Twice widowed, single parent, businesswoman Khadijah (RAH) becomes Prophet

Muhammad's first wife

Khadijah (Raddi Allahu anha, usually abbreviated to RAH, meaning May Allah be pleased

with her), daughter of Khuwailid ibn Asad, was the first wife of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

She was from the Asad clan of the tribe of Quraysh and considered the best of women in

lineage, fortune and wisdom.

How Khadijah became richest lady in Makkah

Khadijah was a wealthy businesswoman in Makkah. She was well known and the richest lady

- not richest person - in Makkah. She had been married twice previously. She had a son called

'Hala' from her first marriage. 'Hala' is a girl's name in modern times but it was a common

boy's name in those days. Hala eventually accepted Islam and lived a noble life along with

the Prophet Muhammad.

Khadijah's second husband was a wealthy merchant but they had no children. In jahiliya (i.e.

period of ignorance in Arabia prior to advent of Islam) women did not inherit. Since Khadijah

and her husband had no children, and he did not have any siblings, Khadijah inherited a small

fortune in this rare instance. Over the course of next few years Khadijah invested that money,

for example, purchasing goods at times of Hajj and sending them to Syria, and purchasing

goods from Syria and sending them to Yemen, and purchasing goods from Yemen and

sending them to Makkah.

But because Khadijah's a woman she couldn't do it by herself in this male-dominated society.

She had to employ men to do her business every single time. Those days they didn't pay a

wage but a percentage profit (e.g. the male labourer would take 30% and the owner would

take 70%, etc). But usually the man Khadijah selected would carry out fraudulent activities

behind her back. For example, undercutting her, stealing her goods, lying, not giving full
account, etc. So Khadijah never got the type of wealth she deserved and earned. Nevertheless

she maintained her dignity and still made money.

Khadijah rejects various marriage proposals from prominent men

Khadijah remained a single parent. It was very rare for somebody to be single in that society.

It was normal practice to be married, people avoided living a single life. But Khadijah,

perhaps because she had been married twice already, had closed this marriage door and

remained single. A number of men tried to marry her because she was of noble lineage, a

pure Qurayshi, and wealthy woman. If they married her they would possess the wealth

according to jahili law. So a lot of prominent men had asked for her hand in marriage but

Khadijah refused their advances and turned them down. She didn't feel that their intention

was pure and they would treat her the way she deserved.

Early job as a shepherd for Muhammad (pbuh)

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), had no particular job at his early youth, but it was reported that

he worked as a shepherd in Makkah for a meagre wage. He'd find people who owned flock,

and he'd take care of this flock and get a small wage in return.

Khadijah's older sister had a herd of camels and she hired 23 - 24 year old Muhammad (pbuh)

and another young man to take her large flock out and graze them outside of Makkah. After

they finished the grazing, they had to go to town to collect their wages. The young man with

the Muhammad (pbuh) said let's go and ask Khadijah's sister for our wage. Muhammad

(pbuh) told him to go on his behalf as he was too shy to go because she's a woman. So the

young man went to Khadijah's sister's house and it so happened Khadijah was in her house at

that time. He asked for his wages, Khadijah asked where was Muhammad, so the man told

them he was too shy to come and ask. Hearing this, Khadijah's sister heaped praises on

Muhammad (pbuh) non-stop.

I have not seen any man who is more shy, more noble, more honourable, more chaste in his

interaction...

K HADIJAH ' S SISTER EULOGIES AB OUT M UHAMMAD ( PBUH ) IN FRONT OF HER

This was the first time Khadijah seen her sister praise any man in this manner. Something

entered her heart.

Hired by businesswoman Khadijah (RAH) to be a merchant

Later on the year when Khadijah had to send her own caravan to Syria. In those days the

caravans from Makkah made two journeys: one to Yemen and the other to Syria.

When Khadijah heard lavish praises of Muhammad (pbuh) she decided to hire him even

though he had no prior business experience and he was young. Usually, people hired

merchants who are in the 40s or 50s and had experience of dealing with others, were business

savvy, and knew the journey route, for example. But Khadijah overlooked all these as she

wanted a honest man.

Khadijah sent a message to Muhammad (pbuh) through one of her servant saying asking him

to take care of her caravan. Muhammad (pbuh) went to his uncle Abu Talib for advice. This

shows his respectable nature. While other men would jump to the offer, Muhammad (pbuh)

still sought permission from his elder even though he didn't need it. Abu Talib advised him to

take the opportunity which Allah has blessed him, especially since it was better than his

present shepherd job.

So Muhammad (pbuh) took the offer. Khadijah offered him a higher rate than others and

agreed to give him half (50%) of the profit as he was a good man. This would be a good
incentive for him to do a good job, she thought. This was a very generous offer from

Khadijah.

Muhammad (pbuh) went with one of Khadijah's male servant, believed to be 'Maisarah', and

went for trade to Busra, Syria, a small town outside of Damascus on the periphery of the

Byzantine Empire. The Arabs typically stopped at Busra, they wouldn't go to Damascus.

Busra had a huge marketplace known for selling and buying of goods. It was a meeting

ground of many cultures. Arabs from north, Egyptian from Africa, Yemenis from the south,

would all meet here. It was a town famous for economic transactions. Even today, there are

still ruins of marketplace that existed long before the times of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

When they returned to Makkah, Maisarah told Khadijah of the care, concern and honesty that

Muhammad (pbuh) had shown and of his exceptional character. Muhammad (pbuh) made

multiple profits which Khadijah never witnessed before. This was another example of Allah

blessing him.

Khadijah's feelings grew stronger for Muhammad (pbuh). She developed a wish to marry

him.

Khadijah (rah) proposes to Muhammad (pbuh)

Muslim scholars differ as to exactly how the marriage proposal was conducted. But they all

agree that Khadijah instigated it.

In one version of the story, Khadijah told a close friend (or possibly an elderly female

servant) Nafisah, daughter of Muniya, regarding her intentions to marry Muhammad (pbuh).

Nafisah told her to leave it with her. She visited Muhammad (pbuh) and posed the question to

him. He showed interest but was curious as to why Khadijah wanted to marry him.
Nafisah: "Oh Muhammad, why don't you get married

Muhammad (pbuh): "Who would marry me? Because I am the orphan, poor people of the

Quraysh."

Nafisah: "What if Khadijah wanted to marry you

Muhammad (pbuh) after a brief silence: "Why would she want me?"

N AFISAH POSES MARRIAGE QUESTION TO M UHAMMAD ( PBUH )

Nafisah went back to Khadijah and told her what happened. Subsequently they got married.

Once again the details of this vary.

Biographer Ibn Ishaq said the marriage took place in the Islamic month of Safar, three

months after he returned from the Busra caravan trip. So for three months they were going

back and forth regarding the marriage talk.

There are two popular versions of how the marriage was conducted.

In one version it is narrated that Khadijah's father was alive at the time and he opposed the

marriage. He became drunk and convinced that the marriage had already taken place. So

when he became sober it was too late to say no. But this story has a very weak chain of

narration and is contradicted by number of facts. Firstly, Ibn Hajar (who died c. 852 A.H.)

and others point out that Khadijah's father had died before this proposal had happened so she

never had a father at the time. This makes sense when you consider that if her father was

alive he would've inherited Khadijah's money according to the custom of the time. A woman

did not get the money if she had a husband, brother or father.
In another version of the story - which is presented by more books by scholars of repute and

considered more authentic account - it is narrated that Khadijah's uncle Amr ibn Asad was the

one who performed the nikah (marriage). There was no issue of alcohol, sober, or anything of

that nature. Amr was the wali (a person who is responsible for the bride's life before she is

married) and Abu Talib came with Muhammad (pbuh) and performed the khutbah (sermon).

In it, Abu Talib praised Allah and their lineage as was common practice. He praised

Muhammad (pbuh) and expressed the mahr (dowry amount) as 12 waqiya wa nishan (12

nugget of silver and few silver coins), equivalent to few hundred pound in modern day but a

modest amount in those days.

Abu Talib: "...My nephew [Muhammad] is the one with no comparison with any other young

man in all of Makkah, in his manners, nobility and lineage. And he has proposed to your

noble lady Khadijah with a mahr of 12 waqiya wa nishan..."

Amr stood up: "This is a young man who cannot be refused. We accept the proposal."

B OTH FAMILIES WELCOME THE MARRIAGE

How old was Khadijah at the time of her marriage? 40 or 28?

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Khadijah (rah) married around 595 C.E. Almost everyone

agrees that Muhammad (pbuh) was around 25 years old (some say 23 or 24). Their marriage

lasted 25 years. Khadijah was older than him. But by how many years?

It is commonly believed that Khadijah was 40 years old when she married Muhammad

(pbuh), i.e. there was a 15-year age gap between the two. This is the opinion of one of

classical scholars of Islam, Imam al-Waqidi (who died 207 A.H.). He said Khadijah was 40

when she married the Prophet and she died aged 65.

However, there are more authentic reports that Khadijah was not 40 at the time of marriage.
 Academically speaking, there are two problems with this age (of 40). Firstly, Imam al-Waqidi

is not of the calibre of the scholars who mention the revised age. He is lower in the scale of

repute.

Scholars like Al Bayhaqi (a hadith expert who died 458 A.H.), Ibn Kathir (the eminent

historian from Syria who died 774 A.H) and others reported that Khadijah died when she was

in her 50s (thereby making Khadijah in her late 20s at the time of marriage). Another early

authority, Hisham ibn al-Kalbi, said that Khadijah married when she was 28 years old,

therefore there's a 3-year age gap, not 15, between her and Muhammad (pbuh). Al-Hakim

also narrates Ibn Ishaq - the number one authority on seerah - as saying Khadijah was 28

years old.

This age of 28 appears to be more valid and creditable for two reasons. Firstly, the people

reporting the age of 28 are more in quantity and calibre. Secondly, Muhammad (pbuh) and

Khadijah had at least 6 children, born between c. 595 - 604 C.E. It is difficult to imagine a

woman in her 40s having six children. It is more logical and rational to believe a woman in

her 20s to have them. Also, if Khadijah was born around 550 C.E. she would've been 54

years old in 604. She was also married twice before. So academically speaking, it is more

sound to believe she was 28 rather than 40 when she got married - but there is no indisputable

proof.

First Muslim was a woman

Khadijah (rah) was the first person to declare her faith in Islam and become a Muslim after

the Prophet (pbuh) received the revelations. She was the first to bear witness that there is no

god except Allah and that her husband was the Messenger of Allah.
Some of the blessing, some of the morals of the story of with Khadijah, first and foremost, it

shows the importance of honesty and good etiquette. Good akhlaq (virtue). Honesty is

appreciated by everybody in mankind. It brings about blessings.

Because the Prophet was honest as a shepherd, shy as a worker at a very menial job, that

shyness an honesty upgraded his position in pay rank. He was honest, trustworthy, humble,

modest. He had good qualities. What happened? Automatically opportunities were created

that gave him more and more higher positions. And this is the reality of the dunya (world): if

you show your character, character counts a lot, much more than experience. Khadijah

overlooked that he had zero experience and hired him for him to become one of the highest

paid businessman in all of Makkah.

It also shows the intelligence and status of Khadijah because she saw the Prophet (pbuh) as

being ideal and perfect husband.

This clearly shows the permissibility of not just natural feeling of desire and attraction, but

pursuing that in a permissible manner. It is not haram to be in love, it is halal to be in love. It

is what you do with it.

S HEIKH Y ASIR Q ADHI

Muhammad (pbuh), a loyal husband to Khadijah

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Khadijah (rah) were married for 25 years. Given the number

of children they had, they seem to have a happy relationship.

When Muhammad (pbuh) married Khadijah, she was twice widowed, older, and a single

parent. This showed that the Prophet (pbuh) was not a lustful man as some modern-day non-

Muslim critics have labelled against him. If he wanted he could've married a younger lady, a
 virgin. But he married someone of nobility and remained faithful to her for duration of their

marriage. He only began marrying in his mid-50s, possibly 54. So in the prime of his youth

and adult years and his peak sexually active years (i.e. 20s, 30s, and 40s), he remained

thoroughly loyal, committed, and devoted to Khadijah and in control of his desires. He was

devastated when she passed away. During the same time his loving and supportive uncle Abu

Talib had also died - causing him to go through depression at the age of 50.

Other wives

All wives, except one, were either widowed or divorced

Khadijah was buried at Jannatul Mualla cemetery, also known as Al-Hajun cemetery, in

Makkah, Saudi Arabia, where her first child with the Propphet, Al-Qasim, is also buried.

Following her passing, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had several other marriages until his

death, aged 62 - 63. Collectively, his wives are referred to as Umm-al-Momineen, Mother of

the Believers.

During the time of the Prophet (pbuh), being single was an alien concept. Having a spouse

was the norm so there was no stigma if you were divorced or widowed. Marriage was highly

encouraged.

All Prophet's wives - except A'ishah (rah) - were widowed or divorced. They were all from

Arabia. Sawdah, A'ishah, Hafsah, and Umm Habibah all belonged to the tribe of Quraysh,

while the others came from various other tribes. All the wives, except Khadijah, are buried in

Baqi al-Garqad (also known as Jannat-ul Baqi) in Madinah.

UMM-AL-MOMINEEN (MOTHER OF THE BELIEVERS)

1. Khadijah bint Khuwaylid

2. Sawdah bint Zam'ah

3. A'ishah bint Abu Bakr

4. Hafsah bint Umar ibn al-Khattab

5. Zaynab bint Khuzayma al-Hilaliyah

6. Umm Salamah (Hind) bint Abu Ummayah al-Makhzumiya

7. Zaynab bint Jahsh al-Asadiyyah

8. Juwayriya bint al-Harith bin Abi Zarar

9. Ramlah Ume-Habibah bint Abi Sufyan

10. Safiyah bint Huyayy bin Akhtab

11. Maymuna bint al-Harith Ameria Hilalia

Breaking custom and taboo

Some of the Prophet's marriages were for legislative reasons and to abolish certain corrupt

traditions. Since no other prophets were going to come after him, it was left to him to reform

anti-Islamic customs.

Surah 33 Al-Ahzab (The Combined Forces), ayat 38

There is not to be upon the Prophet any discomfort concerning that which Allah

has imposed upon him. [This is] the established way of Allah with those

[prophets] who have passed on before. And ever is the command of Allah a

destiny decreed.

Second wife: Sawdah bint Zam'ah ibn Qays ibn Abdus-Shams (RAH)

Khawlah bint Hakim recommends re-marrying to Muhammad (pbuh)

After Khadijah died, for many months the Prophet was not seen smiling. Such was his

sadness. Eventually Khawlah bint Hakim, one of the earliest converts to Islam and the wife of

Uthmaan ibn Math'oon, suggested to him to re-marry. She suggested Sawdah "if you wanted

an elderly lady", or Aisha "if you want a young lady". So the Prophet (pbuh) married both of

them within a month of each other. But he didn't consummate the marriage with Aisha for

another 3-and-half years, he just got the nikaah done.

An elderly widow

Sawdah's father is Zam'ah ibn Qays ibn Abdus-Shams the Qurayesh tribe and mother is Ash-

Shamoos bint Qays ibn Zayd of Bani Adi ibn An-Najjar from Khazraj tribe. She was married

to as-Sakran ibn Amr, the brother of Suhail ibn Amr. Sawdah and as-Sakran were early

converts to Islam. They migrated with the second group of emigrants to Abyssinia (which

includes modern-day Ethiopia) to escape the persecution of the Quraysh and maintain the

faith in Islam. As-Sakran died an early death and passed away either in Abyssinia or soon

after their return journey to Makkah. He was one of the few Sahabahs (Companions) who

died in the Makkan era.

Since it was the time when Muslims converts were persecuted in Makkah, Sawdah's family

had disowned her and she had nobody to look after her. Hearing of her plight, Muhammad

(pbuh) had compassion for her and married her. The marriage took place in Makkah,

probably, in month of Shawwal in the 10th year of his prophetic mission, six months after

Khadijah's passing.

She was the eldest of all the wives of the Prophet (pbuh). There are no dates of her age. She

was a large lady who'd walk very slowly.

Voluntarily allocates her portion of time with Prophet to Aishah

In the Madinan era, probably around 6th or 7th A.H., Sawdah began to feel that the Prophet

might divorce her. Muhammad (pbuh) had allocated different nights to his wives so each of
 them were given the same level of attention and love. Sawdah negotiated with the Prophet

(pbuh) that he could spend her portion of the night with Aishah instead of her as she wanted

to die and be raised as a Prophet's wife. When she voluntarily did this, Allah revealed Surah

An-Nisa (The Women) verse 128 which allowed for any spouses to come to a mutual

compromise if their relationship is faltering long term.

Surah 4 An-Nisa (The Women), ayat 128

And if a woman fears from her husband contempt or evasion, there is no sin upon

them if they make terms of settlement between them - and settlement is best. And

present in [human] souls is stinginess. But if you do good and fear Allah - then

indeed Allah is ever, with what you do, Acquainted.

Sawdah died relatively early in the time of Umar ibn al-Khattab.

Third wife: A'ishah bint Abu Bakr (RAH)

Prophet Muhammad's third wife was A'ishah, the daughter of his closest companion Abu

Bakr, who later became the first Caliph of the Muslim community upon the Prophet's death.

Muhammad (pbuh) saw a dream where an Angel came up to him with a covered up lady and

said this shall be your wife. He uncovered the veil and it was A'ishah. So he said if this dream

was truly from Allah then it'll come to pass (i.e. it'll take place). And it did. The nikaah was

done in Makkah but the marriage was consummated (i.e. have sex with her for the first time)

in Madinah in the 2nd year after Hijrah.

A'ishah was the Prophet's favourite after Khadijah.

=======================================================
In the 11th year of his Prophethood, Muhammad (pbuh) decided to marry A'ishah (rah), the

daughter of his closest companion Abu Bakr (RA), after getting permission from his wife

Sawdah.

Traditional Hadith states that A'ishah (rah) was 6 years old when they were officially married

in Shawwal, however, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did not consummate his marriage with her

until 3 years later when 'Aishah (rah) was 9 years old. She is believed to have stayed in her

parents' house during these 3 years.

