Although a number of legends exist around Queen Amina of Zaira’s life, historians generally agree she was born around 1533 in the city state of Zazzau, what is now northwest Nigeria. Her father was the king of Zazzau and upon her parents and brothers death, she became the Queen, making her the first Sarauniya (female ruler) in the territory. Despite this, she was widely respected throughout the land as this was before colonization and introduction of western patriarchal values to the continent. As a warrior queen, she often led the military campaigns of her troops and is credited with a number of innovations. She began the practice of building walls around the camps during the military campaigns and brought this back to Zazzau for added protection. Queen Amina is also credited for beginning the cultivation of kola nuts and investing in metal working both which brought great prosperity to the region. As I mentioned before a number of legends exist about Queen Amina, one in particular about her relationship status. She never took a partner, preferring to rule alone but it is said that during her military campaigns she would take a temporary husband from her conquests. After they spent the night together, she had them condemned to death so the man could not tell her secret. She is estimated to have died around 1610 during one of her many military campaigns. Queen Amina reigned for 34 years.In 1994, Shamima was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent intense radiation and chemotherapy. During her battle with cancer, she became the Editor of Al-Qalam, pushing the publication to becoming a flagship of progressive Islam in South Africa. In 1997, she performed hajj for the first time and later wrote about it in “Journey of Discovery: A South African Hajj”, which was published in 2000 after her death. She passed away on 8 January 1998 after a relapse of cancer. One of the funeral prayers was performed by a close female friend of hers who led both men and women in prayer in accordance with her wishes.