Born a commoner from Bagan Serai, Perak, she married Sultan Abdul Halim on 25 December 1975, and as his second wife, she was styled as Che Puan Kedah.
She was crowned Sultanah on 9 January 2004 at the Balai Penghadapan Istana Anak Bukit following the death of Tuanku Bahiyah, the previous Sultanah and first wife of Sultan Abdul Halim.
She served as the 14th Raja Permaisuri Agong of Malaysia from 2011 to 2016, during her husband's second term as Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the Malaysian federal head of state.
After her husband's death in September 2017, her brother-in-law, Sultan Sallehuddin bestowed the title of Che Puan Besar of Kedah or equivalent to a Dowager Sultanah.