However, many reputable Islamic scholars have suggested other age of A'ishah (rah). Taking

all known accounts and records of A'ishah's age at marriage, estimates of her age range from

9 to 19.

Because of this, it is impossible to know with any certainty how old A'ishah (rah) was.

==========================================================

Fourth wife: Hafsah bint Umar ibn al-Khattab

Prophet Muhammad's fourth wife was Hafsah, the daughter of his close companion Umar ibn

al-Khattab, the second Caliph after the Prophet's death.

First husband killed in Battle of Uhud

Hafsah was probably born few years before the prophethood began. She was married at a

very young age, probably 12, to one of the early converts named Khanis bin Hudhafah As-

Sahmi. She migrated to Abyssinia with her husband. Khanis fought in both the battles of

Badr and Uhud, and was severely injured in the latter battle. He was carried back to Madinah

but died a shaheed (martyr). Hafsah was traumatised. Thus, barely 19 - 20 years old, Hafsah
became a widow and childless. But rather than grieve, Hafsah dedicated herself even more to

prayer and meditation.

Hafsah was an extremely pious lady, known for offering voluntary night salah (prayer) and

devoted from an early age to fasting and meditation. Unlike many women and even men of

that time, Hafsah could read and write. She was an excellent writer and orator and an ardent

follower of Islam.

Calip Uthman (ra) and Abu Bakr (ra) reject Umar's (ra) proposal as Muhammad (pbuh)

wanted to marry Hafsah

Concerned by the plight of his daughter, Umar asked Uthman ibn Affan (later the

third Caliph what he thought of Hafsa. In those days it was normal custom for the wali (e.g.

father or brother) of the bride to go and find a good suitor. Men could also ask for the hand in

marriage but generally it was initiated by the female side.

Uthman was the Prophet's son-in-law. His first wife was Ruqaiyah, the daughter of

Muhammad (pbuh) who had passed away at Badr. When Umar had offered Hafsah to the

grieving Uthman, Uthman asked him to give him time to contemplate it. After few days, he

said he wasn't ready to get married now. Umar felt dejected since Uthman was a nobleman, a

Qurayshi, wealthy, and single.

Umar then turned to Abu Bakr who was already married. Umar desperately wanted a noble

husband for his daughter. But Abu Bakr too asked for few days to contemplate the proposal.

But unlike Uthman, he didn't respond. This hurt Umar even more than Uthman's rejection.

Finally a proposal came from the Prophet that he wanted to marry Hafsah. Abu Bakr came

and explained to Umar that the Prophet had mentioned about marrying Hafsah to him and

Uthman hence the reason why they both backed out. Else he would've happily accepted it.
This shows that the Prophet (pbuh) was seeking the advice of others before contemplating a

marriage. And by marrying Hafsah he was giving equal honours to both of his friends, having

already married Abu Bakr's daughter A'ishah. The Prophet's marriage to Hafsah further

strengthened his political alliance with Umar. Meanwhile, the Prophet (pbuh) gave another of

his daughter, Umm Kulthoom, to Uthman (ra).

Saved from divorce by Angel Jibrail

Aishah considered Hafsa her main competition since they were similar age and just as bold,

witty and strong characters, much like their respective fathers.

However, after one bad incident, the Prophet (pbuh) was contemplating divorcing Hafsa – in

some report he had even given her 1 talaq (first of three warning of divorce). Naturally, this

saddened Umar. But Angel Jibrail came and told him not to divorce Hafsah as she was a very

pious woman who "fasts all the time and prays all the time and she shall be your wife in

Jannah (Paradise)". So the Prophet (pbuh) took her back.

Allah intervened in their relationship and it was her piety that saved her.

Preserved the mus'haf (written Qur'an) following her father's death

The original grand mus'haf - the collection of papers containing the chapters of Qur'an - that

was written at the time of Abu Bakr was passed on to Umar following Abu Bakr's death. But

when Umar passed away, there was a period when the Muslim ummah had not yet selected

a caliph. During this period Hafsah kept hold of the mus'haf. She kept it with her until she

passed away.

When Uthman wanted to copy the mus'haf, he had to get the original from Hafsah. After

copying and assembling into one volume, it was sent to the rest of the Islamic world. This

formed the basis of all written copies of the Qur'an to the present day.
Hafsah died around 41 or 45 A.H. If she died in 45 A.H. (circa 665 C.E.) it was said that

Marwan ibn Hakam, the governor at that time, prayed over her.

Fifth wife: Zaynab bint Khuzayma al-Hilaliyah

There's very little information on Zaynab bint Khuzayma. She died during the Prophet's time

in Madinah. After Khadijah, Zaynab became the only other wife to pass away in the lifetime

of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Sometime people confuse her with Prophet's other wife Zaynab bint Jahsh al-Asadiyyah, who

was also the Prophet's cousin.

Zaynab bint Khuzayma was born into a noble family from the Banu Hilal tribe in Najd. Even

before she became a Muslim she was known for her charity and love of the poor and orphans.

She could not bear to see a person hungry or in dire need. These virtues earned her the title

"Umm al-Masakin" ('Mother of the Destitute' or 'Mother of the Poor') - this too at a time

of Jahiliya (Age of Ignorance).

Zaynab was among the early converts to Islam. Her generous quality became more

pronounced after she converted to Islam, which has always strongly advocated giving in

charity.

Zaynab's marriage to the Prophet (pbuh) lasted less than a year, some say 3, 5, or 8 months.

So there's very little information on her, especially since she's not from Quraysh or have

ancestors in Makkah.

There's conflicting report on her.

One report say Zaynab was married to Thufail ibn al-Harith ibn Abdul Muttalib, the Prophet's

cousin. Thufail divorced her when they migrated to Madinah. Thufail's brother Ubaidah then
married Zaynab out of respect. Sadly, Ubaidah was killed during the historic Battle of Badr

and Zaynab became one of the numerous war widow. Zaynab had no family in Makkah or

Madinah. She entrusted her plight entirely to Allah and devoted herself to prayer and

meditation. So when she received a proposal from the Prophet (pbuh) she was

overjoyed. They got married, possibly around 3 A.H., but the marriage only last few months

before Zaynab passed away in Rabi' ul-Awwal 4 A.H.

Zaynab was the first of the wives to be buried at Baqi al-Garqad, Madinah and the only one

to receive a funeral prayer led by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Visitors to the graveyard will

find all nine graves of the Prophet's wives and Zaynab is the first.

Mother considered the most noble mother-in-law in history

It is said in some books of history that Zaynab's mother is the most noble mother-in-law in

the history of mankind. She had 5 daughters, all of whom married people of importance. Two

of them become Umm al-Momineen (Mother of the Believers) - Zaynab had a younger half-

sister Maymuna bint al-Harith who married the Prophet (pbuh) later on. Maymuna and

Zaynab had different fathers but same mother.

The third daughter was Umm al-Fadl bint al-Harith, Abbas's wife. Abbas was the Prophet's

paternal uncle. Umm al-Fadl gave birth to Al-Fadl ibn Abbas and Abdullah ibn Abbas, two

prominent Sahabis and cousins of the Prophet (pbuh). She had a younger sister called

Lubabah as-Sughra who married Al Walid ibn al-Mughirah, the chieftain of Banu Makhzum

of the Quraysh tribe, and his son is Khalid ibn al-Walid. Lubabah (bint al-Harith) was also a

nickname of Umm al-Fadl so sometime people confuse the two sisters.

Her other daughter was Asma bin Umays who was married to Jafar ibn Abu Talib, the

Prophet's cousin. She became a widow at the death of Jafar. The Prophet (pbuh) would visit

her, console her, take care of her and look after Jafar's orphaned children. During the
Khilafah of Abu Bakr, Abu Bakr married her few months before he passed away. Asma

became pregnant when Abu Bakr died. She gave birth to his son Muhammad bin Abu Bakr.

After Abu Bakr's death, Asma married Ali ibn Abu Talib, Jafar's younger brother. She had

sons with Ali also. Asma had a sister called Salma bin Umays who married to Hamza ibn

Abdul-Muttalib. They had a daughter called Umara who was looked after by Jafar.

Sixth wife: Umm Salamah (Hind) bint Abu Ummayah al-Makhzumiya

Umm Salamah's real name was Hind bint Abu Umayyah al-Makhzumiya. She was noble by

birth, intelligent, learned, wise and skillful. She was the daughter of one of the notables in the

Makhzum clan of Quraysh nicknamed "Zad ar-Rakib" because he was well known for his

generosity particularly to travellers. Umm Salamah inherited her father's trait as she was

always amiable and kind to her neighbours.

She was amongst the first handful of converts to Islam, along with her husband Abdullah ibn

Abd-al-Asad Makhzumi. Abdullah, also known as Abu Salamah, was a maternal cousin of

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Umm Salamah and her husband undertook both emigrations of Muslims. After some time,

they returned to Makkah, but after realising that the situation had not improved as they

hoped, they again decided to emigrate to Madinah. Umm Salamah was the very first lady to

migrate to Madinah.

Abu Salamah was known for his gentleness, and akhlaq (virtue), and the pair had a strong

relationship. They had 4 children together, reported to be two boys and two girls.

Sadly, Abu Salamah was severely injured in the Battle of Uhud. He recovered a little but

passed away few months later. On his death Umm Salamah came to him and said:
I have heard that if a man of Jannah dies, and his wife never re-marries that she will

automatically go to him. And that if a woman of Jannah dies, and her husband never re-

marries they will be reunited in Jannah. So lets make a promise to each other that we're not

going to marry if one of us dies.

U MM S ALAMAH MAKES PACT WITH DYING HUSBAND ABOUT NOT RE - MARRYING

They both knew perfectly well that it'd be Umm Salamah who would have to fulfil this

promise. But that was her way of consoling her husband and letting him know that she wasn't

going to get married after he passes away. Abu Salamah asked her if she would you obey me.

She replied "Yes, of course". He said, "then after I die, marry someone". Then Abu Salamah

made a dua on his deathbed:

O Allah, bless her with a husband better than me who will take care of her and never harm or

irritate her.

A BU S ALAMAH PRAYS THAT A LLAH GIVE HIS WIFE A NOBLE HUSBAND AFTER HE

DIES

Abu Salamah did not want his wife to be alone at her old age, and wants a good guardian for

their children.

After the period of waiting was over, the first one to propose to Umm Salamah was Abu Bakr

(ra). But she rejected him. After a while the Prophet (pbuh) came to her house and proposed

directly to her.

Umm Salamah was known for her wisdom. She was one of the wisest of the Prophet's wives.

She was also known for her high lineage, being a daughter of one of the elders of Quraysh.
Even when the Prophet proposed she did not accept it automatically. She thanked him for his

interest in her, but told him that there are 3 things he should know about her:

1. I am a woman that has jealousy and you're a man that already has wives. I am worried that

jealousy will act up and displease you, which in turn with displease Allah.

2. I am a woman that is coming on on age and I'm not young any more.

3. I am a woman that has family, I have children.

The Prophet (pbuh) responded by saying that he'll pray to Allah to remove her jealousy. As

for the age barrier, he joked "I am afflicted with the same calamity as you". And regarding

the family, he said "as for your family, they are my family".

Satisfied with his answers, Umm Salamah accepted the proposal. The pair got married,

probably in 4 A.H. in Shawwal or Ramadhan. The marriage took place few months after the

Prophet (pbuh) married Zaynab bint Khuzayma al-Hilaliyah. Muhammad (pbuh) was around

56 years old while Umm Salamah may have been in her late 30s or 40s.

Advises the Prophet (pbuh) to go ahead with shaving hair after Treaty of Hudaibiyah

Umm Salamah had a lot of great contribution. But the most important story involving her was

during the Treaty of Hudaibiyah.

The Treaty of Hudaibiyah was a 10-year peace treaty that was signed by Prophet Muhammad

(pbuh) and the Makkans in 6 A.H. (circa 628 CE). The treaty allowed Muslims to preach

peacefully, and the safe movement of people. But the Muslims had to return back to Madinah

without doing umrah (minor pilgrimage) this year but were free to perform it from next year

onward.

After concluding the treaty, the holy Prophet told the followers to slaughter sacrificial

animals at the same place and get their head shaved to come out of ihram (clothes worn

during pilgrimage). But the people were so dejected that they delayed the compliance.
Muhammad (pbuh) was in a dilemma. He entered the tent and told his accompanying wife,

Umm Salamah, about people's reluctance.

She politely suggested not negotiating with them and just stand up and shave his hair off. Let

the followers see and they will copy you. Umm Salamah concluded that this was no time for

negotiation. The Muslims are irritated. But if the Prophet (pbuh) shaved his head they will

follow him. Be a leader and show in your action and the rest will follow. So the Prophet

(pbuh) took her advice and without saying anything, called the barber and shaved his hair.

When the Companions say this, they rushed to copy him. Thus the wisdom of Umm Salamah

solved a internal, potentially explosive, problem.

Died at old age

Umm Salamah lived a long life. She was one of the last of Prophet's wives to die. She died in

59 A.H., i.e. outliving her husband Muhammad (pbuh) by nearly five decades. She was in her

late 80s by this time. Abu Huraira led her janaza (funeral prayer).

Seventh wife: Zaynab bint Jahsh Al Asadiyyah

Zaynab bint Jahsh Al Asadiyyah was the seventh wife of the Prophet but the fifth one that

was alive. By now Khadijah and Zaynab bint Khuzayma were dead.

Zaynab (also spelt Zainab) - her real name was Barra at birth - was the daughter of Jahsh ibn

Ri'ab ibn Ya'mur al-Asadiyyah and Umaimah bint Abdul Muttalib bin Hashim. Umaimah

was a sister of Prophet Muhammad's father Abdullah, hence Zaynab and her siblings were the

first cousin of the Prophet. Zaynab was over a decade, possibly 20 years, younger than the

Prophet (pbuh) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbaorsGGFio. She was from the highest

branch of the clan of Banu al-Asad. She was known for her generosity and sympathy for the

needy, abstinence and devotion in prayer. Zaynab was beautiful, intelligent, wise and of

noble birth - which made her highly sought after.

Unhappy marriage to Zayd bin Harith (ra), following the Prophet's persuasion

Zaynab was previously married in Makkah and got divorced

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbaorsGGFio. She migrated with her brother to Madinah

where Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) sent her a marriage proposal on behalf of Zayd bin Harith

(ra), a former slave of Khadijah whom he had freed. Zayd (also spelt Zaid) was adopted as

son by the Prophet (pbuh) when he was 8 years old hence he was also known as Zayd ibn

Muhammad (Zayd son of Muhammad).

Zaynab and her brother had reservation and felt Zayd was not her calibre, especially since she

was from a high lineage. She was neither keen nor willing to marry a freed slave.

Nevertheless the Prophet persisted and convinced Zaynab to marry Zaid. One of his possible

reason was perhaps to destroy racial discrimination and racial segregation which was fully

ingrained within the Arab culture at the time.

Zaynab had her doubt but still married Zayd. She realised that there was no difference

between what the Prophet wanted and what Allah wanted. Muhammad (pbuh) provided the

dowry on Zayd's dowry. Ultimately, Zaynab and Zaid's differences proved too big and it was

a strainful relationship.

Muhammad's alleged encounter with Zaynab

According to a debatable hadith in Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, when the Prophet once went

to visit Zayd's house and he saw Zaynab, 'something came to his heart'.

It is narrated that Muhammad (pbuh) went to Zayd's house but did not find him. Zaynab meet

him, but since she was dressed only in a shift, the Messenger turned away from her. Zaynab

told him Zayd wasn't in and invited him to come in the house. But Muhammad (pbuh)
refused, and took his leave. While doing this, he murmured to himself "Glory be to Allah the

Almighty! Glory be to Allah, who causes the hearts to turn!".

When Zayd came home, Zaynab told him what happened and what the Prophet (pbuh)

murmured. Apparently, Zayd interpreted this as the Prophet developing feelings of

admiration for Zaynab.

Zayd divorces Zaynab, even though Muhammad (pbuh) told him not to

Zayd's relationship with Zaynab deteriorated even further and became unbearable. As a

former slave he was held in low esteem in the eyes of Zaynab. They proved to be

incompatible for each other. He decided to divorce her.

It's mentioned in Sahih Bukhari and Sunan at-Trimidhi, that Zayd came to the Prophet

complaining about Zaynab. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) told Zayd to keep his wife and not

divorce her. Apparently this occured on more than one occasion. And each time the Prophet

(pbuh) repeatedly advised him to keep his wife. But eventually Zayd could not maintain his

marriage any longer. He went through with the divorce through his own choice. Their

marriage lasted for at least 3 years https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbaorsGGFio.

Muhammad (pbuh) 'conceals something' in his heart which Allah will 'disclose'

Once, when the Prophet (pbuh) was with Aishah, a fainting overcame him and Surah 33 Al-

Ahzab (The Combined Forces) verse 37 was revealed. Here Allah tells Muhammad (pbuh)

not to be be scared of people but Allah alone and that which he has 'concealed within

yourself' Allah will 'disclose':

Surah 33 Al-Ahzab (The Combined Forces), ayat 37

And [remember, O Muhammad] , when you said to the one on whom Allah

bestowed favor and you bestowed favor, "Keep your wife and fear Allah," while

you concealed within yourself that which Allah is to disclose. And you feared the

people, while Allah has more right that you fear Him. So when Zayd had no

longer any need for her, We married her to you in order that there not be upon

the believers any discomfort concerning the wives of their adopted sons wh en

they no longer have need of them. And ever is the command of Allah

accomplished

Zayd became the only sahabi to be ever mentioned by name in the Qur'an. No other sahabi

has that honour. It was his biggest compliment.

The next page and a half of Surah Al-Ahzab is dedicated to praising Muhammad (pbuh), even

mentioning his name. It was only one of the four times his name Muhammad was mentioned

in the Qur'an.

