conqueror of Baitul Maqdas. Zaifa ruled Halab for a while. She was generous, pious and a stateswoman of extraordinary caliber. She was given the title of al-Malika al-Raheemiyya Esmatu Din wa-Duniya. She established many institutions during her rule i.e. a mosque, a school (madrassa-tul-Firdaus), & a monastery in Halab (Aleppo, Syria).

Khadija bintey Qayyam b.1213 century Baghdad

She displayed remarkable intellect at an early age. In view of this, her father encouraged her to study. Soon she learned Kitabat calligraphy and the art of reciting Quran (qira’t). She attended the lectures of Karima Muhaditha and ibn Shirazi in Baghdad, later she attended lectures in Egypt of Ibn al-Khamizi and Ali bin Mukhtar Aamri. After these travels, she started her own scholarly lectures attended by countless women. In Tabuk and Damascus, she imparted knowledge through Hadith lectures. She had a knack for Arabic literature, especially the outstanding literary work of Maqamat Hariri; her commentaries on this book were noteworthy. http://www.arabacademy.com/arabic-blog/arabic-books/hariris-al-maqamat/

Raziya Sultan d. 1240

Raziya Sultan was the ruler of the Sultanate of Delhi (1236 -1240). In fact, she was the first woman ruler of India. Raziya refused to be addressed as Sultana because it meant “wife or mistress of a sultan”. She would answer only to the title “Sultan”

Her father, Sultan Shams al-Dīn Eltumish (r. 1210-1236) had Raziya designated as heir apparent before his death, thereby making her the official sovereign of the sultanate. Her father took special care of her education. From her childhood, she showed signs of keen observation and intelligence. After studying the Quran she was schooled in traditional Islamic subjects by prominent Muslim scholars. As far as the art of war, she was instructed in horsemanship, swordswomen ship, and bow shooting. Her father personally mentored her in the art of governance, so much so he would at times seek her political advice. When going out of the capital on an expedition, her father would designate her all powers. Sultan Shamsuddin had 8 sons, but he favored her over all of them. She had all the qualities of a monarch.

She was a major patron (or matron) of learning, establishing schools and libraries across northern India. She gave funds for the preaching of Islam by successors of Khawaja Qutubuddin Kaki. In all matters, she behaved like a sultan, leading armies, sitting upon the throne, and even adopting the same royal dress as her father; to the outrage of many. She also insisted on appearing unveiled in royal court because she felt veiling was a hindrance to ruling with an even hand. Author of 23 volume Islamic world history book Tabaqat-e-Naseri (Persian 1260), Maulana Minhaj-i- Siraj conferred upon her the title of Aalem-Nawaz – matron of scholars. In 1240, she was overthrown in a rebellion by the nobles of the kingdom, who—among other things—were strongly opposed to

Indian actor Hima Malini played the role of Raziya Sultan

She was a major patron of learning, establishing schools and libraries across northern India. She gave funds for the preaching of Islam by successors of Khawaja Qutubuddin Kaki. In all matters, she behaved like a monarch-sultan, leading armies, sitting upon the throne, and even adopting the same royal dress as her father; to the outrage of many conservatives. She also insisted on appearing unveiled in royal court because she felt veiling was a hindrance to ruling with an even hand. Maulana Minhaj-i- Siraj, author of 23 volume Islamic world history book Tabaqat-e-Naseri (Persian 1260),  conferred upon her the title of Aalem-Nawaz – patron of scholars. In 1240, she was overthrown in a rebellion by the nobles of the kingdom, who—among other things—were strongly opposed to being ruled by a woman and killed her.

Shajar al-Durr d. 1257

She was the widow of the Ayyubid sultan al-Sālih Ayyūb (r. 1240-1249) and played an important role in Egyptian politics following her husband’s death. She was most likely of Turkic origin, beginning her life as a slave-girl in the Ayyubid court. By 1250, she had become the ruler of Egypt; her reign is generally considered to mark the beginning of the Mamluk dynasty of Egypt.

