Tesneem Alkiek – Inspirational Muslim Women #08 Arwa bint Ahmed

Assalamu alaikum and welcome back to Sayyidati.

Today we'll discuss the legacy of Arwa bint

Ahmed al Surihayya, the faltman ruler of Yemen.

She was born in Haraz near Sunnah in

1048 AD.

At the time, her uncle was the ruler

of the Sulayhid Empire under the faltman dynasty.

And since she was orphaned at a young

age she was brought up by her uncle's

wife Ismat bin Shehab.

I want to take a moment here to

quickly describe this aunt Ismat

when her husband Adi who was a ruler

was eventually murdered, she spent 2 years as

a prisoner and then finally rose to become

queen of Yemen and ruled for 2 decades.

She was successful in promoting the economic and

social well-being of her people, constructing roads and

gardens and avoiding military conflict through skillful diplomacy

And she was particularly known for always keeping

her promises. Now that we've got that established,

let's turn back to our main character, Arawa

bin Ahmet.

So as I mentioned earlier, she was educated

and trained by Asma who would actually become

her mother-in-law after Adwa married her cousin, Ahmed

al Mukarram in 10/66.

After the ruler Adi died his son Ahmad

inherited the dynasty

but Ahmad, Adwa's husband

suffered from facial paralysis and withdrew from public

life and handed over his authority to Adwa.

Adwa eventually lived to be 90 years old

spending over 7 years of that time as

the direct ruler of Yemen

She built countless schools and mosques and even

improved road infrastructure

She shifted the focus of the country from

arms to agriculture

and thus improving the economy

and also moved the capital from Sunnat to

the Jibla and turned her palace into a

mosque. Although she wasn't the first female monarch

in the Muslim world She and her aunt

Asma were the only rulers in Arab lands

to have their names mentioned during the hutwas

which was a common sign throughout Islamic dynasties

that signified the authority of the ruler.

Furthermore, when the Abbasid caliph Al Muntasir sent

letters to Yemen he directly addressed them in

her name. There was no question of her

rulership.

Arawabit Ahmed is still recalled fondly in Yemen

and the mosques she had constructed remain until

this day. There's also been a university and

museum built in her name. She's known as

a Seyid Al Malik Al Horrah or the

Noble Queen and even referred to as the

2nd Queen of Sheba after the famous Queen

of Sheba or Biris whose story is narrated

in the Quran

What I love about the story of Adwa

and so many of the princesses and sultanas

throughout Islamic history

was their patronage to their communities

as a queen and leader of her Dominion,

Adwa had the capability to do so much

around her, but she prioritized

building places for worship and education

She understood that only by promoting proper knowledge

and worship of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala could

her community flourish

and flourish it did. May Allah subhanahu wa

ta'ala grant us the wisdom and leadership of

both the Queen of Sheba and Queen Adwa.

Ameen, tuzapamalu kayd and for tuning in. Assalamu

Alaikum WarratiAllahu Wa Ta'ala.