Daughters of Islam
Muslim Women Who Changed the World

The most learned person among the Companions in matters of Hadith, Fiqh, and Islamic knowledge. She narrated over 2,210 Ahadith — making her the third-largest narrator of Hadith in Islamic history. Male Companions including Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) would come to her to seek rulings and correct their understanding.

The beloved daughter of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Hazrat Khadeeja (RA). The Prophet ﷺ stood whenever she entered a room and called her "a piece of my liver." She is one of four women described as the greatest women in Islamic history, alongside Khadeeja, Maryam, and Asiya.

An elderly woman of humble origins who accepted Islam in its earliest days. When Abu Jahl — the most powerful enemy of Islam — tortured her to make her renounce her faith, she refused. She was executed — becoming the FIRST person to give their life for Islam. Her husband Yasir (RA) and son Ammar (RA) were also persecuted. The Prophet ﷺ passed by their torture, saying: "Be patient, O family of Yasir! Your meeting place is Paradise."

Daughter of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (RA) and sister of Aisha (RA). During the most dangerous moment in Islamic history — the Prophet's ﷺ migration from Makkah — Asma (RA) secretly brought food to the Prophet ﷺ and her father hiding in Cave Thawr. She tore her own waistbelt into two to tie the food bundles — earning her title forever. She lived to nearly 100 years old, maintaining her dignity and faith to the end.

At the Battle of Uhud, when many fled, Nusaybah (RA) stood firm — fighting with bow, sword, and shield to protect the Prophet ﷺ. She received 12 wounds that day. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Wherever I turned — to the right or to the left — I saw her fighting in my defence." She continued fighting in major battles even after losing her son and hand in battle.

The first professional female physician in Islamic history. She set up a field hospital — a large tent — outside the Prophet's ﷺ mosque in Madinah to treat the wounded from battles. She trained other women in nursing and first aid. The Prophet ﷺ allowed the wounded Companions to be treated in her tent. She is considered the founder of nursing in the Muslim world.

Born into a conservative family where girls were forbidden to learn Bengali or English, Begum Rokeya secretly learned both languages with the help of her brother and progressive husband. She went on to found the Sakhawat Memorial Girls' School in Calcutta — the first school for Muslim girls in Bengal — and wrote groundbreaking literature advocating for Muslim women's education and rights.

In 1937, in the backward rural village of Tambour, Sitapur, Mohtarma Sultani Khatoon — the wife of Qazi Mohammad Tayyab, connected to the scholarly lineage of Darul Uloom Deoband — left the comforts of city life and dedicated herself entirely to educating Muslim women and children. She sold ALL her jewellery and gave ALL her wealth for this mission. She went door to door, family to family, awakening communities to the light of education.

Dr. Hayat Sindi left Saudi Arabia at 21 with limited English and became one of the world's leading biotechnology scientists. She studied at Cambridge and Harvard, became one of the first Saudi women admitted to Cambridge University, and co-invented a revolutionary medical diagnostic tool that can diagnose diseases using a single drop of blood — costing less than a penny. She was named one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People.

CEO of the Olayan Financing Company — one of the largest private companies in the Middle East. Lubna Olayan broke countless barriers for Muslim women in business. She was the first woman to chair a board of a Saudi bank, the first woman to address the World Economic Forum from Saudi Arabia, and was consistently listed among Forbes' Most Powerful Women in the World. She maintains her Islamic identity while operating at the highest levels of global business.

At age 15, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by extremists for speaking out about girls' right to education in Pakistan's Swat Valley. She survived and went on to become the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate in history (age 17). She addressed the UN, established the Malala Fund, and continues to fight for the right of every girl — including Muslim girls — to receive education.

Ibtihaj Muhammad made history at the 2016 Rio Olympics as the first American athlete to compete wearing hijab. She won a bronze medal in team sabre fencing. She has become one of the most recognised Muslim women in the world — an ambassador for the message that Muslim women can excel in any field while maintaining their Islamic identity. She was inspired by fencing because the full-body uniform aligned with her religious values.