She played an important role in the preparations in defending northern Egypt against the Seventh Crusade, defeating the crusaders (although she herself was not present) at the Battle of Fariskur (1250) and taking King Louis IX of France captive. She was the effective head-of-state and her name was mentioned in the khutba and coins minted in her name with the title “Malikat al-Muslimīn” (Queen of the Muslims).

However, it was difficult for people to accept being ruled solely by a woman and in August 1250, as a result of various pressures, she married her commander-in-chief ‘Izz al-Dīn Aybak, who became the first Mamluk sultan. Despite the marriage, Shajar al-Durr maintained her power and was even able to ensure that documents of state bore the names of both sovereigns, rather than only that of Aybak. However, in 1257 she decided to eliminate her husband in the bath. When this was discovered, she was deposed and brutally killed, bringing her reign to a tragic end. History of Egypt

Umm al-Khair Jamal-u-Nisa       d.1241

She was born in Baghdad. By virtue of her intelligence and wisdom, she became a bright star on the horizon and reached the greatest heights of fame. She was given the title of Jamal-u-Nisa (the jewel of women) because of her breadth of knowledge. She mastered the science of Hadith from such distinguished scholars of age as ibn al-Batee, Abul Muzaffar Kaghzi, and Shuja al-Harbi. Thereafter she started her own lectures which were attended by hundreds of people. Her famous students were eminent Muhaditheen in their own right – Fatima bintey Sulaiman, Ibn Shahna, Ibn Sa’ada, Ismail bin Asaakar, Qazi Taqiuddin Sulaiman. She passed away in 1241.

Zaynab b. Ahmad    (d. 1339).

She was one of the most eminent Islamic scholars of the fourteenth century. Zaynab belonged to the Ḥanbalī School of jurisprudence and resided in Damascus. She had acquired a number of ijazas (diplomas or certifications) in various fields, most notably hadith. In the early fourteenth century, she taught such books as Sahīh Bukhāri, Sahīh Muslim, the Muwatta’of Mālik b. Anas, the Shamā’il of al-Tirmidhī, and al-Tahāwī’s Sharḥ Ma‘ānī al-Athār.

Among her students was the world-famous traveler Ibn Battūta (d. 1369), Tāj al-Dīn al-Subkī (d. 1355), al-Dhahabī (d. 1348), and her name appear in several dozen of the isnads of Ibn Ḥajar al-Asqalānī (d. 1448). It is important to point out that Zaynab was only one of the hundreds of female scholars of hadith during the medieval period in the Muslim world. For more on the role of Muslim women in hadith scholarship, read Asma Sayeed’s Women and the Transmission of Religious Knowledge in Islam (2013) and Mohammad Akram Nadwi’s Al-Muhaddithat: The Women Scholars of Islam (2007).

Malika Bibi Rajee  India d.1477

She was a devout, intelligent, religious stateswoman of the 15th century. She was the granddaughter of Syed Khizar Khan who was the founder of the Saadat Family rulers of Delhi. The third ruler Muhammad Shah (1420-1432) was her brother. She was married to the ruler of Jaunpur Sultan Mahmud Shah who ruled 1440-1457. She undertook many welfare projects in Jaunpur and was passionate about the dissemination of knowledge. She built mosques, schools, monasteries, guesthouses, and bridges.

Some of the magnificent structures are still standing today i.e. Masjid Laldarwaza Jaunpur, Masjid Bibi-raja, Village of Syed Alipur, Dargah Sulaiman which was built 65 feet above the ground with a spectacular dome. She supported a large number of scholars and admired intellectuals. She used to give them stipends as well as prizes. She was generous towards those desirous of seeking knowledge. Students received scholarships, even paid their living expenses. She was a feminist, advocating women’s right to education, to this end founded a girl’s school. She made sure women could get an education even while observing the veil. She started new names for Islamic calendar months so uneducated women could relate to Hijri-calendar. Some names gained much acceptance from the populace in India like Teera-tezi, barawafat, shabrat, eid, baqareid.

