Sudha Sharma. 2016. The Status of Muslim Women in Medieval India. New Delhi: SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd. pp. 270. ISBN 978-93-515-0566-2.

Sharma obtained her Ph.D. in History from Punjab University and the title of her doctoral thesis was “Changing Status of Muslim women in Medieval India Till 1761” (p. x). She began her career as a lecturer of History in Jalandhar. Later on she joined the Income Tax department, then the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and then Indraprastha Gas Limited in New Delhi. She is clear that she did not remain as an academician. Since the book literature largely emanates from the doctoral thesis, this book has very extensive notes for each chapter and list of many types of bibliographical sources covering primary sources, English, Persian, Hindi, Urdu and Sanskrit sources and foreign travelers’ notes and records because as well as the articles in the journals and encyclopedias. This book has six chapters, a preface and a conclusion. The preface is written by the author herself to briefly explain the book contents. She states that her book “is an attempt to analyse the changing socio-economic-politico-cultural status of Muslim women of all classes in medieval India (13th-18th century)” (p. viii). The 1st chapter is on Islamic heritage (1-43pp) as a background to the following chapters. This chapter presents the religion of Islam, the women and their status in pre-Islamic Arabic society, Islam and women or women in Islam.