Lady Zaynab bint Khuzaymah
The Mother of the Poor
Lady Zainab bint Khuzaymah
Zainab
devoted her life to trying to
end poverty in her community.
end poverty in her community.
There is so little mentioned about Lady Zainab bint
Khuzaimah, as her marriage to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was such a short
one — less than a year, in fact — before she passed away.
She was the only wife of the Prophet besides Khadijah bint
Khuwaylid who passed on before her beloved husband.
She was honored as a Mother of the Believers, as his other
wives were, and while Allah (God) may be pleased with all of them, she was the
"lucky" wife who had her husband lead the Funeral Prayer over her
body when she returned to Allah.
During the last days of Prophet Muhammad's life, he
expressed his wish that Aishah — one of his wives — pass on before he did so
that he would be able to ask for forgiveness for her, invoke mercy upon her,
shroud her body, bury her, and pray for her. However, Zainab bint Khuzaimah was
the Mother of the Believers who earned such a privilege when she met her grave
at the tender age of 30.
Lady Zainab was given an additional title alongside being
a Mother of the Believers. This title was "Mother of the Poor". The
title was given to her even before the advent of Islam as she would spend her
time helping the poor and extending her wealth in their aid. Thus, her persona
shone through the following saying of Prophet Muhammad:
"People are like mines of gold and silver; those who
were excellent in the jahiliyah (the pre-Islamic time of ignorance), are
excellent in Islam when they have an understanding." (Muslim, 371)
Prophet Muhammad always spoke of the poor as his next of
kin. He championed their rights and equity by virtue of the Quran, and warned
believers that they would lose their statuses as believers if they did not wish
the same for the poor as they did for themselves.
"Love the poor, for I heard the Messenger of Allah
say in his supplication: ‘O Allah, cause me to live poor and cause me to die
poor, and gather me among the poor (on the Day of Resurrection)." (Ibn
Majah, 4126)
This was certainly true for Zainab who, as reported by one
of the leading biographers or Prophet Muhammad, Ibn Hisham, was given the title
Mother of the Poor "because of her mercy, pity and benevolence towards the
indigent" (Ibn Hisham, 296).
Her charity and kindness were returned
with constant
prayers from this community
According to Muhammad Fathi Musa in his book The Wives of
Prophet Muhammad, Zainab bint Khuzaimah used to spend her wealth on the inhabitants
of the most impoverished Muslim district of her time. Her charity and kindness
were returned with constant prayers from this community, and that is probably
why she is remembered as one of the noblest Muslim women.
She is also remembered as someone who played a fundamental
role in developing Islam's strong societal landscape. It was through her work
that social values were strengthened through supporting the poor and guarding
the property and rights of orphans. Through her example, many other Muslims
followed suit, and took very seriously the Divine decree to safeguard the
rights of the most vulnerable in society.
It is only befitting, then, that Prophet Muhammad would
later wed Zainab bint
Khuzaimah, the "Mother of the Poor". It
is through Allah's guidance that Prophet Muhammad was instructed to draw Zainab
bint Khuzaimah close to him in holy matrimony as a wife and consultant. And
when one reads between the lines of Islamic history, there is always more than
one way to revel in Allah's Divine wisdom.
Much like the other wives, except for Lady Aishah, Zainab
was a widow when she married the Prophet. Her deceased husband, a brave warrior
by the name of Ubaidah ibn Al-Harith, was the first martyr during the Battle of
Badr when his leg was severed by Utbah ibn Rabiah during the opening of the
battle. Ubaidah was then carried back to the troops by his two comrades Hamzah
ibn Abd Al-Muttallib and Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Despite his loss of blood and severe pain, Ubaidah's only
concern was whether he would be considered a martyr in Islam. He managed to ask
Prophet Muhammad before departing from the world, and Prophet Muhammad soothed
him by replying, "Indeed, you are."
Ubaidah managed to meet with his wife after his injury, and
she cared for him until he finally left her. Ubaidah died as one of the
Companions who were promised heaven.
Zainab, was widowed for a year
before Prophet Muhammad was provided the decree to wed her
before Prophet Muhammad was provided the decree to wed her
His young wife, Zainab, was widowed for a year before Prophet
Muhammad was provided the decree to wed her. Her marriage to him was therefore
in equity, as her status was elevated to one of the Mothers of the Believers,
carrying the pride and beauty of iconic Muslims during the golden era of Islam,
much like her martyred husband, whose death has never been forgotten.
The Battle of Badr was such an important feat in Islamic
history that it is even mentioned in the Quran. After all, it was through Badr
that the foundation of the Islamic state was revealed, enabling it to fully develop,
as the Muslims reached their first milestone in Islamic history.
