Famous Women of the Islamic World
Author: قدرية حسين
Category: Pioneer Egyptian Women's Writings
This book, which was first published in 1924, was written by Princess Qadriyya Husayn, the daughter of Sultan Husayn Kamel who was crowned the Sultan of Egypt in 1914 after the deposition of Khedive Abbas Helmi. It was written in Turkish and translated into Arabic by Abdel-Aziz El-Khanki. The book, which is composed of two parts, presents the biographies of a group of famous women in Arab and Islamic history. Important issues are brought forth through these biographical representations, including the religious and national sense of belonging and the absence of acknowledgement of women in culture and society, tackled from an Islamic perspective. It is one of the early examples of feminist writings that address the issue of women’s history and methods of reading and writing that history. The importance of republishing this book is that it aims at reconciling the multiple, intertwining identities and directions of this nation as well as strengthening women’s consciousness. These aims are even more important today amidst the ongoing debate over the concept of Arab and Islamic cultural identity. The book revives the memory of outstanding Arab women and stresses their active relationship with their cultures and societies at the time they lived. The book begins with two introductions by Omaima Abou-Bakr and the translator Abd al-Aziz al-Khanki. It is then divided into two parts, each prefaced with an introduction by Qadriyya Husayn: Part 1 1- Al- Sayyida Khadija Al-Kubra 2- Al-Sayyida ‘Aisha 3- Al-Abbassa Bint Al-Mahdi (Harun al- Rashid’s sister) 4- ‘Ismat al-Din (Shajarat al-Dur) Part 2 5- Fatima al-Zahraa 6- Rabi’ah al-‘Adawiyya 7- Al-Khansaa 8- Zubaida bint Ja’far ibn Abi Ja’far al-Mansur 9- Sabiha (Queen of Cordoba)