Maleka Gauharshad Aga Begum – 1457 Afghanistan/ Iran

She was the queen of Mirza Shahrukh (1377-1447) son of Ameer Taimur (Tamerlane 1336-1405). She was educated by outstanding teachers when she displayed an interest in literature and history. She loved to be in the company of scholars, like her illustrious husband, and generously looked after the maintenance of learned people.

Both husband and wife were interested in the dissemination of knowledge. They rebuilt several mosques and theological colleges (madrassa) that were destroyed by Tatars. New mosques and madrassas were built as well, of which Mashad mosque is noteworthy which was built near the mausoleum of Imam Ali Raza (d.800). Maleka Gauharshad funded the construction of a grand mosque and a madrassa in Herat in 1437. She established the department of Auqaf to take care of the expenditure of this college. Many world-renowned teachers taught here like Pride of Scholars Aseeluddin, Kamaluddin Masood Sherwani, Maulana Khalilullah Samaqandi. This mosque and school were torn down at the express orders of Ameer Abdur Rahman, ruler of Afghanistan at the ill advice of a British engineer. This patron of scholars and learning was assassinated by her grandson Mirza Aboo Sayeed in 1457.

Her son Mirza Ulugh Beg (1449) was a celebrated astronomer, brilliant mathematician, and patron of sciences.

As described in Wikipedia “Ulugh Beg was also notable for his work in astronomy-related mathematics, such as trigonometry and spherical geometry. He built the great Ulugh Beg Observatory in Samarkand between 1424 and 1429. It was considered by scholars to have been one of the finest observatories in the Islamic world at the time and the largest in Central Asia.^[2] He built the Ulugh Beg Madrasah (1417–1420) in Samarkand and Bukhara, transforming the cities into cultural centers of learning in Central Asia.^”

Sayyida al-Hurra    d. 1542 Granada

Sayyida al-Hurra was one of the most intriguing Muslim figures of the sixteenth century. She was originally from the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada but was forced to flee following its conquest by Christian Spain in 1492. Like many Andalusi Muslims, she settled in Morocco and, along with her husband, fortified and ruled the town of Tetouan. Following the death of her husband in 1515, she became the sole ruler of the city, which grew in strength and population as more Andalusi Muslims were exiled or driven out of Iberia in the early sixteenth century. For various reasons, including the desire to avenge the destruction of al-Andalus and the forcible conversion to Christianity of Muslims there, she turned to piracy and transformed Tetouan into a major base of naval operations against Spain and Portugal. She allied with the famous Ottoman corsair-turned-admiral Kheireddin Barbarossa (1478 – 4 July 1546) in Algiers and together they dealt a serious blow to Spanish imperial power in North Africa and the Western Mediterranean.

For a good look at her life, see Fatima Mernissi’s The Forgotten Queens of Islam (1997), where the author discusses al-Sayyida al-Hurra as well as other important female figures in the medieval Muslim world. (article from the internet)

Parī Khān Khānum    (d. 1578). Iran

She was a Safavid princess and daughter of Shah Tahmasp I (r. 1524-1576) by a Circassian mother. She was one of the most influential Iranian women in the sixteenth century. She was renowned as an educated woman and was well-versed in traditional Islamic sciences, i.e. jurisprudence. She was also known to be an excellent poet. Parī Khān Khānum played an important role in securing the succession of her brother Ismā‘īl II to the Safavid throne. However, during Ismā‘īl’s short reign, her influence waned. During the reign of Ismā‘īl’s successor, Mohammad Khodabanda, she was killed because she was seen to wield too much influence and power. For more, see Shohreh Gholsorkhi’s “Pari Khan Khanum: A Masterful Safavid Princess,” Iranian Studies 28 (1995): 143-156.   ……… http://www.loonwatch.com/tag/pari-khan-khanum/

