Outshine the Sun – 40 Muslim Women in History

Outshine the Sun is a book detailing the lives of 40 Muslim women in history. While it is primarily a children’s book, the text is informative and entertaining for people of all ages. The women in this book are role models for us today, and the lessons their lives provide – holding to faith despite hardship, working to serve the community, and aspiring towards excellence in everything – resonate throughout time.

Western Media portrays Muslims as exceedingly patriarchal, and unfortunately many Muslims buy into that same myth. They forget that the first person to accept Islam was a woman, that Islam was passed down and further by pious, educated women. They don’t acknowledge that Muslim women have always played crucial roles in building our civilizations and cultures.

Knowing this history is important, both because it undoes so many of the biases that exist today, but also because it inspires us and teaches us what is possible. Muslim women throughout history are incredible role models- to Muslim girls, yes, but honestly to everyone. This book is an attempt to teach and popularize a small chunk of this history.

The figures discussed in the book come from a wide range of geographies, backgrounds, and times, extending from the Prophet SAW’s day to the present! They are scholars, heroes, scientists, poets, and more. Figures in the book include:

-Fatima RA, the daughter of the Prophet (saws)
-Rabia al-Adawaiyya, the 8th century pious predecessor
-Fatima al-Fihri, founder of the worlds’ oldest college
-Razia Sultana, ruler a wide swath of the Indian subcontinent
-Malahayati, defender of Aceh, Indonesia from invasions
-Nana Asma’u, teacher and translator of Islam for thousands of people

And many more.