Muslim historians differ on the exact number of the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) whom he brought into marital life. However, all Muslim historians agree that the Prophet (peace be upon him) married the following women: Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid, his (peace be upon him) children’s mother who was his only wife until her death, ‘Aa’ishah bint Abu Bakr As-Siddeeq, Sawdah bint Zam’ah, Hafsah bint ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, Zaynab bint Khuzaymah, Umm Salamah Hind bint Abu Umayyah, Zaynab bint Jahsh, Juwairiyah bint Al-Haarith, Umm Habeebah Ramlah bint Abu Sufyaan, Safiyyah bint Huyayy and Maymoonah bint Al-Haarith may Allaah be pleased with them all.
1- Khadijah bint Khuwaylid
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (may Allah be pleased with her) was the first of the Prophet’s wives. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married her when he was twenty-five years old, and he did not take another wife until after she died. All his children were born to her, except Ibrahim.
Al-Bukhari entitled a chapter in his Sahih: “The marriage of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her), and her virtues,” in which he narrated a hadith from ‘Aishah who said: “I never felt jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as I did of Khadijah, although she died before he married me, because of what I heard him say about her.” Narrated by al-Bukhari, 3815.
2- Sawdah bint Zam’ah ibn Qays
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married Sawdah bint Zam’ah ibn Qays (may Allah be pleased with her) in the tenth year of his Prophethood. Tabaqat Ibn Sa’d, narrating from al-Waqidi, 8/52-53; Ibn Kathir in al-Bidayah wa’l-Nihayah, 3/149
3– ‘Aishah bint Abi Bakr al-Siddiq
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married ‘Aishah bint Abi Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with her) in Shawwal of the tenth year of the Prophethood. Ibn Sa’d, 8/58-59. She herself said: “The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married me when I was six years old, and consummated the marriage with me when I was nine.” Narrated by al-Bukhari, 3894; Muslim, 1422. Al-Bukhari (5077) also narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not marry any virgin apart from her.
4– Hafsah bint ‘Umar
It was narrated from ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that Hafsah’s husband Khunays ibn Hudhafah, who was one of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and had been present at Badr, died in Madinah. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said: I met ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan and offered Hafsah to him in marriage. I said: If you wish, I will marry Hafsah bint ‘Umar to you. He said: I will think about it. Several nights passed, then he said: I think that I do not want to get married at this time. ‘Umar said: Then I met Abu Bakr and I said: If you wish, I will marry Hafsah bint ‘Umar to you. Abu Bakr kept quiet and did not give me any response. I was more upset about him than about ‘Uthman. Several nights passed, then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) proposed to her and I married her to him. Then Abu Bakr met me and said: Perhaps you felt upset when you offered Hafsah in marriage to me and I did not reply? I said: Yes. He said: Nothing prevented me from responding to your offer but the fact that I knew that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had mentioned her, and I did not want to disclose the secret of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). If he had decided not to marry her, I would have accepted your offer. Narrated by al-Bukhari, 4005.
5– Zaynab bint Khuzaymah
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married Zaynab bint Khuzaymah (may Allah be pleased with her) in Ramadan, thirty-one months after the Hijrah. Tabaqat Ibn Sa’d, 8/115
6– Umm Salamah bint Abi Umayyah
Muslim (918) narrated that Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: “There is no person who is faced with a calamity and says Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’oon, Allahumma ujurni fi musibati w’ukhluf li khayran minha (Truly, to Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return; O Allah, reward me in this calamity and compensate me with something better than it) but Allah will reward him in his calamity and will compensate him with something better than that.” She said: When Abu Salamah died, I said what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had commanded me, and Allah compensated me with someone better than him: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
According to another report: when Abu Salamah died, I said: Who is better than Abu Salamah, the Companion of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)? But Allah decreed that I should say it. Then I got married to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
7– Juwayriyah bint al-Harith
Juwayriyah bint al-Harith (may Allah be pleased with her) fell prisoner to the Muslims during the battle of Banu’l-Mustalaq, and she came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to ask him to help her to manumit herself and buy her freedom. He offered to buy her freedom and marry her, and she accepted. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married her and made her manumission her dowry. When the people came to know of that, they set free their own prisoners, so as to honour the in-laws of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). No woman brought a greater blessing to her people than she did. Narrated by Ibn Ishaq with a hasan isnad. Sirat Ibn Hisham, 3/408-409.
8- Zaynab bint Jahsh
Concerning Zaynab bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her) Allah revealed the words (interpretation of the meaning):
“So when Zayd had accomplished his desire from her (i.e. divorced her), We gave her to you in marriage, so that (in future) there may be no difficulty to the believers in respect of (the marriage of) the wives of their adopted sons when the latter have no desire to keep them (i.e. they have divorced them)” [al-Ahzab 33:37]
She used to boast about this to the other wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), saying: “Your families arranged your marriages but Allah arranged my marriage from above the seven heavens.” Narrated by al-Bukhari, 7420.
9– Umm Habibah bint Abi Sufyan
Abu Dawud (2107) narrated from ‘Urwah from Umm Habibah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she was married to ‘Ubayd-Allah ibn Jahsh, who died in Abyssinia. Then the Negus married her to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and gave her a mahr of four thousand on his behalf, and sent her to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) with Shurahbil ibn Hasanah. Classed as sahih by al-Albani.
10- Maymunah bint al-Harith
It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married Maymunah when he was in ihram. Narrated by al-Bukhari, 1832; Muslim, 1410.
The words “when he was in ihram” are a mistake. In fact the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married her after he exited ihram following ‘Umrat al-Qada’. (See Zad al-Ma’ad, 1/113; Fath al-Bari, hadith no. 5114)
11– Safiyyah bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) set Safiyyah bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab (may Allah be pleased with her) free and married her after the battle of Khaybar. Narrated by al-Bukhari, 371.
