View source for Wives of Muhammad

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{{Pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = "Mothers of the Believers"
| name             = Wives of Muhammad
| native_name      = {{nobold|{{lang|ar|أمهات المؤمنين}}|rtl=yes}}
| native_name_lang = ar
| image            = 
| spouse           = {{aligned table|style=line-height:120%;|leftright=y|row1header=y|nowrap1=y|nowrap2=y
           |Name|Married
           |[[Khadija bint Khuwaylid|Khadija]]|595–619
           |[[Sawdah bint Zam'ah|Sawdah]]|619–632
           |[[Aisha]]|620–632
           |[[Hafsa bint Umar|Hafsah]]|625–632
           |[[Zaynab bint Khuzayma]]|625–626
           |[[Umm Salama|Hind]]|625–632
           |[[Zaynab bint Jahsh]]|627–632
           |[[Juwayriya bint al-Harith|Juwayriya]]|628–632
           |[[Umm Habiba|Ramla]]|628–632          
           |[[Safiyya bint Huyayy|Safiyya]]|629–632
           |[[Maymunah bint al-Harith|Maymunah]]|629–632  
|[[Rayhana bint Zayd|Rayhana]]{{efn|A Jewish woman who was widowed and taken as a concubine after the [[Siege of Banu Qurayza]] in 627; considered a wife by some Muslims.<ref name="Rayhanah/Mariah">{{cite book |editor1-last=Bennett |editor1-first=Clinton |title=In Search of Muhammad |date=1998 |publisher=[[A & C Black]] |isbn=9780304704019 |page=251 |url=https://archive.org/details/insearchofmuhamm00benn/page/251}}</ref>}} |627–631 
|[[Maria al-Qibtiyya|Maria]]{{efn|An Egyptian woman who, along with her sister [[Sirin bint Shamun]], was betrothed to Muhammad as a gift from the Egyptian governor [[Al-Muqawqis]] in 628. Her [[Maria al-Qibtiyya#Status as a wife or concubine|status as either a wife or concubine]] is unclear.<ref name="Rayhanah/Mariah" />}}
|628–632 }}
| children         = {{tree list}}
* With Khadija
** [[Qasim ibn Muhammad|Qasim]] (598–601)
** [[Zainab bint Muhammad|Zainab]] (599–629)
** [[Ruqayya bint Muhammad|Ruqayya]] (601–624)
** [[Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad|Umm Kulthum]] (603–630)
** [[Fatima]] (605/612/615–632)
** [[Abd Allah ibn Muhammad|Abd Allah]] (611–615)
* With Maria
** [[Ibrahim ibn Muhammad|Ibrahim]] (630–632)
{{tree list/end}}
| family           = [[Ahl al-Bayt]]
}}

[[Muhammad]], the final [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|Islamic prophet]], is said to have had thirteen wives in total (although two have ambiguous accounts, [[Rayhana bint Zayd]] and [[Maria al-Qibtiyya]], as wife or [[concubine]]). As a sign of respect, [[Muslims]] refer to each of these wives with the title "''Umm al-Muʾminīn''" ({{langx|ar|أُمّ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِين||Mother of the Believers}}; {{langx|ar|أُمَّهَات ٱلْمُؤْمِنِين|Ummahāt al-Muʾminīn|label=plural}}), which is derived from {{qref|33|6|b=|pl=y}} of the [[Quran]].<ref name="Aleem">{{cite book |title=Prophet Muhammad(s) and His Family |last=Aleem |first=Shamim |publisher=[[AuthorHouse]] |date=2007 |isbn=978-1-4343-2357-6 |page=85 |chapter=12 - Mothers of Believers}}</ref>

Sources give different numbers (11-19) based on narrations about Muhammad's marriages. [[Ali Dashti]] lists 23 wives of Muhammad, which he divides them into three categories. Two of these were concubines, and four were women who gave themselves to Muhammad, other than concubines and wives permitted for him by the last part of verse 49 of surah [[Al-Ahzab]].<ref>Omm Sharik, of the Daws tribe, was one of four women who gave themselves to the Prophet. In addition to contractual wives and concubines, there were some women in the Prophet's harem who fell into this third category. Marriage to contractual wives, up to the limit of four, requires formalities such as the provision of dower, the presence of witnesses, and the approval of the woman's father or other guardian. Concubinage with slave-women is permissible to Moslems if the woman's husband was a polytheist or other unbeliever. For the Prophet only, marriage to a woman who gave herself was permitted by the last part of verse 49 of sura 33 (ol-Ahztib). The other three women who gave themselves to the Prophet were Maymuna, Zaynab, and Khawla. https://1400years.com/books/twentythreeyearsEN.pdf</ref> Nine of Muhammad's wives survived after him.<ref name="Stowasser">Barbara Freyer Stowasser, ''Wives of the Prophet'', [[Encyclopedia of the Quran]].</ref> Aisha, who became known as Muhammad's favorite wife in [[Sunni]] tradition, survived him by decades and was instrumental in helping assemble the scattered sayings of Muhammad that form the hadith literature for the Sunni branch of Islam.<ref name="Watt" />

Muhammad's first marriage was to [[Khadija bint Khuwaylid]] in 595, when he was 25 and she was either 28 or 41. She was his only wife until her death in 619 (the [[Year of Sorrow]]) ended their 24-year-long marriage.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Mubārakfūrī |first=Ṣafī al-Raḥmān |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r_80rJHIaOMC |title=The Sealed Nectar - Biography of the Noble Prophet |date=2002 |publisher=[[Darussalam Publishers]] |isbn=978-9960-899-55-8 |language=en}}</ref> After Khadija, Muhammad went on to marry ten women: [[Sawdah bint Zam'ah]] in 619; [[Aisha|Aisha bint Abi Bakr]] in 620; [[Hafsa bint Umar|Hafsah bint Umar]], [[Zaynab bint Khuzayma]], and [[Umm Salama|Hind bint Abi Umayya]] in 625; [[Zaynab bint Jahsh]] in 627; [[Juwayriya bint al-Harith]] and [[Umm Habiba|Ramla bint Abi Sufyan ibn Harb]] in 628; and [[Safiyya bint Huyayy]] and [[Maymunah bint al-Harith]] in 629. Additionally, the statuses of Rayhana bint Zayd and Maria al-Qibtiyya are disputed, as there has been disagreement among Muslim scholars on whether they were concubines or wives. With the exception of Aisha, all of these women were previously widowed or divorced. The common view is that Muhammad had [[Children of Muhammad|seven biological children]] (three sons and four daughters) and all but one of them were produced with Khadija between 598 and 611 or 615. Maria bore Muhammad a son in 630 (his seventh child), but none of his sons survived to adulthood.

Traditionally, two epochs delineate Muhammad's life and career: [[Muhammad in Mecca|pre-Hijrah Mecca]] between 570 and 622; and [[Muhammad in Medina|post-Hijrah Medina]] between 622 and his death in 632. "[[Hijrah]]" refers to Muhammad's migration, alongside the [[early Muslims]], from [[Mecca]] to [[Medina]] due to the [[Persecution of Muslims by Meccans|Meccans' persecution of the early Muslims]]. All but two of his marriages were contracted after this migration.