If the Islamic forces had been impeded or destroyed, the
survival of the Muslim community of that time may have been compromised,
curbing any progressive developments of their civilization. They would have
been seen as a hoax, a joke of Arabia at that time, trying vainly to take on a
large army of the powerful Quraish in the name of a foreign faith.
With the pagans outnumbering the Muslims by three men to
one, the martyrs and their wives and children whom they left behind truly
deserve the recognition as Muslims who were willing to sacrifice so much for
the cause of Allah.
Considering the fact that Zainab was so young, she could have begged her husband to refrain from leaving for the battle and to stay by her side for as long as his natural life permitted. Instead, she stood by the Prophet, his message, and her love for Allah, and accepted the path that her husband took before meeting his death.
Considering the fact that Zainab was so young, she could have begged her husband to refrain from leaving for the battle and to stay by her side for as long as his natural life permitted. Instead, she stood by the Prophet, his message, and her love for Allah, and accepted the path that her husband took before meeting his death.
It is through Muslims like Ubaidah and Zainab that this
new Islamic state became something to be reckoned with, and became a recognized
and growing civilization in Arabia.
When Zainab married Prophet Muhammad,
she became his fifth wife
she became his fifth wife
Prophet Muhammad's marriage to Zainab can be seen as a reward
for her steadfastness to her faith, and the exemplary virtues she upheld as a
young Muslim woman who also had to endure the painful emigration from Makkah to
Madinah with her peers of the same faith.
His marriage to her was out of compassion, as Zainab had
lost her beloved husband during a very emotional battle, yet remained patient
and accepting of fate. It was due to her trust in the Divine that she accepted
her own fate with pride and confidence, knowing that her husband was a brave
Muslim who died fighting for a cause. But despite her loss, her charity persisted;
she never looked back on her misfortune, but continued to support those whom she
felt were truly in need.
When Zainab married Prophet Muhammad, she became his fifth
wife — fourth after the death of Lady Khadijah — and a fourth lodging was made
for her adjoining the mosque, just like the other wives (Sawdah, Aishah, and
Hafsah).
Her marriage also bore meaningful lines in history, and
runs deeper than the average union between husband and wife. Although initially
the marriage was out of compassion towards another Muslim, Prophet Muhammad
also wed Zainab through Allah's direction for a special purpose.
Zainab's father, Khuzaimah, was from a Bedouin tribe
called Amir. This marked an important alliance with another clan that was just
beginning to come to terms with the new religion.
The chief of the Amir tribe was an elderly gentleman by
the name of Abu Bara, and though it had been reported that he never embraced
Islam at the time, he declared that he would not oppose the religion. His open
mindedness and his acceptance of Zainab's marriage to Prophet Muhammad opened
doors for Muslims to venture out of Madinah and into areas that were known to
be possible threats to them.
Abu Bara promised that as long as he was the chief of his
tribe, the Muslim community would fall under his protection, as long as they
remained in the vicinities that fell under his wing. His open invitation and
assurance of protection led the Prophet to deploy 40 Muslims to represent Islam
and spread the message of Islam to the whole tribe.
Lady Zainab's marriage continues to dispel the false
allegations that Prophet Muhammad married his younger wives out of lust
Although it turned out that there were a few bad apples
who lingered under Abu Bara's rule, the majority of the Amir tribe supported
his call for Muslim integration. It was through this union that political ties
were strengthened between communities that had barely anything in common in the
first place, except for a young wife who was married to a pious Muslim leader.
Lady Zainab's marriage continues to dispel the false
allegations that Prophet Muhammad married his younger wives out of lust.
Rather, all of his marriages were legal and dignified, and most importantly,
Muslims believe they were ordained by Allah through wisdom that may not have
been clear to all at the time, but the consequences of which we see in the
unfolding of Islam's messages until this very day.
A few short months rolled by and Lady Zainab bint
Khuzaimah passed away. Her departure was bittersweet as it was reportedly the
same year that Al-Husain ibn Ali — the Prophet's first grandchild — was born.
Prophet Muhammad buried Zainab in Al-Baqi amongst the pious Muslims who had
passed before her, with the respect and love she deserved.
Until today, she continues to be revered as one of the Mothers of
Believers and the Mother of the Poor, sending out a strong message to Muslims
around the globe that adversities come with blessings, especially when one is
close to Allah.
Zainab's life teaches us that although a woman might not
bear children, she can still achieve the high status of a mother by taking care
of, working with, and supporting the vulnerable and the needy.
