The Role of Najm al-Din al-Ayyubi's Daughters in Islamic Civilization: A Quantitative Historical Study

Abstract

This study fell within the scope of historical research concerned with examining women's contributions to Islamic civilization, focusing specifically on the daughters of Najm al-Din Ayyub ibn Shadi during the Ayyubid period. Three remarkable female figures were placed at the center of this investigation: Sitt al-Iraq, Sitt al-Sham Zumurrud Khatun (d. 616 AH/1219 CE), and Rabi'a Khatun (d. 643 AH/1245 CE). Given the nature of the subject, a comparative historical-analytical methodology was adopted, with particular attention directed toward these women's institutional roles in education and religious life.

The research yielded a set of significant findings. The daughters of Najm al-Din established a pioneering and distinctive model in the realms of endowment and educational investment: Sitt al-Iraq founded the first Sufi khanqah in 574 AH, marking an undeniable civilizational milestone; Sitt al-Sham erected two Shafi'i schools characterized by an advanced administrative framework that reflected deep institutional awareness; and Rabi'a Khatun directed her efforts toward establishing the Sahiba School, which was dedicated to the Hanbali legal school.

On this basis, the study demonstrated that Kurdish women were not peripheral figures in the Islamic civilizational renaissance, but rather authentic and influential contributors to its construction. The Ayyubid experience, moreover, presented a model of institutional sustainability that merited careful reflection and scholarly inquiry.