The Wives of the Prophet Muhammad

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Posted By: Baba Salam 16/10/2020

Outline

In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Beneficent

Introduction

Alhamdulillah… Infinite thanks and praises are due to the Almighty Allah, who sent the Prophet Muhammad as a mercy to the worlds, and made his wives mothers to the believers. Complete peace and salutations are upon our father, our ultimate role model, our master of all time, Sayyidunā Muhammad, his household, his companions and all those who follow his guided path.

This article is dedicated to parents, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, who may have doubts or are looking for a better understanding, and authentic knowledge about the wives of The Prophet Muhammad.

This understanding is essential and valuable in guiding our children, who are growing faster than we expect and are prepared for, in a fast-moving, confusing world.

It’s worth indicating, that this article is not a presentation of the full biographies of the wives of The Prophet Muhammad, ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam. It rather outlines their birth and death years, their ages before Islam, their ages at the point of marrying the Prophet, and length of the duration each of them spent with the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Understanding this will create a better understanding of the age of marriage and social norms of that era.

Before we talk about the Prophet’s wives, raḍiya Allāhu ’anhum, let’s refresh our love for The Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam.

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The Prophet Muhammad

The Prophet Muhammad ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam was and remains the most-talked-about-person of all time. Whether by those who believe in him or those who have chosen to belie or disbelieve in him.

The Prophet Muhammad was a human, who lived and passed on like a human. He married women and had children. Thus, He was The Prophet, The Husband, and The Prophet, The Father.

Although he was a human being, he was unlike any other human being. He was a human, but a human who was chosen by Allah and sent to mankind as a Prophet and Messenger. Following are related articles that may interest you:

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The Wives of the Prophet

Just like the Prophet, who was a human, but unlike any other human, his wives were women, but unlike other women. To set the record straight, his wives were not Prophets. But they were women of extraordinary qualities.

In addition of it being an obligation upon every true Muslim, loving the Prophet is an act of worship. And that is a crucial factor for the Muslim to get closer to Allah.

If this is the status of the Prophet in the heart of the Muslim, what then would be the status of his wives in their hearts?

With an explicit mention in the Qur’an, each of the wives of the Prophet is a mother to every single true believer on the earth.

ٱلنَّبِىُّ أَوْلَىٰ بِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ ۖ وَأَزْوَٰجُهُۥٓ أُمَّهَـٰتُهُمْ

“The Prophet has a higher claim on the believers than [they have on] their own selves, and his wives are their mothers” (Sūrah al-Aḥzāb, 33:6).

And it’s a common-sense for every believer to manifest love for his foster mother, let alone his biological mother and his divinely appointed mothers.

As you know, in contrary to what every ordinary Muslim is allowed, the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam was allowed to marry more than four wives at a time. On that basis, the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam married up to eleven wives in his life. At the point of his passing, there were nine under him. This does not include women who were categorized as possession, like Mariyyaah al-Qibṭiyah, the mother of Ibrāhim ibn Muḥammad, raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhu. Following are the list of the wives of the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam.

Sayyidatunā Khadijah Bint Khuwaylid

Sayyidah Khadījah raḍiya Allāhu ’anhā was the first wife of the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam.  She was born 68 years before hijrah. That was 55 years before Islam.

The Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam married her 28 before hijrah when she was 40. That was 15 years before Islam. She lived with him for 25 years. She passed on at the silver age of 65 years.  That was three years before hijrah.

Sayyidah Khadījah raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhā had married twice before marrying the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam. She had five children from both marriages combined.

Now you can estimate her age at her first marriage. Also consider the years she spent as a widow before marrying the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Sayyidatunā Sawdah bint Zam’ah

Sayyidah Sawdah bint Zam’ah was the second marriage in the life of the Prophet. He married her after the passing of Sayyidah Khadījah raḍiya Allāhu ’anhā.

Her year of birth is unknown. Thus, we don’t know her age at the point of her marriage, nor at the time of her passing. All that’s known is she was matured when the Prophet married her.

Sayyidah Sawdah bint Zam‘ah had a previous marriage history. The Prophet married her after the passing of her husband, with whom she migrated to Abyssinia.

The Prophet married her 3 years before hijrah. She lived with him for 14 years before his passing.  She passed on 54 years after the hijrah of the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam.