== Objectives ==
{{Islam}}
{{Muhammad}}

[[Khadija bint Khuwaylid|Khadija]], Muhammad's first wife, was his employer and a woman of considerable wealth who reportedly supported him financially and emotionally, and she also became his first follower when he began preaching the message of Islam.{{sfn|Lapidus|2012|p=184}}<ref name="tolan">{{cite book |author=[[John Victor Tolan]] |title=Saracens - Islam in the Medieval European Imagination |publisher=[[Columbia University Press]] |page=29}}</ref> Both her age and marital history at the time of her marriage to the 25-year-old Muhammad remain unclear; she was either 28 or 41 and may or may not have been a [[Virginity|virgin]], with the existence of any previous children also being disputed. Nonetheless, this marriage was the most significant by all accounts: six of Muhammad's [[Children of Muhammad|seven biological children]] were produced with Khadija and the couple remained monogamous for the entirety of the 24 years that they were together.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Francois-Cerrah |first1=Myriam |date=17 September 2012 |title=The truth about Muhammad and Aisha |publisher=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2012/sep/17/muhammad-aisha-truth |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210200347/http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2012/sep/17/muhammad-aisha-truth |archive-date=10 December 2013 |access-date=17 September 2012 |website=theguardian.com}}</ref> Khadija's death in 619, at the age of either 52 or 65, brought an end to the first marriage and the monogamy of Muhammad, who was 49 at this time. Upon his migration to [[Medina]], he began actively practicing polygyny and acquired about one wife per year. He did not, however, have a Medinan wife, presumably because they did not embrace Islam's approval of marrying multiple women and its curtailment of their right to inheritance.{{sfn|Phipps|1999|p=141}} Although Muslim men are religiously limited to having only [[Polygyny in Islam|four wives at the same time]],<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nbhM6YDoKEkC |title=Journal of Arabic and Religious Studies |date=1986 |publisher=Department of Religions, University of Ilorin |page=25 |language=en}}</ref> Muhammad was exempted from this ruling and was allowed to have an unlimited number of wives due to his status as an [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|Islamic prophet and messenger]].{{Sfn|Phipps|1999|p=142}} Additionally, Muhammad's wives were not allowed to remarry after his death; all men of the contemporary era were strictly warned against attempting to marry these widowed women, with this intent being classified as "[[Al-Aḥzāb|a major offence in the sight of Allah]]" in the [[Quran]].{{sfn|Rinehart|2019|loc=The Domestic Roles of Wife, Mother, and Sex Slave}}

Scottish academic [[William Montgomery Watt]] states that all of Muhammad's marriages had the political aspect of strengthening friendly relationships and were based on the [[Pre-Islamic Arabia|Arabian custom]].<ref>Watt (1956), p. 287</ref> American professor [[John Esposito]] points out that some of Muhammad's marriages were aimed at providing a livelihood for widows;<ref>Esposito (1998), pp. 16–18.</ref> he noted that remarriage was difficult for these women in Arabian society, which emphasised and was hyper-focused on female virginity and [[sexual purity]].<ref>John Esposito, ''[[Islam: The Straight Path]]'', [[Oxford University Press]], pp. 17–18.</ref> American academic [[Francis Edward Peters]] says that it is hard to make generalisations about Muhammad's marriages; many of them were political, some compassionate, and some perhaps affairs of the heart.<ref>F.E. Peters (2003), p. 84</ref> American historian [[John V. Tolan|John Victor Tolan]] writes that Muhammad's marriages were mainly attempts at forging political alliances.<ref name="tolan"/>

Thus, the objectives of Muhammad's marriages have been described as:<ref name="E. Phipps">{{cite book |last1=E. Phipps |first1=William |title=Muhammad and Jesus - A Comparison of the Prophets and Their Teachings |date=1999 |publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group|Continuum]] |isbn=978-0826412072 |page=142 |url=https://archive.org/details/muhammadjesuscom0000phip_s4u1 |url-access=registration}}</ref>
# Creating family bonds between him and [[Companions of the Prophet|his companions]] (Muhammad married the daughters of [[Abu Bakr]] and [[Umar]], whereas [[Uthman]] and [[Ali]] married his daughters. He therefore had family bonds with all of the [[Rashidun]]).
# Spreading the message of Islam by uniting different [[Arabian tribes that interacted with Muhammad|Arabian tribes and clans]] through marriage.

=== Terminology ===
"Mother of the Believers" is a term by which each of Muhammad's wives came to be prefixed with over time. It is derived from [[Quran 33:6]]: "The Prophet is closer to the believers than their selves, and his wives are (as) their mothers" is applied to all of these women.<ref name="Aleem" />

== Family life ==
[[Ahl al-Bayt|Muhammad and his family]] lived in small apartments adjacent to the [[Prophet's Mosque|mosque at Medina]]. Each of these were six to seven spans wide (1.7{{nbsp}}metres) and ten spans long (2.3{{nbsp}}metres), and the height of the ceiling was equivalent to that of an average man standing. Blankets were used as curtains to screen the doors.<ref>Numani, pp. 259–260</ref> According to an account by [[Anas ibn Malik]], one of [[Companions of the Prophet|Muhammad's companions]]: "The Prophet used to visit all his wives in a round, during the day and night and they were eleven in number". I asked Anas, "Had the Prophet the strength for it?" Anas replied, "We used to say that the Prophet was given the strength of thirty (men)". And Sa'id said on the authority of Qatada that Anas had told him about nine wives only (not eleven).<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Hadith-usc|Bukhari|usc=yes|1|5|268}}: Narrated Qatada: Anas bin Malik said, "The Prophet used to visit all his wives in a round, during the day and night and they were eleven in number". I asked Anas, "Had the Prophet the strength for it?" Anas replied, "We used to say that the Prophet was given the strength of thirty (men)". And Sa'id said on the authority of Qatada that Anas had told him about nine wives only (not eleven)".</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://quranx.com/Hadith/Bukhari/USC-MSA/Volume-7/Book-62/Hadith-142 |title=Hadith collection Sahih Bukhari / Volume 7 / Book 62 / Hadith 142 |author=Muhammad al-Bukhari |author-link=Muhammad al-Bukhari |website=quranx.com |access-date=17 February 2020}}</ref>

Although Muhammad's wives had a special status among the [[early Muslims]], he did not allow them to use his status as a [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|prophet and messenger]] to obtain special treatment in public.<ref name="Mariya">Ramadan (2007), pp. 168–169</ref>

== Marriages ==
=== Khadija bint Khuwaylid ===
Around the age of 25, Muhammad wed his wealthy employer, [[Khadija bint Khuwaylid|Khadija]], the 28-or 40-year-old widow, and daughter of a merchant.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Ibn Ishaq |author-link1=Ibn Ishaq |title=Mustadrak Al-Hakim |page=182 |volume=3}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Ibn Sa'd |author-link1=Ibn Sa'd |title=Tabaqat al-Kubra |language=ar |volume=8 |quote=أخبرنا هشام بن محمد بن السائب عن أبيه عن أبي صالح عن ابن عباس قال:كانت خديجة يوم تزوجها رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم – ابنة ثمان وعشرين سنة}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Abu 'Abdullah Al-Hakim |author-link1=Al-Hakim Nishapuri |title=al-Mustadrak |language=ar |volume=3 |quote=عن محمد بن إسحاق، أن أبا طالب وخديجة بنت خويلد هلكا في عام واحد، وذلك قبل مهاجر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى المدينة بثلاث سنين، ودفنت خديجة بالحجون، ونزل في قبرها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، وكان لها يوم تزوجها ثمان وعشرون سنة}}</ref> Muhammad used to manage her caravans; and Khadija, being impressed by the skills of Muhammad, sent a proposal to the Islamic prophet.{{sfn|Tucker|2010|p=849}} Around 595, the couple married, and this marriage, his first, would be both happy and monogamous; Muhammad would rely on Khadija in many ways, until her death 25 years later.<ref name="Esp2">Esposito (1998), p. 18</ref><ref>Reeves (2003), p. 46</ref> They had two sons, [[Qasim ibn Muhammad|Qasim]] and [[Abdullah ibn Muhammad|Abd Allah]] (nicknamed ''al-Ṭāhir'' and ''al-Ṭayyib'' respectively),<ref>{{cite book |author1=Paul Gwynne |title=Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad - A Comparative Study |date=23 December 2013 |publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|John Wiley & Sons]] |isbn=9781118465493 |quote=According to Sunni Islam, Khadija bore Muhammad four daughters (Zaynab, Ruqayya, Umm Kulthum and Fatima) and two sons (Abdallah and Qasim).}}</ref> both died young, and four daughters – [[Zaynab bint Muhammad|Zaynab]], [[Ruqayyah bint Muhammad|Ruqaiya]], [[Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad|Umm Kulthum]] and [[Fatimah]]. Some [[Shia Islam|Shia]] scholars dispute the [[genealogy of Khadijah's daughters|paternity of Khadija's daughters]], as they view the first three of them as the daughters from previous marriages and only Fatimah as the daughter of Muhammad and Khadija.<ref>[[Muhammad al-Tijani]] in his [[The Shi'a: The Real Followers of the Sunnah]] on Al-Islam.org [http://www.rafed.net/books/other-lang/the-shia/18.html note 274] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060504064909/http://www.rafed.net/books/other-lang/the-shia/18.html |date=4 May 2006}}</ref> During their marriage, Khadija purchased the slave [[Zayd ibn Harithah]], then adopted the young man as her son at Muhammad's request.<ref name="Haykal">[[Muhammad Husayn Haykal]], ''[http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/MH_LM/default.htm The Life of Muhammad] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070809201742/http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/MH_LM/default.htm |date=9 August 2007}}'': "From Marriage to Prophethood", translated by Isma'il Razi A. al-Faruqi</ref> Muhammad's uncle [[Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib|Abu Talib]] and Khadija died in 620 and the Islamic prophet declared the year as ''Aam al-Huzn'' ("Year of Sorrow").<ref>{{cite book |last=Guillaume |title=The Life of Muhammad |publisher=[[Oxford University Press|Oxford]] |page=191}}</ref>

