| 610 | Khadija bint Khuwaylid, the wife of the Prophet Muhammad, becomes the first convert to Islam. |
| 624 | Fatima Zahra, one of the daughters of the Prophet Mohammad, becomes the wife of the first Shi’a Imam. Many Mulsims regard her as the greatest woman who has ever lived. She is noted as being a devoted daughter, wife, and a sincere Muslim. |
| 632 | Following the death of the Prophet Muhammad, his third wife, Aisha bint Abu Bakar becomes one of four people to transmit the “hadiths,” or the words and deeds of Muhammad considered by many Muslims to be important tools for discerning the Qur’an. |
| 717 | Marks the birth of Rabi’a al-‘Adawiyya who is considered to be one of the first to practice the mystic tradition of Islam known as Sufism, and acknowledged as the most prominent Sufi poets of her time. |
| 1067 | Arwa al-Sulayhi comes to power and rules for over 40 years in Yemen. She is known for her contributions to education, the expansion of religion, and agriculture. |
| 1236 | Raziyya al-Din becomes the first female to rule over Delhi. She was chosen by her father over her brothers, due to her capacity to lead. |
| 1250 | After defeating a French invasion, ex-slave Sultana Shagrat al-Durr becomes the first leader of the Mamluk dynasty in Egypt. |
| 1588 | Queen Amina Sarauniya comes to power in her nation-state of Zazzua, located in current day Nigeria. She expands her kingdom more than any previous leader through military expeditions and trade negotiations. |
| 1646 | Sati al-Nisa dies after serving as a physician in the court of the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan. |
| 1829 | Sayyida Imam-Begum makes her first public appearance as the last famous composer of ginan, or religious hymns important among the Ismaili community. |
| 1923 | Hoda Sha’rawi becomes the founder and first president of the Egyptian Feminist Union. |
| 1988 | At age 35, Benazir Bhutto becomes Pakistan’s youngest and first female prime minister as the result of the first open election in over a decade. |
| 1951 | IRAN — Mohammed Mossadeq of the National Front becomes prime minister of Iran and passes a bill that nationalizes Iran’s oil industry, which had been in British control. Britain imposes an economic embargo and begins planning a coup with the newly formed Central Intelligence Agency. |
| 1993 | Tansu Ciller becomes the first female to be elected as prime minister in Turkey. |
| 2001 | Megawati Sukarnoputri is elected as the first female president of Indonesia. |
| 2003 | Iranian lawyer and human rights activist, Shirin Ebadi, is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the first Iranian and Muslim woman to receive this honor. She is the founder of the Association for Support of Children’s Rights in Iran. |
| 2004 | Queen Rania of Jordan received the honorary rank of colonel in the Jordanian Armed Forces. |
July 25th, 2006
Class of 2006
Data: Timeline of some prominent women in the Muslim world.
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