Sayyidatunā ‘A’ishah bint Abi Bakr

Sayyidah ‘Ā’isha raḍiya Allāhu ’anhā is the third wife the Prophet married. That was a year or two before hijrah.

She was born 7 years before hijrah. That was 6 years after the message was descended upon the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam. She was 6 years at the point of her marriage. But the Prophet only had intimacy with her when she turned nine. That was in Madinah, 2 years after hijrah. She lived with him for 9 years and died at age of 65 years, in the 58th year after hijrah.

Sayyidatunā Hafṣah bint ‘Umar

Sayyidatunā Ḥafṣah bint ‘Umar was born 18 years before hijrah. That was 5 years before Islam.

She was married to Khunays ibn Ḥudhāfah raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu, with whom she migrated to Madinah.

The Prophet married her 3 years after hijrah after the passing of her husband from his wounds from the Battle of Uḥud. She was 21. She lived with him for 8 years and passed on at the age of 63 years. She passed on 45 years after hijrah.

Being 18 at the time his hijrah, and being married before Islam, one can imagine she married when she was younger than 10.

Sayyidatunā Zaynab bint Khuzaymah

Sayyidatunā Zaynab bint Khuzaymah was born 26 before hijrah. That was 13 years before Islam.

She was married to ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Ḥārith raḍiya Allāhu ’anhu, who was martyred in the Battle of Badr.

The Prophet married her, after the Battle of Badr, 3 years after hijrah. That means, she was 29. She lived with the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam  for 8 months and then passed on at age of 30 years. That was in the 4th year hijrah.

Sayyidah Zaynab bint Khuzaymah was 26 years at the point of her hijrah, and had been Muslim for more than 13 years. She was already married before her Islam. Guess with me, how old was she when she first married?

Sayyidatunā Umm Salamah

Sayyidatunā Umm Salamah raḍiya Allāhu ’anhā was born 24 years before hijrah. That was 11 years before Islam.

She was first married to Abū Salamah with whom she migrated together to Abyssinia and later on to Madinah.

The Prophet married her in the 4th year of  hijrah after the passing of her husband, Abū Salamah raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhu. She was 28 years old.

She lived with him for 7 years and passed on at the age of 85 years. That was 61 years after hijrah.

Sayyidatunā Zaynab bint Jaḥsh

Sayyidatunā Zaynab bint Jaḥsh was born 32 before hijrah. That was 19 years before Islam.

She was first married to Sayyidunā Zayd ibn Ḥārithah. The Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam married her with a divine order from the skies, after Sayyidunā Zayd divorced her.

The Prophet married her 5 years after hijrah when she was 37. She lived with him for 6 years and passed on at the age of 53 years. Her passing was in 21 after hijrah.

Sayyidunā Zaynab married Zayd ibn Ḥārithah after 19. That was after they both embraced Islam. Her estimated age was 20.

Sayyidatunā Juwayriyyah bint al-Ḥārith

Sayyidunā Juwayriyyah bint al-Ḥārith raḍiya Allāhu ’anhā was born 19 years before hijrah. That was 6 years before Islam.

She was captured in the Battle of Muraysī’ that took place in the 5th year of hijrah, when her husband was killed and her people fell into captivity.

The Prophet married her thereafter. She lived with him for 6 years. She was 70 years old at the time of her passing. That was 56 years after hijrah.

At the age of 24, when the Prophet married her, she had been married to her ex-husband who was killed in the battle. Can you guess how young or old she was when she first got married?

Sayyidatunā Ṣafiyyah bint Ḥuyay

Sayyidatunā Ṣafiyyah bint Ḥuyay was born 9 years before hijrah. That was 4 years after Islam.

The Prophet married her in the 7th year after hijrah when she was 16. She was from a Jewish family, and was captured during the Battle of Khaybar.

The Prophet married her and she was given the choice to remain as a Jewish or embrace Islam, and she chose Islam.

She was previously married to Salāmah ibn Makshūḥ and later on to Kinānah ibn Abī al-Ḥaqīq.

She lived with the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam for 4 years. She passed on at the age of 59 years. That was 50 years after hijrah.

A Jewish girl [read: woman] at the age of 16 had already experienced two marriages. How old was she at the point of her first marriage? Guess with me.