=== Hijrah (migration) to Medina ===
{{Main|Hijrah}}

==== Sawda bint Zam'ah ====
Before he left for Medina, it was suggested by [[Khawlah bint Hakim]] that he should marry [[Sawdah bint Zam'ah]], who had suffered many hardships after she became a Muslim. Prior to that, Sawdah was married to a paternal cousin of hers named As-Sakran ibn Amr and had five or six children from her previous marriage. She along with her husband migrated to Abyssinia due to persecution of Muslims by Meccans. Her husband died in Abyssinia and hence Sawdah had to come back to Mecca. There are disagreements in Muslim tradition whether Muhammad first married Sawdah or [[Aisha]], but Sawdah is usually regarded as his second wife and she was living with him before Aisha joined the household.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e2116 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180910003135/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e2116 |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 September 2018 |website=oxfordislamicstudies.com |title=Sawdah bint Zama |access-date=20 April 2019}}</ref> Sawdah was about 30 years old at the time.<ref name="Watt">Watt,"Aisha bint Abu Bakr", ''[[Encyclopaedia of Islam]]'' Online</ref>

As Sawdah got older, and some time after Muhammad's marriage to [[Umm Salama]],<ref>{{Cite book |publisher=[[Gorgias Press]] 
|isbn=978-1-59333-398-0 |last=Al-Shati |first=Bint |author-link=Bint al-Shati |others=Matti Moosa (trans.), D. Nicholas Ranson |title=The wives of the Prophet |date=December 2006 |page=52}}</ref> there are reports that Muhammad was neglecting Sawdah and had planned to divorce her. But Sawdah stopped him in the street and begged him to take her back, offering to give up her turn for his nightly conjugal visits to [[Aisha]], whom he was very fond of.<ref name="EI2-Sawda2">{{Cite encyclopedia |date=1995 |title=Sawda BT. Zam'a B. Ḳayyis B. 'Abd Shams |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia of Islam]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |last=Vacca |first=V. |edition=2nd |volume=9 |pages=89–90 |isbn=90-04-10422-4}}</ref> Sawdah pleaded that she was old anyway and did not care for men; her only wish was to be resurrected as the Prophet's wife on the [[Judgement Day in Islam|Day of Judgment]]. Muhammad agreed to her proposal, and [[Quran|Qur'an]] 4:128-129 was revealed. Other traditions say that Muhammad did not really reject her, but that she was afraid that he would, and it was not rejection that was considered in the revelation of the verse, but rather a compromise on divorce so long as she could remain his wife in name.<ref name="Wessels2">{{Cite book |last=Wessels |first=Antonie |title=A modern Arabic biography of Muḥammad - a critical study of Muḥammad Ḥusayn Haykal's Ḥayāt Muḥammad |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |date=1972 |isbn=978-90-04-03415-0 |pages=105–106}}</ref> The tradition stablished the style of marriage ''[[Nikah Misyar]]''.

==== Aisha bint Abu Bakr ====
Aisha was the daughter of Muhammad's close friend [[Abu Bakr]]. She was initially betrothed to [[Jubayr ibn Muṭʽim]], a Muslim whose father, though [[Paganism|pagan]], was friendly to the Muslims. When [[Khawlah bint Hakim]] suggested that Muhammad marry Aisha after the death of Muhammad's first wife (Khadija), the previous agreement regarding the marriage of Aisha with ibn Mut'im was put aside by common consent.<ref name="Watt" />

Muhammad converted friendship of his four friends who later became the [[Rashidun|four Islamic rulers]] or successors, into relationship through marriage. He married Aisha and Hafsa daughters of [[Abu Bakr]] and [[Omar|Umar]] and he gave his daughters to [[Uthman]] and [[Ali]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mubarakpuri |first=Safiur Rahman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ho0xzgEACAAJ |title=When The Moon Split - A Biography of Prophet Muhammad |date=3 February 2021 |publisher=Independently Published |isbn=979-8-7042-9780-2 |language=en}}</ref> Aisha was the only virgin he married.<ref name=":0" />

The majority of traditional sources state that Aisha was betrothed to Muhammad at the age of six and [[consummation|consummated]] at the age of nine or ten with Muhammad, then 53, in [[Medina]].<ref name="spellberg40">{{harvnb|Spellberg|1994|pp=39–40}}</ref><ref name="armstrong157">{{harvnb|Armstrong|1992|p=157}}</ref><ref name="aisha_hadith">{{Hadith-usc|Bukhari|usc=yes|5|58|234}}, {{Hadith-usc|Bukhari|usc=yes-usc|5|58|236}}, {{Hadith-usc|Bukhari|usc=yes-usc|7|62|64}}, {{Hadith-usc|Bukhari|usc=yes-usc|7|62|65}}, {{Hadith-usc|Bukhari|usc=yes-usc|7|62|88}}, {{Hadith-usc|usc=yes|muslim|8|3309}}, {{Hadith-usc|muslim|8|3310}}, {{Hadith-usc|muslim|8|3311}}, {{Hadith-usc|abudawud|41|4915}}, {{Hadith-usc|abudawud|usc=yes|41|4917}}</ref> Aisha's age at marriage has been a source of controversy and debate, and many non-Muslim historians, Islamic scholars, and Muslim writers have challenged the previously accepted timeline of her life by claiming that Aisha was in fact 18–19 years old when she consummated her marriage to Muhammad according to historical reviews.<ref name="Kecia">{{cite book |title=Sexual Ethics and Islam - Feminist Reflections on Qur'an, Hadith, and Jurisprudence |last1=Ali |first1=Kecia |date=2016 |publisher=[[Oneworld]] |pages=173–186 |isbn=978-1780743813}}</ref> Both Aisha and Sawdah, his two wives, were given apartments adjoined to the [[Al-Masjid al-Nabawi]] [[mosque]].<ref name="Nomani1">Nomani (1970), pp. 257–259</ref>

Aisha was extremely scholarly and inquisitive. Her contribution to the spread of Muhammad's message was extraordinary, and she served the Muslim community for 44 years after his death.<ref>{{Cite book |publisher=[[AuthorHouse]] |isbn=9781434323576 |last=Aleem |first=Shamim |title=Prophet Muhammad(s) and His Family - A Sociological Perspective |date=2007 |page=130}}</ref> She is also known for narrating 2210 hadith,<ref>Islamyat: a core text for students</ref> not just on matters related to Muhammad's private life, but also on topics such as [[nikkah|marriage]], [[Islamic inheritance]], [[Hajj]] and [[Islamic eschatology]], among other subjects.<ref name="Asma">{{Cite book |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=9781107031586 |last=Sayeed |first=Asma |title=Women and the Transmission of Religious Knowledge in Islam |date=6 August 2013 |pages=26–29}}</ref> She was highly regarded for her intellect and knowledge in various fields, including poetry and medicine, which received plenty of praise by the traditionist [[Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri|al-Zuhri]] and by her student [[Urwa ibn al-Zubayr]].<ref name="Asma" /> Aisha was also a general who led thousands of Muslims to battle during the [[First Fitna]].

