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.