Prophet sends Zayd with his own marriage proposal to Zaynab

During those days it was Arab custom to give the same status to adopted children as to their

own flesh and blood. Adopted sons were treated as real sons, with all rights of inheritance

etc. However, after her divorce to Zayd, the Prophet was commanded by Allah to marry

Zaynab in order to destroy this custom and remove the taboo of adopted son.

Once the period of waiting was over, Muhammad (pbuh) sent Zayd to go to Zaynab and

mention his name and see if she's interested in marrying him. Biographer Ibn Sa'd narrates

that the Prophet told Zayd he didn't trust anyone more than him

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbaorsGGFio.
Since the Prophet had mentioned Zaynab's name, Zayd felt embarrassed to look at her so out

of humility he turned his back and gave the Prophet's proposal. Zaynab responded by saying

she won't response until she sought Allah's assistance first. So Zaynab prayed istikarah

(voluntary prayer when seeking help).

Muhammad (pbuh) marries Zaynab (pbuh), much to Aisha's envy

Most Islamic history books say she was around 35 years old when she married the Prophet.

Many report suggest that they married in Dhu al Qa'dah 5 A.H.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbaorsGGFio

The verses of Hijab were revealed on the night of the Prophet and Zaynab's marriage. Before

their marriage, there were no verses relating to hijab so women didn't wear any. Zaynab's

walima was the most luxurious walima out of all the wives of the Prophet. Prophet provided

meat and bread until the guests could eat no more (rice only became a stable diet later when

the Muslims conquered Persian and Roman lands). He invited everyone to the ceremony

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbaorsGGFio.

Surah Al-Ahzab, ayat 33

And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of

the former times of ignorance. And establi sh prayer and give zakah and obey

Allah and His Messenger. Allah intends only to remove from you the impurity [of

sin] , O people of the [Prophet's] household, and to purify you with [extensive]

purification

Zaynab would boast to Prophet's other wives that she was the only one Allah had married off

while they themselves were married by their wali (guardian). Zaynab was known for her
beauty and piety. She was viewed as the only competition to Aisha in terms of the love that

the Prophet had. The wives of the Prophet were divided into these two camps.

Despite the jealousy Aisha and Zaynab both had mutual respect for each other and got on

very well.

Controversy of the Qur'anic verse, which Muhammad (pbuh) would hid if he was given a

choice

According to the books of hadith, if Prophet Muhammad had to hide one ayat (verse) of the

Noble Qur'an it would've been the Surah Al-Ahzab verse 37

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbaorsGGFio. That's because it's painful and caused him

a lot of distress. But since he's honest and noble, he revealed the verse.

Some scholars have interpretated the verse as indicating that the Prophet (pbuh) was in love

with Zaynab, or that he wished Zayd would divorce her, or that he intended to marry Zaynab

if Zayd divorced her.

Others have interpretated it as a promise from Allah Almighty that Muhammad (pbuh) will

eventually marry Zaynab.

For the first 3 - 4 centuries of Islam, only the first version was the predominant view though

the second version was still found. In 4th - 5th centuries both versions are mentioned, with

some suggesting the second version was more appropriate. In 6th - 8th centuries the first

version (i.e. that of inclination/love) is not mentioned at all as they argued that the second

version (i.e. Allah's promise) is better interpretation of the verse and it was this version that

the critical researchers approved https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbaorsGGFio. They

didn't even consider the first version even worthy of a mention as it wasn't authentic.
Later, some modern day scholars claimed the whole story of the first version is a fabrication

by Orientalists. But the sheer quantity of early historian narrating the story suggest the first

version is authentic. The fabrication theory has been dismissed by reputable scholars as a

conspiracy and without merit. After all, those crying fabrication cannot just choose to remove

this story and would have to abandon most of the narration of early historians.

Love interpreted as lust by critics

The predominant opinion among early historians was that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was

inclined to Zaynab. It is not unnatural for a man to fall in love. The fact that he is a prophet

does not rob him of his natural human emotions. In fact it is true that he loved his wives.

They argued that the second interpretation (i.e. Allah's promise) suggests that Muhammad

(pbuh) was delaying and fighting what Allah has decreed for him. So they preferred the first

interpretation.

However, in this version the problem area is the stigma of the Prophet and his inclination.

Many non-Muslims critics of Islam have used this interpretation to question moral integrity

of Muhammad (pbuh). They accuse him of being a lustful man who wanted to marry his own

daughter-in-law. He was struck by her beauty and waited for Zayd to divorce her so he could

marry her. And by overturning the traditional Arab custom of treating adopted sons as real

sons, Muhammad (pbuh), they argue, protected himself from any Muslim criticism. The

critics gleefully reproduce this story and pass it on as fact, failing to mention the other

interpretation of the verse, the social context, the weak (or non-existent) chain of narration,

and the positive impact of the Prophet's action.

Embarrassment, rather than sin

For this reason, some Muslim scholars have said this interpretation was not befitting of a

prophet and found these stories to be problematic. They argue, the Prophet (pbuh) was

criticised for concealing the fact that eventually that Zaynab would become his wife. That

what he actually felt was concern for her well being, and that if Zayd did divorce her he'd

marry her to fulfil the ties of kinship since she was his cousin.

They remove the love factor completely and suggest he wanted to marry her because he

wanted to take care of his cousin.

So in terms of Qur'anic text, what the Prophet was concealing was not a sin but something

embarrassing (i.e. a natural human emotion). The context of the verse also suggest this. Allah

did not tell him to seek refuge, nor did He rebuke him. Even if the love version is correct, it

doesn't mean any sin was committed. A man is not accountable of his emotion as long as he

doesn't act upon them. There's no sin in it at all. Allah does not ask him to repent nor say that

he was done a mistake.

Prophet is still a normal man with normal male inclination. But he could control them. That's

part of his perfection. It's problematic to turn him into a semi-mystical, divine figure with

superhuman powers which people could not connect to.

For Zayd it was perfect opportunity to leave an unhappy marriage. Zaynab had a sharp

tongue, she was harsh to him and looked down upon him. There was no love in that marriage

from day one. So for Zayd it was a burden off his shoulder. Without Prophet's consent he

divorced her.

S HEIKH Y ASIR Q ADHI

 These scholars point out it's not like Muhammad (pbuh) hasn't seen Zaynab before. She's his

cousin. He had known her since childhood. He seen her before and knows what she looks like

so the question of 'instant' love or being suddenly struck by her beauty - and that too after she

was already married to his beloved adopted son - is not plausible. His instant proposal to wife

Juwayriya is a better example of him acting immediately when required.

It was Muhammad (pbuh) himself who arranged Zaynab to marry Zaid and gave the proposal

originally on Zayd's behalf. If he was interested or lustful he would've encouraged her to

marry none but him and proposed for himself from day one. This would've made everyone's

life easier as he was more noble than her so they would've avoided all the drama and

heartache of Zaynab marrying a freed slave. If he had ulterior motives, he could have gone

about the matter in a much more subtle way and gotten what he wanted. But Muhammad

(pbuh) instigated the talks and persuaded Zaynab to marry Zayd. Why would he do that if he

was 'in love' with her?

Zayd and Zaynab's marriage proved to be an unhappy one. Muhammad (pbuh) only

considered marrying her after Allah had revealed He intended to marry her to the Prophet.

Zayd also went to his ex-wife Zaynab with Muhammad's marriage proposal later on. So the

adopted son and/or ex-daughter-in-law issue is not a problem. And since the Prophet (pbuh)

eventually married Zaynab, it was the marriage that Allah 'disclosed' (which the Qur'an refers

to) not his inclination. So this version has more weight, though Allah knows best which

version is correct.

Intended to raise status of freed slave and remove taboo of adopted children
Coming from one of the noblest families of Quraysh, Zaynab was expected to marry a man

with the same high social status. But the Prophet (pbuh) knew that piety and not social status

was the primary consideration in marriage. He had watched both Zayd and Zaynab grow up,

and thought they would make a good couple and that their marriage would demonstrate that it

was not who their ancestors were, but rather their religiousness that mattered. So the primary

motive was to raise the status of slaves in Arabian society where slavery was rampant. One of

the measures to remove this was to marry a slave to a noble family. And this change had to

begin at his own home.

The custom among the pagan Arabs was that an adopted son was like a person's biological

son. He carried his adopted father's name and inherited from him. Islam overturned that

custom as a way of safeguarding lineage. A man may adopt a child and take care of him, but

that child cannot assume the lineage of his adopted father. He must retain his own family

name.

Surah 33 Al-Ahzab (The Combined Forces), ayats 4 - 5

Allah has not made for a man two hearts in his interior. And He has not made

your wives whom you declare unlawful your mothers. And he has not made your

adopted sons your [true] sons. That is [merely] your saying by your mouths, but

Allah says the truth, and He guides to the [right] way.

Call them by [the names of] their fathers; it is more just in the sight of Allah .

But if you do not know their fathers - then they are [still] your brothers in

religion and those entrusted to you. And there is no blame upon you for that in

which you have erred but [only for] what your hearts intended. And ever is Allah

Forgiving and Merciful.

By marrying Zaynab, Muhammad (pbuh) became the first man to express the disapproval in a

practical way. The Prophet (pbuh) demonstrated in the clearest possible way that in Islam an

adopted son is not the same as a natural son and that the guardian of an adopted son is

permitted to marry a woman who was once married to that adopted son. Since it was he

himself who encouraged Zaynab to participate in this, the only way to rectify this situation

and console her would be for him to marry her.

Had the Prophet (pbuh) only verbally told the Muslims to do something, it may not have had

the same effect (as the shaving of hair for umrah and hajj episode proved). Sometime cultural

practices and taboos are very strong. For example, even today it's difficult for many Muslims

to marry each other from different ethnic background. Therefor, by acting on the the

command, he was solidifying it.

Muhammad's marriage to Zaynab served two legislative purposes: the lawful marriage of

divorcees and the real status of adopted children.

This marriage [of Prophet Muhammad to Zaynab] served more than one purpose. First, the

prophet was responsible for arranging Zainab's marriage to Zaid. In a sense, then, he was

also indirectly responsible for the unhappiness she felt in her marriage. Her marriage to the

prophet now provided her the honour she felt she deserved, and exonerated the prophet.

Second, Zaid had been adopted as the prophet's son. Eventually, however, the Qur'an

prohibited the practice of changing the parental identity of adopted persons. Zaid, then, was

to no longer be called "son of Muhammad" but rather "a close friend." The prophet's

marriage to the divorced wife of Zaid was a practical demonstration that the adopted

relationship was not equal to a real blood-relationship. A man cannot marry the divorced

wife of his real son but he can marry the divorced wife of his adopted son.
The abolishment of the age-old practice was a positive improvement for the adopted persons.

People outside of Islam still continue this practice for their own benefit. They adopt children

and rob them of their real identify, making them believe they are real children of the

household in which they grow up. When such children realize the truth they suffer much

disappointment and grief. The adoptive process continues for the selfish gain of the adoptive

parents.

But is it not true that children sometimes need adoptive parents? Yes. But they also need to

preserve their real identify. This is what Islam ensures. It is the responsibility of the entire

community to help children in need. They should be taken in and nurtured but not confused

with one's own children.

The prophet's marriage to Zainab was a bold measure to forever engrave in the minds of his

followers that as much as people would resist change, some changes are worth the effort.

Adoptive children should no longer be robbed of their real identities.

S HEIKH S HABIR A LLY

Mother of the poor and needy

Zaynab continued to live a life of piety and taqwa (God fearing). She continued to look after

orphans.

[1.08 giving money to poor],

Zaynab passed away in 20 A.H. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbaorsGGFio, ten years

after the Prophet (pbuh). Umar ibn al-Khattab performed the janaza (funeral prayer) and all

the major shahabas participated in it.

Zayd died 12 years earlier in 8 A.H. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbaorsGGFio

====================================================

When Zaynab completed her period of waiting, the Prophet (pbuh) sent her a proposal

through Zaid. Zaynab did not make a decision. Instead she began praying for Allah's

guidance. Eventually the Prophet (pbuh) received a Revelation which allowed him to marry

her.

No other companion of the Prophet (pbuh) is mentioned by his name in the Qu'ran - in spite

of many rules being revealed due to them - except Zayd alone. Prophet Muhammad's

marriage to Zaynab would act as a perfect example of destroying the pagan superstition and

taboo about adopted sons as Allah willed. Thus Zaynab became the only one of Prophet's

wives whose wali (guardian) was Allah (Subhanawatallah).

Zaynab was an innately good woman who used to devote a great deal of her time to prayer

and fasting. She even made a little mosque in a corner of her house and used to spend a lot of

time there in prayer and meditation.

Eighth wife: Juwayriya bint al-Harith bin Abi Zarar

Nineth wife: Ramlah Ume-Habibah bint Abi Sufyan

Tenth wife: Safiyah bint Huyayy bin Akhtab

Safiyah bint Huyayy (rah) was a Jew prior to their marriage to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

He invited her to Islam and took her as wife after she embraced Islam and became Muslim.

Eleventh wife: Maymuna bint al-Harith Ameria Hilalia

Two Surriyyahs of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had two Surriyyahs - a favoured female slave taken mainly for

copulation (and she may or may not be emancipated). They were Maria al-Qibtiyya and

Rayhanah bint Amr. Maria, a Christian, was sent as a gift from Al-Muqawqis, the ruler of

Alexandria and Egypt. Rayhanah on the other hand was chosen by the Prophet himself from

Banu Quraidah. Narrators differ in saying that whether he married her or he emancipated her

and she returned back to her people.

Sons & daughters

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had 7 children: 3 sons and 4 daughters. With the exception of son

Ibrahim, Khadijah (RAH) bore him all his children. He had no children with any of his other

wives.

Prophet Muhammad's children with first wife Khadijah (RAH)

Sons:

1. Al-Qasim

2. Abdullah (also, possibly, nicknamed as At-Tahir and At-Taiyyib)

Daughters:

1. Zainab

2. Ruqaiyah

3. Umm Kulthum

4. Fatimah Zahra

His first child is Al-Qasim, who was born at the age of jahiliya prior to his prophethood. It

was said that Al-Qasim reached the age where he could at least ride the camel and then he

passed away. So he was possibly 6 - 8 years old. That's all we know of him. No story has

been preserved about him.

Afterward, Prophet had 4 daughters: Zainab, Ruqaiyah, Umm Kulthum and Fatimah. Then he

had another son, and final child, with Khadijah: Abdullah. He was born after the

prophethood. Some people say he also had At-Tahir and At-Taiyyib, so they add two more to

make it 8 children. However, the strongest position is that Abdullah had two nicknames 'At-

Tahir' and 'At-Taiyyib', both of which mean 'the pure one'. So it is likely that Prophet only

had 6 children with Khadijah.

Son named Ibrahim bin Muhammad with his maidservant Maria al-Qibtiyya

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had son named Ibrahim with his maidservant Maria al-

Qibtiyya. Muhammad (pbuh) had Ibrahim when he was around 59 - 60 years old. Ibrahim

only lived a year-and-a-half or 18 months. Allah knew that the Prophet (pbuh) would not live

long so he took Ibrahim's life also. The Prophet was greatly saddened by this and crying.

Had Ibrahim lived he would have been a prophet. But there is going to be no prophet after

me. So Allah had to seal the prophecy.

M UHAMMAD ON HIS SON I BRAHIM ' S PASSING

It's not possible for the son of Muhammad (pbuh) not to be a prophet. Hence the reason why

only the daughters survived. But the Muslim community elevated the daughter's children to

such levels and formed multiple groups - the Shia branch is the perfect example of this. If

such communal division were created so quickly due to the female lineage of the Prophet

(pbuh), just imagine what would've happened if Muhammad (pbuh) left behind a male

progeny. So Muslims view the death of Muhammad's sons as, to some extent, a mercy of

Allah on the ummah (community).

All children, except Fatimah, die during his lifetime

Abdullah died in infancy as a Muslim. When he passed away, Abu Jahl - Prophet's worst

enemy - ran through Makkah with excitement and joy that the Prophet's progeny or lineage
 has been cut-off. For the Arabs of that time, it was all about male children. They didn't care

about daughters. So Allah revealed Surah Al-Kawthar (The Abundance) to provide

Muhammad (pbuh) with support and assurance during this sad phase:

Surah 108 Al-Kawthar (The Abundance)

Indeed, We have granted you, [O Muhammad], al -Kawthar.

So pray to your Lord and sacrifice [to Him alone].

Indeed, your enemy is the one cut off.

All the four daughters grew to be adults, witnessed Islam, embraced it, and emigrated to

Madinah. But sadly the three eldest (i.e. Zainab, Ruqaiyah, and Umm Kulthum) died during

the time of the Prophet (pbuh). So the Prophet (pbuh) had the heartbreaking task of burying

his own daughters in addition to his sons. Fatimah too died few months after the Prophet

passed away.

But, even though Allah tested him, He didn't test Muhammad (pbuh) beyond his capacity.

Allah blessed him with both sons and daughters and gave him taste of fatherhood and

silenced those who mocked him. If he didn't have any children, his hater's could've invented a

lot of nasty lies about him.

The Prophet (pbuh), as if he's facing the most traumatic problems after problems. Because

the most traumatic thing to happen to a child is to lose a parent. And the most traumatic

thing to happen to a parent is to lose a child. There is no musiba [affliction] on earth that is

more painful than these two.

...Our Prophet (pbuh) is multiple time orphaned: father, mother, grandad, uncle. One after

the other. And he's multiple time losing his children.

...It is as if Allah is giving him the most difficult tragedies imaginable. And in this there's

great wisdom. It is as if Allah is telling him that your purpose in life is to be afflicted, that

this life is nothing but suffering. That even the greatest human being is not going to live a

comfortable life in this world. In fact, because he is the greatest, he'll suffer like no one else

is suffering because it is through these trials so many things happen. First and foremost,

one's relationship with Allah is established.

Also, living through these trials true servitude is reached. That you understand who you are

and who is Allah. Living through these trials and afflictions you'll need patience. So he is

inflicted with greatest calamities to bring about this patience. By these hardship your own

heart becomes soft.

S HEIKH Y ASIR Q ADHI

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) - a feminist

Muhammad did his own household chores and helped with housework, such as preparing

food, sewing clothes and repairing shoes. He is also said to have had accustomed his wives to

dialogue; he listened to their advice, and the wives debated and even argued with him.