=== Widows of the war with Mecca ===
==== Hafsa bint Umar and Zaynab bint Khuzayma ====
During the [[Conquest of Mecca|Muslim war with Mecca]], many men were killed leaving behind widows and orphans. [[Hafsa bint Umar]], daughter of [[Umar ibn Al-Khattab]], was widowed at [[Battle of Badr]] when her husband [[Khunais ibn Hudhaifa]] was killed in action. Muhammad married her in 3 A.H./625 AD.<ref>Nomani (1970), p. 360</ref> [[Zaynab bint Khuzayma]] was also widowed at the battle of Badr. She was the wife of [[Ubaydah ibn al-Harith]],<ref>Watt(1956), p. 393</ref> a faithful Muslim and from the tribe of Al-Muttalib, for which Muhammad had special responsibility.<ref>Watt(1956), p. 287</ref> When her husband died, Muhammad aiming to provide for her, married her in 4 A.H. She was nicknamed Umm Al-Masakeen (roughly translates as the mother of the poor), because of her kindness and charity.<ref>Lings (1983), p. 201</ref>

Close to Aisha's age, the two younger wives, Hafsa and Zaynab, were welcomed into the household. Sawda, who was much older, extended her motherly benevolence to the younger women. Aisha and Hafsa had a lasting relationship. As for Zaynab, however, she became ill and died about three months after her marriage.<ref>Lings (1983), p. 165</ref><ref name="Zaynab">Lings (1983), p. 206</ref><ref>Nomani (1970), p. 345</ref>

==== Hind bint Suhayl (Umm Salama) ====
The death of Zaynab coincided with that of Abu Salamah, a devout Muslim and Muhammad's foster brother, as a result of his wounds from the [[Battle of Uhud]].<ref name="Zaynab" /> Abu Salamah's widow, [[Umm Salama]], also a devoted Muslim, had none but her young children. Her plight of being without a man reportedly saddened the Muslims, and after her ''[[iddah]]'' some Muslims proposed marriage to her, but she declined. She was the paternal cousin of [[Khalid ibn al-Walid]], the military commander who fought against Muhammad in many battles. Her marriage made Khalid take an indecisive attitude at the [[battle of Uhud]].<ref name=":0" /> When Muhammad proposed her marriage, she was reluctant for three reasons: she claimed to suffer from jealousy and pointed out the prospect of an unsuccessful marriage, her old age, and her young family that needed support. But Muhammad replied that he would pray to God to free her from jealousy, that he too was of old age, and that her family was like his family.<ref name="Prophet">{{cite book |last=Hamid |first=AbdulWahid |title=Companions of the Prophet |volume=1 |date=1998 |publisher=MELS |location=London |isbn=0948196130 |page=139}}</ref> She married Muhammad around the end of 4 AH.<ref>''Umm Salamah'', courtesy of ISL Software, [[University of Southern California]].</ref>

==== Rayhana bint Zayd ====
[[Rayhana bint Zayd]] was a [[Jewish]] woman from the [[Banu Nadir]] tribe. In 627, the [[Banu Qurayza]] tribe was defeated and Rayhana was enslaved.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Al-Baghdadi |first=Ibn Sa'd |author-link=Ibn Sa'd al-Baghdadi |title=Tabaqat |volume=VIII |pp=92–93}}</ref> [[Ibn Sa'd]] wrote that Rayhana went on to be manumitted and subsequently married to the prophet upon her conversion to Islam.<ref>[[Alfred Guillaume|Guillaume, Alfred]], ''The Life of Muhammad - A Translation of Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah'', p. 466, [[Oxford University Press]], 1955, {{ISBN|0-19-636033-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Ibn Sa'd |title=Tabaqat |volume=VIII |pages=92–93}}</ref> [[Abu Ishaq al-Tha'labi|Al-Tha'labi]] reports that the prophet paid a [[mahr]] for her and [[Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani|Ibn Hajar]] makes reference to Muhammad giving Rayhana a home upon their marriage.<ref>Ibn Hajar, ''Isabaha'', Vol. IV, p. 309.</ref>

==== Zaynab bint Jahsh ====
[[Zaynab bint Jahsh]] was Muhammad's cousin, the daughter of one of his [[Umama bint Abdulmuttalib|father's sisters]].<ref name="Watt2">Watt (1974), pp. 156–159</ref>

In the [[Pre-Islamic Arabia|Pre-Islamic Era]], Arabs used to consider children who had been sponsored exactly the same as their biological children as far as rights such as inheritance and sanctities were concerned.<ref>{{Cite book |last=IslamKotob |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uTJoiXp3pS4C |title=Tafsir Ibn Kathir all 10 volumes |publisher=IslamKotob |language=en}}</ref> However, after marriage the sponsored children lost their inheritance rights and were henceforth known as the children of their biological parents. After attaining puberty, they could not live with the sponsoring family but were still subsidised. This was to reduce the enmity of biological children towards sponsored children and to prevent the mingling of male sponsors with adult sponsored females.<ref name=":0" />

In Medina, Muhammad arranged the widowed Zaynab's marriage to his adopted son Zayd ibn Harithah. [[Caesar E. Farah]] states that Muhammad was determined to establish the legitimacy and right to equal treatment of the adopted.<ref>Caesar E. Farah, ''Islam - Beliefs and Observances'', p. 69</ref> Zaynab disapproved of the marriage, and her brothers rejected it, because according to [[Ibn Sa'd]], she was of aristocratic lineage and Zayd was a former slave.<ref name="Freyer88" /><ref name="W158">Watt (1974), p. 158.</ref> [[William Montgomery Watt|Watt]] states that it is not clear why Zaynab was unwilling to marry Zayd, as Muhammad esteemed him highly. He postulates that Zaynab, being an ambitious woman, was already hoping to marry Muhammad or that she might have wanted to marry someone of whom Muhammad disapproved for political reasons.<ref name="Watt157158">Watt (1974), pp. 157–158.</ref> According to [[Maududi]], after the Qur'anic verse {{qref|33|36|t=tq}} was revealed,<ref>{{cite book |last=Maududi |first=S. Abul A'la |author-link=Abul Ala Maududi |title=The Meaning of the Qur'an |volume=4 |publisher=Islamic publications |date=1967 |url=http://www.tafheem.net/main.html |page=108 |access-date=9 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221062727/http://www.tafheem.net/main.html |archive-date=21 February 2008 |url-status=live}}
</ref> Zaynab acquiesced and married Zayd.

Zaynab's marriage was unharmonious.<ref name="Freyer88">Freyer Stowasser (1996), p. 88, [[Oxford University Press]]</ref> According to Watt, it is almost certain that she was working for marriage with Muhammad before the end of 626. Zaynab had dressed in haste when she was told "the Messenger of God is at the door". She jumped up in haste and excited the admiration of the Messenger of God so that he turned away murmuring something that could scarcely be understood. However, he did say overtly: "Glory be to God the Almighty! Glory be to God, who causes the hearts to turn!"<ref>{{cite book |last=Fishbein |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Fishbein (translator) |title=The History Al-Tabari - The Victory of Islam |publisher=[[SUNY Press|State University of New York Press]] |date=February 1997 |isbn=978-0-7914-3150-4 |pages=2–3}}</ref> Zaynab told Zayd about this, and he offered to divorce her, but Muhammad told him to keep her.<ref name="Watt" /> The story laid much stress on Zaynab's perceived beauty.<ref name="Rod" /> Nomani considers this story to be a rumor.<ref name="Nomani">Nomani (1970), ''Sirat al-Nabi''.</ref> Watt doubts the accuracy of this portion of the narrative since it does not occur in the earliest source. He thinks that even if there is a basis of fact underlying the narrative, it would have been subject to exaggeration in the course of transmission as the later Muslims liked to maintain that there was no celibacy and monkery in Islam.<ref name="W158" /> Rodinson disagrees with Watt arguing that the story is stressed in the traditional texts and that it would not have aroused any adverse comment or criticism.<ref name="Rod" />

