“A prophet with 9 wives, what kind of prophethood is that! Prophethood of rapists and sex-hungry people of course.” [A fellow non-Muslim, 2010]. Among the most common misunderstood points about Prophet Muhammad is his multiple marriages. Many people take it as an indication that he was a womanizer. Understanding the true circumstances under which those marriages occurred and knowing the quality of the prophet’s wives totally refute this misconception. The next few pages is no more than a summary of the circumstances under which those marriages occurred. May this lift the misunderstanding and clarify the necessity behind which those marriages came to pass.

Please read the following two posts before you continue reading this one: The loyal partner & The Glaring Beacon. This post is their continuation.

Allah says in the Qur’an addressing Prophet Muhammad,
“We have not sent you save as a mercy for all creatures.” [The Qur’an (21:107)].

Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. said, “The one who takes care of a widow or a poor person is like a warrior fighting for the cause of Allah, or like a person who fasts during the day and prays all night.” [Recorded by Bukhari].

Lady Hafsah: She was the daughter of ‘Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, the prophet’s second minister after Abu Bakr. She and her husband were among the first to embrace Islam. They immigrated to Abyssinia then to Madinah. On the battle of Badr, her husband was fatally wounded and died after the battle. Known to have inherited the serious nature of her father, she remained single at her father’s house for a while. Distressed to see her like this, ‘Omar sought a proper husband for his still young daughter; she was 19 years old at that time. He offered her to Othman Ibn Affan but Othman declined. He then offered her to Abu Bakr, but the latter didn’t reply concealing something from ‘Omar. A few days later, Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. proposed to marry her. ‘Omar accepted immediately longing for the honor of being related to the Prophet through marriage. ‘Omar reported that Abu Bakr later on told him, “I didn’t reply because I heard the prophet mention Hafsah, so I doubted that he may propose to her himself. I couldn’t reveal the prophet’s secret. If the prophet didn’t propose to her, I would have accepted to have her as my wife.” [Recorded by Bukhari]. Prophet Muhammad took Lady Hafsah as his wife so as to protect and support the honorable lady and widowed daughter of his faithful companion and minister. The prophet was 55 years old at that time. Being known of her firm nature and strong personality, Lady Hafsah was the one entrusted on the complete copy of the Qur’an that was written during the prophet’s life and gathered in Abu Bakr’s reign. This was after ‘Omar’s departure; may Allah be pleased with her.

Lady Zainab bint Khuzaimah: She was nicknamed “Ummul-Masakeen” or “Mother of paupers” because of her vast kindness and great care towards the poor and the needy. Her husband was martyred at the battle of ‘Uhud. When she was widowed, Prophet Muhammad sympathized with her condition and proposed to marry her. They were married in the fourth year A.H. while the prophet was 56 years old. She died two or three months after her marriage to the Prophet P.B.U.H., may Allah be pleased with her.

Lady Hind Bint Abi-‘Umayah: Mostly known by her nickname, Ummu-Salamah. She was among the early women who embraced Islam along with her husband Abu Salamah, who was an extremely kind caring husband and she loved him greatly. They embraced Islam in its early days and were among those who immigrated to Abyssinia escaping the pagans’ torture campaign. Later on, after the prophet’s immigration to Madinah, the couple took their young children and followed him there. In the course of the events, her husband received a severe wound during the battle of ‘Uhud; he died in his wounds a short while later. She reported that at her husband’s death, she repeated some words which he taught her after he learned them from the prophet P.B.U.H. She said, “O Lord, I seek your refuge from my calamity and your generosity in substituting my loss with what’s better.” Some of the best companions proposed to marry her and take care of her and her young children, but she refused. The reason behind that according to her own words, “None of them was better than Abu Salamah.” About 5 or 6 months later, seeking to support her and take care of her 4 children, Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. proposed to marry her and she accepted. She warned the prophet against the burden of taking care of an old woman and 4 young children, but the prophet said, “As for the old age, it has caught up with me as it has done to you, and as for your children, they are my children and I’m responsible for them.” About that event, she said, “And Allah surly accepted my supplications. He gave me in substitution for Abu Salamah one who’s better: Allah’s messenger P.B.U.H.” [Recorded by Tirmidhī and Nasā’ī]. By marrying Ummu-Salamah, Prophet Muhammad was able to support and take care of the noble lady and her children. He demonstrated through example how to raise and bring-up stepchildren, and how to take care of orphans in the best manner possible. Her son, ‘Omar, used to say, “I was brought up in the lap of the Prophet.” He always found great pride in that. As for Ummu-Salamah herself, she was a very intelligent woman. Her ability to memorize and teach what she learned from the prophet made her a very important reference for the followers. She reported about 370 prophetic traditions. These narrations were of great help in teaching Muslims how to take care of stepchildren, and how to be a successful stepfather. They are all available in the books of Hadith.

