A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE LIVES OF THE WIVES OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD (s)

Prophet Muhammad's Wives

UMMAHAATUL MU'MINEEN (MOTHERS OF THE FAITHFUL)

AND

CHILDREN OF RASULULLAH (s)

A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE LIVES OF THE WIVES OF SAYYIDUNA RASULULLAH (S).

Sayyida KHADIJAH (r)

This noble lady belonged to the Quraish tribe. She is also known as "Khatijatul Kubra" or "Khadijah the Great." Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s) married her when he was 25 years old and she was 40 years old. She was a very devoted wife, companion and counselor, ever ready to stand by Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s) 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 (s) has said about her: "The noblest women of the world are Sayyida Mariam (alaiha as-salaam) and Sayyida Khadijah (r)." (Bukhari Shareef)

 

Sayyida SA'UDA (r)

Sayyida Sa'uda (r) was a widow and the daughter of Sayyida Zama (r). She married Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s) after Sayyida Khadijah (r) 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. Sayyida Aisha Siddiqa (r) has said about her: "It is only Sa'uda, on seeing whom, I wish my soul lived in her body." Sayyida Sa'uda (r) passed away in 55 A.H. 

Sayyida AISHA SIDDIQA (r)

She was the daughter of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (r) and was unmarried. In the 10th year of the mission, Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s) 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 Sayyida Aisha Siddiqa (r) in order to strengthen the ties of friendship with Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (r), his closest friend and also so that she could teach other women. Sayyida Aisha (r) led a very simple life without comfort and luxury. She dressed very simple. She served Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s) with utmost devotion and he loved her very much. She led a very pious life.

When Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s) 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 (s) himself used to teach her and answer her questions. She used to also teach other women. A great Scholar, Imam Zahri (r), has said about her: "Sayyida Aisha's (r) knowledge will surpass the knowledge of all the males and Mothers of the Faithful put together."

Sayyida HAFSA (r)

She was the daughter of Sayyiduna Umar (r) and was a widow. In 2 or 3 A.H. Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s) married her. He also gave his own daughter, Sayyida Umm Kulthum (r), in marriage to Sayyiduna 'Uthman (r). She was a very learned person and spent most of her time in reading and writing. Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s) 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. 

Sayyida ZAYNAB (r)

She was the daughter of Khuzaimah. She was a widow and was poverty stricken. Moved by her piety and self-sacrifice, Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s) married her in 3 A.H. Sayyida Zaynab (r) 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. 

Sayyida UMME SALMAH (r)

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 (s), 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 (s). She was almost as learned as Sayyida Aisha (r). She outlived all the Ummahaatul Mu'mineen and passed away at the age of 84 years in 63 A.H. 

Sayyida ZAINAB (r)

She was the daughter of Jahsh bin Rabah and married Sayyiduna Zaid bin Harith (r), the adopted son of Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s). After her divorce, she married Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s) in 5 A.H., when he was 58 years old. Her marriage to Sayyiduna Zaid (r) [Bahasu Indonesia] 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, Sayyida Aisha (r) said about her: "Alas, the pious respected lady is no more and has left the orphans and widows broken-hearted." 

Sayyida JUWAIRIYAH (r)

She was the daughter of Harith and was a widow. She was a captive of war and set free by Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s) 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. Sayyida Juwairiyah (r) 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. 

Sayyida UMME HABIBAH (r)

She was the daughter of Sayyiduna Abu Sufyaan (r) and a widow. Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s) married her when she was 36-37 years old in 6-7 A.H. This marriage also resulted in Sayyiduna Khalid bin Walid (r) 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. 

Sayyida SAFIYAH (r)

She was a Jewess and taken captive during the Battle of Khaibar. Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s) 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 (s) 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. 

Sayyida MAYMUNA (r)

She was a widow. Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s) 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. 

Sayyida MARIA QIBTIYA (r)

She was given to Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s) 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.

CHILDREN OF RASULULLAH (s)

Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s) had children from only two of his wives. They were Sayyida Khadijah (r) and Sayyida Maria Qibtiya (r).

Sayyida KHADIJAH (r)

Sayyida Khadijah (r) had 6 children. They were:

• Sayyiduna Qasim (r): He was the eldest son and passed away in infancy.

• Sayyiduna Abdullah (r): He was born during the period of Prophethood and was called "Tayyab" and "Taahir." He also passed away in infancy.

• Sayyida Zaynab (r): She was the eldest daughter. She married Sayyiduna Abul Aas (r) 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 (r) and Sayyiduna Umama (r).

• Sayyida Ruqayyah (r): 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 (r) and migrated with him to Abyssinia and finally settled in Madinatul Munawwarah. They had one son, Sayyiduna Abdullah (r) who passed away at the age of 6. She passed away in 2 A.H. after an illness.