Muhammad, fearing public opinion, was initially reluctant to marry Zaynab. The marriage would seem incestuous to their contemporaries because she was the former wife of his adopted son, and adopted sons were considered the same as biological sons.<ref name="Watt" /> According to Watt, this "conception of incest was bound up with old practices belonging to a lower, communalistic level of familial institutions where a child's paternity was not definitely known; and this lower level was in process being eliminated by Islam".<ref name="Watt1">William Montgomery Watt (1974), p. 233</ref> The Qur'an {{qref|33|37}} however, indicated that this marriage was a duty imposed upon him by God. It implied that treating adopted sons as real sons was objectionable and that there should now be a complete break with the past.<ref name="Watt" /> Thus Muhammad, confident that he was strong enough to face public opinion, proceeded to reject these taboos.<ref>Watt(1956), pp. 330–331</ref> When Zaynab's waiting period was complete, Muhammad married her.<ref>''Watt'', p. 156.</ref> An influential faction in Medina, called "[[Munafiqun|Hypocrites]]", a term that refers to those who convert to Islam while secretly working against it <ref>{{Cite web |title=Hypocrite - Oxford Islamic Studies Online |url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e910 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217002812/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e910 |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 February 2017 |access-date=15 March 2021 |website=oxfordislamicstudies.com}}</ref> in the Islamic tradition,<ref name="FS89">Freyer Stowasser (1996), p. 89</ref> did indeed criticise the marriage as incestuous.<ref name="Watt" /> Attempting to divide the Muslim community, they spread rumors as part of a strategy of attacking Muhammad through his wives.<ref name="FS89" /> According to Ibn Kathir, the relevant Qur'anic verses were a "divine rejection" of the Hypocrites' objections.<ref name="FS89" /> According to Rodinson, doubters argued the verses were in exact conflict with social taboos and favored Muhammad too much. The delivery of these verses, thus, did not end the dissent.<ref name="Rod">Rodinson, p. 207.</ref>

=== Reconciliation ===
==== Juwayriya bint al-Harith ====
One of the captives from the skirmish with the [[Banu Mustaliq]] was [[Juwayriya bint al-Harith]], who was the daughter of the tribe's chieftain. Her husband, Mustafa bin Safwan, had been killed in the battle. She initially fell among the booty of Muhammad's companion [[Thabit ibn Qays|Thabit ibn Qays ibn Al-Shammas]]. Upon being enslaved, Juwayriyya went to Muhammad requesting that she – as the daughter of the lord of the Mustaliq – be released, however, he refused. Meanwhile, her father approached Muhammad with [[ransom]] to secure her release, but Muhammed still refused to release her. Muhammad then offered to marry her, and she accepted.<ref>Rodinson, p. 196.</ref> When it became known that tribes persons of Mustaliq were [[Kinship|kinsmen]] of the prophet of Islam through marriage, the Muslims began releasing their captives.<ref>Lings (1983), pp. 241–242</ref> Thus, Muhammad's marriage resulted in the freedom of nearly one hundred families whom he had recently enslaved.<ref>Nomani, pp. 365–366</ref>

==== Safiyya bint Huyayy Ibn Akhtab ====
[[Safiyya bint Huyayy]] was a noblewoman<ref name="shati_saf1">Al-Shati', 1971, p. 171</ref> and the daughter of [[Huyayy ibn Akhtab]], the chief of the Jewish tribe [[Banu Nadir]], who was executed after surrendering at the [[Battle of the Trench]].<ref>Ibn Ishaq, ''Sirat Rasul Allah'', translated by Guillaume, A. (1955), ''The Life of Muhammad'', p. 464, [[Oxford University Press]].</ref><ref>Ahmad ibn Jabir al-Baladhuri, ''Kitab Futuh al-Buldan'', translated by Hitti, P. K. (1916), ''Origins of the Islamic State'', vol. 1, p. 41, New York, [[Columbia University]].</ref> She had been married first to the poet [[Sallam ibn Mishkam]], who had divorced her, and second to [[Kenana ibn al-Rabi]], a commander.<ref name="shati_saf1" /><ref>V. Vacca, Safiyya bt. Huyayy b. Ak̲htab, [[Encyclopaedia of Islam]]</ref>

In 628,<ref>Ibn Ishaq/Guillaume, p. 510.</ref> [[Battle of Khaybar|Muhammad attacked Khaybar]] and made the inhabitants, including the Banu Nadir, surrender. Kenana, who was Safiyya's husband at the time, was tortured and then beheaded after he refused to reveal the location of his tribe's treasure.{{sfn|Zeitlin|2007|pp=135–136}}{{sfn|Rodinson|1971|p=254}}{{sfn|Hishām|Isḥāq|1997|pp=514–515}} One of Muhammad's companions, [[Dihyah al-Kalbi|Dihya al-Kalbi]], asked Muhammad to be allowed to take a slave girl from the captives; he gave permission, so Dihya went and took Safiyya. However, a man then came to Muhammad reporting that Dihya had taken Safiyya, who was the chief mistress of the [[Banu Qurayza|Qurayza]] and the Nadir, which he thought was only suitable for Muhammad. Thus, Muhammad gave the order to call them.{{sfn|Garst|2018|loc=Of Women, Donkeys, and Black Dogs}}{{sfn|Bukhārī|1997|p=249|loc=no. 371}}

When Safiyya was brought, she was with another woman, and when the woman saw the headless bodies, she screamed wildly, struck herself in the face, and poured sand on her own head.{{sfn|Zeitlin|2007|p=136}}{{sfn| al-Ṭabarī|1997|p=122}} The woman was taken away, Muhammad then took Safiyya for himself and told Dihya to take any other slave girl from the captives.{{sfn|Garst|2018|loc=Of Women, Donkeys, and Black Dogs}}{{sfn|Bukhārī|1997|p=249|loc=no. 371}} Reportedly, Dihya got seven slaves in exchange.{{Sfn|Ibn Mājah|2007|p=298|loc=Vol. 3, no. 2272}} After that, Muhammad married her and brought her into his bed that very night. She was 17 years old at the time and was known to be exceptionally beautiful.{{sfn|Rodinson|1971|p=254}}

According to [[Martin Lings]], Muhammad had given Safiyyah the choice of returning to the defeated Banu Nadir or becoming Muslim and marrying him, and Safiyyah opted for the latter choice.<ref>Martin Lings, Muhammad - His Life Based On The Earliest Sources (George Allen & Unwin, 1983), p. 269</ref> [[W. Montgomery Watt]] and Nomani believe that Muhammad married Safiyya as part of reconciliation with the Jewish tribe and as a gesture of goodwill.<ref>Nomani (1970), p. 424.</ref><ref>Watt (1964), p. 195</ref> John L. Esposito states that the marriage may have been political or to cement alliances.<ref>John L. Esposito, Islam - The Straight Path, pp. 19–20</ref><ref name="Mawsili, Musnad; p. 168">Abu Ya'la al-Mawsili, Musnad, vol. 13, p. 168, Cited in Muhammad Fathi Mus'ad, The Wives of the Prophet Muhammad - Their Strives and Their Lives, p.172)</ref> Haykal opines that Muhammad's manumission of and marriage to Safiyaa was partly in order to alleviate her tragedy and partly to preserve their dignity, and compares these actions to previous conquerors who married the daughters and wives of the kings whom they had defeated.<ref>Muhammad Husayn Haykal, The Life of Muhammad (North American Trust Publications, 1976), p. 373</ref> According to some, by marrying Safiyyah, Muhammad aimed at ending the enmity and hostility between Jews and Islam.<ref name="Mawsili, Musnad; p. 168" />

Muhammad convinced Safiyya to convert to Islam.<ref name="Rodinson254">Rodinson (1971), p. 254.</ref> According to Abu Ya'la al-Mawsili, Safiyya came to appreciate the love and honor Muhammad gave her, and said, "I have never seen a good-natured person as the Messenger of Allah".<ref>Abu Ya'la al-Mawsili, Musnad, vol. 13, p. 38, Cited in Muhammad Fathi Mus'ad, The Wives of the Prophet Muhammad - Their Strives and Their Lives, p.172)</ref> Safiyyah remained loyal to Muhammad until he died.<ref>Muhammad Husayn Haykal, The Life of Muhammad (North American Trust Publications, p. 374</ref>

