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1 A Brief Look at The Wives of Prophet Muhammad: Mothers of the Believers Faqir Hussain Shakir Hazrat Khadijah: Hazrat Khadijah had become widowed twice before she married the third time at the age of 40 to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who was only 25 years old. She was a rich and highly respected person in Makkah who had earned great respect among her people for her piety and generosity. She had also children from her previous marriages. The marriage of Prophet Muhammad with Hazrat Khadijah lasted for 25 years when she died in Makkah at the age of 65. Prophet Muhammad had never had a second wife during the lifetime of Hazrat Khadijah. They had several children from this marriage. Hazrat Saudah: After the death of Hazrat Khadijah, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was alone and there was no one to look after his young family. Hazrat Saudah was widow of a ripe old age. She was one of the earlier refugees to Ethiopia who had left Makkah for the fear of persecution. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) honoured her for her sacrifices in the cause of Islam by marrying this brave lady. She was a motherly figure who looked after Prophet's children with love and tender care. She alone was Prophet's wife for the next four years until he married Hazrat Ayesha. Hazrat Ayesha: Ayesha, the daughter of Hazrat Abu Bakar Siddique; the first khalifah of the Islamic State, was the third wife of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). She turned out to be one of the greatest Islamic scholars of her time who was not only expert in Islamic jurisprudence but possessed good knowledge of ancient Arab history, literature, mathematics and medicines. She surpassed all the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), except Hazrat Abu Hurairah, by quoting over two thousand and two hundred Sahih Hadiths (sayings/actions of the Prophet). She was a source of knowledge, for both men and women that illuminated the lands for 48 years after the death of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Hazrat Hafzah: Hazrat Hafzah was the daughter of Hazrat Omar, the second Khalifah of the Islamic State. She had become a widow after her husband earned the martyrdom in the battle of Uhad. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) wanted to comfort her and her father Hazrat Omar who was so close to the Prophet. He decided to marry Hazrat Hafzah 2 to bring the tribal ties even closer. This was a marriage that cemented the relationship of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) with not only Hazrat Omar but also his tribe Banu Adi. Hazrat Hafzah, blessed with a great memorising power, was one of a few Arab women at the time that could read and write. She was also the custodian of the first copy of the holy Quran once it was put together during the Khilafat period of Hazrat Abu Bakar Siddique in about 634 C.E Hazrat Zainab bint Khuzaimah: Hazrat Zainab belonged to a very powerful Arab tribe Aamar bin Sa'sa'h who was well known for its enmity towards Islam. She was a very generous lady and had earned a title of "Ummul Masaakeen - the mother of the poor" even before she had entered into the folds of Islam. She was highly placed in the eyes of her tribe. Hazrat Zainab became widowed after her husband Hazrat Ubaidullah ibn Haarith was martyred in the battle of Badr. Her tribe was a fierce enemy of Islam. After the martyrdom of Hazrat Ubaidullah, Prophet Muhammad decided to marry Hazrat Zainab in order to soften the relationships between Islam and her tribe. Hazrat Zainab suffered from ill health and, at the age of 30, died in Madinah after only three months of marriage to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Hazrat Umm-e-Salmah: Hazrat Umm-e-Salmah belonged to a famous Arab tribe Banu Makhzoom. She was a close relative of Hazrat Khalid ibn Walid. Hazrat Umm-e-Salmah and her husband became Muslims in the earlier years of Islam. They also escaped to Ethiopia from the fear of persecution in Makkah. Many years later, they returned to Madinah where her husband was blessed with martyrdom in the battle of Uhad in Hijrah 3. Hazrat Umm-e-Salmah had suffered a lot in her life and now she had lost her husband in the cause of Islam. She was old with many children under her care. This was the time when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) offered himself to marry her in order to take care of her family and to comfort her broken heart. It was such an unexpected honour for her that she could not refuse this noble offer. The political consequences were far reaching as the tribe Banu Makhzoom and Khalid ibn Walid, who were still the fierce enemies of Islam, came closer to Islam. Their enmity was severely dented by this marriage. We must not forget that marriage alliance in any culture but especially in a tribal society brings people together and helps to evaporate old feuds and enmities. Hazrat Umm-e-Salmah was also among those few women who had acquired reading and writing