Gulbadan Begum 16th century India

She was the daughter of King Zaheeruddin Babar, founder of the Mughal dynasty in India. Born in Kabul in 1522 when her august father was ruling over a vast swath of territory, instead of the tiny city-state of Farghana. Gulbadan showed signs of brilliance early on. Her family took a special interest in her education. Soon she was accepted as a leading poet of Persian and Turkish languages. She was 3 when Babar went to India to conquer it. In 1575 she went to Mecca to perform Hajj with an entourage of royal ladies. On the way back from Hajj, their ship struck a mountain near Aden, where they were stuck for 1.5 years. She returned to Fatehpur Seekri after seven years in 1582.

published by Sang-e-Meel Publications, Lahore Pakistan 2002 – 427 pages

Upon her arrival, her nephew King Jalaluddin Akbar commissioned her to chronicle the story of her brother Humayun. Akbar was fond of his aunt and knew of her storytelling skills – requested her to write a biography of King Humayun. Accordingly, she penned ‘Humayun Nama’. For 300 years this biography lay hidden until Mrs. Annette Beveridge discovered this book after a lot of effort and going through records of European libraries. Mrs. Beveridge added some stuff as well like the bio of Gulbadan, had it translated into English, explained many Turkish words, gave brief biographies of many royal ladies (harem) whose names were listed in the book, prepared a detailed list of people’s names. English translation was printed from London in 1902.

She appears to have been an educated, gentle, virtuous, and cultured woman of royalty. She was an avid reader and enjoyed the confidence of both her brother Humayun and nephew Akbar. From her account, it is also apparent that she was an astute observer, well versed with the intricacies of warfare, and the intrigues of royal deal-making. She died in Agra in May 1603. Gulbadan and one of Akbar’s wives, Salima Sultan were the driving force behind Akbar’s patronage of the arts and literature. Of the many things Akbar inherited from his grandfather, Babar, and father Humayun was a magnificent library housed in the Shermandal building of Sher Shahi Fort in Delhi. It is reported there were 24,000 books housed here, whereas 225 topnotch scholars were attached to his royal court.

Akbar carried the casket on his shoulders for a short distance, stood at the grave for an extended period of time to show his respect, deep sorrow, and invaluable loss. (Maqalate Shibli, Humayun Nama, Urdu daira Ma’arif Islamiyya)  http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content&sd=Articles&ArticleID=703

 Saleema Sultan Begum D.1612 India

She was the grand-daughter of Emperor Babar. Her first marriage was to Abdur Raheem Khanekhana. After his murder, she was married to Emperor Akbar. She was youthful, quick on his feet, good-natured, prudent, intelligent, seeker of knowledge, devout, and a big-hearted lady. She was well versed in many sciences and was passionate about poetry. She had her own personal library which houses priceless handwritten manuscripts and books. Some of the books from this library are now found in European libraries.

Kösem Sultan     (d. 1651).

Many English-speaking audiences are quite familiar with Roxelana or Hurrem Sultan, the queen-consort of Suleyman I (r. 1520-1566). However, Kösem Sultan seems to be much less known. As the wife of Ottoman sultan Ahmed I (r. 1603-1617), the mother of the sultans Murad IV (r. 1623-1640) and Ibrahim (r. 1640-1648), and the grandmother of the sultan Mehmed IV (r. 1648-1687), she wielded immense influence and can be considered to be perhaps the most powerful woman in Ottoman history. Originally a Greek with the name Anastasia, she was enslaved at a young age and brought to the Ottoman palace, where she became the concubine of the sultan Ahmed I. According to a contemporary source, Cristoforo Valier, in 1616, Kösem was the most powerful of the sultan’s associates: “she can do what she wishes with the Sultan and possesses his heart absolutely, nor is anything ever denied to her.” Between 1623 and 1632, she served as regent for her son Murad IV, who took the throne as a minor. Until her assassination in 1651, as a result of court intrigue, she exercised a major influence on Ottoman politics. For more on Kösem Sultan and the institution of the Ottoman imperial harem, see Leslie Peirce’s The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire (1993).