Lady Zaynab bint Jahsh: The Prophet’s marriage to his cousin, Zaynab bint Jahsh, who was divorced by his freed slave and adopted son, Zayd Ibn Al-Hareth, demonstrated that it is lawful for a man to marry a woman who was divorced by his adopted son. It further emphasized that the adopted son is not related to his adoption father by blood; therefore, the prohibition law applied on fathers from marrying the ex-wives of their sons doesn’t apply in the case of adoption. This was refused by most Arabs and forbidden before Islam. Arabs treated their adopted sons like their own biological sons. They gave them their surnames and granted them the right to inheritance. This was later on forbidden in Islam. The story started early before the advent of Islam. Zayd Ibn Al-Hareth was taken captive as a child in the course of the Arabian tribal wars. Thereafter, he was sold as a slave. On spotting him in the market, Lady Khadijah pitied his condition; she bought him and presented him to her husband, Muhammad, knowing that the boy shall receive the best treatment. Shortly after that, Zayd’s father—who had been searching for his son—came to the prophet and asked him to free his son. The prophet told him that Zayd is free to go with him if he wished to do so, but Zayd asked to stay with Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet immediately gave Zayd his freedom and adopted him as his own son. He took him to the market and shouted out, “O people of Quraysh, I hold you my witnesses that this is my son, he can inherit me and I can inherit him.” After that, the people of Quraysh used to address the child as Zayd Ibn Muhammad, that’s Zayd the son of Muhammad. Years later, after the advent of Islam, Prophet Muhammad authorized Zayd’s marriage to his cousin, Lady Zaynab. Their marriage emphasized that a slave or a freedman could equally marry a free-born noble woman. The Prophet started the hard task of rooting out the old customs with himself and his closest kin and relatives. After a while, and as could happen between any married couple, problems erupted between Zayd and Zaynab. Some reports stated that Lady Zaynab gave Zayd a hard time and was disobedient. Zayd complained to the prophet several times, but the prophet always reconciled between them and ordered Zayd to be patient. A while later, divorce occurred. The prophet P.B.U.H. proposed to Lady Zaynab. She was a pious woman known of her devoutness in worship and her generosity towards the poor and the needy. At that time, Arabs were still accustomed to treating their adopted children as their own biological children. Consequently, if an adopted son divorced his wife, his adoption father cannot marry that divorced woman. Islam rooted out these wrong customs by teaching that adopted sons are different from biological sons. The former are not blood relatives. As such, all marriage and inheritance laws applied to biological sons do not apply. The prophet had to set an example for all Muslims and started the hard task of rooting out the false customs by himself.

Lady Juwayriyah bint Al-Hareth: She was one of the captives taken by Muslims after their battle with “Banul-Mustaleq” Jewish clan. Her father, Al-Hareth, was the chief of their clan, and she was a very proud lady. Like the other captivated common people of her clan, she became one of the distributed captives, and found herself in the house of a companion named Thabit Ibn Qays. Refusing to live in captivity, not even for one day, she sought a freedom-pact with Thabit. The pact was that she would give him a certain amount of money against which, he would free her and she can live peacefully in Madinah. After making this arrangement, she asked to meet the Prophet P.B.U.H. to seek financial assistance. She was greatly distressed not knowing how to pay her debt, and emotionally unable to accept her captivity and her clan’s great loss. Lady ‘Āʾishah reported that when she stood in-front of the Prophet, she said, “O Prophet, I am Juwayriya, daughter of Al-Harith, the leader of our people, I have been afflicted with what you see. I found myself a captive in the share of Thabit Ibn Qays. I have entered an emancipation pact with him to free myself, and I have come to seek your financial support to pay my debt.” [Recorded by Ibn Ishaq]. Her wounded pride and suffering as a noble woman who had just lost everything was heartfelt. The prophet decided to resolve the matter, heal her wounded pride and replace the feeling of humiliation with respect and love. He immediately agreed to pay all of her debt, set her free; moreover, he offered to take her as his wife. Understanding what this offer meant, Lady Juwayriyah accepted it immediately. On that day, a hundred families from “Banul-Mustaleq” clan were all set free by the companions the moment they learned about the marriage. Banul-Mustaliq clan were now related to the Prophet through marriage. The enemies of yesterday became potential allies. The defeated clan was now so honored than to keep any of them in captivity. By this brilliant act, the hearts of Lady Juwayriyah and her people were won. Many of them became interested in learning about Islam. Not long after that, they embraced it willingly and became allies with Muslims. Lady ‘Āʾishah said about this incident, “Because of the prophet’s marriage with Juwayriyah, one hundred families from Banul-Mustaliq became free. I know no other woman who proved to be of a greater blessing for her people.” [Recorded by Ibn Ishaq].