These are the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) with whom he consummated marriage. Two of them died during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), namely Khadijah and Zaynab bint Khuzaymah (may Allah be pleased with them both). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) left behind nine wives when he died; there is no difference of scholarly opinion on this matter. (See Zad al-Ma’ad, 1/105-114)
It was said that Rayhanah bint ‘Amr al-Nadariyyah (or al-Quraziyyah) was also one of his wives. She was taken prisoner during the battle of Bani Qurayzah, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) chose her for himself and married her, then he divorced her then took her back. (Tabaqat Ibn Sa’d , narrating from al-Waqidi, 8/130)
Quranic Commands to the Prophet’s Wives
There are Quranic verses revealed about the Prophet’s wives, in which certain commands are directed at them:
The rewards and punishments of the Prophet’s wives are doubled.
“O wives of the Prophet! If any of you were to commit a blatant misconduct, the punishment would be doubled for her. And that is easy for Allah. And whoever of you devoutly obeys Allah and His Messenger and does good, We will grant her double the reward, and We have prepared for her an honorable provision”.
Therefore, because they serve as role models for other women because of their relationship with the Prophet, if the Prophet’s wives behaved righteously, their rewards would be doubled, and if they did an indecent conduct, their punishments would be twice. The Quranic verse, which Quranic exegetes also cite,
“O wives of the Prophet! You are not like other women: if you are wary [of Allah]”
To demonstrate that their commitment is more burdensome than that of other individuals because it is illogical for obligations to be the same while benefits vary.
Lead a frugal, simple life if you want the Prophet and the Hereafter
Qur’anic verses state the following:
“ O Prophet! Say to your wives, “If you desire the life of this world and its luxury, then come, I will give you a ˹suitable˺ compensation ˹for divorce˺ and let you go graciously. But if you desire Allah and His Messenger and the ˹everlasting˺ Home of the Hereafter, then Surely Allah has prepared a great reward for those of you who do good.”
Accordingly, if the Prophet’s wives wanted the Prophet (s) and the Hereafter, then they had to adopt a simple way of life; and if they wanted life in this world, then the Prophet had to divorce them and pay their mahrs. As suggested in Tafsir-i nimuna, the verse was revealed when some of the Prophet’s wives express complaints about their life conditions. When they saw the booties acquired by Muslims in battles, they asked for a share of those booties. The Prophet (s) refused to meet their demands and withdrew from them for one month until the above verses were revealed.
Do not be soft in speech
“ O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women: if you are mindful ˹of Allah˺, then do not be overly effeminate in speech ˹with men˺ or those with sickness in their hearts may be tempted, but speak in a moderate tone”.
The Prophet’s wives were not allowed to soften their voice, lest that might have aroused lustful men.
Speak honorable words
“ But speak in a moderate tone”.
The Prophet’s wives had the obligation to speak in ways that were satisfactory to Allah and the Prophet (s)—in right and just manners.
Stay in your houses and do no display your adornments
“ Settle in your homes, and do not display yourselves as women did in the days of ˹pre-Islamic˺ ignorance. Establish prayer, pay alms-tax, and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah only intends to keep ˹the causes of˺ evil away from you and purify you completely, O members of the ˹Prophet’s˺ family!”
Allah asks the Prophet’s wives to stay in their houses and not display their bodies or adornments to others, as was customary in the period of ignorance. According to Quranic exegetes, this is a general ruling, extending to all Muslim women. It was addressed to the Prophet’s wives because the ruling is more emphatic in their case.
Maintain the prayer and pay the zakat
“Maintain the prayer and pay the zakat, and obey Allah and His Apostle”
The Prophet’s wives should say prayers, pay the zakat, and obey God and the Prophet (s). According to Quranic exegetes, these commands are not restricted to the Prophet’s wives, although they are more emphatic in their case. ‘Allama Tabataba’i says that, of all rulings, this verse picks out the prayer and the zakat, which is because they constitute the tenets of all worships and transactions, respectively, other commands being included in the obedience of God and the Prophet (s).
Seize the opportunity of the Prophet’s company
“ ˹Always˺ remember what is recited in your homes of Allah’s revelations and ˹prophetic˺ wisdom.1 Surely Allah is Most Subtle, All-Aware”.
Quranic Commands to Muslims in their Treatment of the Prophet’s Wives
The Quran has issued rulings concerning how Muslims should treat the Prophet’s wives:
Speaking from behind a curtain
“When you ask [his] womenfolk for something, do so from behind a curtain. That is more chaste for your hearts and theirs”
When Muslim men had to talk the Prophet’s wives, they should do so from behind a curtain. The term “hijab” here is not just the ordinary hijab that Muslim women should wear. It is an additional ruling, specific to the Prophet’s wives: there had to be a curtain between them and men, to prevent faultfinding about them and to protect their honor.
Forbiddance of Marriage with the Prophet’s Wives
“nor may you ever marry his wives after him”
– Muslims were not allowed to marry the Prophet’s wife after his demise, since they were the spiritual mothers of the faithful. There are possible accounts of why such marriage was forbidden, including the following:
– Prevention of any disgrace for the Prophet (s): some people had decided to marry the Prophet’s wives after his death, so as to humiliate him.
– Prevention of any abuse of power: if marriage with the Prophet’s wives was allowed, some people could gain a social advantage through such marriage, or they could distort Islamic doctrines under the pretext that they had a special access to his ideas.
– Marriage with the Prophet’s wives was banned because they would be the Prophet’s wives in the Heaven.