Janaa Begum    d.1659  India

She was the daughter of one of the most influential ministers of Emperor Akbar Abdur Raheem Khanekhana (1552-1627). Abdur Raheem was a renowned scholar in his own right. He had mastered the sciences of Tafseer, Hadith, Fiqah, mathematics, philosophy, and astronomy. He could write with ease in Hindi, Persian and Turkish. He was a bibliophile who had a passion for collecting precious and hard to find books.

Janaa Begum was married to Prince Danyal, son of Emperor Akbar. She was a scholar of high standing, blessed with stunning good looks and charm. She authored a commentary of The Nobel Quran in Persian.

A well-decorated manuscript of the Qur’an made during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. (Courtesy Wikipedia article Jehangir)

Satee –u-Nisa 17th century Iran

She was a sister of poet laureate Taleb Aamli. She had committed the Nobel Quran to memory. She was a distinguished scholar of medicine, recitation of the Quran, & Persian literature. She acquired knowledge of medicine from her husband Naseeraee Kushaee. She was provided authentic training in obstetrics. Her hometown Aamil was a town of Mazandaran. Satee came to India to visit her brother during the reign of Emperor Jehangir (d.1627) and decided to settle down here.

Nawab Shahjahan Begum  d.1901 India

She became ruler of the state of Bhopal (India) in 1868 at age 31. She was a genius, patron of scholars, and author of several books. Mention must be made of Taj-al-Iqbal which is the history of Bhopal in Persian and has been translated into English. Her other notable books are Khazeenatul Lughat & Tahzeeb-e-Niswan. She wrote poetry in Urdu and Persian.   Her husband Nawab Siddiq Hassan Khan (1890) was the author of 222 books i.e. Fatah-al-Bayan fee Maqasid al-Quran in 7 volumes, Tarjaman al-Quran in 15 volumes.   (monthly Faran Karachi 1971, & Begamat Bhopal)

Dr. Azarme Dukht Safavi    born 1947 India

She did her doctorate from Aligarh Muslim University and was appointed professor of Persian in 1974. She is a recipient of the President of India Award 2006. She has written more than 100 Persian articles, authored 30 books during the last 40 years. She was editor of monthly Fikr-o-Nazar for 10 years. In English, her book Revolution and Creativity is noteworthy with reference to Persian literature produced in Iran after the 1979 revolution. (Tahzibul Akhlaq, Aligarh, July 2013)

Qurratul-Ayn Tahereh    1817-1852 Iran

Fátimih Baraghání was her name and Qurratul-ayn was her title. She displayed keen intellect at an early age and studied literature, tafsir, hadith, and fiqh. It is said she had committed to memory the Nobel Quran. She was a dazzling beauty, having razor-sharp intellect, impudent, liberal-minded, and an innovator.

When Mirza Muhammad Ali (1850) founded the Babi faith, she became his zealous follower. She gave up veiling and dedicated herself totally to proselytizing people to Babism. She was a passionate poet and firebrand preacher.  Throngs of people came to her lectures, some crying and some absolutely mesmerized. Her stunning beauty was a magnet that attracted people towards her. As a charismatic individual, she was able to transcend the social restrictions placed on women in a traditional society.

Home of Tahereh in Tehran

After preaching in Qazwin, she moved to Karbala and then Baghdad. Later traveled to Kermanshah, Hamadan, and Tehran. She was engaged in debates with Muslim scholars. When she did not give up her preaching activities, she was locked up in a house at the express orders of the King. She was executed in 1852. In the Bahai literature, she is mentioned as an example of courage in the struggle for women’s rights. She was a women’s rights activist who openly denounced polygamy, repugnant veil, and other cruel manacles put upon women by men with the result Iranian women flocked to see and hear her words of wisdom. Of her important works about a dozen on Babi faith and a dozen personal letters have survived. Twenty poems are attributed to her and are regarded highly in Persian culture.

Nana Asma’u  1793-1864 Nigeria

Nana Asma’u was the daughter of Usman dan Fodio, (1754–1817) founder of Sokoto Caliphate (1809-1903) which was one of the most powerful kingdoms in northern Africa of the time. For some, Asma’u represents the education and independence that is possible for women under Islam and remains a model for African feminists into the present.