Sayyidatunā Umm Ḥabībah

Sayyidatunā Ummu Ḥabībah’s real name was Ramlah bint Abī Sufyān ibn Ṣakhr. The sister to Sayyidunā Mu’āwiyah ibn Abī Sufyān and Yazīd ibn Abī Sufyān raḍiya Allāhu ’anhum. She was also a relative (cousin to the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam).

She was born 25 years before hijrah. That was 12 years before Islam.

Sayyidatunā Umm Ḥabībah was first married to ‘Ubaydillah ibn Jaḥsh raḍiya Allāh ‘anhu, with whom she migrated to Abyssinia. Her husband passed on in Abyssinia. After his passing, the prophet proposed to her while she was still in Abyssinia.

The Prophet married her in the 7th year after hijrah when she was 32. She lived with him for 4 years and died at the age of 69 years. That was 44 years after the hijrah of the Prophet ṣallā Allāh ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Sayyidatunā Maymūnah bint al-Ḥārith

Sayyidatunā Maymūnah bin al-Ḥārith raḍiya Allāhu ’anhā was born 29 years before hijrah. That was 16 years before Islam.

The Prophet married her 7 years after hijrah when she was 36. She lived with him for 4 years and passed on at the age of 80 years. That was 51 years after hijrah.

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Table of the Wives of the Prophet

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The Age of ‘Ā’ishah; Is it Still a Problem?

Enemies of Islam have always used Sayyidah ‘Ā’isha’s age to attack Islam and the Prophet of Islam, and to cast doubts in the hearts of some Muslims. The tactic is to focus only on ‘Ā’ishah’s age when she got married to the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

However, upon going through the life of the other wives of the Prophet, all of whom, except ‘Āishah had previously married before marrying the Prophet, one learns that most of his other wives got married at the same age or close to the age, in which he married ‘Ā’ishah raḍiya Allāhu ‘anhā.

Interestingly, all those marriages, except the marriage of Zayd ibn Ḥārithah and Zaynab bint Jaḥsh, happened before they embraced Islam. This means, even after the arrival of Islam, non-Muslims give their daughters in marriage when they were under 10.

In other words, it was a social norm. This goes without the need to say that a 9-year-old girl at that time was possibly more matured than a 18 year-old in the 2020.

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Message to Parents

This is a special message to parents, whether they are Muslims or non-Muslims. More so to anyone who’s looking for the truth and objectivity.

I thought of this article after my 14-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter raised questions regarding Sayyidah ‘Ā’ishah’s age. They have read and heard about it in books and at school.

Lack of knowledge leads to lack of confidence especially in front of someone who falsely appears to have more information and perceived knowledge.

The age in which Sayyidah ‘Ā’ishah got married to the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam is nothing to be ashamed of, as Muslims, more so as parents.

We, the Muslims of the 21st century love the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam. And for that matter, we love his household. He is our ultimate role model. His wives are our mothers, and his children and offspring are our uncles and aunties.  However, no matter the extent of love we have for him and for them, it falls short to 10 percent of the love the companions had for him and for them.

Our love for him and for his household, in the best situations, is emotional and theoretical. Our love is merely claiming. It’s yet to be proven.

However, the love the companions had for them was practical. They are the ones who sheltered him when he migrated. They’re the one who used their bodies to shield him in battlefields. Some of them lost their souls while others lost their limbs and parts of their bodies. All in defending the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Despite all that, there’s not a single record, of any of them having to defend the age of the ‘Ā’ishah at the point of her marriage.

Do you know why?

Because the people who possessed the highest level of hatred couldn’t be bothered by that. And they didn’t see that as an issue.

But wait! Why was that not an issue?

It wasn’t an issue because it was a social norm.

No matter the extent of enmity anyone in the 21st century has developed against the Prophet, it falls short to one percent of the hatred Abū Jahl and Abū Lahab had for the Prophet ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam.

Dear Parent,

Please do have some time to digest this article, and, if possible read some related articles to make a better understanding in your own way; in the way you can present to your children. Let them know that there’s nothing to hide in our Islamic history, especially where and when our Prophet and his household are concerned.

May we live to develop a genuine love for the Prophet and his household by the day. Āmīn.

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Allah knows best.
Allahu Hafiz 🙂

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