According to Islamic tradition, Safiyya was beautiful, patient, intelligent, learned and gentle, and she respected Muhammad as "Allah's Messenger". Muslim scholars state she had many good moral qualities.<ref name="islamonline.com">Safiyah Bint Huyeiy Ibn Akhtab, www.islamonline.com</ref> She is described as a humble worshiper and a pious believer. [[Ibn Kathir]] said, "she was one of the best women in her worship, piousness, ascetism, devoutness, and charity".<ref>Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah, vol. 8, p. 47, Cited in Muhammad Fathi Mus'ad, The Wives of the Prophet Muhammad: Their Strives and Their Lives, p. 177</ref> According to Ibn Sa'd, Safiyyah was very charitable and generous. She used to give out and spend whatever she had; she gave away a house that she had when she was still alive.<ref>Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, vol. 8, p. 102, Cited in Muhammad Fathi Mus'ad, The Wives of the Prophet Muhammad - Their Strives and Their Lives, p. 178</ref>

Upon entering Muhammad's household, Safiyya became friends with Aisha and Hafsa. Also, she offered gifts to Fatima. She gave some of Muhammad's other wives gifts from her jewels that she brought with her from Khaybar.<ref>Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, vol. 8, p. 100, Cited in Muhammad Fathi Mus'ad, The Wives of the Prophet Muhammad - Their Strives and Their Lives, p. 172</ref> However, some of Muhammad's other wives spoke ill of Safiyya's Jewish descent. Muhammad intervened, pointing out to everyone that Safiyya's "husband is Muhammad, father is [[Aaron#Islam|Aaron]], and uncle is [[Moses in Islam|Moses]]", a reference to revered prophets.<ref name="shati_saf2">Al-Shati', 1971, pp. 178–181</ref>

Muhammad once went to [[hajj]] with all his wives. On the way, Safiyya's camel knelt down, as it was the weakest in the caravan, and she started to weep. Muhammad came to her and wiped her tears with his dress and hands, but the more he asked her not to cry, the more she went on weeping.<ref>Ahmad, vol.6, p. 337, Cited in Muhammad Fathi Mus'ad, The Wives of the Prophet Muhammad - Their Strives and Their Lives, p. 176</ref> When Muhammad was terminally ill, Safiyya was profoundly upset. She said to him, "I wish it was I who was suffering instead of you".<ref name="islamonline.com" />

==== Ramla bint Abi Sufyan (Umm Habiba) ====
In the same year, Muhammad signed a [[Treaty of Hudaybiyyah|peace treaty with his Meccan enemies]], the [[Quraysh (tribe)|Quraysh]] effectively ending the state of war between the two parties. He soon married the daughter of the Quraysh leader and military commander, [[Abu Sufyan ibn Harb]], aimed at further reconciling his opponents.<ref>Watt (1961), p. 195</ref> He sent a proposal for marriage to [[Ramla bint Abi Sufyan]], who was in Abyssinia at the time when she learned her husband had died. She had previously converted to Islam (in Mecca) against her father's will. After [[Second migration to Abyssinia|her migration to Abyssinia]] her husband had converted to [[Christianity]].<ref>
[http://www.islamonline.com/news/newsfull.php?newid=933 Umm Habibah: Ramlah Bin Abi Sufyan] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927133302/http://www.islamonline.com/news/newsfull.php?newid=933 |website=islamonline.com |date=27 September 2011}}.</ref> Muhammad dispatched 'Amr bin Omaiyah Ad-Damri with a letter to the [[Negus]] (king), asking him for Umm Habiba's hand—that was in [[Muharram]], in the seventh year of Al-Hijra.

==== Mariyah bint Shamoon al-Qibtiya ====
[[Maria al-Qibtiyya]] was one of several slaves whom the Governor of Egypt sent as a present to Muhammad. He kept her as a concubine despite the objections of his official wives. It is said in early biographies of Muhammad that Mariyah is a slave girl or concubine. Mariyah bore Muhammad a son, [[Ibrahim ibn Muhammad|Ibrahim]] who later died at 18 months.<ref>A. Guillaume/Ishaq 653</ref><ref>Al Tabari, Vol. 9:137, 141; Al Tabari, Vol. 39:193–195.</ref><ref>Bewley/Saad 8:148–151.</ref>

==== Maymuna binti al-Harith ====
As part of the [[treaty of Hudaybiyah]], Muhammad visited Mecca for the pilgrimage. There [[Maymuna bint al-Harith]] proposed marriage to him.<ref name="shati_may1">Al-Shati', 1971, pp. 222–224</ref> Muhammad accepted, and thus married Maymuna, the sister-in-law of Abbas, a longtime ally of his. By marrying her, Muhammad also established kinship ties with the Banu Makhzum, his previous opponents.<ref>Ramadan (2007), p. 1701</ref> As the Meccans did not allow him to stay any longer, Muhammad left the city, taking Maymuna with him. Her original name was "Barra" but he called her "Maymuna", meaning the blessed, as his marriage to her had also marked the first time in seven years when he could enter his hometown Mecca.<ref name="shati_may1" />

=== Muhammad's widows ===
[[File:Location of grave of Fatema and others at J.Baqi,Medina.JPG|thumb|A map showing the grave of the wives of Muhammad and his daughters in [[Al-Baqi Cemetery]]. Central rectangle just in front of Main Gate.]]
[[File:Grave Ajvaje(wife) nabi 1.JPG|thumb|Grave of the wives of Muhammad in [[Al-Baqi Cemetery]], [[Medina]]]]

According to the Qur'an, God forbade anyone to marry the wives of Muhammad because of their respect and honour after he died.
{{blockquote|... And it is not right for you to annoy the Messenger of Allah, nor ever marry his wives after him. This would certainly be a major offence in the sight of Allah.|{{qref|33|53|c=y}}}}

The extent of Muhammad's property at the time of his death is unclear. Although Qur'an [2.180] clearly addresses issues of inheritance, Abu Bakr, the new leader of the Muslim [[ummah]], refused to divide Muhammad's property among his widows and heirs, saying that he had heard Muhammad say:

{{blockquote|We (Prophets) do not have any heirs; what we leave behind is (to be given in) charity.<ref name="OR">{{Cite web |url=http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/019.smt.html#019.4351 |title=The Book of Jihad and Expedition (Kitab Al-Jihad wa'l-Siyar) |access-date=5 October 2007 |publisher=[[University of Southern California]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509100919/http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muslim/019.smt.html#019.4351
|archive-date=9 May 2008}}</ref>}}

Muhammad's widow Hafsa played a role in the collection of the first Qur'anic manuscript. After Abu Bakr had collected the copy, he gave it to Hafsa, who preserved it until Uthman took it, copied it and distributed it in Muslim lands.<ref>Al-Shati', 1971, p. 110</ref>

Some of Muhammad's widows were active politically in the Islamic state after Muhammad's death. Safiyya, for example, aided the Caliph Uthman during his siege.<ref name="shati_saf2" /> During the first fitna, some wives also took sides. Umm Salama, for example, sided with Ali and sent her son Umar for help.<ref name="shati_umm2">Al-Shati', 1971, p. 135</ref> The last of Muhammad's wives, Umm Salama, lived to hear about the tragedy of [[Karbala]] in 680, dying the same year.<ref name="shati_umm2" /> The grave of the wives of Muhammed is located at [[Al-Baqi Cemetery]], [[Medina]].

== Timeline of marriages ==
{{Hatnote|Note: Not all sources agree on these exact dates}}

<timeline>
ImageSize = width:800 height:400
PlotArea = left:200 bottom:60 top:0 right:50
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat  = yyyy
Period = from:0570 till:0632
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
ScaleMajor = increment:4 start:0571
ScaleMinor = increment:4 start:0573

LineData =
  at:0610 color:black layer:back
  at:0622 color:black layer:back
  at:0624 color:black layer:back

BarData =
  bar:Khadija text:"Khadija bint Khuwaylid”
  bar:Sawda text:"Sawda bint Zamʿa"
  bar:Aisha text:"Aisha bint Abi Bakr"
  bar:ZaynabK text:"Zaynab bint Khuzayma"
  bar:Hind text:"Umm Salama Hind bint Abi Umayya "
  bar:Hafsa text:"Hafsa bint Umar"
  bar:ZaynabJ text:"Zaynab bint Jahsh"
  bar:Rayhana text:"Rayhana bint Zayd"
  bar:Juwayriyya text:"Juwayriyya bint al-Harith"
  bar:Ramla text:"Ramla bint Abi Sufyan"
  bar:Safiyya text:"Safiyya bint Huyayy"
  bar:Maymuna text:"Maymuna bint al-Harith"
  bar:Maria text:"Maria al-Qibtiyya"

PlotData=
  width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
  bar:Khadija from:0595 till:0619 color:red
  bar:Sawda from:0620 till:0632 color:red
  bar:Aisha from:0623 till:0632 color:red
  bar:ZaynabK from:0624 till:0626 color:red
  bar:Hind from:0625 till:0632 color:red
  bar:Hafsa from:0626 till:0632 color:red
  bar:ZaynabJ from:0627 till:0632 color:red
  bar:Rayhana from:0627 till:0631 color:red
  bar:Juwayriyya from:0628 till:0632 color:red
  bar:Ramla from:0629 till:0632 color:red
  bar:Safiyya from:0629 till:0632 color:red
  bar:Maymuna from:0629 till:0632 color:red
  bar:Maria from:0630 till:0632 color:red
</timeline>

The vertical lines in the graph indicate, in chronological order, the start of prophethood, the [[Hijra (Islam)|Hijra]], and the [[Battle of Badr]].