Nigerian Poet, Scholar, scribe

Erudite and well versed in Arabic, Greek, and Latin classics and fluent in Arabic, Fulfulde, Hausa, and Tamacheq, Asma’u was reputed to be a leading scholar in the most influential Muslim state in West Africa. She represented the number of highly educated Muslim women of the time. Bearing witness to the Fulani Jihad (1804-1810) in which her father conquered Nigeria and Cameroon, she recorded her reactions in The Journal.  Asma’u also left an impressive corpus of poetry which is comprised of historical narratives, elegies, laments, and admonition, which became tools for teaching men and women the principles of the caliphate. (Courtesy: wisemuslimwomen.org)

BadruNesa Begum b.1865 India

She was the mother of renowned Urdu scholar and historian Naseeruddin Hashmi, Hyderabad, India. She was a devout Muslim, learned, compassionate, and intelligent and a foremost writer. She authored several books of which two were very popular: Mumalekey Islamiyya kee sair (Travels in Islamic Countries) and Gulzare Auliya (biographies of saints).

Nawab Sultan Jahan Begum 1858-1930 Bhopal India

Nawab Sultan Jahan Begum was taught a translation of the Glorious Quran with commentary by Prime Minister of Bhopal Jamaluddin Khan Bahadur who was a leading scholar of his time. She learned English, Urdu, Persian, and Arabic, then became proficient in horseback riding and marksmanship. She became a devout Muslim reciting Quran daily after the Fajr-morning prayers. After her crowning, she performed Hajj and wrote the travelogue Riyadh al-Raheen. She traveled widely within India later visited Europe. She was appointed vice-chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University and donated large sums of money to this University. When Indian Islamic scholar Allama Shibli Noamani (1857-1914) appealed for funds so he could write Sirat-u-Nabi, a biography of Prophet Muhammad, she generously gave 50,000 rupees to him for this noble cause. She authored 50 books on religion and ethics. There was a publication department in the state of Bhopal, whose manuscripts she used to revise her books.

Bibi Khajista Akhtar Bano 20th century Pakistan

Bibi Khajista’s father was the principal of Madrassa Aalyia in Dacca. She was the mother of Hussain Suharwardi, former prime minister of Pakistan. She was conversant in Persian, Urdu, Bengali, Arabic, and English. An excellent writer her insightful articles were published in various Urdu newspapers. Kaukab Dari is her biography of the Prophet Muhammad (saw).

Fatema Mernissi   b.1940 Morocco

She is an Islamic feminist author and sociologist. She is best known for her focus on reconciling traditional Islam with progressive feminism.¹  In the early 1990s, she published Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood, a memoir.  In addition to this personal account, much of her academic works deal with harem life, gender, and the public and private spheres. These works include Beyond the Veil: Male-Female Dynamics in Modern Muslim Society, which was her first and best-known work.  Written in English and published in 1975, it compares Western and Islamic conceptions of sexuality and femininity. Published in Morocco in 1983, Le Maroc raconté par ses femmes (called Le monde n’est pas un harem in the revised version appearing in 1991 and appearing as Doing Daily Battle in the English edition) is based on a series of interviews conducted with 11 Moroccan women from different social classes about the personal and economic problems they face.

In The Veil and the Male Elite: A Feminist Interpretation of Islam, Fatema profiles influential women in early Islam and discusses the equality women of that period enjoyed with men in areas like property rights and spiritual exercise. In Scheherazade Goes West: Different Cultures, Different Harems (2001), Fatema returns her attention specifically to the institution of the harem and its sharply different connotations in the West and in the Muslim world.  Other titles she has written include: L’Amour dans les pays musulmans (1984), La Peur-Modernité: Conflit Islam Démocratie (1992), and Women’s Rebellion and Islamic Memory (1993).    Courtesy www.wisemuslimwomen.org