Lady Ummu-Habibah: The daughter of Abu Sufyan Ibn Harb, the notable leader of Quraysh, who for a very long time was a bitter enemy to the Prophet and Muslims. Nonetheless, his daughter and her husband were among the earliest to embrace Islam. They immigrated to Abyssinia escaping the persecution of the Makkan pagans and of her father. Shortly after reaching Abyssinia, her husband died. At that time, Muslims in Abyssinia were living as refugees; they were barely able to provide for their own families and had too little to support Ummu-Habibah with. Consequently, the noble lady who was raised in the house of the richest man and leader of his clan, was totally alone in a strange country with no one to protect or take care of her. Of course, returning to her father who was the leader of the pagans’ army at that time was totally rejected by the faithful pious woman. Begging her way through life or depending on others for sustenance was also unacceptable. She depended on her jewelry for a while; after selling most of what she had, she was left out of options. The prophet learned about her condition from the Muslims returning from Abyssinia. He dispatched one of his companions to king Negus on a hasty mission. As the king of Abyssinia and the caretaker of its subjects, the companion asked him for Ummu-Habibah’s hand on behalf of the prophet. Ummu-Habibah accepted with great joy. She reported the incident saying, “One day, a maid from King Negus’s castle came to the house I was staying in; she asked to see me. When I permitted her in, she said, ‘The king tells you that the prophet has sent asking for your hand in marriage’, so I said, ‘May Allah bode you well,’ and I gave her two silver bracelets and two necklaces along with some rings I still had. I sent for Khaled Ibn Sa‘eed appointing him as my deputy. At evening, King Negus gathered all Muslims, and gave a speech saying, ‘All praise be to Allah, The King, The All-Holy, The Most-Revered, The Almighty. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and that Muhammad is his messenger and servant, and the one whom Jesus son of Mary told of his coming. The Prophet has sent me a message proposing to Ummu-Habibah, and I accepted his proposal, and this is her dowry, 400 dinars.’ Then Khaled Ibn Sa‘eed spoke saying, ‘I thank Allah and ask his forgiveness, I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and that Muhammad is his messenger and servant, whom He has sent with guidance and the religion of truth to make it prevail above all religions despite how the deniers might hate so. On behalf of Ummu-Habibah, I accept the prophet’s proposal and I give her to him as his lawfully wedded bride, may Allah bless their marriage.” [Recorded by Ibn Sa‘d, Qurtoby and others]. From this action, Muslims learned that marriage in absentia is permitted in similar cases. As an honoring for the prophet, King Negus paid a big dowry on his behalf. This marriage in absentia demonstrated how practical and easy Islam is, both as a religion and a way of life. Thereafter, the prophet P.B.U.H. took it upon himself to take care of the noble faithful lady, and she loved and revered him so. May Allah be pleased with her.