• Sayyida Umme Kulthum (r): 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 (r). His first wife, Sayyida Ruqayyah (r), passed away. She passed away in Shabaan of 9 A.H.

• Sayyida Fathima (r): She was the youngest daughter of Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s). She married Sayyiduna Ali (r). They had 3 sons and 2 daughters. Sayyiduna Imam Hassan, Sayyiduna Imam Hussain, Sayyiduna Mohsin, Sayyida Umme Kulthum and Sayyida Zainab (r). She passed away a few months after Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s) left this world. She is considered to be "Sayyidatun Nisaa min Ahlil Jannah" or "Leader of the Women of Paradise."

Sayyida MARIA QIBTIYA (r):

Sayyiduna Ibrahim (r): Sayyida Maria (r) bore Sayyiduna Rasulullah (s) a son, Sayyiduna Ibrahim (r), who passed away in infancy.

Compiled by the Imam Ahmed Raza Academy South Africa

Source: http://onislam.net

Brief Sketch of Mothers of Believers by www.quransearchonline.com/HomeBiography.asp

Setting Her Own Standards - Lady Hafsah - Prophet Muhammad's Wives

Prophet Muhammad's Wives

Lady Hafsah

The Prophet's Fourth Wife

(Setting Her Own Standards)

Umar ibn Al-Khattab was dreaming of marrying his daughter to the Prophet and obtaining the great honor of being in-laws.

Ever since he embraced Islam, Umar ibn Al-Khattab was a most remarkable and dedicated advocate of the new faith. A man with clear and direct vision, Umar could always come up with sensible ideas to sort out difficult questions.

As a close companion of Prophet Muhammad, he always advocated direct action, reflecting strong commitment to the cause. The same sort of attitude could only be expected in his private life.

Umar's daughter, Hafsah, was married to Khunays ibn Hudhafah, who adopted Islam in its early years and was among those who immigrated to Abyssinia in response to the Prophet's advice.

After rejoining the Muslim community in Madinah, Khunays took part in the first two major battles the Muslims fought at Badr and Uhud. In the second of these, he was badly injured and died soon afterward, leaving behind his young wife, Hafsah, who was perhaps in her early twenties.

Looking at his daughter's misfortune, Umar thought that he should find her a good husband. He thought of his friend Abu Bakr, as he knew him to be wise, caring and most dedicated to the Islamic cause.

The fact that Abu Bakr was ten years older than him was not a point of issue with Umar. He knew that Abu Bakr would take good care of Hafsah. Therefore, Umar went to him and spoke about her and his concern for her wellbeing. Abu Bakr listened attentively, perhaps guessing Umar's drift. Umar, however, soon made his purpose clear, saying to his friend:

"I will give you Hafsah in marriage if you wish to take her."

Perhaps Umar could not foresee that his proposal would not be met with ready acceptance. Yet Abu Bakr remained silent. To Umar, that was baffling. Therefore, the conversation ended and Umar left, feeling rather upset.

His daughter's future happiness remained his main preoccupation. Therefore, he went to Uthman, who had suffered the loss of his own wife around 18 months earlier.

When Umar suggested to him that he could marry Hafsah, Uthman requested a few days to think it over. Uthman then met Umar and told him that he did not wish to marry for the present.

Someone Better Than Uthman

Hafsah will marry someone better than Uthman, 

and Uthman will marry someone better than Hafsah

Umar was very upset at this double rejection. He went to the Prophet, seeking the comfort of his company. The Prophet received him well, recognizing that he was upset. Umar soon poured out the reason, perhaps adding that it was rather humiliating to face such rejection.

The Prophet smiled and said to him:

"Hafsah will marry someone better than Uthman, and Uthman will marry someone better than Hafsah."

These words took Umar by surprise. What? Who? Could it be true? Does the Prophet mean himself? Who else?

The Prophet soon put all these questions out of Umar's mind and said that he wanted Hafsah to be his wife. Umar was overjoyed and went to his daughter giving her the happiest news. She was to be the wife of none other than Prophet Muhammad.

Soon afterward, Abu Bakr and Uthman made their positions clear. Both had heard the Prophet mentioning Hafsah and realized that he wanted to marry her. They could not speak out until the Prophet had made his intention clear to Umar.

Therefore, they would rather accept that Umar might feel upset at their lack of response, realizing that the matter would soon come to a very happy conclusion. Thus, the third of the Prophet's marriages after Khadijah took place.

After he adopted Islam and experienced the happiness provided to him by his close association with the Prophet (peace be upon him), nothing gave Umar ibn Al-Khattab greater pleasure than his daughter's marriage to the Prophet. This was beyond his wildest dreams.

Hence, he was always keen to ensure that the Prophet should find in Hafsah a wife that brought him comfort and happiness. He kept counseling her to do her duty to her husband and not to engage in anything that would displease him.

