Wives and Children’s of the Prophet
Muhammad PBUH
Sayyadah
Khadijah (Radi Allahu Anha)
This noble lady belonged to the Quraish tribe.
She is also known as “Khatijatul Kubra” or “Khadijah the Great.”
Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi
wasallam) married her when he was 25 years old and she was 40 years old. She
was a very devoted wife, companion and councillor, ever ready to stand by Sayyiduna
Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) in all trials and tribulations. She
proved to be an immense support and help to the Cause of Islam. She passed away
at the age of 65 years on the 11th of Ramadaan – 10 years after the first
revelation. Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) has said about
her: “The noblest women of the world are Sayyadah Mariam (alaihis salaam) and
Sayyadah Khadijah (radi Allahu anha).” (Bukhari Shareef)
Sayyadah Khadijah (radi Allahu anha) had 6
children. They were:
1. Sayyiduna Qasim (radi Allahu anhu): He was the eldest son and
passed away in infancy.
2. Sayyiduna Abdullah (radi Allahu anhu): He was born during the
period of Prophethood and was called “Tayyab” and “Taahir.” He also passed away
in infancy.
3. Sayyadah Zaynab (radi Allahu anha): She was the eldest daughter.
She married Sayyiduna Abul Aas (radi Allahu anhu) who only accepted Islam just
a year after she passed away in 8 A.H. She passed away from a wound she
received while on the Hijrah to Madinatul Munawwarah. She had two children –
Sayyiduna Ali (radi Allahu anhu) and Sayyiduna Umama (radi Allahu anhu).
4. Sayyadah Ruqayyah (radi Allahu anha): She was first married to
Utba, son of Abu Lahab. She did not live with him and he divorced her. She then
married Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (radi Allahu anhu) and migrated with him to Abyssinia
and finally settled in Madinatul Munawwarah. They had one son, Sayyiduna
Abdullah (radi Allahu anhu) who passed away at the age of 6. She passed away in
2 A.H. after an illness.
5. Sayyadah Umme Kulthum (radi Allahu anha): She was first married
to Utaibah, another son of Abu Lahab. She did not want to live with him and he
divorced her. In 3 A.H. she married Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (radi Allahu anhu). His
first wife, Sayyadah Ruqayyah (radi Allahu anha), passed away. She passed away
in Shabaan of 9 A.H.
6. Sayyadah Fathima (radi Allahu anhu): She was the youngest
daughter of Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam). She married
Sayyiduna Ali (radi Allahu anhu). They had 3 sons and 2 daughters. Sayyiduna
Imam Hassan, Sayyiduna Imam Hussain, Sayyiduna Mohsin, Sayyadah Umme Kulthum
and Sayyadah Zainab (radi Allahu anhumul ajma’in). She passed away a few months
after Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) left this world. She is
considered to be “Sayyidatun Nisaa min Ahlil Jannah” or “Leader of the Women of
Paradise.”
Sayyadah Sa’uda (Radi Allahu Anha)
Sayyadah Sa’uda (radi Allahu anha) was a widow
and the daughter of Sayyadah Zama (radi Allahu anhu). She married Sayyiduna
Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) after Sayyadah Khadijah (radi Allahu
anha) had passed away. Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) was
then 55 years old.
She was generous, affectionate and kind. The
reason for his marriage was that he needed someone to care for his children so
that he could concentrate on the heavy responsibilities of Prophethood.
Sayyadah Aisha Siddique (radi Allahu anha) has said about her: “It is only
Sa’uda, on seeing whom, I wish my soul lived in her body.” Sayyadah Sa’uda
(radi Allahu anha) passed away in 55 A.H
Sayyadah Aisha Siddique (Radi Allahu Anha)
She was the daughter of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radi
Allahu anhu) and was unmarried. In the 10th year of the mission, Sayyiduna
Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) married her. Since she was very young
at the time of her marriage, she only began to live with him in Madinatul
Munawwarah in 2 A.H. He married Sayyadah Aisha Siddique (radi Allahu anha) in
order to strengthen the ties of friendship with Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (radi Allahu
anhu), his closest friend and also so that she could teach other women.
Sayyadah Aisha (radi Allahu anha) led a very
simple life without comfort and luxury. She dressed very simple. She served
Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) with utmost devotion and he
loved her very much. She led a very pious life.
When Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi
wasallam) passed away, she was 25 years old. Thereafter, she lived for another
48 years and saw the rule of all the four Khulafaa.
She is remembered for her intelligence,
intuition, her knowledge of Hadith and principles of religion, secrets of
Islamic knowledge, Arabic literature, piety and Islamic Fiqh. She became a
great Madani (person of Madinatul Munawwarah) scholar and knew several thousand
Ahadith by heart. Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) himself
used to teach her and answer her questions. She used to also teach other women.
A great Scholar, Imam Zahri (radi Allahu anhu), has said about her: “Sayyadah Aisha
(radi Allahu anha’s) knowledge will surpass the knowledge of all the males and
Mothers of the Faithful put together.”