== Family tree ==
<br />
{{tree chart/start|style=font-size:90%;line-height:100%;|align=center}}
{{tree chart| KiM |y| FbS | | | | | KiM='''[[Kilab ibn Murrah]]'''|FbS='''[[Fatimah bint Sa'd]]'''}}
{{tree chart| |,|-|^|-|.}}
{{tree chart| ZiK | | QiK |y| HbH | ZiK='''[[Zuhrah ibn Kilab]]'''<br />(progenitor of [[Banu Zuhrah]])<br /> maternal great-great-grandfather<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ww12.urlsamo.com/n6FHx|title=urlsamo.com |website=ww12.urlsamo.com}}</ref>|QiK='''[[Qusai ibn Kilab]]'''<br /> paternal great-great-great-grandfather|HbH='''[[Hubba bint Hulail]]'''<br /> paternal great-great-great-grandmother}}
{{tree chart| |!| | | | | |!|}}
{{tree chart| AMZ | | | | AMQ |y| AbM | AMZ='''[[Abd Manaf ibn Zuhrah]]'''<br /> maternal great-grandfather|AMQ='''[[Abd Manaf ibn Qusai]]'''<br /> paternal great-great-grandfather|AbM='''[[Atikah bint Murrah]]'''<br /> paternal great-great-grandmother}}
{{tree chart| |!| | | | | | | |!|}}
{{tree chart| WiA | | | | | | HiA |y| SbA | WiA='''[[Wahb ibn Abd Manaf]]'''<br /> maternal grandfather|HiA='''[[Hashim ibn Abd Manaf]]'''<br /> (progenitor of [[Banu Hashim]])<br /> paternal great-grandfather|SbA='''[[Salma bint Amr]]'''<br /> paternal great-grandmother}}
{{tree chart| |!| | | | | | | | | |!|}}
{{tree chart| |!| | | FbA |y|~|~| AuM |~|~|~|~|y| HbW | FbA='''[[Fatimah bint Amr]]'''<br /> paternal grandmother|AuM='''[[Abdul-Muttalib]]'''<br /> paternal grandfather|HbW=[[Halah bint Wuhayb]]<br /> paternal step-grandmother}}
{{tree chart| |!| | | |,|-|+|-|.| |)|-|.| | | |!|}}
{{tree chart| Ami |y| AiA |!| AZi |!| Har | | Ham | | Ami='''[[Aminah]]'''<br /> mother|AiA='''[[Abdullah ibn Abdul-Muttalib|Abdullah]]'''<br /> father|AZi=[[Al-Zubayr ibn Abd al-Muttalib|Az-Zubayr]]<br /> paternal uncle|Har=[[Harith ibn Abdul-Muṭṭalib|Harith]]<br /> paternal half-uncle|Ham=[[Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib|Hamza]]<br /> paternal half-uncle}}
{{tree chart| | | |!| | | |`|-|.| |`|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|.}}
{{tree chart| Thu |!| Hal | | ATi | | AAi | | ALa | | oth | Thu=[[Thuwaybah]]<br /> first nurse|Hal=[[Halimah bint Abi Dhuayb|Halimah]]<br /> second nurse|ATi=[[Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib|Abu Talib]]<br /> paternal uncle|AAi=[[Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib|Abbas]]<br /> paternal half-uncle|ALa=[[Abu Lahab]]<br /> paternal half-uncle |oth=''6 other sons<br />and 6 daughters''}}
{{tree chart| | | |!| | | | | |!| | | |!}}
{{tree chart|F|~| Muh |y| KbK |!| | | AAA | Muh='''Muhammad'''|KbK=[[Khadija bint Khuwaylid|Khadija]]<br /> first wife |AAA=[[Abd Allah ibn Abbas]]<br /> paternal cousin}}
{{tree chart|:| | | | |)|.| | |!| | | |,|-|-|v|-|-|-|.}}
{{tree chart|:|,|-| Fat |t|~| Ali | | |!| | QiM | | AiM | Fat='''[[Fatimah]]'''<br /> daughter |Ali=[[Ali]]<br /> paternal cousin and son-in-law <br />[[Family tree of Ali|family tree]], [[Descendants of Ali ibn Abi Talib|descendants]]|QiM='''[[Qasim ibn Muhammad|Qasim]]'''<br /> son|AiM='''[[Abd-Allah ibn Muhammad|Abd-Allah]]'''<br /> son}}
{{tree chart|:|!| | | | |)|-|-|-|v|-|-|^|-|-|-|-|.}}
{{tree chart|:|!| | | | ZbM | | RbM |y| UbA |~| UKM | | ZiH | ZbM='''[[Zainab bint Muhammad|Zainab]]'''<br /> daughter|RbM='''[[Ruqayyah bint Muhammad|Ruqayyah]]'''<br /> daughter |UbA=[[Uthman ibn Affan|Uthman]]<br /> second cousin and son-in-law<br />[[Family tree of Uthman|family tree]]|UKM='''[[Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad|Umm Kulthum]]'''<br /> daughter |ZiH=[[Zayd ibn Harithah|Zayd]]<br /> adopted son}}
{{tree chart|:|!| | |,|-|^|-|.| | | |!| | | | | | | | | |!|}}
{{tree chart|:|!| | AiZ | | UbZ | | AAU | | | | RbZ |7| UiZ | AiZ='''[[Ali ibn Zainab]]'''<br /> grandson |UbZ='''[[Umamah bint Zainab]]'''<br /> granddaughter|AAU='''[[Abd-Allah ibn Uthman]]'''<br /> grandson|RbZ=[[Rayhana bint Zayd|Rayhana]]<br /> (marriage disputed) |UiZ=[[Usama ibn Zayd]]<br /> adoptive grandson}}
{{tree chart|:|`|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|v|-|-|-|.| |:| |}}
{{tree chart|:| MiA | | Has | | Hus | | UKA | | ZbA |D| SbH | MiA='''[[Muhsin ibn Ali]]'''<br /> grandson|Has='''[[Hasan ibn Ali]]'''<br /> grandson|Hus='''[[Husayn ibn Ali]]'''<br /> grandson<br />[[Family tree of Husayn ibn Ali|family tree]]|UKA='''[[Umm Kulthum bint Ali]]'''<br /> granddaughter|ZbA='''[[Zaynab bint Ali]]'''<br /> granddaughter |SbH=[[Safiyya bint Huyayy|Safiyya]]<br /> tenth / eleventh wife*}}
{{tree chart|D|~|~|~|V|~|~|~|V|~|~|~|V|~|~|~|V|~|~|~|C| |}}
{{tree chart|:| AbB |D| SbZ |:| Uma |D| USa |D| JbH |D| MbH | AbB=[[Abu Bakr]]<br />father-in-law<br />[[Family tree of Abu Bakr|family tree]]|SbZ=[[Sawdah bint Zam'ah|Sawda]]<br /> second / third wife* | Uma=[[Umar]]<br />father-in-law<br />[[Family tree of Umar|family tree]]|USa=[[Umm Salama]]<br />sixth wife|JbH=[[Juwayriyya bint al-Harith|Juwayriya]]<br />eighth wife|MbH=[[Maymuna bint al-Harith|Maymuna]]<br /> eleventh / twelfth wife*}}
{{tree chart|:| |!| |:| | | |:| |!| |:| | | |:| | | |:| |}}
{{tree chart|L| Ais |L| ZbK |L| HbU |L| ZbJ |L| RbA |L| MaQ | Ais=[[Aisha]]<br />second / third wife*<br />[[Family tree of Abu Bakr|Family tree]]|ZbK=[[Zaynab bint Khuzayma|Zaynab]]<br />fifth wife|HbU=[[Hafsa bint Umar|Hafsa]]<br />fourth wife|ZbJ=[[Zaynab bint Jahsh|Zaynab]]<br /> seventh wife|RbA=[[Umm Habiba]]<br />ninth wife|MaQ=[[Maria al-Qibtiyya]]}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!|}}
{{tree chart| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | IiM |IiM='''[[Ibrahim ibn Muhammad|Ibrahim]]'''<br />son}}
{{tree chart/end}}
* * indicates that the marriage order is disputed
* Note that direct lineage is marked in '''bold'''.