Of all the women in all the worlds, these are enough for you (meaning that they were the best

of women): Maryam, the daughter of Imran, (and the mother of Jesus, peace be upon them);

and Khadijah, the daughter of Khuwaylid (the first wife of Muhammad, peace and blessings

of Allah be upon them); Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad (and of Khadijah, may Allah be
pleased with them); and Asiyya, the wife of Pharaoh (who rescued Moses from the river Nile

when he was a baby and brought him up as her son, peace be on them).

Wives of the Prophet – their number and a brief account of them

Ibn Babawayh has narrated through authentic chains of narrators from Imam Muhammad

Baqir (a.s.) that the Holy Prophet (S) married fifteen women and established relations with

thirteen of them. He left nine widows and two ladies with whom the Holy Prophet (S) had not

established relations. One was Umrah and another was Shanawa.

The remaining thirteen are as follows: Khadija binte Khuwailad, Sauda binte Zamaa, Umm

Salma, who was named Hind, she was the daughter of Abi Umayyah, Ayesha binte Abu

Bakr, whose agnomen was Umm Abdullah, Hafasa binte Umar bin Khattab, Zainab binte

Khuzaimah al-Harith, who was referred to as Ummul Masakeen, Zainab binte Jahash, Ramla

binte Abu Sufyan, whose agnomen was Umm Habib, Maimoona binte Harith, Zainab binte

Umais, Juwairiya binte Harith, Safiya binte Huyy bin Akhtab, Salma binte Hakim who gifted

her self to the Prophet; and there were two special slave girls who also had their turns as the

wives had.

One was Mariya and another was Raihana Khadafiya. And the nine wives who survived the

Prophet are as follows: Ayesha, Hafasa, Umm Salma, Zainab binte Jahash, Maimoona binte

Harith, Umm Habib binte Abu Sufyan, Safiya binte Huyy bin Akhtab, Juwairiya binte Harith.

Saudah binte Zamaa. The best of all was Khadija binte Khuwailid, after her was Umm Salma.

It is narrated from through authentic chains of narrators from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.)

that he said: “May Allah have mercy on the sisters of the folks of Paradise and then he

mentioned their names as follow: Asma binte Umais Khathimiya, who was initially married

to Ja’far, Salma binte Umais, a sister of Asma who was initially married to Hamza. And five
ladies from Bani Hilal tribe; one of them was Maimoona binte Harith, a wife of the Prophet,

second Ummul Fazl, wife of Abbas, she was named Hind. Third was Amisa, mother of

Khalid bin Walid, fourth was Gharra, wife of Hajaz bin Galaz. Fifth was Hamida who had no

issue.

Kulaini has through authentic chains of narrators, narrated about the wives of the Prophet and

their number that at the time of the passing away of the Prophet, he was having nine wives:

Ayesha, Hafasa, Umm Habib binte Abu Sufyan, Zainab binte Jahash, Saudah binte Zamaa,

Maimoona binte Harith, Safiya binte Huyy bin Akhtab, Juwairiya binte Harith. Ayesha was

from Bani Tamim tribe, Hafasa was from Adi, Umm Salma from Bani Makhzum, Saudah

from Bani Asad bin Abdul Uzza.

Zainab binte Jahash also was from Bani Asad but she was considered to be from Bani

Umayyah. Umm Habib binte Abu Sufyan was from Bani Umayyah. Maimoona was from

Bani Hilal and Safiya from Bani Israel. In addition the Prophet had married some other

women. One of them had gifted her self to the Prophet. Another one was Khadija binte

Khuwailid who was the mother of the children of the Prophet and the third was Zainab binte

Jahash, whom people instigated and deprived from having relations with the Prophet. The

fourth was a lady from Kinda tribe.

Shaykh Tabarsi has narrated that the first lady whom the Prophet married, was lady Khadija.

At that time, the Messenger of Allah (S) was aged twenty-five. Before that she was the wife

of Atiq bin Ayad Makhzumi and had a daughter from him. After Atiq, Abu Hala Asadi

married her. From this husband Hind bin Abu Hala was born. Then the Holy Prophet (S)

married her and took her son, Hind under his charge.

Sayyid Murtaza and Shaykh Tusi have narrated that when the Holy Prophet (S) married Lady

Khadija, she was a virgin and she did not marry anyone before the Prophet, but the first
report is more famous. And the Messenger of Allah (S) did not take another wife as long as

she was alive. She spent twenty-four years and one month with the Holy Prophet (S). The

amount of her dower was 12.5 Awqiya. Which was according to the value of that time 1500

dinars. Same was the amount of the dower of all the wives of the Prophet and the first son

born of her was Abdullah, whose titles were Tayyib and Tahir. Qasim was born after him.

Later it is mentioned that Qasim was elder to Abdullah. And four daughters were also born

from her: Zainab, Ruqaiyyah, Umm Kulthum and Fatima Zahra. The next wife of the Prophet

was Sauda binte Zama-a; before marrying the Messenger of Allah (S) she was the wife of

Sakran bin Umar. Sakran embraced Islam and died in Abyssinia. The third wife was Ayesha

binte Abu Bakr. His Eminence had married her in Mecca when she was seven years old.

Except for Ayesha the Prophet did not marry any virgin lady. Seven months after migration

to Medina, the Prophet consummated his marriage to Ayesha, when she was nine years old.

She lived to a ripe age of seventy, till the time of Muawiyah’s reign. The fourth wife of the

Prophet was Umm Shareek, who had gifted her self to the Prophet. Her name was Ariya binte

Dauran bin Abir. Before marrying the Prophet, she was the wife of Abul Askar bin Sami al-

Azdi, through whom a son named Shareek was born. The fifth wife of the Prophet was

Hafasa binte Umar bin Khattab. Her first husband was Khanees bin Abdullah, after whose

death the Messenger of Allah (S) married her.

His Eminence had sent Khanees to serve as a barber to the King of Iran. He died in that same

journey without leaving any issue. Hafasa stayed in Medina till the reign of Uthman and Ibn

Shahr Ashob has said that she survived till the last period of the Caliphate of Amirul

Momineen (a.s.). The sixth wife of the Messenger of Allah (S) was Umm Habiba binte Abu

Sufyan and her name was Ramla. Before coming into the marriage of the Holy Prophet (S),

she was married to Abdullah bin Jahash.

Abdullah had migrated with her to Abyssinia, where he embraced Christianity and died. The

Holy Prophet (S) then married her and the attorney was Amr bin Umayyah. The seventh wife

of the Prophet was Umm Salma. Her mother, Atika was the sister of Abu Talib, the paternal

aunt of the Prophet and some have said that Atika was the daughter of Amir bin Rabia and

she was named Binte Abu Umayyah. She was the daughter of Abu Jahl’s uncle.

It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (S) proposed to Umm Salma through her son to

marry her to the Prophet. So Umm Salma appointed her son as the agent, and he married

Lady Umm Salma to the Messenger of Allah (S). King Negus of Abyssinia sent 400 gold

coins as her dower at the time of her marriage. Some say that King Negus had sent gold coins

for the dower of Umm Habiba. Umm Salma survived all the wives of the Prophet.

Before marrying the Prophet, she was the wife of Abi Salma bin Abdul Asad. Abu Salma’s

mother was Baraa the daughter of Abdul Muttalib. From Abu Salma a daughter, Zainab and a

son Umar was born to Umm Salma. In the Battle of Jamal, Umar was in the service of Amirul

Momineen (a.s.). Imam Ali (a.s.) appointed him as the governor of Bahrain. The eighth wife,

was Zainab binte Jahash from the Bani Asad tribe.

Her mother was Maimoona, daughter of Abdul Muttalib, the paternal aunt of the Holy

Prophet (S). Ibn Shahr Ashob has referred to Amima as the daughter of Abdul Muttalib. She

was the first to pass away from the wives of the Prophet during the reign of Umar Ibn

Khattab. Before she married the Holy Prophet (S), she was the wife of Zaid bin Haritha. Her

story will be quoted after this. The ninth wife of the Holy Prophet (S) was Zainab binte

Khuzaimah Hilaliya and before that she was married to Ubaidah bin Harith bin Abdul

Muttalib.

Some have said that she was the wife of Tufayl Ibn Harith’s nephew and she was called

Ummul Masakeen. She also died during the lifetime of the Prophet. The tenth wife was
Maimoon binte Harith. The Messenger of Allah (S) married her in Medina and consummated

his marriage with her at Saraf which is at a distance of three Farsakh from the holy city of

Mecca. Her death also occurred at that same place in 36 Hijri and she was buried there.

Before marrying the Prophet, she was married to Abu Sira bin Abu Daham Amir. The

eleventh wife of the Prophet is Juwairiya binte Harith from Bani Mustaliq tribe; she had

come to the Prophet as a captive in that battle. The Holy Prophet (S) emancipated her and

then took her as his wife. She died in 56 A.H. The twelfth wife was Safiya binte Huyy bin

Akhtab, who was chosen by the Prophet for himself from the booty of Khyber and he fixed

her emancipation as her dower. She passed away in 36 A.H. The Holy Prophet (S) had

consummated his marriage to all of them. He had performed Nikah with eleven of them and

one wife had gifted herself to the Prophet.

Those ladies with whom the Holy Prophet (S) did not consummate his marriage were as

follows: The first was Aliya binte Tabiyan. When she was brought to the Holy Prophet (S) he

divorced her before consummating marriage. The second lady was Qeela, sister of Ashath bin

Qays, who died before her marriage was consummated and some say that the Holy Prophet

(S) divorced her before consummating marriage with her. It is said that the passing away of

the Messenger of Allah (S) Akrama bin Abu Jahl proposed to her.

Third is Fatima binte Zahak, whom the Holy Prophet (S) married after the death of her sister,

Zainab. And when the verse of Takhyyur (choice) was revealed and the Holy Prophet (S)

gave choice to his wives to either select him or the world, she chose the world and she

separated from the Prophet. After that she became involved in such hard times that she used

to dry camel dung into fire wood and lived on the income. She used to say that she was

unfortunate to have chosen the world. The fourth was Shaniya binte Sult whom the Holy
Prophet (S) married but before she could be brought into the household of the Prophet, she

passed away.

The fifth was Asma binte Noman bin Sharjeel. When the Prophet married her, Ayesha and

Hafasa felt jealous of her and deceived her that when the Holy Prophet (S) comes to her

house she must not let him overpower her immediately. In this way he would be attracted to

her and the unfortunate woman was deceived by her. When the Holy Prophet (S) came to her,

she said: “I seek the refuge of Allah from you.” The Prophet said: “You have adopted a very

strong refuge, I give refuge to you; go back to your house.” The sixth was the princess of

Lithia.

It is narrated that when she was brought to the Prophet he told her to gift her soul to him, but

she said, can a princess gift herself to a common man? When the Prophet came to her, she

said “I seek the refuge of Allah from you.” So the Prophet divorced her and after paying her

some money sent her home. The seventh was Umra binte Yazid. When she was brought to

the Holy Prophet (S) he noticed white patches on her and did not consummate the marriage,

and divorced her.

The eighth was Laila binte Khateem Ansariya. When she was brought to the Holy Prophet (S)

she expressed dislike from him and he sent her back. Ibn Shahr Ashob says that her house

was attacked by a wolf. The ninth was a woman of Bani Hamza tribe, who proposed to give

herself to the Prophet but her father didn’t like the match and made an excuse that she had

white spots.

When he went home he saw that by the miracle of the Prophet she really got the white spots.

The tenth report is that there was a woman named Umra and her father used to describe her

good qualities and one of them was that she had never fallen sick. When the Holy Prophet (S)

heard this, he said: “Such a woman has no merit in the sight of Allah.”
And he did not take her in marriage. Some have said that the Holy Prophet (S) had married

her, but he divorced her when he came to know this fact. Thus on the basis of this report, the

Messenger of Allah (S) had twenty wives. Shaykh Tusi says that the Holy Prophet (S)

married eighteen women, and some have mentioned fifteen as mentioned previously.

Shaykh Tusi has narrated that the Holy Prophet (S) had two slave girls, with whom he had

established relations and as he had fixed nights for his other wives, he had fixed nights for

them also. One of them was Mariya binte Shamoon the Copt and the other was Raihana binte

Zaid Qardiya.

The two of them were sent to the Prophet by Maqooqas, King of Alexandria. Some have said

that the Holy Prophet (S) had emancipated Raihana and then married her. Mariya died five

years after the passing away of the Messenger of Allah (S). Some have narrated that the Holy

Prophet (S) selected a slave girl from Bani Quraiza, named Tukana. She was under the charge

of the Holy Prophet (S) till he passed away. After the passing away of the Holy Prophet (S),

Abbas married her.1

Kulaini has narrated through good chains of narrators from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.)

that a lady from Ansar came to the Prophet in perfect make-up and in a very fine dress. At

that time the Prophet was in Hafasa’s room. She said: “It is not appropriate for the woman to

offer herself to a man, but a long time has passed, and I have neither a husband nor any issue.

If you like, I can gift myself to you.

The Holy Prophet (S) prayed for her and said O Ansari lady, may the Almighty Allah give

you a good reward. Indeed your men helped me and your women were inclined to me. But

Hafasa began to condemn that lady and said: “How shameless you are and how desirous you

are of men that you present yourself with such audacity. The Prophet said: “Be quiet, Hafasa,
she is better than you as she is inclined to the Prophet of Allah and you condemn her and pick

defects in her.”

Then he addressed her and said: “Go, may Allah have mercy on you, indeed Allah had

decreed Paradise to you as a reward of being inclined to me and you preferred my love and

happiness. And my intercession will be there for you, Insha Allah.” At that juncture, the

following verse was revealed:

ْ ‫ُون‬
ََ‫َال َُمؤْ ِم ِنين‬ ِ َ‫صةًَلَك‬
ِ ‫َم ْنَد‬ َ ‫يَأ َ ْنَ َي ْست َ ْن ِك َح َهاَ َخا ِل‬
ُّ ‫تَنَ ْف َس َهاَ ِللنَّ ِبيَِ ِإ ْنَأ َ َرادََالنَّ ِب‬ َ ‫َو ْام َرَأ َةًَ ُمؤْ ِمنَةًَ ِإ ْن‬
ْ ‫َو َه َب‬

“And a believing woman if she gave herself to the Prophet, if the Prophet desired to marry

her- specially for you, not for the (rest of) believers.”2

Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) has said that the Almighty Allah has made lawful for women

to gift themselves to the Prophet and not for anyone else. Ali bin Ibrahim has also narrated

this report but he has mentioned Ayesha instead of Hafasa.

Kulaini etc. have narrated through authentic chains of narrators that the Almighty Allah has

only allowed women to gift themselves to the Holy Prophet (S) and it is not allowed to marry

women without paying the dower. There is consensus of Shia and Sunni scholars that

marriage with the word of Hiba (gift) is among the specialties of the Holy Prophet (S).

Kulaini has through authentic chains of narrators, narrated that the Holy Prophet (S) married

a woman named Sanat from Bani Aamir bin Saa-a tribe. She was the most beautiful woman

of her time. When Ayesha and Hafasa saw her, they said that she would overpower them,

because she was more beautiful and attractive and that she would take away the Prophet from

them.

So they resorted to trickery and deceived her that she must not express her love for the Holy

Prophet (S). When the Prophet came to her, the unfortunate deceived woman said: “I seek the
refuge of Allah from you.” So His Eminence divorced her and sent her to her relatives. After

that the Holy Prophet (S) married a woman of Kinda, binte Abil June when his son, Ibrahim

died, that woman said that if he had been a Prophet, his son would not have died.

So the Prophet divorced her before consummating the marriage and sent her home. When the

Holy Prophet (S) passed away from the world, both ladies of Bani Aamir and Bani Kinda

came to Abu Bakr and asked him that people wanted to marry them, so what was his advice.

Abu Bakr and Umar discussed among themselves and said: “You have the choice of

remaining unmarried or to marry.” The unfortunate women got married.

At last by the miracle of the Prophet one of their husbands contracted leprosy and the other

suffered from insanity. Umar bin Azina, who is the narrator of this report says: “When I

mentioned this tradition to Zurarah and Fazl, they narrated it to Imam Muhammad Baqir

(a.s.) and the Imam said: “The Almighty Allah has not prohibited anything but that people

committed it and disobeyed Him, so much so that they even married the wives of the Prophet

after him.”

Then the Imam narrated the incident of the women of Bani Aamir and Bani Kinda. And he

said: “If you ask Sunni scholars that if a man marries a woman and divorces her without

consummating the marriage, would that woman be lawful for the son of that man? They will

reply in the negative. Then the sanctity of the Holy Prophet (S) is more than fathers.3

Barqi has through correct chains of narrators and Kulaini has narrated through reliable chains

of narrators from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) that when Najjashi married Amina binte Abu

Sufyan, who was also known as Umm Habiba, to the Holy Prophet (S), the latter organized a

dinner (Walima) and he said: “It is from the practice of the prophets to call people to dinner

on the occasion of marriage.”

And the same authors have narrated from Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) that when the Messenger

of Allah (S) married Maimoona binte Harith, he held a dinner and served half ground cereal,

oil etc. to the people.

Kulaini has narrated through reliable chains of narrators that when the Holy Prophet (S) used

to propose to any woman, he used to send a lady to see her telling her to smell her neck, if it

is fragrant, her whole body will be fragrant; and to pay attention to her shank, if it is meaty,

her whole body will be meaty.

Shaykh Tusi has narrated that during the battle of Hunain, Safiya, the wife of the Prophet

arrived and said: O Prophet of Allah, I am like other women. I bore the killings of my father,

uncle and brothers for the sake of Holy Prophet (S). If something happens to you, who will

get your Caliphate and successorship? The Holy Prophet (S) pointed out to Amirul

Momineen (a.s.) and said: “Imamate and all matters related to your Ummah will be related to

him.”

