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Abstract

Islam lays stress on providing equal opportunities to both males and females. Muslim women have played an active role in the socio-political and intellectual development of the society over the ages starting from the times of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) to the era of Muslim Spain through Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. The Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent has also been a period of remarkable progress in terms of women’s intellectual and social development. The women, especially those from the royal elite played a key role in the development of women. They wrote books, built mosques, established seminaries for the religious education of the population and wrote poetry. They also established personal libraries and provided political advices to the kings in the day to day affairs of the state. Apart from writing books and establishing seminaries and mosques, the women from the royal family also patronized arts, literature, Sufism and religious education by setting up generous scholarships for the religious scholars, poets and writers. This not only promoted arts and education, but also promoted the role of women in the society. All these activities played a positive role in the promotion of Islamic culture and civilization. A detailed account of the religious, social and intellectual contribution of the women from the royal family during the Mughal era is presented in this research article.