== See also ==
* [[Ahl al-Bayt]]
* [[Women in Islam]]
* [[Children of Muhammad]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
=== Wives of Muhammad ===
* {{cite book |publisher=[[Gorgias Press]] |isbn=978-1-59333-398-0 |last=Al-Shati |first=Bint |author-link=Bint al-Shati |others=Matti Moosa (trans.), D. Nicholas Ranson |title=The wives of the Prophet |date=December 2006}}

=== Women in Islam ===
* {{cite book |last=Freyer Stowasser |first=Barbara |title=Women in the Qur'an, Traditions, and Interpretation |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=1996 |isbn=978-0-19-511148-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Mernissi |first=Fatima |author-link=Fatima Mernissi |quote=originally published 1987 in French, 1991 english translation, Paperback 1993 |title=The Veil and the Male Elite – A Feminist Interpretation of Women's Rights in Islam |date=1991
|url=https://archive.org/details/veilmaleelite00mern |url-access=registration |publisher=Addison-Wesley (now [[Perseus Books Group]]) |isbn=9780201632217}}
* {{cite journal |last=Khadduri |first=Majid |author-link=Majid Khadduri |title=Marriage in Islamic Law - The Modernist Viewpoints |journal=American Journal of Comparative Law |volume=26 |issue=2 |pages=213–218 |publisher=The American Society of Comparative Law |date=1978 |doi=10.2307/839669 |jstor=839669}}

=== General ===
* {{Cite book |last=Ibn Mājah |first=Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Yazīd |url=https://www.amazon.com/English-Translation-Sunan-Majah-Commentary/dp/B001AQ6JLM |title=English Translation of Sunan Ibn Majah with Commentary |date=2007 |publisher=[[Darussalam Publishers]] |isbn=978-9960-9881-3-9 |location=Riyadh |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=al-Ṭabarī |first=Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sD8_ePcl1UoC |title=The History of al-Ṭabarī, Vol. 8, The Victory of Islam – Muhammad at Medina A.D. 626–630/A.H. 5-8 |date=1997 |publisher=[[SUNY Press]] |isbn=978-0-7914-3150-4 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bukhārī |first=Muḥammad ibn Ismāʻīl |title=Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Bukhārī, The Translation of the Meanings of Sahih Al-Bukhari – Arabic-English |date=1997 |publisher=[[Darussalam Publishers]] |isbn=9960-717-32-1 |volume=1 |language=ar, en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Garst |first=Karen L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FJNcDwAAQBAJ |title=Women v. Religion: The Case Against Faith – and for Freedom |date=2018 |publisher=[[Pitchstone Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-63431-171-7 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Zeitlin |first=Irving M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_ScS1MjUzdYC |title=The Historical Muhammad |date=2007 |publisher=Polity |isbn=978-0-7456-3998-7 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Rinehart |first=Christine Sixta |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4--YDwAAQBAJ |title=Sexual Jihad: The Role of Islam in Female Terrorism |date=2019 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |isbn=978-1-4985-5752-8 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Lapidus |first=Ira M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qcPZ1k65pqkC |title=Islamic Societies to the Nineteenth Century – A Global History |date=2012 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-0-521-51441-5 |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last1=Phipps |first1=William E. |title=Muhammad and Jesus – A Comparison of the Prophets and Their Teachings |date=1999 |publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group|Continuum]] |isbn=978-0826412072 |page=142 |url=https://archive.org/details/muhammadjesuscom0000phip_s4u1 |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last=Ramadan |first=Tariq |author-link=Tariq Ramadan |date=2007 |title=In the Footsteps of the Prophet – Lessons from the Life of Muhammad |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-530880-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/infootstepsofpro00ramac}}
* {{cite book |last=Peters |first=Francis Edward |author-link=F. E. Peters |date=2003 |title=Islam – A Guide for Jews and Christians |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |isbn=0-691-11553-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/islamguideforjew00fepec}}
* {{cite book |last=Peters |first=Francis Edward |author-link=F. E. Peters |date=2003b |title=The Monotheists – Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Conflict and Competition |url=https://archive.org/details/monotheistsjewsc00pete_0 |url-access=registration |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |id=ASIN: B0012385Z6 |isbn=0-691-11461-7}}
* {{cite book |last=Peterson |first=Daniel |author-link=Daniel C. Peterson |date=2007 |title=Muhammad, Prophet of God |publisher=[[William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company]] |isbn=978-0-8028-0754-0}}
* {{cite book |last=Esposito |first=John |author-link=John Esposito |date=1998 |title=Islam – The Straight Path |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-05LGwAACAAJ&q=Islam:+The+Straight+Path |isbn=0-19-511233-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Guillaume |first=Alfred |author-link=Alfred Guillaume |date=1955 |title=The Life of Muhammad – A Translation of Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=0-19-636033-1}}
* {{cite book |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |isbn=978-90-04-03415-0 |last=Wessels |first=Antonie |title=A modern Arabic biography of Muḥammad - a critical study of Muḥammad Ḥusayn Haykal's Ḥayāt Muḥammad |date=1972}}
* {{Cite book |last=Haykal |first=Muhammad Husayn |author-link=Muhammad Husayn Haykal |date=1976 |title=The Life of Muhammad}}
* {{cite book |author=Lings, Martin |title=Muhammad – his life based on the earliest sources |publisher=[[Inner Traditions – Bear & Company|Inner traditions international]] |date=1983 |author-link=Martin Lings}}
* {{cite book |last=al-Mubarakpuri |first=Safi ur Rahman |title=[[Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum]] |publisher=[[Muslim World League]] |date=1979}}
* {{cite book |last=Nomani |first=Shibli |author-link=Shibli Nomani |title=Sirat Al-Nabi |publisher=[[Pakistan Historical Society]] |date=1970}}
* {{cite book |last=Reeves |first=Minou |author-link=Minou Reeves |title=[[Muhammad in Europe]] – A Thousand Years of Western Myth-Making |date=2003 |publisher=[[New York University Press]] |isbn=978-0-8147-7564-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Rodinson |first=Maxime |author-link=Maxime Rodinson |title=Muhammad |publisher=[[Allen Lane|Allen Lane the Penguin Press]] |date=1971 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LqR_mU0qpE4C&q=muhammad+rodinson |isbn=978-1-86064-827-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Watt |first=William Montgomery |author-link=William Montgomery Watt |title=Muhammad at Medina |publisher=[[Oxford University Press|Clarendon Press]] |date=1956 |url=https://archive.org/details/muhammadatmedina029655mbp |isbn=0-19-577286-5}}
* {{cite book |last=Tucker |first=Spencer C. |author-link=William Montgomery Watt |title=The Encyclopedia of Middle East Wars – The United States in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq Conflicts [5 volumes]: The United States in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq Conflicts |publisher=[[ABC-Clio]] |date=2010 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U05OvsOPeKMC |isbn=9781851099481}}
* {{cite book |last=Watt |first=William Montgomery |author-link=William Montgomery Watt |title=Muhammad – Prophet and Statesman |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=1974 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zLN2hNidLw4C&q=muhammad+watt |isbn=0-19-881078-4}}

{{Wives of Muhammad}}
{{Honoured women in Islam}}
{{Characters and names in the Quran}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Wives of Muhammad| ]]
[[Category:Marriage in Islam]]
[[Category:Lists of wives]]
[[Category:Polygyny in Islam]]