Arwa al-Sulayhi
Encyclopedia
Arwa al-Sulayhi was the long-reigning ruler of Yemen
, firstly through her first two husbands and then as sole ruler, from 1067 until her death in 1138. She was the greatest of the rulers of the Sulayhid Dynasty and was also the first woman to be accorded the prestigious title of hujja
in Isma'ili branch of Shi'a Islam
, signifying her as the closest living image of God's will in her lifetime. She is popularly referred to as Sayyida Hurra ( al-Sayyidä al-Ḥurrä, 'the Noble Lady'), al-Malika al-Hurra ( al-Ḥurrätu 'l-Malikä, 'the Noble Queen') and the Little Queen of Sheba ( Malikät Sabāʾ al-sagera).
, which was the heartland of Isma’ilism in Yemen. She was the niece of the then ruler of Yemen, Ali al-Sulayhi. Orphaned at a young age, she was brought up in the palace at Sana'a
under the tutorship of her aunt, the formidable Queen Asma binte Shihaab al-Sulayhiyya
, her mother in Law ), co-ruler with, and wife of, Sayyidna Ali bin Muhammad bin Ali bin Muhammad As-Sulayhi. In 1066, at the age of 17, Arwa married her cousin Ahmad al-Mukarram al-Sulayhi bin Ali bin Muhammad As Sulaihi, with the city of Aden
as her mehr
, and Queen Asma binte Shahaab became her mother-in-law. Arwa assisted her mother-in-law and her husband after death of Sayyidna Ali al-Sulayhi. She had four children, their names being Mohammed, Ali, Fatema and Umm Hamdan.
Arwa is said by the chroniclers of her time to be brave, devout and have an independent character. She was also seen as highly intelligent and well learned, having a great memory for poems, stories and historical events. She was very knowledgeable in the sciences of the Qur'an
and the hadith
. The chroniclers also mention her as being extremely beautiful.
ruler of Yemen, but he was unable to rule being paralyzed and bedridden. He gave all of his power to Arwa, and she had her name mentioned in the khutba
directly after the name of the Fatamid Caliph
, al-Mustansir, signifying her authority to rule. One of her first actions was to move the capital from Sana'a to Jibla
in order to be in a better position to destroy Sa'id ibn Najar and thus avenge her father-in-law's death. This she managed to do by luring him into a trap in 1088. She built a new palace at Jibla, and transformed the old palace into a great mosque where she was eventually buried.
After the death of Ahmad AlMukarram , Sayyada Arwa was encouraged by Imaam Al-Mustansir billah to marry her late husband's cousin, Saba ibn Ahmad. This she did reluctantly in 1091 in order to remain in power, but she probably did not allow the marriage to be consummated
. She continued to rule Yemen until Saba died in 1101. From that time on she ruled alone.
. Owing to her patronage of missions, an Isma'ili community was established in Gujarat in the second half of the 11th century, which still survives there today as Taiyabi
Sulaimaanis and Dawoodi Bohra
.
In the 1094 Ismaili schism
, Arwa supported al-Musta'li to be the rightful successor to al-Mustansir. Due to the high opinion in which Arwa was held in Yemen and western India these two areas followed her in regarding Imaam al-Musta'li as the new Fatimid Caliph.
In 1119, Najib ad-Dawla, an envoy
of the Fatimid Caliph Imaam al-Amir bi Ihkaamillah, the son of Imaam Al-Musta'li, was sent to Yemen to assume control of Sayyada Arwa's realm. Sayyada Arwa, however, had the support of both the Imaam amirs and the people, and she forced Najib to withdraw. This caused the relations between Arwa and the Caliph in Cairo to become estranged.(This is wrong History ) This manifested itself when, on the assassination of al-Amir in 1130, she supported the candidacy of his infant Imaam son, at-Tayyib Abi l-Qasim, as opposed to al-Amir's cousin, al-Hafiz
, who was recognized as the heir to the Caliphate in Egypt
and Syria
. Through her support of at-Tayyib she became head of a new grouping in Isma'ili Islam, which became known as the Taiyyabi. Her enemies in Yemen in turn gave their backing to al-Hafiz but they were unable to remove Sayyada Arwa from power. The Taiyyabi believe that Imaam al-Amir sent a letter to Arwa, commissioning her to appoint a vicegerent for his infant son Imaam Taiyyab . In accordance with this wish, she appointed Zoeb bin Musa as Da'i al-Mutlaq
, the vicegerent of the secluded Imam at-Tayyib. The line of succession continues down to today,
Hafizi Isma‘ilism, the following of al-Hafiz, intimately tied to the Fatimid regime in Cairo, disappeared soon after the collapse of the Fatimid
dynasty in 1171 and the Ayyubid invasion of southern Arabia in 1173. But the Taiyabi
da'wa, initiated by Arwa, survived in Yemen with its headquarters remaining in Haraz. Due to the close ties between Sulayhid Yemen and Gujarat, the Fatimid
and Tayyibi cause was also upheld in western India, which was gradually became home to largest population of Fatimid
Taiyabi
Isma'ili believers, known there as Sulaimaanis and Dawoodi Bohra
.
improved. In Jibla, she had a new palace and the eponymous mosque constructed. She is also known to have built numerous schools throughout her realm.
