Muslimah of the Week: Sukayna

Sukayna was the great grand-daughter of the Prophet; the daughter of Hussein. She was influenced by the tragic death of her father and three brothers which inspired her stance against political, social and personal injustice.

Sukayna refused to submit to the custom of face-veiling and maintained the right to meet and speak with men.  The Muslim community at the time was being threatened by outside customs from older civilizations that were detrimental to women in the Muslim community; Sukayna resisted these forces and fought to maintain the public presence of women.

Sukayna associated with powerful and influential members of the community. She passionately debated with the outstanding minds of the time and attended tribal council meetings.

Whatever the political disputes around the death of her father; Sukayna was an example of a woman, which according to historians, was outspoken about the excesses of the dynasty and political authorities.

Sukayna refused offers of marriage from caliphs and princes although ended up marrying five and some even say six times. What she is known particularly for is her use of the right to stipulate conditions in the marriage contract. She specified conditions that guaranteed her right to personal autonomy. She refused to see marriage a way to limit her freedoms. Furthermore, she specifically included the limitation of monogamy and took one husband to court when he attempted to break this condition of the marriage contract in order to take another wife.

Sukayna’s life shows us that strength and activism is not an aberration to Islamic understandings of femininity. She serves as a reminder that women were not meek members of the community, but expressed their disagreement on issues and resisted personal oppression or injustices around them.