Queens and Prophets cover art

Queens and Prophets

How Arabian Noblewomen and Holy Men Shaped Paganism, Christianity and Islam

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Queens and Prophets

By: Emran Iqbal El-Badawi
Narrated by: Lara Sawalha
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

Contrary to popular assumption, Arab women were instrumental in shaping world history. Between Rome's intervention in the Arabian Peninsula and the Arab conquests, noblewomen ruled independently, conducting trade and making war. Their power was often celebrated as queen, priestess and goddess. With time they delegated power to the most important holy men of their age, influencing Arabian paganism, Christianity and Islam forever.

Empress Zenobia and queen Mavia supported bishops Paul of Samosata and Moses of Sinai. Paul was declared a heretic by the Roman church. Moses began the process of mass Arab conversion. The teachings of these men survived under their queens, setting in motion seismic debates that would fracture the early churches and lay the groundwork for the rise of Islam. In Mecca, lady Khadijah used her wealth and political influence to employ a younger man then marry him against the wishes of dissenting noblemen. Her husband, whose religious and political career was influenced by her, was the prophet Muhammad.

Long overdue, Queens and Prophets is a landmark exploration of the legacy of female power in late antique Arabia.

©2022 Emran Iqbal El-Badawi (P)2022 W. F. Howes Ltd Christianity History Islam Middle East Women Royalty Middle Ages War Africa Marriage Iran

Listeners also enjoyed...

 History of the Lombards cover art
The Oxford History of the Biblical World cover art
History of the Franks cover art
The Khmer Empire cover art
10 Super Asian Women Who Shaped History, Volume 1 cover art
The Old Testament cover art
Jesus Wars cover art
The Real Story of Catholic History cover art
The Birth of the West cover art
Empire of the Romans cover art
The First Thousand Years cover art
King of the World cover art
When God Had a Wife cover art
The Triumph of Christianity cover art
The Woman with the Alabaster Jar cover art
The Closing of the Western Mind cover art
All stars
Most relevant
The credits of this book are still rolling, as it were, as I write this. I have enjoyed this book immensely, it has been informative without being heavy, well reasoned and opened up to me a part of the world I knew very little about. He writes with humility, and the humility carries over to having someone else read his book - a woman, moreover.

I loved it and I’m very glad I got it after listening to him on a podcast (The Ancients).

Outstanding redressing of history

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.