Arwa improved the economy, taking an interest in supporting agriculture.
. The Queen Arwa University
in Sana'a is named after her.
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, firstly through her first two husbands and then as sole ruler, from 1067 until her death in 1138. She was the greatest of the rulers of the Sulayhid Dynasty and was also the first woman to be accorded the prestigious title of hujja
Hujja
A term used in Shi'i terminology, "hujja" means "proof [implied: proof of God]." It is usually used to refer to a single individual in any given human era who represents God's "proof" to humanity. The hujja is a prophet or an Imam who possess a relationship with God that is greater than anyone else...
in Isma'ili branch of Shi'a Islam
Shi'a Islam
Shia Islam is the second largest denomination of Islam. The followers of Shia Islam are called Shi'ites or Shias. "Shia" is the short form of the historic phrase Shīʻatu ʻAlī , meaning "followers of Ali", "faction of Ali", or "party of Ali".Like other schools of thought in Islam, Shia Islam is...
, signifying her as the closest living image of God's will in her lifetime. She is popularly referred to as Sayyida Hurra ( al-Sayyidä al-Ḥurrä, 'the Noble Lady'), al-Malika al-Hurra ( al-Ḥurrätu 'l-Malikä, 'the Noble Queen') and the Little Queen of Sheba ( Malikät Sabāʾ al-sagera).
Early life
Arwa was born in 440 Hijri , 1048 in HarazJabal Haraz
Jabal Haraz is a picturesque mountain region of Yemen, between Sana'a and al-Hudayda. In the 11th century it was the stronghold of the Sulaihid dynasty, many of whose buildings survive..-History and location:...
, which was the heartland of Isma’ilism in Yemen. She was the niece of the then ruler of Yemen, Ali al-Sulayhi. Orphaned at a young age, she was brought up in the palace at Sana'a
Sana'a
-Districts:*Al Wahdah District*As Sabain District*Assafi'yah District*At Tahrir District*Ath'thaorah District*Az'zal District*Bani Al Harith District*Ma'ain District*Old City District*Shu'aub District-Old City:...
under the tutorship of her aunt, the formidable Queen Asma binte Shihaab al-Sulayhiyya
Al-Hurra Al-Malika
al-Sayyida al-Hurrat-ul Malika Asma Bint Shibab al-Sulayhiyya was Muslim Malika of Yemen. The title means "The Most Noble Lady who is independent, the woman sovereign who bows to no superior authority, Queen". She was married to Sultan Ali al-Sulahi, who entrusted much of the management of the...
, her mother in Law ), co-ruler with, and wife of, Sayyidna Ali bin Muhammad bin Ali bin Muhammad As-Sulayhi. In 1066, at the age of 17, Arwa married her cousin Ahmad al-Mukarram al-Sulayhi bin Ali bin Muhammad As Sulaihi, with the city of Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
as her mehr
Mehr
Mehr, or Mihr may refer to:Hindu / Zoroastrian names* Mehr, an alternative name for Mithra, a Hindu / Zoroastrian divinity* Mehr , the seventh month of the year and the sixteenth day of the month of the Iranian Calendar and Zoroastrian calendar, which are dedicated to the namesake divinity* Mehr's...
, and Queen Asma binte Shahaab became her mother-in-law. Arwa assisted her mother-in-law and her husband after death of Sayyidna Ali al-Sulayhi. She had four children, their names being Mohammed, Ali, Fatema and Umm Hamdan.
Arwa is said by the chroniclers of her time to be brave, devout and have an independent character. She was also seen as highly intelligent and well learned, having a great memory for poems, stories and historical events. She was very knowledgeable in the sciences of the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
and the hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
. The chroniclers also mention her as being extremely beautiful.
