Queens of Islam: The Muslim World's Historic Women Rulers

by Tom Verde

Genres: History, Islam, Nonfiction

241 pages, Paperback

Published August 26, 2025

Reviews

[Zainab Bint Younus]

It's been a minute since I read a book that I genuinely enjoyed AND learned from and boy, was this a fun read!!!

Totally one of my fave topics (Muslim women in history esp women rulers); written in a way that's very accessible to laypeople and didn't fall into condescending Western tropes + also was pretty accurate (based on my own prior knowledge of most of these figures).

There were a few throwaway comments here about oppressive Muslims now vs the past, but they were fairly minor and emphasis was put on Muslim sources relaying these women's stories (and critical evaluation of historical accuracy vs juicy court gossip).

This is perhaps one of the best books on the topic simply because it is so accessible and written in such a fun way!

[ReadThruTheNight]

This book is a fascinating and informative read. Tom Verde shares engaging stories of women rulers from the early Islamic era to the 17th century, challenging the notion that Muslim women are oppressed and subservient.

By highlighting the lives of 15 prominent female rulers of Muslim dynasties, empires, and sultanates, the book offers a comprehensive perspective, covering a vast geographic area from Morocco to Indonesia, and from Ukraine to the Indian subcontinent, with captivating accounts of palace intrigues and power struggles.

Definitely a worthwhile read.

[Colleen]

Verde states outright in his introduction that this book is intended to be just that - an introduction to women rulers of the past Muslim empires of the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It is meant to be a taste of the subject, providing a starting place for a reader curious to learn more. Some of the heavy hitters are included but most of the women featured here were unknown to me.

The nature of sources means that some of the earlier women had sparser sections, but Verde does a good job of providing cultural context, occasionally providing footnotes and asides to help flesh out the world the women were living in.