Sayyadah Hafsa (Radi Allahu Anha)
She was the daughter of Sayyiduna Umar (radi
Allahu anhu) and was a widow. In 2 or 3 A.H. Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu
alaihi wasallam) married her. He also gave his own daughter, Sayyadah Umm
Kulthum (radi Allahu anha), in marriage to Sayyiduna ‘Uthman (radi Allahu
anhu).
She was a very learned person and spent most of
her time in reading and writing. Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi
wasallam) had personally taught her with the result that she was an authority
on Islamic knowledge. She was also given the original hand-written copy of the
Holy Quran to keep. She was very pious and saintly. She passed away in the
month of Shabaan 45 A.H.
Sayyadah Zaynab (Radi Allahu Anha)
She was the daughter of Khuzaimah. She was a
widow and was poverty stricken. Moved by her piety and self-sacrifice,
Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) married her in 3 A.H.
Sayyadah Zaynab (radi Allahu anha) was a very kind-hearted lady and ever ready
to help the poor and destitute. She would spend all her income on charity and
was called”Ummul Masaakin” or “Mother of the Poor.” She passed away within three
months of her marriage and was buried in Jannatul Baqi.
Sayyadah Umme Salmah (Radi Allahu Anha)
She was the daughter of Abu Ummayyah Sohail. When
her husband passed away she was left with four children and had no means of maintenance.
Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam), now 57 years old, married
her in the month of Shawwal in 4
A.H.
She was very beautiful and used to live a very
pious life. She did all kinds of good works. She was very learned and had a good
knowledge of Hadith. She was able to teach others on Islamic matters. She read
the Holy Quran in the same style as Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi
wasallam). She was almost as learned as Sayyadah Aisha (radi Allahu anha). She
outlived all the Ummahaatul Mu’mineen and passed away at the age of 84 years in
63 A.H.
Sayyadah Zainab (Radi Allahu Anha)
She was the daughter of Jahsh bin Rabah and
married Sayyiduna Zaid bin Harith (radi Allahu anhu), the adopted son of
Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam). After her divorce, she
married Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) in 5 A.H., when he
was 58 years old.
Her marriage to Sayyiduna Zaid (radi Allahu anhu)
was a lesson to all not to distinguish between a free person and a slave in
social matters. She was very generous to the poor people of Madinatul
Munawwarah. She passed away at the age of 53 years in 20 A.H. and lies buried
in Jannatul Baqi. When she passed away, Sayyadah Aisha (radi Allahu anha) said
about her: “Alas, the pious respected lady is no more and has left the orphans
and widows broken-hearted.”
Sayyadah Juwairiyah (Radi Allahu Anha)
She was the daughter of Harith and was a widow.
She was a captive of war and set free by Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi
wasallam) who married her in 5 A.H. As a result of her marriage, the prisoners
which belonged to her tribe were set free. This made many accept Islam.
Sayyadah Juwairiyah (radi Allahu anha) was a
highly self-respecting person. She was very religious-minded and spent most of
her time in Salaah. She was also very learned. She passed away at the age of 65
years in 56 A.H. and lies buried in Jannatul Baqi.
Sayyadah Umme Habibah (Radi Allahu Anha)
She was the daughter of Sayyiduna Abu Sufyaan
(radi Allahu anhu) and a widow. Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi
wasallam) married her when she was 36-37 years old in 6-7 A.H. This marriage
also resulted in Sayyiduna Khalid bin Walid (radi Allahu anhu) accepting Islam.
She was a dedicated wife and feared Almighty
Allah much. She had much regard for the poor, down-trodden and destitute and
prayed a lot for the Muslims. She passed away at the age of 73 in 44 A.H.
Sayyadah Safiyah (Radi Allahu Anha)
She was a Jewess and taken captive during the
Battle of Khaibar. Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) married
her in 7 A.H. This made a great impact on the Jews, with the result that many
accepted Islam.
She was very dignified in her behaviour, patient
and polite. She was very much attached to Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu
alaihi wasallam) and he had great regards for her. She was also very generous
and kind-hearted. She was also very learned. She passed away at the age of 50
and is buried in Jannatul Baqi.
Sayyadah Maymuna (Radi Allahu Anha)
She was a widow. Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal
laahu alaihi wasallam) married her in the month of Shawwal when she was 51
years old. Her marriage also drew many towards Islam. She was very pious and
humble and fond of advising Muslim women and freeing slaves. She was also very
learned. She passed away in 51 A.H.
Sayyadah Maria Qibtiya (Radi Allahu Anha)
She was given to Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal
laahu alaihi wasallam) as a gift by the Christian King of Egypt. She accepted
Islam and was very pious. Her marriage also improved the relationship with the
Egyptians. She passed away 5 years after her son passed away and is buried in
Jannatul Baqi.
She had born a son, Sayyiduna Ibrahim (radi
Allahu anhu), who passed away in infancy.