It is narrated through authentic chains of narrators that Safir bin Shajra Amari, came to the

wife of the Prophet, Maimoona daughter of Harith in Medina and after taking permission

entered the house. Maimoona asked him from where he was coming? He replied: “From

Kufa.” “What tribe are you from?” she asked. “Bani Aamir,” he replied. She said that his

arrival was welcome but what was the purpose of his visit.

Safir said: “O Mother of believers, when dispute erupted among the people, I was afraid of

getting involved in some trouble. So I have come to you.” She asked, “Have you paid

allegiance to Ali?” “Yes,” he replied. She said, “Go back and don’t leave the army of Ali. By

Allah, neither he has deviated nor can anyone be deviated because of him.”

Safir said, “O Mother of believers, will you narrate a tradition about Imam Ali (a.s.) that you

have heard from the Messenger of Allah (S)?” “Yes,” she said, “Listen, the Messenger of
Allah (S) said: Ali is a sign of truth, and the standard of guidance, Ali is the sword of Allah,

which Allah removes from the scabbard to slay infidels and hypocrites.

So one who is devoted to Me, will be devoted to him because of My love and one who is

inimical to him, has in fact been inimical to Me. Indeed one who is inimical to Me is inimical

to Ali. When he meets the Lord on Judgment Day, he will have nothing to justify his stand.

Ali bin Ibrahim has narrated that Ayesha and Hafasa used to harass Safiya, abuse her and call

her a daughter of a Jew. Safiya complained to His Eminence, who asked her why she did not

reply to them. She asked, “O Prophet of Allah, what reply shall I give?”

He replied: “My father, Harun was the prophet of God and my Uncle, Musa (a.s.) was the

Kalimullah (one spoken to by Allah) and my husband, Muhammad, is the messenger of

Allah. So what do you deny and what defect can you see in me?” When Lady Safiya replied

to them in this manner, they said, “These are not your words, the Holy Prophet (S) has taught

you.” At that juncture, the following verses were revealed in their condemnation:

َ‫َو ََل‬
َ َۖ‫ن‬ ِ ‫ساءٍ َ َعسٰ ىَأَ ْنَ َي ُك َّنَ َخي ًْر‬
ََّ ‫اَم ْن ُه‬ َ ‫َم ْنَ ِن‬ َ ‫َو ََلَ ِن‬
ِ ‫سا ٌء‬ ِ ‫َم ْنَقَ ْو ٍمَ َعسٰ ىَأ َ ْنَ َي ُكونُواَ َخي ًْر‬
َ ‫اَم ْن ُه ْم‬ َ ُ‫َياَأَيُّ َهاَالَّذِينَ َآ َمن‬
ِ ‫واََلَ َي ْسخ َْرَقَ ْو ٌم‬

ََ‫ظا ِل ُمون‬ ٰ ُ ‫َو َم ْنَلَ ْمَ َيتُبْ َفَأ‬

َّ ‫ولئِكَ َ ُه ُمَال‬ َ َۖ‫ان‬ ِ ْ َ‫وقَ َب ْعد‬
َِ ‫َاْلي َم‬ ُ ‫س‬ ْ ‫َاَل ْس ُم‬
ُ ُ‫َالف‬ ِ ‫س‬ َِ ‫َو ََلَتَنَا َب ُزواَ ِب ْاْل َ ْلقَا‬
َ ْ‫بََۖ ِبئ‬ َ ُ‫ت َْل ِم ُزواَأ َ ْنف‬
َ ‫س ُك ْم‬

“O you who believe! let not (one) people laugh at (another) people perchance they may be

better than they, nor let women (laugh) at (other) women, perchance they may be better

than they; and do not find fault with your own people nor call one another by nicknames;

evil is a bad name after faith, and whoever does not turn, these it is that are the unjust.”4

Shaykh Tabarsi has mentioned the following as the context of revelation of this verse: One

day Umm Salma had a white cloth around her waist, whose both end were hanging behind.

And the garments were trailing on the ground. Seeing this Ayesha said to Hafasa: “See what

she is hanging behind her, it seems to be the tongue of a dog.” Some say that Ayesha

ridiculed her for her short stature.

Himyari and Kulaini etc. have narrated from correct and very reliable chains of narrators

from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) and Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) that the Messenger of Allah

(S) did not fix more than five hundred dirhams as the dower of any of his daughters or wives.

Kulaini has narrated through correct chains of narrators from Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) that

people asked him about the exegesis of the following verses:

َ َ‫َو َبنَاتَِ َع َّماتِك‬

َ َ‫َو َبنَاتَِ َع ِمك‬ َّ ‫َم َّماَأَفَا َء‬
َ َ‫ََّللاَُ َعلَيْك‬ ْ ‫َو َماَ َملَك‬
ِ َ‫َتَ َي ِمينُك‬ َ ‫َالَّل ِتيَآتَيْتَ َأ ُ ُج‬
َ ‫ور َُه َّن‬ َّ َ‫يَ ِإنَّاَأَحْ لَ ْلنَاَلَكَ َأ َ ْز َوا َجك‬
ُّ ‫َياَأ َ ُّي َهاَالنَّ ِب‬

َ َ‫صةًَلَك‬
َ ‫يَأ َ ْنَََي ْست َ ْن ِك َح َهاَخَا ِل‬
ُّ ‫س َهاَ ِللنَّ ِبيَِ ِإ ْنَأ َ َرادََالنَّ ِب‬
َ ‫تَ َن ْف‬ َ ‫َوا ْم َرأَةًَ ُمؤْ ِمنَةًَ ِإ ْن‬
ْ ‫َو َه َب‬ َّ َ‫َو َبنَاتَِ َخ َاَلتِك‬
َ َ‫َالَّل ِتيَهَا َج ْرنَ َ َم َعك‬ َ َ‫َو َبنَاتَِخَالِك‬

ً ُ‫ََّللاَُ َغف‬
َ‫ورا‬ َّ َ‫َو َكان‬ ٌَ ‫َتَأ َ ْي َمانُ ُه ْمَ ِل َكي ََّْلَ َي ُكونَ َ َعلَيْكَ َ َح َر‬
َ َۖ‫ج‬ ْ ‫َو َماَ َملَك‬ ِ ‫ضنَاَ َعلَ ْي ِه ْمَفِيَأ َ ْز َو‬
َ ‫اج ِه ْم‬ ْ ‫ُون‬
ْ ‫َال ُمؤْ ِمنِينََََۖقَدَْ َع ِل ْمنَاَ َماَفَ َر‬ ِ ‫ِم ْنَد‬

‫َر ِحي ًما‬

“O Prophet! surely We have made lawful to you your wives whom you have given their

dowries, and those whom your right hand possesses out of those whom Allah has given to

you as prisoners of war, and the daughters of your paternal uncles and the daughters of

your paternal aunts, and the daughters of your maternal uncles and the daughters of your

maternal aunts who fled with you; and a believing woman if she gave herself to the

Prophet, if the Prophet desired to marry her- specially for you, not for the (rest of)

believers; We know what We have ordained for them concerning their wives and those

whom their right hands possess in order that no blame may attach to you; and Allah is

Forgiving, Merciful.”5

The narrator asked Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.): “How many women were lawful for the Holy

Prophet (S).” Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) replied: “As many as he liked.” The narrators asked

him what is the meaning of the following statement of Allah:

ْ ‫َولَ ْوَأ َ ْع َجبَكَ َ ُح ْسنُ ُه َّنَإِ ََّلَ َماَ َملَك‬

ََ‫َتَ َي ِمينُك‬ َ ٍ‫َم ْنَأ َ ْز َواج‬
ِ ‫َم ْنَبَ ْعد ََُو ََلَأ َ ْنَتَبَدَّلََبِ ِه َّن‬ َ ِ‫ََلَيَ ِحلَُّلَكَ َالن‬
ِ ‫سا ُء‬
“It is not allowed to you to take women afterwards, nor that you should change them for

other wives, though their beauty be pleasing to you, except what your right hand

possesses…”6

Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) replied: “It was allowed for the Messenger of Allah (S) to marry the

daughters of his uncle and paternal aunts, paternal uncles and maternal aunts and marry the

ladies who had migrated with him to Medina.

And it was lawful for him to marry believing ladies and it is in form of a gift. And no lady is

allowed to gift her self to anyone except the Holy Prophet (S) and no one is allowed to do

Nikah without paying the dower (maher) as the Almighty Allah has said in the Holy Qur’an.”

The narrator then asked: “What is the meaning of the following verse:

‫َوتُؤْ ِويَإِلَيْكَ َ َمنَتَشَاء‬

“…and you may take to you whom you please…”7

The Holy Imam (a.s.) replied: “It implies that the Holy Prophet (S) can marry anyone. And

the statement of Allah that after that it was not lawful for them implies those who are made

unlawful for others in the next verse; that is mothers, daughters and sisters, and all prohibited

women.

If the verse had implied that which Ahle Sunnat think it does, that after the revelation of this

verse it became unlawful for the Holy Prophet (S) to propose to any woman. And the women

he had as his wives cannot be changed. Then indeed the Almighty Allah must have made

lawful for you the women that were not allowed for the Prophet. Because you have the choice

to change the aged wife and you can send proposal to anyone you like.”8
Kulaini has narrated through reliable chains of narrators from Imam Ali Reza (a.s.) that the

Holy Prophet (S) had the sexual prowess of forty men. And he had nine wives and he used to

meet them every day.

Ali bin Ibrahim has narrated that when the Messenger of Allah (S) returned from the Battle of

Khyber and the treasure of the sons of Abil Haqiq fell into his hands, the wives asked him to

distribute that treasure among them. The Holy Prophet (S) said that he has distributed it all

among the Muslims. The wives were angry and they said: “You think that if you divorce us,

we would not find anyone according to our status.”

The Almighty Allah did not like this reply and He commanded the Messenger to become

aloof from those wives and stay in the house of the mother of Ibrahim. The Holy Prophet (S)

separated from those wives and started to reside in the chamber of Ibrahim’s mother, which

was near to the mosque. So much so that those women had their menses. The Almighty Allah

revealed the following verse of choice at that juncture:

َّ َ‫َوإِ ْنَ ُك ْنت ُ َّنََت ُ ِردْن‬.

ََ‫ََّللا‬ ً ‫س َرا ًحاَ َج ِم‬
َ ‫يَّل‬ َ ُ ‫َوأ‬
َ َ‫س ِرحْ ُك َّن‬ َ ‫اَو ِزينَتَ َهاَفَتَعَا َليْنَ َأ ُ َمتِ ْع ُك َّن‬ ْ َ‫اجكَ َإِ ْنَ ُك ْنت ُ َّنَت ُ َِردْن‬
َ َ‫َال َحيَاة ََالدُّ ْني‬ ِ ‫يَقُ ْل َِْل َ ْز َو‬
ُّ ِ‫يَاَأَيُّ َهاَالنَّب‬

ِ ‫عدََّ ِل ْل ُمحْ ِسنَات‬

.‫َِم ْن ُك َّنَأَجْ ًراَ َع ِظي ًما‬ َ َ ‫ََّللاََأ‬ ْ ‫َّار‬
َّ ‫َاْل ِخ َرة ََفَإ ِ َّن‬ َ ‫سولَه ََُوالد‬
ُ ‫َو َر‬

“O Prophet! say to your wives: If you desire this world’s life and its adornment, then come,

I will give you a provision and allow you to depart a goodly departing; And if you desire

Allah and His Apostle and the latter abode, then surely Allah has prepared for the doers of

good among you a mighty reward.”9

When the Holy Prophet (S) recited this verse to them, Umm Salma arose first of all and she

said: “I chose the Prophet over the world.” After that all the women embraced the Prophet

and repeated the same sentence. At that moment the following verse was revealed:

َ‫َوتُؤْ ِويَ ِإلَيْكَََ َم ْنَتَشَا َُء‬ ِ ‫ت ُ ْر ِجيَ َم ْنَتَشَا ُء‬

َ ‫َم ْن ُه َّن‬
“You may put off whom you please of them, and you may take to you whom you

please…”10

Then the Almighty Allah addresses the wives of the Prophet:

َّ ِ ‫َم ْن ُك َّن‬
َِ‫َّلِل‬ ِ ‫ت‬ْ ُ‫َو َم ْنَيَ ْقن‬.‫ا‬
َ ‫ِير‬ َّ َ‫َو َكانَ َ ٰذَلِكَ َ َعل‬
ً ‫ىََّللاَِيَس‬ َ َۖ‫ْن‬ ْ ‫فَلَ َه‬
ِ ُ‫اَالعَذَاب‬
َِ ‫َض ْعفَي‬ ْ ‫ضا َع‬
َ ُ‫شةٍَ ُمبَيِنَةٍَي‬ ِ َ‫سا َءَالنَّبِيَِ َم ْنَيَأْتَِ ِم ْن ُك َّنَبِف‬
َ ‫اح‬ َ ِ‫يَاَن‬

ِ ‫َوأ َ ْعتَدْنَاَلَ َه‬

.‫اَر ْزقًاَك َِري ًما‬ َ ‫صا ِل ًحاَنُؤْ تِ َهاَأَجْ َرهَاَ َم َّرتَي ِْن‬
َ َ‫َوت َ ْع َم ْل‬
َ ‫سو ِل ِه‬
ُ ‫َو َر‬

“O wives of the prophet! Whoever of you commits an open indecency (like going out to

Basra to confront Ali), the punishment shall be increased to her doubly; and this is easy to

Allah. And whoever of you is obedient to Allah and His Apostle and does good, We will

give to her reward doubly, and We have prepared for her an honorable sustenance.”11

It is narrated from Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) through correct chains of narrators that “Fahisha

Mubaiyyana” (open indecency) and the sins which exposes is to undertake armed uprising

which was committed by Ayesha.

Kulaini has narrated through reliable chains of narrators from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.)

and Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) that Allah was ashamed about His Prophet that some of his

wives said that Muhammad thinks that if he divorces them, they would not find any man in

the community willing to marry them. According to another tradition Zainab said: “In spite of

being the Prophet of Allah, you are not just among us.”

Hafasa said: “If he divorces us we can choose someone else from our community.”

According to another traditions this statement was also made by Zainab. When the verse of

choice was revealed the Holy Prophet (S) separated from all his wives for 29 nights and

resided in the chambers of Maria. And according to another report no revelation descended

on the Prophet for twenty days. After that, when the verse of choice was revealed, the

Prophet summoned his wives and gave them choice of himself or the world.
If they had chosen the world, they would have become unlawful on the Prophet, which means

irrevocable divorce. And according to another report, if they had chosen the world, the

Prophet would have divorced them and then it would never have been possible for them to

choose the Prophet and he never could have inclined to them. According to another report,

when Zainab binte Jahash’s turn arrived, she came running to the Prophet, kissed his hands

and said: “I choose Allah and His Prophet.”

It is mentioned in many reliable traditions that this was a command restricted only for the

Prophet and not for others to give such choice to their wives.12

Account of the marriage of Zainab

Ibn Babawayh etc. have narrated from reliable chains of narrators from Imam Ali Reza (a.s.)

that one day the Holy Prophet (S) went to the house of Zaid bin Haritha bin Sharjeel Kalbi.

When he entered, he saw that the wife of Zaid was taking a bath. The Holy Prophet (S) said:

“Glory be the one Who has created you.” By this statement he meant that she must consider

the Almighty Allah as pure and free from the saying of infidels who say that angels are the

daughters of God, as the Almighty Allah has Himself said:

ْ َ‫َمن‬
‫َال َم ََّلئِ َك ِةَ ِإنَاثًاََۖ ِإ َّن ُك ْمَلَتَقُولُونَ َقَ ْو ًَلَ َع ِظي ًما‬ َ َ‫َربُّ ُك ْمَ ِب ْالبَنِين‬
ِ َ‫َوات َّ َخذ‬ ْ َ ‫أَفَأ‬
َ ‫صفَا ُك ْم‬

“What! has then your Lord preferred to give you sons, and (for Himself) taken daughters

from among the angels? Most surely you utter a grievous saying.”13

When the Holy Prophet (S) saw her bathing, he said: “I consider pure the one who has

created you from the fact that he should have a son who is needful of purification and bath.”

When Zaid returned home, Zainab told him about what the Prophet had said. Zaid thought

that the Prophet had stated thus because he found Zainab beautiful. Then he came to the

Prophet and said: “My wife is having a bad nature, I want to divorce her.”
The Prophet said: “Protect your wife and fear the Almighty, because the Almighty Allah had

revealed to him the number of his wives and their names of the world and the hereafter, and

Zainab was among them and the Prophet knew this, but he did not reveal this to Zaid or

anyone else fearing that people would say that Muhammad tells his slave that “your wife will

be married to me one day.”

And according to another report, the Prophet feared that the hypocrites will say that

Muhammad considers wives of others as his wife and mother of believers. And thus they

would make allegations about the Prophet. Therefore the Almighty Allah ordered His Prophet

to keep the matter concealed, that which the Almighty Allah was about to reveal and the

Prophet continued to fear the allegations of the people.

Thus Zaid bin Haritha divorced Zainab and after the waiting period the Almighty Allah

married her to the Prophet and revealed those verses, because He knew that the hypocrites

will make allegations against the Messenger of Allah (S), so He revealed the following verse:

‫ُورا‬ َّ ‫َو َكانَ َأَ ْم ُر‬

ً ‫ََّللاَِقَدَ ًراَ َم ْقد‬ ِ ‫ََّللاَِفِيَالَّذِينَ َ َخلَ ْو‬
َُ ‫اَم ْنَقَ ْب‬
َ َۖ‫ل‬ َّ َ‫سنَّة‬
ُ ََُۖ‫ََّللاَُلَ َه‬
َّ ‫ض‬ ِ ِ ‫َماَ َكانَ َ َعلَىَالنَّبَِي‬
َ ‫َم ْنَ َح َرجٍَفِي َماَفَ َر‬

“There is no harm in the Prophet doing that which Allah has ordained for him; such has

been the course of Allah with respect to those who have gone before; and the command of

Allah is a decree that is made absolute.”14

Imam Ali Reza (a.s.) said that the Almighty Allah never became a guardian for the marriage

of anyone of His creatures except for Hawwa and Adam and for Zainab and the Messenger of

Allah (S) because He has said:

‫زَ َّوجْ نَا َك َها‬

“We gave her to you as a wife…”

And married Lady Fatima Zahra to Imam Ali (a.s.).

