"Queen Arwa al-Sulayhi: The Golden Reign of Yemen's First Female Sovereign”

By Afroz Khan, New Age Islam 23 June 2025 Arwa al-Sulayhi, born 1048 in Jibla, Yemen, became queen consort in 1067 and ruled as sovereign after her husband’s paralysis. She moved the capital to Dhu Jibla, declared Khutbah in her name, and reigned until 1138, expanding mosques, improving roads, and supporting agriculture, earning praise for her intelligence. Main Points: 1. Born 1048 in Jibla, Yemen, Arwa al-Sulayhi was educated under her uncle and aunt, showcasing her intelligence. 2. Became queen consort in 1067; assumed full control after husband’s paralysis, ruling as sovereign. 3. Moved capital to Dhu Jibla for better governance and declared khutba in her name. 4. Defeated Najahids in 1075, avenging her father-in-law’s death, strengthening her rule. 5. Ruled until 1138, expanded mosques, improved infrastructure, and supported agriculture, earning praise for her intellect. ------ Islamic history is full of many such women who have got their names recorded in history in golden letters on the basis of their ability. One of them was the ruler of Yemen, whose name is recorded in history for ruling for 50 years. Arwa bint Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn Musa Ashu-Sulayhi was born in 1048 in Jibla (Yemen). Her father was Ahmad ibn al-Qasim al-Sulayhi and mother was al-Radda al-Sulayhi. Her father Ahmad died when she was young. Arwa al-Sulayhi was raised in the royal palace under the supervision of her uncle Ali al-Sulayhi and his wife Asma. Arwa al-Sulayhi's uncle and aunt recognized her intelligence and arranged excellent education for her so that her intelligence could be fully developed. In 1065 she was married to the Crown Prince Wali al-Ahd al-Mukarram Ahmad. It is said that as dowry, Ali gave Arwa the net annual revenue from the city of Aden, which was 100,000 dinars, paid by the Ma'nid emirs of Aden. In 1067 Arwa's father-in-law, Ali al-Sulayhi, was killed by the Najahid ruler of Zabid, Sa'id, Asma and the other women were taken captive. Al Mukarram Ahmad freed them from the Najahids in the Battle of Zabid and assumed the title of king and Arwa al Sulayhi became queen consort. At that time, there was a growing opposition against the Sulayhid dynasty throughout Yemen, but Al Mukarram Ahmad launched campaigns to re-establish his authority and eventually succeeded. Asma died in 1074 and Ahmad al-Mukarram became bedridden due to paralysis soon after. Al-Mukarram Ahmad's paralysis (or paraplegia) may have been caused by wounds sustained in a battle at Zabid against the Najahids early in his reign. Al-Mukarram Ahmad's paralysis left Arwa al-Sulayhi in complete control of the government. Ahmad remained the de facto ruler of Yemen and Arwa al-Sulayhi became the real sovereign as Ahmad had delegated all power to her. This marked the real political rise of Arwa al-Sulayhi. According to Hussein Hamadani (1931), Ahmad entrusted responsibility to Arwa because he "respected the advice of his wife and relied greatly on her shrewdness and intelligence". After becoming regent, Arwa al-Sulayhi took two very important decisions. The first was to move the capital from Sana'a to Dhu Jibla in the south. Apparently this was a decision made for medical reasons on Ahmad's part as well as the possibility that the Sulayhids wanted a better capital than Sana'a, Queen Arwa persuaded her husband, King Ahmad Al Mukarram, to move his capital from Sana'a to Dhu Jibla for two main reasons. Firstly, her political and strategic understanding of Dhu Jibla, as the city was located between the upper and lower regions of Yemen. This made it easier to manage the affairs of the state; secondly, the remoteness of the type of people in the regions. She asked her husband to summon the people of Sana'a and its neighbouring villages. When they gathered, the king noticed that everyone had a sword or spear in their hand. The king moved to Dhu Jibla with his wife, summoning the residents of Dhu Jibla. When she saw that everyone was carrying gifts in their hands or on the backs of animals, Arwa al-Sulayhi remarked, "Indeed, life should be lived among these," and thus, Dhu Jibla was made the capital. She took the bold decision to declare the khutba in her name after that of the second caliph and her husband. This was the first time the khutba was said in the name of a woman. In 1075 Arwa al-Sulayhi fought a battle against the Najahid leader Sa'id al-Ahwal. "The Najahids were devastated, and Arwa displayed Sa'id's head under the window of her room in the palace of Dhu Jibla", narrates Umara. This was to avenge Ali's death and "show their strength and determination domestically, in addition to eliminating the Najahids in the western regions". After Al Mukarram Ahmad died at Al Taqar in 1084, Arwa al Sulayhi wrote to the Fatimids urging them to appoint her 10-year-old son Abd al-Mustansir Ali as the official new Sulayhid ruler. After the death of Al Mukarram Ahmad and Arwa al Sulayhi's son Al-Mustansir, political developments began to change rapidly. Yemen was divided into two factions, some in favour of giving the reins of government to Al Mukarram's cousin Saba, others in favour of marrying Queen Arwa to Saba. All these developments culminated in 1098 when Saba's son Abd al-Mustansir was assassinated. The emir died in 1099. Arwa was thus freed from her two main political rivals, and she now became the uncontested Empress of Yemen in her own right, without needing to marry or have sons. Arwa was publicly titled al-Malika, or "Queen"—the first time this happened in the Islamic world, this time the Fatimids acknowledged Arwa as sovereign, and Arwa al Sulayhi ruled uninterrupted until 1138. During her reign Arwa al Sulayhi expanded the Grand Mosque in Sana'a, and improved the road from the city to Samarra. In Jibla, she built a new palace of Queen Arwa and a mosque of the same name. She is also known to have built several schools in her kingdom. Arwa improved the economy, taking an interest in supporting agriculture. Arwa died in 1138 at the age of 90. Arwa's death effectively ended the Sulayhid dynasty, leaving behind what is now the illustrious political history of Muslim women such as Arwa al-Sulayhi. Historical sources are "unanimous in their praise" of Arwa's intelligence, charisma, and political prowess. For example, Idris Imad al-Din described her as "a woman of great piety, integrity and excellence, of exquisite intelligence and erudition, surpassing even men". Umara described her as "well-read and, besides the gift of writing, had a retentive memory stored with the chronicles of past times". He also described her knowledge of the Quran, her memory of poetry and history, and her skill in elucidating and interpreting texts. ---- Afroz Khan is a teacher by profession. She primarily writes about women and Islam. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Education. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/queen-arwa-al-sulayhi-female-sovereign/d/135952 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism