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Despite the fact that she did not bear him any children, she was always kept in high regard by her husband. This was evidenced by the fact that she remained his sole chief consort from the time of their marriage in 1557 until his death in 1605. Ruqaiya was thus, the most senior lady in the imperial harem<ref name="Findly, p. 32">[[#refFindly|Findly]], p. 32</ref> and at court during her husband's reign as well as in his successor's (Jahangir) reign.<ref>{{cite book|last=Nath|first=Renuka|title=Notable Mughal and Hindu Women in the 16th and 17th Centuries A. D.|year=1957|publisher=Inter- India publications|pages=58}}</ref> This was primarily due to her exalted lineage, the fact that she was Mirza Hindal's daughter, a Mughal princess as well as Akbar's first and chief wife.<ref name="Findly, p. 32"/>
The Empress also took an active part in court politics and wielded considerable influence over Akbar. She played a crucial role (along with her cousin and co-wife [[Salima Sultan Begum]]) in negotiating a settlement between her husband and her step-son,
Akbar, however, did not always pardon a wrong doer and sometimes his decisions were irreversible. Once Ruqaiya and her mother-in-law, Hamida Banu Begum, by their joint effort could not secure pardon for a [[Sunni Muslim]] who had murdered a [[Shia]] in [[Lahore]] purely out of religious fanatism.<ref>Mukherjee, p.130</ref> During Jahangir's reign, Ruqaiya and Salima Sultan Begum played a crucial role in successfully securing pardon for the powerful Khan-i-Azam, [[Mirza Aziz Koka]], who would've surely been sentenced to death by Jahangir had not Salima interceded most vociferously on his behalf.<ref name="Findly, p. 122">[[#refFindly|Findly]], p. 122</ref> Apart from her own palace at [[Fatehpur Sikri]], Ruqaiya owned palaces outside the fort in [[Agra]], near the [[Yamuna|Jamuna]] river, a privilege given to Mughal princesses only and sometimes to empresses who were kept in high esteem. Ruqaiya was both.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lal|first=K.S.|title=The Mughal Harem|year=1988|publisher=Aditya Prakashan|isbn=9788185179032|page=45}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Misra|first=Rekha|title=Women in Mughal India, 1526-1748 A.D.|year=1967|publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal|page=76}}</ref> ===Dowager empress===
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