Shadow Queen of the Abbasids

This work is historical fiction. While it uses real events and historical figures as its backdrop, some incidents, dialogues, and characters are entirely the product of the author’s imagination, created for the sake of drama. It is not intended to offend anyone. Have you ever felt like the world was just messing with you? That’s exactly what happened to Ruqayyah—she almost died in a kitchen fire at the boarding school. Then, out of nowhere, she gets pulled into a realm called the Record Hall, and suddenly she’s thrown into the year 816 A.D. The smell of burning kitchen smoke instantly shifts to the dizzying scent of incense. She looks in the mirror. Boom! Her face is stunning. But wait… it’s not her face. Ruqayyah is stuck in the body of Asha, a noblewoman whose life is constantly on the edge because of Baghdad’s heated political climate. Things get even more complicated when the System shows up—a guide who gives missions and rewards. And there’s a rule: “Do not fall in love with guys from this era.” Yeah, right! The problem is, standing right in front of her is Al-Mu’tashim—the prince and general with a face colder than ice, but a gaze that makes your heart skip. Every time Ruqayyah slips and reveals her true identity, there are consequences. Meanwhile, back in the 21st century, the real Aisha is struggling in a cramped boarding school. The daughter of a noble family, used to being waited on by servants, now has to wake up at dawn and nearly faints at the sight of a flickering lamp—she’s sure it’s magic, but it’s just a light switch. Two souls. Two eras. One destiny. Can Ruqayyah survive before her life’s hourglass runs out completely? For readers wondering: this is not reincarnation. Islamic belief holds that each soul lives one life. The events involving Aisha and Ruqayyah are purely a fantastical scenario imagining what might happen if someone from the modern era could explore wisdom and life lessons across centuries—without violating the basic principles of the soul’s journey to the hereafter. Threads of Fate