Early rule as queen
Following the death of Sayyidna Ali al-Sulayhi in 1067, Sayyada Arwa's husband Ahmad became the de jureDe jure
De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".De jure = 'Legally', De facto = 'In fact'....
ruler of Yemen, but he was unable to rule being paralyzed and bedridden. He gave all of his power to Arwa, and she had her name mentioned in the khutba
Khutba
Khutbah serves as the primary formal occasion for public preaching in the Islamic tradition.Such sermons occur regularly, as prescribed by the teachings of all legal schools. The Islamic tradition can be formally at the dhuhr congregation prayer on Friday...
directly after the name of the Fatamid Caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
, al-Mustansir, signifying her authority to rule. One of her first actions was to move the capital from Sana'a to Jibla
Jibla
Jibla is a town in southwestern Yemen, close to Ibb. It is located at around , at the elevation of around 2,200 meters. The town and its surroundings were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List due to its purported universal cultural value....
in order to be in a better position to destroy Sa'id ibn Najar and thus avenge her father-in-law's death. This she managed to do by luring him into a trap in 1088. She built a new palace at Jibla, and transformed the old palace into a great mosque where she was eventually buried.
After the death of Ahmad AlMukarram , Sayyada Arwa was encouraged by Imaam Al-Mustansir billah to marry her late husband's cousin, Saba ibn Ahmad. This she did reluctantly in 1091 in order to remain in power, but she probably did not allow the marriage to be consummated
Consummation
Consummation is the initial sexual act made within a marriage.Consummation can also refer to:* Consummation , 1970 recordingSee also:* Consummation of days, event predicted in Daniel Chapter 12, verses 1-4...
. She continued to rule Yemen until Saba died in 1101. From that time on she ruled alone.
Religious position
Arwa was given the highest rank in the Yemen da'wa, that of hujja, by Imaam Al-Mustansir billah in 1084. This was the first time that a woman had ever been given such a status in the whole history of Isma'ilism. Under her rule, Shi'a da'is were sent to western IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Owing to her patronage of missions, an Isma'ili community was established in Gujarat in the second half of the 11th century, which still survives there today as Taiyabi
Taiyabi
Tayyibi is a branch of Mustaali Ismailism that split with the Fatimid supporting Hafizi branch by believing Taiyab abi al-Qasim was the rightful Imam. They are the surviving branch of the Mustaali and have split into Dawoodi Bohra, Sulaimani Bohra, and Alavi Bohra.Upon the death of the 20th Imam...
Sulaimaanis and Dawoodi Bohra
Dawoodi Bohra
Dawoodi Bohra is a subsect of Ismāʿīlī Shīʿa Islām. While the Dawoodi Bohra is based in India, their belief system originates in Yemen, where it evolved from the Fatimid Caliphate and where they were persecuted due to their differences from mainstream Sunni Islam...
.
In the 1094 Ismaili schism
Schism (religion)
A schism , from Greek σχίσμα, skhísma , is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization or movement religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a break of communion between two sections of Christianity that were previously a single body, or to a division within...
, Arwa supported al-Musta'li to be the rightful successor to al-Mustansir. Due to the high opinion in which Arwa was held in Yemen and western India these two areas followed her in regarding Imaam al-Musta'li as the new Fatimid Caliph.
In 1119, Najib ad-Dawla, an envoy
Envoy (title)
In diplomacy, an Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary is, under the terms of the Congress of Vienna of 1815, a diplomat of the second class, ranking between an Ambassador and a Minister Resident....
of the Fatimid Caliph Imaam al-Amir bi Ihkaamillah, the son of Imaam Al-Musta'li, was sent to Yemen to assume control of Sayyada Arwa's realm. Sayyada Arwa, however, had the support of both the Imaam amirs and the people, and she forced Najib to withdraw. This caused the relations between Arwa and the Caliph in Cairo to become estranged.(This is wrong History ) This manifested itself when, on the assassination of al-Amir in 1130, she supported the candidacy of his infant Imaam son, at-Tayyib Abi l-Qasim, as opposed to al-Amir's cousin, al-Hafiz
Al-Hafiz
Al-Ḥāfiz was the eleventh Caliph of the Fāṭimids Al-Ḥāfiz assumed the caliphate as the cousin of the murdered Al-Amir . Since al-Amir had not named an heir when he died, the succession of al-Ḥāfiz was not uncontested - a group of Shī‘ah recognised al-Amīr's son Ṭayyib Abī al-Qāṣim as rightful...
, who was recognized as the heir to the Caliphate in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. Through her support of at-Tayyib she became head of a new grouping in Isma'ili Islam, which became known as the Taiyyabi. Her enemies in Yemen in turn gave their backing to al-Hafiz but they were unable to remove Sayyada Arwa from power. The Taiyyabi believe that Imaam al-Amir sent a letter to Arwa, commissioning her to appoint a vicegerent for his infant son Imaam Taiyyab . In accordance with this wish, she appointed Zoeb bin Musa as Da'i al-Mutlaq
Da'i al-Mutlaq
The term Dāʻī al-Mutlaq literally means "the absolute or unrestricted missionary". In Ismā'īlī Islām, the term dāʻī has been used to refer to important religious leaders other than the hereditary Imāms, and the Daʻwa or "Mission" is a clerical-style organisation. "The Daʻwa" was a term for the...