Shaykh Tabarsi has narrated that since Zainab binte Jahash whose mother was Amima binte

Abdul Muttalib, and the Holy Prophet (S) has asked for her hand for Zaid, but she furiously

declined to become Zaid’s wife. And Zainab’s brother, Abdullah bin Jahash also said the

same thing, upon which the following verse was revealed:

َ‫َو ََلَ ُمؤْ ِمنَ ٍة‬

َ ‫َو َماَ َكانَ َ ِل ُمؤْ ِم ٍن‬

“And it behoves not a believing man and a believing woman…”15

Thus Zainab said: I have agreed and given authority to the Holy Prophet (S). The Prophet

married her to Zaid and sent ten gold coins and sixty silver coins as her dower and a veil and

a covering sheet, a shirt and a pair of pajama, fifty seers of food and thirty Saa-a (120 seer)

dates.

Ali bin Ibrahim has narrated that when the Holy Prophet (S) married Zainab himself, since he

liked her very much, he gave dinner in which he invited the companions. When all

companions has finished eating they wanted to remain with the Prophet and converse with

him, whereas the Holy Prophet (S) wanted privacy with Zainab. At that moment the

following verse was revealed:

َ َ‫َو ٰلَ ِك ْنَ ِإذَاَد ُ ِعيت ُ ْمَفَادْ ُخلُواَفَإِذَا‬

َ‫ط ِع ْمت ُ ْم‬ َ َ‫واََلَتَدْ ُخلُواَبُيُوتَ َالنَّ ِبيَِ ِإ ََّلَأ َ ْنَيُؤْ ذَنَ َلَ ُك ْمَ ِإلَ ٰى‬
ِ ‫ط َع ٍامَ َغي َْرَن‬
َ ُ‫َاظ ِرينَََ ِإنَاه‬ َ ُ‫يَاَأَيُّ َهاَالَّذِينَ َآ َمن‬

َ‫سأ َ ْلت ُ ُموه َُّن‬

َ َ‫َو ِإذَا‬ ْ َ‫يَمن‬ ٰ ٍَ ‫اَو ََلَ ُم ْستَأْنِسِينَ َ ِل َحدِي‬
َ َۖ‫ق‬
َِ ‫َال َح‬ ِ ِ‫َّللاُ َََلَيَ ْستَحْ ي‬
َّ ‫َو‬َ َۖ‫يَم ْن ُك َْم‬ َّ ِ‫ثََۖ ِإ َّنَذَ ِل ُك ْمَ َكانَ َيُؤْ ذِيَالنَّب‬
ِ ِ‫يَفَيَ ْستَحْ ي‬ َ ‫فَا ْنتَش ُِرو‬

َُ‫َو ََلَأَ ْنَتَ ْن ِك ُحواَأَ ْز َوا َجه‬ َّ ‫سول‬

َ ِ‫َََّللا‬ َ ُ ‫َو َماَ َكانَ َلَ ُك ْمَأ َ ْنَتُؤْ ذ‬
ُ ‫واَر‬ ََّ ‫َوقَُلُوبِ ِه‬
َ َۖ‫ن‬ ْ َ‫بََۖ ٰذَ ِل ُك ْمَأ‬
َ ‫ط َه ُرَ ِلقُلُوبِ ُك ْم‬ ٍَ ‫َح َجا‬
ِ ‫اء‬
ِ ‫َو َر‬ ِ ‫َمت َاعًاَفَا ْسأَلُوه َُّن‬
َ ‫َم ْن‬

َّ َ‫ِم ْنَبَ ْع ِدهَِأَبَدًاََۖإِ َّنَ ٰذَ ِل ُك ْمَ َكانَ َ ِع ْند‬

‫ََّللاَِ َع ِظي ًما‬

“O you who believe! do not enter the houses of the Prophet unless permission is given to

you for a meal, not waiting for its cooking being finished- but when you are invited, enter,

and when you have taken the food, then disperse- not seeking to listen to talk; surely this

gives the Prophet trouble, but he forbears from you, and Allah does not forbear from the
truth. And when you ask of them any goods, ask of them from behind a curtain; this is

purer for your hearts and (for) their hearts; and it does not behove you that you should

give trouble to the Apostle of Allah, nor that you should marry his wives after him ever;

surely this is grievous in the sight of Allah.”16

Account of Lady Umm Salma

It is narrated by Ibn Babawayh from Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) through authentic chains of

narrators that one day Umm Salma came to know that one of her emancipated slaves had said

something against Amirul Momineen (a.s.). She summoned him and said: “Sit down, may

your mother mourn for you, let me narrate for you a tradition of the Holy Prophet (S): after

that you may choose whatever you like. Indeed, we nine women were married to the Prophet.

On one of my turns, the Holy Prophet (S) came to my place. And Noor (light) was shinning

from his forehead and he was holding the hand of Imam Ali (a.s.). He said to me: “O Umm

Salma. Go away from here and leave the house for us.: So I went out from there and the

Prophet began to converse with Imam Ali (a.s.) in private. I could hear their voices but I was

not able to make out what they were saying.

When it got very late I went to the door and said: “O Messenger of Allah (S), can I come in?”

My heart was full of joy, but I turned back thinking that the Prophet might have been angry at

me or some bad news had been revealed to him about me from the heavens. After sometime,

I again came to the door and sought permission, but no permission was forthcoming. And I

was happier than before. Then I went there for the third time and asked for permission.

This time the Prophet told me to enter. When I entered, I saw Imam Ali (a.s.) kneeling before

the Prophet and saying: “May my parents be sacrificed on you, what do you advise me to do

in such circumstances?” He replied: “I advise you patience.” Ali (a.s.) again asked the same

question and the Prophet again advised patience to him.

When on the third time he asked the same question, the Prophet said: “O Ali, O my brother,

when it comes to this, you must take out the sword and prepare to fight. You must not worry

even if blood is dripping from your sword when you come to me.” Then the Messenger of

Allah (S) turned to me and asked: “O Umm Salma, why are you so sad?” I replied, “Because

you sent me away a number of times.”

The Holy Prophet (S) said, “By Allah, I did not send you away because I was angry with you,

and you have no defect in my view. Indeed you are on the good for Allah and His Prophet.

But when you came, Jibraeel was to my right and Ali was on the left and Jibraeel was

informing about the events that are to occur after me. And had emphasized me to make

bequest to Ali (a.s.) what he should do in those mischiefs. O Umm Salma, listen to this and

be a witness that Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) is my Vizier in the world and the hereafter.

O Umm Salma, listen to this and be a witness that Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) is my standard

bearer in the world and the hereafter. O Umm Salma, listen to this and be a witness that Ali

Ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) is my successor and legatee after me and one who would fulfill my

promises and one who will drive away the enemies from Hauz Kauthar. O Umm Salma,

listen to this and be a witness that Ali Ibn Abi Talib (a.s.) is the chief and leader of Muslims

and the leader of the pious, one who will take the believers to Paradise and who is the killer

of Nakiseen, Qasiteen and Mariqeen.”

I asked, “O Messenger of Allah (S), who are the Nakiseen?” He replied: “Those who will pay

allegiance to Ali (a.s.) at Medina and break the pledge at Basra,” I asked, “Who are the

Qasiteen?” He replied: “Muawiyah and the Syrians obedient to him.” I asked, “Who are the

Mariqeen?” He replied: “The Khawarij of Nahrawan.” When Umm Salma narrated this

traditional report to her slave, he said, “You have delivered me and opened the knot of my
heart. May Allah give prosperity to you. By Allah, I will never say anything wrong about Ali

(a.s.).”

Shaykh Tusi has narrated through reliable chains of narrators from the slave of Abu Dharr

that he said: “I was fighting on the side of Amirul Momineen (a.s.) in the Battle of Jamal.

When I saw Ayesha in the front ranks of our enemies, a doubt appeared in my heart, like

other people were in doubt with regard to her. When afternoon came, the Almighty Allah

removed that doubt from my heart and became busy in fighting the opponents with the army

of Amirul Momineen (a.s.).

After that when I came to Umm Salma, the wife of the Prophet and narrated my position, she

asked: “What did you do when the hearts of the people had flown away from their abodes?” I

said that I had also fallen into doubt and I thank the Almighty that He removed that curtain

and I fought the enemies of Imam Ali (a.s.) well.” Umm Salma said, “You have done a nice

thing.” I have heard the Messenger of Allah (S) that he used to say: “Ali is with Qur’an and

Qur’an is with Ali. They will not separate from each other till they reach me at Hauz

Kauthar.”

It is mentioned in Qurbul Asnad Himyari from Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) through authentic

reports that there was a lady among the Ansar, named Hasrat. After the passing away of the

Messenger of Allah (S) she used to visit the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) and was deeply devoted to

them. One day Abu Bakr and Umar saw her on the way and asked where she was going.

She said that she was going to the Progeny of Muhammad to fulfill their rights and to renew

her pledge. They said, “Woe be upon you, they don’t have any right. It was only restricted to

the lifetime of the Prophet.” Hasrat returned on hearing this. After some days she again came

to the Ahlul Bayt of the Prophet. Umm Salma asked her, “It had been a long time.” She said,

“I had met so and so and they had said this and that.” Umm Salma said, “They made a wrong
statement, the right of the progeny of Muhammad is incumbent on Muslims till Judgment

Day.”

Umar bin Abi Salma, son of Umm Salma is quoted in Basairud Darajat to have said that

Lady Umm Salma said: One day the Holy Prophet (S) made Ali (a.s.) to sit in my quarters

and called for a sheepskin. The Holy Prophet (S) was dictating and Ali was writing, till the

skin was full. The Messenger of Allah (S) gave that skin to me and said: “After me a person

will come to you and mention such and such signs, so you give this skin to him.”

When the Messenger of Allah (S) passed away from the world, and Abu Bakr usurped his

Caliphate, my mother, Umm Salma told me to go and see what that person does in the

mosque. I came to the mosque and saw Abu Bakr mounting the pulpit, delivering a sermon,

then he came down and went home. I returned to my mother and narrated what all I had seen

or heard. She fell silent. When Umar became the Caliph, again my mother sent me to the

mosque.

I returned and told her that Umar has also done what Abu Bakr had done. Again my mother

fell silent. When Uthman became the Caliph, like before, my mother again sent me to the

mosque and I returned and reported that he also acted like his two predecessors. When

Amirul Momineen (a.s.) became the Caliph, my mother sent me to the mosque and said: “See

what this man does.” I came to the mosque.

Imam Ali (a.s.) recited a sermon and upon descending from the pulpit summoned me and

said: “Go and take permission from your respected mother that I want to meet her in short

while.” I came to my mother and delivered the message of Amirul Momineen (a.s.).

She said, “By Allah, I wanted to call him myself. Then Ali (a.s.) arrived and asked her for the

writing that the Holy Prophet (S) had entrusted to her. My mother arose, opened a casket,

removed another casket from it, opened it and taking out the sheepskin, gave it to Ali (a.s.).
Then she said to me: “Always remain in the service of Ali and never leave his side, because

after the Holy Prophet (S), I don’t see anyone as his successor.”

Kulaini has narrated through authentic chains of narrators from Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) that

the Messenger of Allah (S) proposed to Umm Salma through her son, Umar bin Abi Salma

and he married her to the Prophet even though he was not yet mature.

Kulaini has narrated through authentic chains of narrators from Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) that

one day Abu Bakr and Umar came to Lady Umm Salma and asked her, “You were married to

someone else before the Holy Prophet (S), tell us whether the Prophet was sexually stronger

than him or not?” Lady Umm Salma said, “He is also like other men.”

After that the Holy Prophet (S) arrived and Umm Salma regretted what she had said. And she

feared that some verse might be revealed about her, so she herself told the Prophet about

what those two had said. The Messenger of Allah (S) was so infuriated that his complexion

changed and there was perspiration on his brow. He came out of the house in such a way that

his cloak was dragging on the ground. Then he came into the mosque ascended the pulpit and

called the Ansar.

When they saw the Prophet in this condition, all armed themselves and presented themselves

before the Prophet. The Messenger of Allah (S) praised and glorified the Almighty, why are

some hypocrites busy to find some defects in me.

By Allah, I am greatest among you from the aspect of lineage and most pure of you from the

aspect of birth and the most obedient one to the Almighty in the absence of the people. Of

one of you asks me who his father is, I can tell you about it.” A person asked, “Who is my

father?” The Holy Prophet (S) said, “It is so and so shepherd.”

Another man asked, “Who is my father?” The Holy Prophet (S) said, “So and so black slave.”

Then a third person asked, “Who is my father?” The Holy Prophet (S) said, “Your father is

same that people relate you to.”

Then Ansar arose asked, “O Prophet forgive us so that Allah may exalt your ranks, indeed the

Almighty Allah has sent you as a mercy.” Since the Prophet had a habit that when people

spoke to him in humility and requested him, due to shame, the forehead of the Prophet used

to perspire and he used to conceal their defects.

Thus the Messenger of Allah (S) descended from the pulpit and went to his house. Next

morning Jibraeel (a.s.) came down with a bowl of Paradise food and said: O Messenger of

Allah (S), this is prepared for you by the Houries. You may eat it and except for you, Ali and

his sons, no one may eat from it, because except for you no one is capable of it.

Thus the Holy Prophet (S), Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husain (a.s.) sat down to eat from that

bowl. Due to this, the Almighty Allah gave to the Prophet, the sexual power of forty men.

After that it was such that whenever the Holy Prophet (S) wanted he could have intercourse

with all of his wives on a single night.

It is narrated from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) through authentic chains of narrators that

Mughaira’s son, Walid died. Umm Salma said to the Prophet: “Mughaira’s family has

organized a condolence meeting, please allow me to go.”

The Prophet allowed her. Umm Salma dressed up to go there. She was as beautiful as a fairy.

When she used to stand up and untie her hair, her whole body used to be covered with them.

She used to tie up the ends of her hair with her anklets. Thus she began to weep and wail for

her son and the Prophet did not restrain her and neither did he say that she had committed any

mistake.
It is narrated from the same Imam through authentic chains of narrators that one day the

Messenger of Allah (S) came to the house of Umm Salma and asked her, “Why don’t I see

any barakah in your place. Umm Salma, said, “There is a lot of barakah in my house due to

your presence. The Holy Prophet (S) said, “Allah, has sent three blessings, water, fire and

sheep.”

It is narrated from Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) through authentic chains of narrators that one day

the Messenger of Allah (S) saw a woman that he liked. So he came to the house of Umm

Salma, and it was her turn that day; and the Holy Prophet (S) associated with her, then he

performed the ritual bath and came out of the house. The water of his bath was dripping from

his head. Then he said: “O people, glancing is due to the Shaitan, therefore if on seeing a

woman, one of you feel desirous of sex he must come to his wife and sleep with her so that

his desires are cooled.”

Account of Ayesha and Hafasa

The Almighty Allah says:

َّ ‫َو‬
َُ‫َّللا‬ َ َۖ‫ََّللاَُلَ ُك ْمَت َِحلَّةََأَ ْي َمانِ ُك َْم‬
َّ ‫ض‬ َ ‫َقَدَْفَ َر‬.‫َر ِحي ٌم‬ ٌ ُ‫َّللاَُ َغف‬
َ ‫ور‬ َّ ‫َو‬ ِ ‫ضاتَ َأ َ َْز َو‬
َ َََۖ‫اجك‬ َّ ‫يَ ِل َمَت ُ َح ِر ُمَ َماَأ َ َحل‬
َ ‫َََّّللاَُلَكََََۖت َ ْبت َ ِغيَ َم ْر‬ ُّ ‫يَاَأَيُّ َهاَالنَّ ِب‬
ْ ‫َال َع ِلي ُم‬
.‫َال َح ِكي ُم‬ ْ ‫َوه َُو‬
َ َۖ‫َم ْو ََل ُك َْم‬

“O Prophet! Why do you forbid (yourself) that which Allah has made lawful for you; you

seek to please your wives; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. Allah indeed has sanctioned

for you the expiation of your oaths and Allah is your Protector, and He is the Knowing, the

Wise.”17

Ali bin Ibrahim has narrated from Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) through authentic chains of

narrators that the above verses were revealed at the time when Ayesha and Hafasa came to

know that the Prophet had had relations with Mariya.

And the Prophet swore to them that he will never again go to Mariya. So the Almighty Allah

revealed the following verses so that he may pay the penalty for his oath and he must not give

up his relations with Mariya. It is also narrated that these verses were revealed when one day

the Holy Prophet (S) was at Hafasa’s place and Mariya the Copt was in his service.

During that time Hafasa went out on some errand and the Prophet had relations with Mariya.

When Hafasa came to know about this, she was very angry and she said: O Messenger of

Allah (S), you had relations with a slave girl on my bed, and on the day of my turn?” The

Prophet was embarrassed at this and he said, “Cool down, I will not have relations with

Mariya again. I have made her unlawful for myself.” These verses were revealed at that time.

It is narrated from Shaykh Tabarsi that after the Morning Prayer the Prophet used to visit all

his wives and ask about their well being. And if someone sent honey to Hafasa, he used to

spend a few moments at her place to have some honey.

When Ayesha saw this, she conspired with some other wives that when the Prophet comes to

them they must say that his mouth is smelling of ‘maghafeer’, which is a smelly gum on

which if the honeybee sits, the honey becomes so smelly. And Ayesha knew that the Prophet

disliked mouth odor. Thus when the Holy Prophet (S) went to Saudah, she said due to the

fear of Ayesha, what smell was it that she could perceive from the mouth of the Prophet?

Perhaps he has eaten Maghafeer. The Prophet said: “No, I have consumed honey at

Hafasa’s.” After that whenever the Prophet visited any of his wives they told him the same

thing. Till he came to Ayesha. She closed her nose and said: “Why do I smell Maghafeer

from your mouth?” the Holy Prophet (S) said that he had taken honey at Hafasa’s place.

Ayesha said that perhaps that honeybee has sat on Maghafeer.