skills. She lived for a long time and died in Hijrah 61 by leaving a legacy of many Hadiths and Traditions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) for the Muslim Ummah. Hazrat Zainab bint Jahsh: Hazrat Zainab's mother was Umaimah, the daughter of Abdul Muttalib who was the grandfather of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Thus, Umaimah was aunt of the Prophet and Hazrat Zainab was his close cousin. Obviously, she belonged to the noble tribe of Quraish. The Arabs were very proud of their genealogy. Prophet Muhammad's adopted son, Hazrat Zaid ibn Haarith, was a slave whom the Prophet had freed. The Prophet wanted to abolish the racial inequalities among all mankind so he married 3 his noble cousin Hazrat Zainab to his adopted son Hazrat Zaid ibn Haarith. However, the marriage went on the rock after some time on account of incompatibilities between the couple. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) tried to save their marriage but eventually they were divorced. In the ancient Arab society, it was a taboo to marry adopted son's wife. It was considered a shameful act but Allah wanted to abolish it forever as it carried many unjust practical implications for the family and the society at large. Surah Al-Ahzaab was revealed at the right time when Hazrat Zaid ibn Haarith divorced his wife Hazrat Zainab. Allah Subhanahu commanded Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to marry Hazrat Zainab to abolish this unjust tradition once for all and so the marriage of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) with his adopted son's divorced wife and his close cousin took place under the direct commandment of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. This is one of the greatest social events in the history of Islam that raised the slaves to the highest social ladders as well as got rid of the unjust customs. Hazrat Zainab died in Hijrah 20. Hazrat Juwairiyah bint Al-Haarith: Hazrat Juwairiyah belonged to a very powerful tribe Banu Al-Mustaliq, an ally of Jewish tribes, who was a staunch enemy of Islam. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) discovered through his network of intelligence sources the tribe of Banu Al-Mustaliq was planning to attack Madinah. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), on such occasions, would not wait as a rule for the enemy to attack. Instead, he went with his companions like a lightening and surrounded them at dawn. The enemy was defeated and surrendered. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) treated the enemy with kindness and even returned the war booty. The tribe was so impressed that they accepted Islam. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) married Hazrat Juwairiyah on this occasion to put a dent in the strength of his enemies. Hazrat Juwairiyah was an extremely pious lady. She has quoted many Hadiths. She lived nearly 47 years after the departure of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Hazrat Umm-e-Habibah bint Hazrat Abu Sufiyan: Hazrat Umm-e-Habibah, the sister of Amir Muaawiya, was an earlier Muslim who had migrated to Ethiopia with her husband from the fear of persecution in Makkah. Umme-Habibah's husband turned to Christianity in Ethiopia and forced his wife to follow him but she stood firm on her faith. It is reported that her husband later drowned and died in Ethiopia. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) wanted to comfort and reassure Hazrat Umm-e-Habibah in a distant land of Ethiopia hundreds of miles away from home. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) proposed her for marriage through Najjashi, the king of Ethiopia. The marriage had also far-reaching political implications, as Abu Sufiyan, the leader of Quraish of Makkah, was still a fierce enemy of Islam. This marriage severely dented the enmity of Abu Sufiyan towards Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as it was considered an unworthy act of fighting with one's son-in-law in that tribal society. Hazrat Umm-e-Habibah was an exemplary figure of piety and left a considerable wealth of Hadiths and Sunnah's traditions. She had a long life and died in Hijrah 59. 4 Hazrat Safia bint Hayye: Hazrat Safia was a daughter of a Jewish leader of Khaiber. Muslims in Hijrah 7 conquered Khaiber and she was among the prisoners of war. Hazrat Safia accepted Islam and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) married her to soften the enmity of Jews against Islam. Hazrat Safia was a very God-fearing lady who looked after the poor and needy alike. She died in Hijrah 50. Hazrat Rehanah: Hazrat Rehanah belonged to a famous Jewish tribe of Banu Quraizah. During the conquest of Khaiber, she became a prisoner of war. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), for political reasons, freed and married her to diffuse the enmity of Jewish tribes towards Islam. Hazrat Maimunah bint Al-Haarith: Hazrat Maimunah belonged to a Najdi tribe of Aamar ibn Sa'sa'h. She was the stepsister of Hazrat Zainab bint Khuzaimah and had other eight sisters who were married in different tribes. She, herself, was a widow. In the year Hijrah 7 Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) went for Umrah in Makkah where Hazrat Maimunah bequeathed herself (Hibah) to the service of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) (see Surah Al-Ahzaab verse number 50). It is reported, however, that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) paid the Mehr (religiously approved sum of money) and married Hazrat Maimunah in order to strengthen relationships with all the other tribes who were related to the tribe of Aamar ibn Sa'sa'h. Hazrat Maimunah died in Hijrah 51 and quoted a number of Hadiths. Hazrat Maria of Egypt: Hazrat Maria was a slave lady who was sent as a gift by the Patriarch of Egypt to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) when he invited him to accept Islam after the Peace Treaty at Hudaibiah with the Quraish of Makkah in Hijrah 6. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) freed Hazrat Maria. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had a son Ibrahim from Hazrat Maria but the son died in his infancy. A BRIEF NOTE: Any just person can see that these latter marriages had nothing to do with sexual motives or desires but rather to bring people closer to one another in a most practical way. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has set a model of how to treat wives with justice and equality. Now let us look at some of his achievements in terms of his marriages. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was born into a society of multitude of tribes spread over a vast land that had seen no government, no police force to keep peace and no law and order at any level for centuries. The society as a whole was uncouth, undisciplined and almost brute to say the least. The task of Prophet Muhammad 5 (pbuh) was to knead, mould and polish this human brute force into the leaders of mankind and this he accomplished in only 23 years. This is a unique event, in fact, a miracle in the entire history of mankind. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Movement who was appointed by Allah, Himself, to deliver His Divine Message to mankind. The canvass of responsibilities of Prophet Muhammad was beyond our imagination from teaching manners and personal hygiene to designing rules and regulations for peace and war. In fact, to formulate laws to cover all aspects of human life and then to install them into the fabric of the society in a practical manner. To attain this, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) required as much flexibility as was endowed by Allah in terms of marrying more than four wives as mentioned in Surah Al-Ahzaab verse 50. He was also commanded by Allah to perform certain obligations (Farz) whereas the Muslim Ummah is exempted from them. For instance, the past-midnight prayer (Tahajjad) is Farz or obligatory for the Prophet but optional for his followers; Sadaqah (charity) and Zakah (poor-due) were forbidden for Prophet Muhammad and his family; his inheritance could not be divided but given away in charity, and his wives (the Mothers of Believers) could not remarry after his death etc. Islam forbids the free and open interaction of men and women. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) married women from different backgrounds, with different skills and ages for a variety of reasons. One of the reasons was to train his wives not only in all aspects of Islamic life but also about women's private matters and issues that only women could talk to women. The Mothers of the Believers learned from Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and passed the information to other women of all ages. In fact, they became living fountains of this acquired knowledge for decades for all the seekers after the death of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in 632 C.E. Some of the marriages into different enemy tribes were socio-political in order to curtail the enmity towards Islam of the non-Muslims opposing tribes. This helped to bring the tribes closer to Islam and eventually all the Arab tribes accepted Islam. The marriage to Hazrat Zainab bint Jahsh was ordained by Allah Himself as described in the holy Quran in Surah Al-Ahzaab, verse 37. Thus, the ancient unjust custom was abolished once for all when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) married his adopted son's wife Hazrat Zainab. One of the great lessons that we learn from the foregoing note is that polygamy in Islam has a much wider canvass than what we have confined it to today; for instance, having another wife just because the first wife suffers from bad health or she is barren or there is no male heir in the family etc. It is no less than narrowing down the Shariah of Allah to one's own whims and desires. Polygamy has farreaching practical implications, if observed with the fear of Allah, to stabilise the society in moral terms and harmonise the human relationships at every level. F.H. Shakir Newcastle upon Tyne, UK Email: [email protected] Dated: April, 2000