Sameera Moussa   1917-1952 Egypt

She was an Egyptian nuclear scientist who held a doctorate in atomic radiation and worked to make the medical use of nuclear technology affordable to all. She organized the Atomic Energy for Peace Conference and sponsored a call for setting an international conference under the banner “Atoms for Peace”. Famous quote: ‘I will make nuclear treatment as available and as cheap as Aspirin” She died on her first visit to the US when her car fell 40 feet, It’s alleged that the Israeli Mossad was behind Moussa’s murder.   (Wikipedia)

Laleh Bakhtiar      Iran, born in New York 1938 –

Laleh Bakhtiar is the first American woman to translate the Quran into English from a feminist viewpoint. She did a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. Bakhtiar is a Licensed Professional Psychotherapist in Chicago. She also taught courses on Islam at the University of Chicago.

She is co-author of A Sense of Unity: The Sufi Tradition in Persian Architecture (University of Chicago Press) and author of SUFI Expressions of the Mystic Quest (Thames and Hudson), as well as a three-volume work, God’s Will Be Done, on Moral Healing and some 15 other books on various aspects of Islam. She has also translated over 30 books on Islam and the Islamic movement into English. Her teacher and mentor is, Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr. She has translated the first volume of Ibn Sena’s magnum opus al-Qanoon fil Tibb into English.

Dr. Amina Wadud    USA

Dr. Amina Wadud is a visiting scholar at the Starr King School for the Ministry in California and a visiting consultant on Islam and gender at the International Centre for Islam and Pluralism in Indonesia. Dr. Wadud achieved full Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA. The USA, before taking early retirement.  She is the author of several books, including Inside the Gender Jihad (Oneworld Publisher, 2006), and Qur’an and Woman (Oxford University Press, 1999), now available in 7 translations.  A core member of Sisters in Islam, Malaysia since 1989, Dr. Wadud contributed the theological basis for the organization in its earliest stages of development. She continues to combine academia and activism; progressive Islam and spirituality in her work.  She continues to travel extensively providing consultation on areas related to Islam and Pluralism and is an expert on the theology of Islam and gender equality.  She is doing research on knowledge production and gender in Islam    (http://www.wisemuslimwomen.org/muslimwomen/bio/amina_wadud/)

Asma Barlas   b.1950, Pakistan

She served as Spinoza Chair in Philosophy at the University of Amsterdam in the spring of 2008. Her credentials include a Ph.D. in International Studies from the University of Denver, an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Punjab in Pakistan, and a B.A. in English Literature and Philosophy from Pakistan’s Kinnaird College for Women. In 2002 her focus shifted to the hermeneutics of the Quran, Muslim sexual politics, and relations between Islam and the West (Re-understanding Islam, 2008; Islam, Muslims, and the U.S., 2004; “Believing Women” in Islam, 2002).

Khalida Adeeb Khanum 1884-1964 Istanbul

She is considered one of the most prominent scholars and political figures of modern Turkey. Her father was the chief secretary of Sultan Abdul Hamid II (d.1909). Her first literary work was an English translation of American author Jacob Abbott’s ‘The Mother in Her Home’. She was appointed inspector general of woman’s education in Syria and Lebanon. In 1924 she was exiled by Ataturk Kamal to England. In 1935 she came to India and lectured on Turkish literature, politics, and history in various universities. In Qarool Bagh Dehli she delivered 8 lectures; one of these was presided over by Allama Iqbal (d.1938). Her travels in India resulted in a book Inside India. After a stint of 11 years as a professor, she was elected to the Turkish parliament. She authored 45 books, 35 in Turkish, one in English, 9 were translations from other languages. (Ma’arif Lahore June 75)

Dr. Azarme Dukht Safavi    1947 India

She did her doctorate from Aligarh Muslim University and was appointed professor of Persian in 1974. She is a recipient of the President of India Award 2006. She has written more than 100 Persian articles, authored 30 books during the last 40 years. She was editor of monthly Fikr-o-Nazar for 10 years. Her tome Revolution and Creativity is noteworthy with reference to Persian literature produced in Iran after the 1979 revolution. (Tahzibul Akhlaq, Aligarh, July 2013)

Dr. Mansoora Shamim  (Bhatti)  Lalamusa, Punjab, Pakistan

She completed a Master of Science degree in 1998 from Punjab University Lahore then spent some time at Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste Italy. Later moved to the USA where she received her doctorate from Kansas University. She is one of the thousands of scientists who took part in the discovery of the Higgs boson in CERN in 2012. She has given talks and taken part in seminars in various US cities like Fresno (CA), Manhattan (KS), Fermilab (Batavia, IL), East Lansing, MI. She has been working at CERN since 2008.