, the vicegerent of the secluded Imam at-Tayyib. The line of succession continues down to today,
Hafizi Isma‘ilism, the following of al-Hafiz, intimately tied to the Fatimid regime in Cairo, disappeared soon after the collapse of the Fatimid
Fatimid
The Fatimid Islamic Caliphate or al-Fāṭimiyyūn was a Berber Shia Muslim caliphate first centered in Tunisia and later in Egypt that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz from 5 January 909 to 1171.The caliphate was ruled by the Fatimids, who established the...
dynasty in 1171 and the Ayyubid invasion of southern Arabia in 1173. But the Taiyabi
Taiyabi
Tayyibi is a branch of Mustaali Ismailism that split with the Fatimid supporting Hafizi branch by believing Taiyab abi al-Qasim was the rightful Imam. They are the surviving branch of the Mustaali and have split into Dawoodi Bohra, Sulaimani Bohra, and Alavi Bohra.Upon the death of the 20th Imam...
da'wa, initiated by Arwa, survived in Yemen with its headquarters remaining in Haraz. Due to the close ties between Sulayhid Yemen and Gujarat, the Fatimid
Fatimid
The Fatimid Islamic Caliphate or al-Fāṭimiyyūn was a Berber Shia Muslim caliphate first centered in Tunisia and later in Egypt that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz from 5 January 909 to 1171.The caliphate was ruled by the Fatimids, who established the...
and Tayyibi cause was also upheld in western India, which was gradually became home to largest population of Fatimid
Fatimid
The Fatimid Islamic Caliphate or al-Fāṭimiyyūn was a Berber Shia Muslim caliphate first centered in Tunisia and later in Egypt that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz from 5 January 909 to 1171.The caliphate was ruled by the Fatimids, who established the...
Taiyabi
Taiyabi
Tayyibi is a branch of Mustaali Ismailism that split with the Fatimid supporting Hafizi branch by believing Taiyab abi al-Qasim was the rightful Imam. They are the surviving branch of the Mustaali and have split into Dawoodi Bohra, Sulaimani Bohra, and Alavi Bohra.Upon the death of the 20th Imam...
Isma'ili believers, known there as Sulaimaanis and Dawoodi Bohra
Dawoodi Bohra
Dawoodi Bohra is a subsect of Ismāʿīlī Shīʿa Islām. While the Dawoodi Bohra is based in India, their belief system originates in Yemen, where it evolved from the Fatimid Caliphate and where they were persecuted due to their differences from mainstream Sunni Islam...
.
Building works and economic policy
In Sana'a, Arwa had the grand mosque expanded, and the road from the city to SamarraSamarra
Sāmarrā is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Salah ad-Din Governorate, north of Baghdad and, in 2003, had an estimated population of 348,700....
improved. In Jibla, she had a new palace and the eponymous mosque constructed. She is also known to have built numerous schools throughout her realm.
Arwa improved the economy, taking an interest in supporting agriculture.
Death and reputation
Arwa remained in power until her death in 1138. She was buried beside the mosque that she had had built at Jibla. Her tomb later became a place of pilgrimagePilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
. The Queen Arwa University
Queen Arwa University
Queen Arwa University is a Yemeni private, university founded in 1996 in Yemen.The university has some different fields of study including Humanities and Social Sciences, Commercial Sciences and Administration, Engineering, Science, Higher Education, Art, Law, and Microbiology....
in Sana'a is named after her.
Sources
- Sayyida Hurra. "The Isma’ili Sulayhid Queen of Yemen by Farhad Daftary"; contained in the book Women in the Medieval Islamic World, edited by Gavin R. G. Hambly
- Fatima Mernissi. The Forgotten Queens of Islam.
See also
- Dawoodi Bohras
- IsmailiIsmaili' is a branch of Shia Islam. It is the second largest branch of Shia Islam, after the Twelvers...
- Shia
- IslamIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
- Mustali
- TaiyabiTaiyabiTayyibi is a branch of Mustaali Ismailism that split with the Fatimid supporting Hafizi branch by believing Taiyab abi al-Qasim was the rightful Imam. They are the surviving branch of the Mustaali and have split into Dawoodi Bohra, Sulaimani Bohra, and Alavi Bohra.Upon the death of the 20th Imam...
- FatimidFatimidThe Fatimid Islamic Caliphate or al-Fāṭimiyyūn was a Berber Shia Muslim caliphate first centered in Tunisia and later in Egypt that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz from 5 January 909 to 1171.The caliphate was ruled by the Fatimids, who established the...