The Holy Prophet (S) said: “By Allah, I will never taste honey again.” Some say that the

Prophet had taken honey at Umm Salma’s and some say that he had taken it at Zainab binte
Jahash’s and Ayesha and Hafasa had conspired that when the Prophet comes to them both

should issue the same statement that his mouth smells of Maghafeer. It was for this reason

that the Holy Prophet (S) made honey unlawful for himself.

Shaykh Tabarsi and Sunni commentators have reported that one day the Messenger of Allah

(S) was in Hafasa’s place and she asked the Prophet if she could visit her father. The Prophet

allowed her and she departed. The Prophet called for Mariya and remained in privacy with

her. Hafasa returned to find the door closed till the Prophet opened it. Perspiration was

dripping from his face. Hafasa was extremely angry at the Prophet. the Holy Prophet (S) said:

“She is my slave girl and the Almighty Allah has made her lawful for me. But I have made

her unlawful to me for your sake. However you don’t mention this to anyone.”

After that the Holy Prophet (S) went away from there. Immediately she began to beat with a

stone the wall separating her quarter from that of Ayesha’s and she said: “Congratulations to

you O Ayesha, the Holy Prophet (S) has made his slave girl, Mariya, unlawful from himself.

It is good riddance for us.” Then she narrated the whole story to Ayesha as the two of them

were united in harassing the other wives of the Prophet. At that time, the following verses

were revealed. So the Holy Prophet (S) divorced Hafasa and kept away from all his wives for

29 days.

He stayed in the attic of Mariya till the Almighty Allah revealed the verse of choice. Some

have said that the Prophet had relations with Mariya on the day of Ayesha’s turn and Hafasa

had come to know about it. The Holy Prophet (S) had told Hafasa not to mention it to Ayesha

as he has made Mariya unlawful for himself. But she immediately informed Ayesha and told

her not to mention it to anyone. At that juncture, the Almighty Allah revealed the following

verses:
 َ‫ضََۖفَلَ َّماَنَبَّأَهَاَ ِب ِه‬ َ ‫ضه ََُوأَع َْر‬
َ ٍ ‫ضَ َع ْنَبَ ْع‬ َ ‫ََّللاَُ َعلَ ْي ِهَ َع َّر‬
َ ‫فَبَ ْع‬ ْ َ ‫َوأ‬
َّ ُ‫ظ َه َره‬ ْ َ ‫اج ِهَ َحدِيثًاَفَلَ َّماَنَبَّأ‬
ََ ‫تَ ِب ِه‬ ِ ‫ضَأ َ ْز َو‬
ِ ‫يَ ِإلَ ٰىَبَ ْع‬ َ َ ‫َو ِإذَْأ‬
ُّ ‫س َّرَالنَّ ِب‬
ْ ‫َال َع ِلي ُم‬
ُ ‫َال َخ ِب‬
َ‫ير‬ ْ ‫ي‬ َ ِ‫تَ َم ْنَأ َ ْنبَأَكَ َ ٰ َهذَاََۖقَالََنَبَّأَن‬
ْ َ‫قَال‬

“And when the prophet secretly communicated a piece of information to one of his wives-

but when she informed (others) of it, and Allah made him to know it, he made known part

of it and avoided part; so when he informed her of it, she said: Who informed you of this?

He said: The Knowing, the Aware one, informed me.”18

Ali bin Ibrahim and Ayyashi have narrated that when Hafasa came to know about Mariya and

she became infuriated at the Prophet, he told her to drop the matter as he was making Mariya

unlawful for himself for her sake. But he told her that she must keep this matter concealed

otherwise the divine curse will be upon her and the anger of the angels and the ridicule of all

people. Hafasa said that she will maintain the secret.

But what is the secret? The Prophet said: “It is that Abu Bakr will become the Caliph after me

through injustice and oppression and after him, your father will become the Caliph.” Hafasa

asked him, “Who has told you this?” The Holy Prophet (S) said that “the Almighty Allah has

informed me about it.” Hafasa revealed this secret to Ayesha the same day and she mentioned

it to her father, Abu Bakr.

Abu Bakr came to Umar and said that “Ayesha has quoted Hafasa thus, but I don’t trust her

statement, you ask Hafasa directly if this is true.” Umar came to Hafasa, “Is it true what

Ayesha has mentioned on your authority?” Initially Hafasa denied having said any such thing

to Ayesha. Umar said, “Don’t conceal this from us if it is true, so that we may plan about it

beforehand.”

Hafasa said, “Yes, the Holy Prophet (S) had mentioned thus.” Then the two men and their

daughters plotted to poison the Prophet. Jibraeel came down with those verses. And the secret

that the Almighty Allah had mentioned is the same secret. And apart from that the Almighty
 Allah had informed His Messenger about some other secrets. And they had decided to expose

the secret and to eliminate the Prophet.

And the saying of the Almighty Allah that the Prophet had mentioned some things and left

out some, means that His Eminence, asked Hafasa why she revealed the secret and did not

fear the curse of Allah and His angels? And those who had planned to eliminate the Prophet

and the Almighty Allah had informed the Prophet about this plot of theirs; so the Almighty

Allah in order to punish Ayesha and Hafasa said:

َ َ‫َال ُمؤْ ِمنِينَََََۖ َو ْال َم ََّلئِ َكةَُ َب ْعدََ ٰذَلِك‬

ْ ‫صا ِل ُح‬
َ ‫َُو‬ َّ ‫ظاه ََراَ َعلَ ْي ِهَفَإ ِ َّن‬
َ ُ‫ََّللاََه َُوَ َم ْو ََله‬
َ ‫َو ِجب ِْريل‬ َ َۖ‫َتَقُلُوبُ ُك َما‬
َ َ ‫َو ِإ ْنَت‬ ْ ‫صغ‬ َّ َ‫ِإ ْنَتَتُو َباَ ِإل‬
َ َْ‫ىََّللاَِفَقَد‬

ً ‫ٍَوأَ ْبك‬
.‫َارا‬ َ ‫سا ِئ َحاتٍَث َ ِيبَات‬ ِ ‫طلَّقَ ُك َّنَأ َ ْنَيُ ْب ِدلَهَُأ َ ْز َوا ًجاَ َخي ًْر‬
َ ٍَ‫اَم ْن ُك َّنَ ُم ْس ِل َماتٍَ ُمؤْ ِمنَاتٍَقَا ِنتَاتٍَتَائَِبَاتٍَ َعا ِبدَات‬ َ َ‫ىَربُّهَُ ِإ ْن‬
َ ٰ‫َ َعس‬.‫ير‬ َ
ٌ ‫ظ ِه‬

“If you both turn to Allah, then indeed your hearts are already inclined (to this); and if you

back up each other against him, then surely Allah it is Who is his Guardian, and Jibraeel

and the believers that do good, and the angels after that are the aiders. Maybe, his Lord, if

he divorce you, will give him in your place wives better than you, submissive, faithful,

obedient, penitent, adorers, fasters, widows and virgins.”19

After that the Almighty Allah in order to remove the doubt that ignorant people may not ask

how is it possible that wives of the prophet can be infidels and hypocrites? The Almighty

Allah has mentioned an example for them in which their disbelief was revealed for every

sane person. As mentioned after these verses that:

ِ ‫صا ِل َحي ِْنَفَخَانَت َا ُه َماَفَلَ ْمَيُ ْغنِيَاَ َع ْن ُه َم‬

َ َ‫اَمن‬ ِ ‫َوا ْم َرأَتَ َلُوطٍَََۖكَانَت َاَتَحْ تَ َ َع ْبدَي ِْن‬
َ َ‫َم ْنَ ِعبَا ِدنَا‬ َ ٍ‫ََّللاَُ َمث َ ًَّلَ ِللَّذِينَ َ َكفَ ُرواَا ْم َرأَتَ َنُوح‬
َّ ‫ب‬ َ ‫ض َر‬
َ

ََ‫َّاخ ِلين‬
ِ ‫ارَ َم َعَالد‬ َ ً ‫ش ْيئ‬
َ َّ‫اَو ِقيلََادْ ُخ ََّلَالن‬ َّ
َ َِ‫َّللا‬

“Allah sets forth an example to those who disbelieve the wife of Nuh and the wife of Lut:

they were both under two of Our righteous servants, but they acted treacherously towards

them so they availed them naught against Allah, and it was said: Enter both the fire with

those who enter.”20

Ali bin Ibrahim has narrated that one of their dishonesty was Ayesha’s going to Basra with

Talha and Zubair in order to fight Amirul Momineen (a.s.). And the Imam of the Time (a.s.)

will enliven Ayesha by the permission of Allah and would issue a penalty for this

dishonesty.21

Shaykh Tusi and Sayyid Ibn Tawus have narrated through reliable chains of narrators from

Amirul Momineen (a.s.) that he said: One day I was with the Prophet when Abu Bakr and

Umar were also present there. I also sat down between the Prophet and Ayesha. Ayesha said:

“Did you not get any place except for the lap of the Prophet and me?”

The Holy Prophet (S) said: “Shut up, Ayesha, don’t hurt me about Ali, indeed in the hereafter

he is my brother and chief of the believers. On Judgment Day, the Almighty Allah will make

him sit on the Sirat Bridge and he will send his friends to Paradise and send his foes to Hell.

Ibn Babawayh has narrated through reliable chains of narrators from Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.)

that three persons had attributed falsehood to the Prophet most: Abu Huraira, Anas bin Malik

and Ayesha.

And Ibn Babawayh and Barqi have narrated through reliable chains of narrators from Imam

Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) that when the Qaim of Aale Muhammad will reappear, he will

enliven Ayesha and punish her and take the revenge for Lady Fatima Zahra (s.a.). The

narrator asked, “May I be sacrificed on you, why would he punish her?”

Imam (a.s.) said, “She had made allegations against Mariya, the Copt also.” The narrator

asked why the Prophet had not punished her? And why did the Almighty Allah postpone this

matter till the time of the Qaim. Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) replied, “Because the

Almighty Allah sent the Prophet as a mercy and appointed the Qaim Aale Muhammad for

taking revenge.
Shaykh Tusi has narrated through reliable chains of narrators from Umm Salma that the

Messenger of Allah (S) had taken all his wives for the Farewell Hajj and he used to live with

each of them for a day and a night, because he was married to them and he wanted to be

equitable among them.

When it was Ayesha’s turn, the Prophet conferred secretly with Imam Ali (a.s.) for a long

time, so this act of his was very hard for Ayesha. Umm Salma says that Ayesha told me: “I

feel like going to Ali and calling him cruel and lazy, why he has kept away the Messenger of

Allah (S) from me?” I tried all means to restrain her from this but she did not refrain. She

rode her camel to him and returned soon to me crying. I asked her why she was weeping.

She said that when she went to the Messenger of Allah (S) and told Ali (a.s.): O son of Abi

Talib, you always keep away the Holy Prophet (S) from me, but the Prophet said: O Ayesha,

don’t come between me and Ali; indeed no one is apprehensive about me with regard to him.

By the one in whose hands is my life, no believer hates him and no infidel loves him. Indeed,

after me truth is with Ali, in whichever direction he turns, the truth will turn with him and

truth will never separate from him till they both come to me at Hauz Kauthar.” Umm Salma

said: “O Ayesha, I had stopped you from this, but you never paid any heed to me.”

Ibn Tawus has narrated from Amirul Momineen (a.s.) through reliable chains of narrators that

he said: Before the revelation of the verse of Hijab, once I went to the Prophet when he was

seated in Ayesha’s room. I sat down between Ayesha and the Prophet. She said, “O son of

Abu Talib, did you not get any seat except my lap? Go away from here.” The Prophet

immediately slapped her back and said, “Woe be on you, what do you want from the King of

believers and one who is more superior to successors of prophets and one with an illuminated

face and limbs?”

Kulaini has narrated through reliable chains of narrators that Ibn Umm Maktum, who was a

blind Muezzin of the Prophet came to the Prophet one day. Ayesha and Hafasa was with the

Prophet. The Prophet told them to go inside. They said, “But he is blind.” The Prophet said,

“Even though he cannot see you, you can see him.” According to another report he said,

“Even though he is blind, you are not.”

Through reliable chains of narrators it is narrated from Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.) that the

Messenger of Allah (S) married Ayesha in the month of Shawwal. Also through reliable

chains of narrators it is narrated from Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) that one night the Holy

Prophet (S) was sleeping with Ayesha.

He arose during the night and began to pray the supererogatory prayers. When Ayesha

awoke, she did not see the Prophet on his bed. She thought that he must have gone to his

slave girl. So she arose in fury and began to search for the Prophet. Suddenly she placed her

foot on the neck of the Prophet when he was weeping in Sajdah and imploring the Lord:

“My body and soul and all prostrate to You. And my heart has brought faith on You. I

confess for all the bounties from You to me and I confess to all sins and I have done and

oppressed my soul to forgive me.

Except for You no one can forgive this great sin. I seek refuge in Your forgiveness from Your

chastisement. And I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your anger. And I seek Your refuge

in Your mercy from Your anger. And I seek Your refuge and I cannot reach Your praise and

glorification. You are same as You have praised Yourself and I seek Your forgiveness and

turn to You.”

When the Prophet completed the Sajdah, he said, “O Ayesha, you have hurt my neck. Did

you think that I had gone to some slave girl of yours?”22

 1. It is possible that the Holy Prophet (S) had not taken that maid slave as his

wife and she was only appointed to serve him, or it would not have been

possible from Abbas to marry her, as according to the Holy Qur’an she would

have been among the mothers of believers and she would have unlawful for

every person of the Ummah.

 2. Surah Ahzab 33:50

 3. The author says: Ibn Idris etc. have narrated this tradition from reliable

sources and there is no difference of opinion among the Shia and Sunni

scholars. There is no doubts in it that the woman with whom the Holy Prophet

(S) had consummated the marriage, she would remain in the marriage of the

Prophet till her death. No one is allowed to marry her. And the woman whom

the Prophet has divorced during his lifetime or has not consummated her

marriage with him, there is difference of between Shia and Sunni scholars

whether she can marry anyone else or not. Most Sunni scholars believe that she

is lawful for others. But in the view of Shia, the most common opinion is that

she is unlawful for others; even the tyrant rulers had not opposed the Holy

Prophet (S) in this matter. And they married to others the women with whom

the Prophet had not consummated the marriage. This does not prove any

deficiency of the Prophet and Ayesha’s mounting the camel and in the

company of thousands of infidels and hypocrites, and going out to fight Amirul

Momineen (a.s.) and to martyr the beloved grandson of the Prophet is much

worse. Therefore, it is not lawful to reject all these reports due to

improbability. Ali bin Ibrahim has narrated that when the Almighty Allah

said: “And his wives are their mothers,” and made it unlawful to marry them,

Talha was very angry at this. And he said: “Muhammad has made his women
 unlawful to us, and he marries our women. If Muhammad dies, I will also do

what he does with our women. At that moment this verse was revealed by the

Almighty Allah:

‫َّللاِ َو ََل أَن تَن ِك ُحوا أَ ْز َوا َجهُ ِمن بَ ْع ِد ِه أَبَدا إِنه ذَ ِل ُك ْم كَانَ ِعن َد ه‬
‫َّللاِ ع َِظيما‬ ُ ‫َو َما كَانَ لَ ُك ْم أَن ت ُؤْ ذُوا َر‬
‫سو َل ه‬

And it does not behove you that you should give trouble to the Apostle of Allah,

nor that you should arry his wives after him ever; surely this is grievous in the

sight of Allah. (Surah Ahzab 33:53)

 4. Surah Hujurat 49:11

 5. Surah Ahzab 33:50

 6. Surah Ahzab 33:52

 7. Surah Ahzab 33:51

 8. The author says: There are many traditions on the subject and some

commentators have explained this verse in the same way and some say that

after that the Holy Prophet (S) gave choice to his wives either to choose him or

choose the world. And if they chose the Holy Prophet (S) the Almighty Allah

made it lawful for him to take up other women or to replace them with other

women. Some have said that it was applicable at the beginning and then

abrogated later on. And whatever is mentioned in the tradition is reliable and

in agreement with other statements of Ahle Sunnat.

 9. Surah Ahzab 33:28-29

 10. Surah Ahzab 33:51

 11. Surah Ahzab 33:30-31

 12. The author says: It is famous among Imamite jurist that the choice to

separate from her husband was only available for the wives of the Prophet. But
 some have said that this rule is also applicable for others, but there is

difference of opinion in its application whether it can be effected through

revocable or irrevocable divorce. And more clear is that this order was

restricted to the Prophet, therefore it is useless to think upon its derivations or

make any comments about it. The Almighty Allah is more cognizant of what is

best.

 13. Surah Isra 17:40

 14. Surah Ahzab 33:38

 15. Surah Ahzab 33:36

 16. Surah Ahzab 33:53

 17. Surah Tahrim 66:1-2

 18. Surah Tahrim 66:3

 19. Surah Tahrim 66:4-5

 20. Surah Tahrim 66:10

 21. The author says: The Almighty Allah has in these verses explained the

infidelity and hypocrisy in these verses and their unity on conspiring to harass

the Prophet in such a way that it is not concealed from any sane person. And

due to the clarity of these verses their infidelity is obvious. Zamakhshari and

Fakhre Razi in spite of extreme bias have said that the Almighty Allah has

mentioned about the wife of Firon in this verses and the verse after this, it is a

great indication about the two mothers of believers, who had united to harass

the Prophet and their exposure of the secret they were supposed to maintain.

The Almighty Allah has explained it in these examples that due to infidelity

and hypocrisy, relationship of lineage or marriage ties does not give any
 advantage. If that relationship is even with the greatest creation, who are

prophets and messengers and due to having faith, relationship with infidels

does not create any harm even if that infidel was like Firon.