After all, she was married to the man God had chosen to deliver His last message to mankind and to provide, by word and action, a perfect model of Islamic refined manners and serious morality. Young people, however, do not look at things in the same way as their elders. They may acknowledge that their parents have had more experience, but they tend to dismiss such experience as irrelevant to their own situation.

A Strong Character

How come you object to something that I say 

when it is none of your business?

Hafsah, a young wife in her early twenties coming into a home where there were already two wives, appears to have tried to carve a strong position for herself.

One day Umar said something to his wife, but she objected to it. Brought up in the Makkan traditions of the time, he said to her:

"How come you object to something that I say when it is none of your business?"

She said: "Why should I not object when the Prophet’s wives may object to him? In fact, any of them might sulk and the Prophet might remain upset all day."

Umar felt that was very serious. He feared that his daughter could do that when it was very unpleasant to any husband. Moreover, he loved the Prophet so much that he would try to remove anything that could displease him.

Therefore, he went to Hafsah and said to her:

"Is it true that you might sulk all day long?"

When she acknowledged that, he admonished her with all the love and care a father feels when he realizes that his daughter was on a dangerous course. He said:

"Daughter! I warn you against incurring God's punishment and the displeasure of His messenger."

Referring to Lady Aishah, he counseled her not to join her into action motivated by jealousy:

"Do not be tempted by your mate who is proud of her beauty and the Prophet's love. You know that the Prophet does not have the same love for you. Had it not been for me, he might have divorced you."

She was ready to express her opinion, 
even in objection to the Prophet

Yet Hafsah had inherited a strong character. How could she miss out when she was Umar's daughter? She was ready to express her opinion, even in objection to the Prophet on a matter of religion. The Prophet once said:

"None of my companions who gave me their pledges under the tree will ever be in hell."

This was a reference to the Prophet's 1400 companions who tried to do the Umrah with him in Makkah, but the unbelievers tried to prevent their entry into the city.

The standoff threatened to culminate into a battle and the Prophet sought a pledge from his companions to fight until death. They all readily gave him that pledge when he was standing under a tree.

Shortly afterward, the Treaty of Hudaibiyah was signed between the two parties. In the Quran, God states clearly that He was pleased with those Companions of the Prophet. When the Prophet said this, Hafsah said:

"Yes, they will do."

The Prophet was displeased with her, but she recited the verse that says in reference to hell:

{There is not one among you who shall not pass over it: This is, for your Lord, a decree that must be fulfilled} (19:71)

The Prophet answered:

"But God also said: {But We shall save those who are God-fearing, and leave the wrongdoers there, on their knees} (19:72)"

Reports of Divorce

God commands you to take Hafsah back, 
for she is a highly devoted servant of God

Hafsah was the only one among the Prophet's wives who was divorced by the Prophet (peace be upon him). There are several reports suggesting the reason for the divorce, but none of them carries much weight so as to be more probable.

It is perhaps better to say that the main reason was Hafsah's own character, while one or the other of these suggested reasons triggered the Prophet's action. She was a woman of strong character, bold and self-assured. When the Prophet divorced her, she was extremely sad.

However, it was her father who felt the divorce to be his own personal catastrophe. He threw dust over his own head and lamented:

"Why will God care for Umar and his daughter now that she is divorced?"

However, the divorce did not last long. The angel Gabriel came to the Prophet with this order:

"God commands you to take Hafsah back, as a kindness to Umar."

Another report suggests that Gabriel said:

"God commands you to take Hafsah back, for she is a highly devoted servant of God and she is your wife in heaven."

Needless to say, the Prophet immediately carried out God's order and Hafsah was back as one of the Prophet's wives, the mother of all believers, as Muslims refer to the Prophet's wives.

We should reflect a little on these two reports. The first tells us that God Almighty sent His angel with the command that the Prophet should take back his divorced wife in kindness to her father.

God knew that Umar would spend the rest of his life in sorrow, should the divorce be made permanent. He felt that the great love he felt toward the Prophet was cemented by this marriage. Now that the marital bond was severed, he felt lost, uncared for by God or His messenger. Hence, his lamentation.

The other report mentions the virtues of Hafsah and her dedication to the cause of Islam and continuous devotion. She was a woman worthy of being a wife of God's messenger and a mother of all believers. Hence Gabriel tells the Prophet that she will be among his wives in heaven.

The two reports are not mutually exclusive. In fact both could be true. The angel might have said both statements when he brought to the Prophet God's command to reinstate his marriage to Hafsah.

When the Prophet had several wives, mutual jealousy was inevitable. We need to remember that none of them thought that it was wrong for a man to marry more than one wife. Polygamy was the normal practice in Arabia and many other parts of the world.

Islam simply restricted it, allowing a man no more than four wives. The Prophet, however, had an exemption because of his special status and the needs of his message.

Source: http://onislam.net