Maryam Mirzakhani   May 1977   Tehran

She is an Iranian mathematician, Professor of Mathematics (since September 1, 2008) at Stanford University. Her research interests include Teichmüller theory, hyperbolic geometry, ergodic theory, and symplectic geometry. She is an alumna of the National Organization for Development of Exceptional Talents (NODET), in Tehran, Iran. She studied at Farzanegan high school. She found international recognition as a brilliant teenager after receiving gold medals at both the 1994 International Mathematical Olympiad (Hong Kong) and the 1995 International Mathematical Olympiad (Toronto), where she finished with a perfect score.

Mirzakhani obtained her BSc in Mathematics (1999) from the Sharif University of Technology. She holds a PhD from Harvard University (2004), where she worked under the supervision of the Fields Medallist Curtis McMullen. She was a Clay Mathematics Institute Research Fellow and a professor at Princeton University.  (Courtesy Wikipedia)

Dr. Pardes Sabeti   25th December 1975 Tehran

She is an Iranian-American computational biologist, medical geneticist, and evolutionary geneticist. She developed a bioinformatic statistical method which identifies sections of the genome that have been subject to natural selection and an algorithm which explains the effects of genetics on the evolution of disease.

Sabeti is an associate professor in the Center for Systems Biology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University and on the faculty of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at the Harvard School of Public Health and is a senior associate member at the Broad Institute. After graduating from MIT, she did her M. Sc and D. Phil from Oxford University. Later she obtained her M.D. from Harvard Medical School, only 3^rd women to graduate summa cum laude. In 2009 she won NIH Innovator Award.

 

Dr. Pardis Sabeti

Dr. Sultana NoorNahar           Dacca Bangladesh

She moved to the USA in 1979 and did her masters in Quantum Optics, later a doctorate in Atomic Theory in 1987. She was elected member of the American Physical Society in 2006. She is a research scientist at Ohio State University. She has been awarded numerous by the US and Bangladesh governments.

Aliya Sabur      22nd February 1989     New York City, NY

Her mother Julie Kessler married Pakistani-American Muhammad Sabur. She holds the title of youngest professor in the world. At age 14 she entered graduate school. In 2006 she did her MSc. The next year she started teaching at Southern University, New Orleans.

American material scientist

In 2008 she was given the title of youngest professor by the Guinness Book of World Records. She was only 9 when she got a black-belt in Tae Kwan-do. For one year she was teaching at Konkuk University, South Korea in the department of Advanced Technology Fusion. Aalia is a recipient of the 2007 Dean fellowship from Drexel University. In 2007 she took a temporary position at Southern University in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. As a motivational speaker, she has given 15 talks in the US, Malaysia, and Korea.                                      alia.sabur@gmail.com 

References:

1. Talib al-Hashmi, Tarikh-e-Islam kee 400 Bakamal Khwateen, Islamic book foundation Dehli 2006
2. Sharon McCGrayne, Nobel Prize Women in Science, Washington DC 2008
3. Gisela Webb, Muslim woman scholar-activist in North America, Syracuse U.P. 2000
4. Beverly Mack, One Woman’s Jihan Nana Asmau, Bloomington, Indiana USA 2000
5. M. French, History of Women, From Eve to Dawn McArthur & Company, Toronto, 2002
6. Monthly magazine Tahzibul Akhlaq Urdu, Aligarh
7. Time magazine Nov. 25, 2001, The Women of Islam http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,185647,00.html
8. Internet sources and various books on the history of Islamic Spain.
9. Wikipedia

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