In the beginning of the Surah, the scolding that the Almighty Allah has

mentioned to the Holy Prophet (S) is obviously extremely kind: That is, O my

beloved, why do you, for the sake of those women, forsake the pleasures that

the Almighty Allah has made lawful for you? And the Prophet’s forsaking of

those pleasures, especially when there be some exigency, was not unlawful. And

neither that act of the Prophet can be disobedience of Allah. And the scolding

that appears in the verses is in fact applicable to the same wives. As for their

sake why should he refrain from those pleasures? And their statement about

the Caliphate of Abu Bakr and Umar, if it is really a tradition there are many

exigencies in it, in which there is trial for them and an expression of their

infidelity and hypocrisy. And there are many exigencies, which cannot be

understood by the people, for example the purpose behind the creation of

Satan, presence of desires in human psychology and their control on evil

actions. And the believer, must in all matters, remain steadfast on faith and he

should not leave any scope for doubts on himself and must not be caught in the

instigations of Satan, and he must not deny whatever he obtains from the

Imams of religion and he should leave the knowledge of those things to the

Imams.

 22. The author says: Many examples of Ayesha’s cruelty and deviation will be

mentioned in the account of the Battle of Jamal, if Allah wills.

 Who are the Mothers of the Believers? You might have heard the

expression Ummahat al-Mumineen. This translates into English as the ‘Mothers of

 the Believers’ and this is a title that refers to the wives of Prophet Muhammad (peace

be upon him). They were his wives in this dunya and will be his wives in

the akhirah.

 1- Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (b.556 – d.619 CE)

 Mary, the daughter of Imran, was the best among the women (of the world of her

time) and Khadijah is the best amongst the women (of this nation). (Al-Bukhari)

 Khadijah was the first wife of Prophet Muhammad, whom she met as a widow of a

wealthy merchant but had become prosperous in her own right. She hired Muhammad

as a business agent but soon came to see him as a suitable husband.

 According to most sources she was about 40 and Muhammad about 25 when they

married.

 Khadijah bore him six children, including two sons who died in infancy. She gave

Muhammad support and encouragement when he received his first revelations and

remained loyal to him when many prominent Makkans began to oppose him. While

she lived, Muhammad took no other wives. He loved, missed and remembered

Khadijah for the rest of his life.

 2- Sawdah bint Zam’a (b.unknown – d.674 CE)

 After a marriage of twenty-five

years the Prophet’s first wife, Khadijah passed away. He was left alone to raise a

small family and found that he could not devote enough time to calling the people to

Islam so he decided to marry again. He chose a widow named Sawdah bint Zam’a.

 Sawdah and her first husband were amongst the very early converts to Islam

who immigrated to Abyssinia. Her husband passed away in exile and she was left a

poor widow with small children.

 Prophet Muhammad sought approval for their marriage from Sawdah’s non-Muslim

parents. The parents agreed and then directed him to seek approval from Sawdah

herself.

 With this union, Sawdah’s and the Prophet’s households merged and the Prophet had

more time to carry out the prophetic mission. They were married for three years

before Prophet took another wife.

 Sawdah had the great honor of being an immigrant for the sake of Islam on two

occasions, to Abyssinia and then to Medina. She was the first of a number of widows

the Prophet married. Sawdah had a reputation for being a kind, charitable and jovial

woman.
 3- Aishah bint Abu Bakr (b.612 – d.678 CE)

 Aishah was the daughter of Abu Bakr, one of Prophet Muhammad’s closest friends

and supporters. Her betrothal to him at a young age fortified that

relationship. Aishah was raised as a Muslim while most of the

close companions were converts to Islam.

 After marriage she and the Prophet became extremely close and many ahadith attest

to this fact. She was his beloved wife and an extremely intelligent scholar of

Islam. She is credited with narrating more than 2000 ahadith and became noted for

her sharp intelligence, love of learning and impeccable judgment.

 Aishah was one of only three of

Prophet Muhammad’s wives who memorized the entire Quran. Among her notable

attainments were that she was the only wife that was with the Prophet when he

received revelation and it was in Aishah’s arms that the Prophet died.

 Aishah was widowed at the age of 18 or 19 years old and went on to teach and play a

significant role in the dissemination of Islam for more than 40 years.

 4- Hafsah bint Umar ibn Al-Khattab (b.605 – d.665 CE)

 Prophet Muhammad’s fourth wife was Hafsah, the daughter of one of Prophet

Muhammad’s closest confidantes, Umar ibn Al-Khattab. Their marriage was an

astute political alliance. Hafsah had been married at a young age and participated in

the migrations to both Abyssinia and Medina. Sadly she was widowed when only

eighteen years old but she then had the honor of marrying Prophet Muhammad and

linking the Al-Khattab family with the Prophet’s family.

 Hafsah and Aishah were the youngest of Prophet Muhammad’s wives and both had

similar personalities; they were strong, determined women and for the most part

seemed to get on well.

 Hafsah was able to both read and write and, like Aishah, memorized the entire

Quran. She was both pious and intelligent and would spend hours pondering over the

verses of the Quran.

 It was Hafsah who had the great honor of being the custodian of the

first Mushaf which came into her possession after the death of her father. Hafsah was

married to the Prophet for eight years, and after his death she lived for another thirty

four years.

 5- Zaynab bint Khuzaymah (b.595 – d.624)

 Zaynab was the first of Prophet Muhammad’s wives that did not come from the tribe

of Quraish. She died less than one year after her marriage and as a consequence very

little is known about her. Before this marriage she had earned the title of Mother of

the Poor due to her work with the poor and her generosity to them.

 There is some dispute about how many times Zaynab was widowed before her

marriage to Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him.
 However her last husband died in battle and her marriage to Prophet Muhammad set a

precedent for others to follow. Muslim men no longer feared that their deaths in

battle would mean starvation and neglect for their families. It became honorable to

marry the widows of the deceased.

 6- Umm Salamah bint Abu Umayyah (b.596 – d.680 CE)

 Umm Salamah married Prophet Muhammad at the age of twenty nine, after her first

husband died from the wounds he received while fighting in the battle of Uhud.

 Umm Salamah and her husband were part of the migration to Abyssinia. Her life was

filled with examples of patience in the face of trials and tribulations.

 She and her husband were among the first to leave Mecca bound for Medina when she

was forced to endure separation from her husband and the abduction of her son. At

the death of her husband she made du’a to Allah:

 “O Lord, reward me for my affliction and give me something better than it in return,

which only You, the Exalted and Mighty, can give.”

 Marriage to the Prophet of Allah answered that du’a. Umm Salamah narrated more

than 300 hadiths, many of them concerning women. She accompanied the Prophet on

many of his expeditions and was married to him for seven years until his death. Umm

Salamah outlived all the other wives and died at the age of eighty four.

 7- Juwayriyah bint al-Haarith (b.608 – d.673 CE)

 Juwayriyah came to the Prophet’s attention when she was captured in the battle

against the tribe Banu Mustaliq. She was the 20 years old daughter of the chief of

Banu Mustaliq and her marriage brought about an alignment between her tribe and the

Muslims.
 When Prophet Muhammad married Juwayriyah it allowed the tribe to enter Islam with

honor by removing the humiliation of their defeat. As soon as the marriage was

announced, all the war booty that had been taken from Banu Mustaliq was returned,

and all the captives were set free.

 Juwayriyah was married to the Prophet for six years, and lived for another thirty-nine

years after his death. She died at the age of sixty-five.

 8- Zaynab bint Jahsh (b.590 – d.641 CE)

 Zaynab, a young girl from the noble line of Quraish was once married to Prophet

Muhammad’s freed slave and adopted son Zayd, a man who was very close to the

Prophet.

 Like all young girls brought up in relative luxury she had very high expectations for

marriage and Zayd did not fit the description of the man she had in mind. However to

please the Prophet her family allowed the marriage to take place.

 Their marriage was short lived and stormy and to please both of them, Prophet

Muhammad allowed them to divorce. This caused a dilemma because divorce was

frowned upon and left a woman in a difficult situation; as a way to please all parties

including Zaynab’s family she was married to Prophet Muhammad.

 Verses in the Quran were revealed to deal with this matter and by marrying Zaynab,

Prophet Muhammad demonstrated that in Islam an adopted son is not the same as a

natural son. Zaynab joined the growing family of Muhammad and was known for her

generosity and charitable works. She died at the age of fifty.

 9- Umm Habibah bint Abu Sufyan (b.589 – d.666 CE)

 Ramlah, also known as Umm Habibah was the daughter of Abu Sufyan a leader of

the Quraish and at that stage an enemy of Islam. She declared her faith without fear

of the consequences to herself and she held fast to her faith when she was severely

tested.

 After converting to Islam and suffering persistent oppression, Umm Habibah and her

husband joined the migration to Abyssinia. Her husband died thereafter. She was

alone is a strange country with a young daughter and no visible means of support.

 When the Prophet heard of her predicament he offered to marry her. She accepted.

The king of Abyssinia, who had secretly converted to Islam and was a good friend to

the fledgling Muslim community, provided her mahr and witnessed the marriage

contract. It was some years before she was able to join her husband in Medina. She

was married to Prophet Muhammad for four years until he passed away.

 10- Safiyyah bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab (b.610 – d.670 CE)

 Safiyyah was born in Madinah to Huyayy ibn Akhtab, the chief of the Jewish tribe

Banu Nadir. Banu Nadir had been expelled from Madinah and settled at Khaybar. In

629 CE, the Muslims were victorious at the Battle of Khaybar and Safiyyah was taken

captive. Muhammad suggested that Safiyyah convert to Islam, she agreed, and

become Muhammad’s wife.

 Despite her conversion, Muhammad’s other wives teased Safiyyah about her Jewish

origin. Prophet Muhammad once said to his wife:

 “If they discriminate you again, tell them that your husband is Muhammad, your

father was Prophet Aaron and your uncle was Prophet Musa. So what is there in that

to be scornful about?”
  Safiyyah was twenty-one years old when the Prophet died. She lived for another 39

years, passing away in Medina at the age of 60.

 11- Maymunah bint al-Haarith (b.594 – d.674 CE)

 Maymunah, or Barra as she was then called, yearned to marry the Prophet and offered

herself to him in marriage. He accepted. Maymunah lived with the Prophet for just

over three years, until his death. She was very good natured and her nephew, Ibn

Abbas, who later became the greatest scholar of the Quran, learned much from her

knowledge.

Muhammad's Wives

His wives are known as the "Mothers of the Believers." He is said to have had 13 wives

whom he married after moving to Medina. The designation "wife" is controversial with two

of them, Rayhana bint Jahsh and Maria al Qibtiyya, whom some scholars describe as

concubines rather than legal wives. Taking multiple wives was standard for Arabian culture

of the time and often was done for political reasons or out of duty and responsibility. In

Muhammad's case, he was monogamous with his first wife, remaining with her for 25 years

until her death.

Muhammad's 13 wives can be divided into two groups. He married the first three women

before moving to Mecca, while the rest resulted in some fashion from the Muslim war over

Mecca. His last ten wives were either widows of fallen comrades and allies or women who

had been enslaved when their tribes were conquered by the Muslims.

The fact that many of the later wives were slaves may be repugnant to 21st-century

audiences, but this, too, was standard practice at the time. Muhammad's decision to marry
them freed many from slavery. These women's lives were considerably better after converting

to Islam and becoming part of the Prophet's family.

 Khadija bint Khuwaylid: Muhammad described his first wife as follows: "She

believed in me when no one else did; she accepted Islam when people rejected me,

and she helped and comforted me when there was no one else to lend me a helping

hand." Only after her death did Muhammad marry again. Khadija was the mother of

two of Muhammad's sons, who died young, and all four of his daughters. Some

scholars regard three of the daughters as children from Khadija's first marriage.

 Sawdah bint Zam'ah: SheSawdah was a widow and may have been as old as 55

when she married Muhammad. There is some debate over whether she or Aishah was

Muhammad's second wife, but the marriage seems to have been an act of graciousness

aimed at rescuing Sawdah from a difficult life. By some accounts, the marriage was

friendly rather than romantic.

 Aishah bint Abu Bakr: Known for her spirit and good memory, she became a

teacher and a narrator of hadith, the traditions, and pronouncements of Muhammad.

Aishah was the daughter of Abu Bakr, Muhammad's close friend and companion, and

she married Muhammad at a very young age.

 Zaynab bint Jahsh: Muhammad's cousin as well as wife, she was described as a

small and beautiful woman, with a quick temper that quickly dissipated. A skilled

leatherworker, Zainab married Muhammad after her first husband's death in 622.

 Hafsah bint 'Umar: Hafsah wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Like many of

Muhammad's wives, she had been previously married. Hafsah was assisting the

wounded on the battlefield when her previous husband was killed.

 Zainab bint Khuzaimah: She was an elderly widow of a fallen Muslim known for

giving money to the poor when she married Mohammad. She died only eight months

later.

 Umm Salamah: She and her first husband were early converts to Islam, and she had

immigrated to both Abyssinia and Medina. When she married Muhammad, she was

the single mother of four young orphans.

 Maria al-Qibtiyya: Maria was a slave gifted to Muhammad in 628. Said to be

exceptionally beautiful, Maria was a mother to Ibrahim, one of Muhammad's three

sons, who died before his fifth birthday.

 Juwayriah bint al-Harith: She was captured by Muslim forces after her husband

was killed in battle and was freed by Muhammad when he married her. At the time,

she was 20 and Muhammad was 58.

 Umm Habibah: Also known as Ramla bint Abi Sufyan, she, along with her first

husband, was an early convert to Islam. When her husband reverted to Christianity,

Umm divorced him and later married Muhammad, though they didn't initially live

together.

 Maimunah bint al-Harith: Maimunah married Muhammad in 629. She lived with

him for three years before he died but would be the last of his wives to die, passing

away at age 80 or 81.

 Safiyyah bint Huyayy: The daughter of a Jewish chieftain, Safiyah was taken captive

when her husband was killed in battle by Muslims in 629. Soon after converting to

Islam, she married Muhammad.

 Raihanah bint Jahsh: Like several of Muhammad's wives, Raihanah belonged to a

Jewish tribe conquered by Muslim forces and then enslaved. She was freed by

Muhammad, then married him.

Muhammad's Children

The Prophet Muhammad had seven children, all but one of them from his first wife, Khadija.

His three sons—Qasim, Abdullah, and Ibrahim—died in early childhood, but

Muhammad doted on his four daughters. Only two survived him: Zainab and Fatimah. His

daughters were:

 Hadhrat Zainab (599 to 630). Muhammad's eldest daughter was born in the fifth

year of his first marriage, when he was 30, and converted to Islam immediately after

Mohammad declared himself the Prophet. She is thought to have died during a

miscarriage.

 Ruqaiyyah (601 to 624). Mohammad's second daughter became a Muslim at the

same time her mother did.

 Umm Kulthum (603 to 630). She was the first daughter to be born to Mohammad

and Khadija after they moved to Mecca. She converted to Islam shortly after her

mother's death.

 Fatimah (604 to 632). Muhammad's youngest daughter was deeply devoted to him

and spent her spare time praying and worshiping. She was the mother of Muhammad's

grandsons, Hassan and Husayn. She is considered a role model for all Muslims;

Fatimah is one of the most beloved names for Muslim girls.

Children Names Of Prophet Muhammad PBUH you will find in this article, he had 7 children

from 2 of his wives Khadija (RA) and Maria (RA). Muhammad (PBUH) had 13 wives. His

first marriage was at the age of 25 to the 40-year-old Khadijah. With the exception of Aisha,

Muhammad only married widows and divorced women or captives.

His children names are following;

1. Qasim ibn Muhammad

Qasim ibn Muhammad was a son of Muhammad and Khadijah bint Khuwaylid. He died in

600 or 601 AD (before the start of his father’s prophethood in 610) and before his second

birthday and is buried in Jannatul Mualla Saudi Arabia.

2. Zainab bint Muhammad

Zainab bint Muhammad is regarded by the Sunni community as the eldest daughter of the

Muhammad (PBUH) by his first wife Khadija. The Shia historians, however, believe that she

and her two sisters (Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad and Ruqayyah bint Muhammad) were

orphaned nieces of Khadija (daughters of Halah bint Khuwailid) who were adopted by

Muhammad after his marriage to Khadija. She was married to her cousin Al’Ass Ibn Al-

Rabeah. Zaynab had only one child who died as a baby. Zaynab died in 630 A.D.

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3. Ruqayyah bint Muhammad

Ruqayyah was the fourth child and the second daughter of Muhammad and Khadija. She was

married to her cousin, Utbah ibn Abu Lahab. Ruqayyah gave birth to a son Abdullah.

Abdullah died when he was six years old in Medina. She had no further children.
4. Fatimah bint Muhammad

Fatimah was the youngest daughter of Muhammad and Khadija. According to the Shia

community, she was the only child of Muhammad (PBUH). she was the child closest to her

father and supported him in his difficulties. She was a wife of Ali and mother of Hasan and

Husayn.

5. Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad

She was the third daughter and 5th child of Muhammad (PBUH) and Khadija (RA). She was

married to Utayba ibn Abi Lahab. He gave her divorce because of Abu Lahab. Then after the

death of her sister Ruqayya, Uthman married Umm Kulthum. She had no child.

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6. Abd-Allah ibn Muhammad

Muhammad gave him the name of his father. He was younger than Qasim. He was also

known as Tahir ibn Muhammad or Tayib ibn Muhammad. He died in his childhood.

7. Ibrahim ibn Muhammad

Ibrahim ibn Muhammad was the only child of Muhammad (PBUH) and] Maria al-Qibtiyya.

Ibrahim fell seriously ill sometime after the Battle of Tabuk, at which time he was reported as

being either sixteen or eighteen months old. Muhammad was sad about his death but he

accepts the order of Allah.

Names of Prophet Muhammad PBUH’s wives

1. Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid (may Allaah be pleased with her).

2. Sawda bint Zamʿ(RA)

3. Ayesha Bint Abu Bakar (RA)

4. Hafsah bint ‘Umar (RA)

5. Zaynab bint Khuzaymah (RA)

6. Umm Salamah bint Abi Umayyah (RA)

7. Juwayriyah bint al-Haarith (RA)

8. Zaynab bint Jahsh (RA)

9. Umm Habeebah bint Abi Sufyaan (RA)

10. Maymoonah bint al-Haarith (RA)

11. Safiyyah bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab (RA)