Faizunnesa Choudhurani
Faizunnesa Choudhurani(1834 – 1903)
Nawab Begum Faizunnesa Choudhurani, most famous for her campaign for female education and other social issues, was awarded her title of “Nawab” in1889 Queen Victoria, making her the first female Nawab in South Asia.
Historically speaking, women have played an influential role in the rise and development of Islamic culture and civilisation. During the early days of Islam, when the Prophet Muhammad had no one to help and support him, it was his wife Khadijah bint Khuwailid who became his foremost supporter and benefactor. Other early Muslim women who had played a pivotal role in the development of Islamic thought and culture included Aishah bint Abi Bakr, Hafsah bint Umar and Amrah bint Abd alRahman.
Subsequently, during the Umayyad and Abbasid periods, the contribution and achievements of women like Zainab ibn Ali, Rabi’a al-Adawiyyah, Khayzuran bint Atta and Zubaida, the wife of Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid, were noteworthy. Later, during the Muslim rule of the subcontinent, women like Sultan Razia, Nur Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal, among others, had played their part in the development of Muslim culture and heritage in that part of the world. These heroic and pioneering Muslim women had played their part in the emergence of Islam as a global faith and culture.