Lady Safiyyah: Daughter of Huyai Ibn Akhtab, one of the leaders and knowledgeable rabbis of the Jewish tribe “Banu Nadir” who betrayed their peace pact with the Prophet P.B.U.H. (Their story was told in p.286). She witnessed her family’s schemes and conspiracies against the Prophet for a very long time. But as Allah promised, he protected his messenger, and all of the Jews’ schemes were in vain. She lost many members of her family in this course, including her father, brother and newly wedded husband. After the siege of Khaibar, she fell in captivity. From what she reported of her own story is the following:
“None of my brothers or my cousins was more beloved to my father and my uncle than me. I never met any of them alongside any of their children except that they carried me from amidst them. When the prophet reached Qubaa’ at Madinah, my father and my uncle ‘Abu Yasser’ went out early the next morning to meet him. They did not return until sunset. They looked exhausted and about to collapse from tiredness. I ran to receive them as I always did but none of them even looked at me. They were speaking together and I heard my uncle asking my father, ‘Is it him?’ My father answered, ‘Yes, by Allah’s name it’s him.’ My uncle asked again, ‘Are you sure you recognized his description and characters? My father replied, ‘Yes, by Allah I did.’ My uncle asked, ‘What is it that you conceal for him inside your heart?’ My father replied, ‘Hatred and enmity till the day I die.’ ” [Recorded by Ibn Hishām and Baihaqy]. This narration emphasizes a lot about the hatred and enmity that Jews have for Arabs and Muslims in particular. Jews have always wished that the last prophet they were informed of in the Torah—who would be like Moses—would be one of their own kin, the descendants of Israel, and not from their Arab brethren, the descendants of their uncle, Ishmael (we have discussed this earlier in p.165). Lady Safiyyah also reported that a few days before the Prophet P.B.U.H. besieged their fortress at Khaibar, she saw in a dream the moon falling from the sky into her lap. When she informed her husband of this vision, he slapped her very hard injuring her face and said, “Are you wishing for the king of Madinah to become your husband?” Then the Muslims’ siege overtook them. Her husband was killed and she fell in captivity. When she was brought before the prophet, he proposed to free her and take her as his wife. She accepted the proposal, and after her lawful mourning period, they got married. Raised from being a captivated right hand possession to being the Prophet’s wife helped her witness with her own eyes the truth of Muslims and Islam. This marriage made her dive into that community of men and women who have submitted their hearts and minds to their Creator. Knowing the crimes of her family, and then becoming the Prophet’s wife, was certainly a blessing. After this marriage, most of the captivated Jews changed their attitude and started to learn about Islam and understand its teachings more closely. In his final illness, Lady Safiyyah sat beside the prophet and said, “O prophet, I wish Allah would cure you and inflict me with your pains.” Some of the prophet’s wives felt jealous and expressed their denial, but the prophet chided them saying, “Do you mock her feelings. By Allah, she is truthful and honest.” May Allah be please with Lady Safiyyah.

Lady Maymunah: She willingly presented herself to the prophet and asked him to take her as his wife. Through her marriage, Muslims learned that a woman may present herself for marriage to the worthy man and that Islam allows it with no embarrassment. The prophet praised her faith along with her 3 sisters and named them “The 4 faithful sisters.” She was a knowledgeable woman, some narrations relate how she corrected for Ibn ‘Abbās some of his wrong opinions, may Allah be pleased with her.

From the previous we have come to learn that none of those women whom the prophet married was a virgin, all of them were known of their piety and righteousness, some of them were older than the prophet, others were as old as him, and some were younger, all of them reported their content and acceptance to his marriage proposal, and all of them were widows who needed protection and care. After learning about the circumstances that encompassed each of the prophet’s marriages, it’s now time to take a look at their results. These marriages were of great wisdom and foresight, which could never be attributed except to our Creator, the All-Knowing. Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. as the seal of all prophets and teacher of the creator’s final testament to mankind was to deliver Allah’s message not only to men, but also to women. All mankind need prophetic guidance, males and females alike. If you study the prophet’s life carefully, you will find that he was not only teaching and delivering his message, but he was also preparing some of his students to carry forth his mission and deliver the Islamic teachings to all people. In this context, the prophet chose the best and most pious from among the faithful women to support him in his mission, exactly as he has done with the men. Women have private questions that need answers, and they feel embarrassed to ask them to a man. For example, some women went to Lady ‘Āʾishah asking about the end of the menstruation period and when to resume performing their prayers. Lady ‘Āʾishah explained to them what she learned from the prophet saying, “Wait until you see the white piece of cloth.” Meaning that to make sure the period has ended, a woman should whip her private part with a white piece of cloth, if its color remained white and didn’t hold any yellowness, then the woman is pure and can resume attending to her prayers. Of course, it is incredibly embarrassing for any woman to ask such question to a man, set aside the fact that it would be done in front of other people inside the mosque. There are tens of other questions that women ask related to their body functions, the other sex, the most secret affairs they share with their husbands, etc. By all means, these questions need divine guidance like all other matters in life, and they equally need feminine mentors. It was for this objective that the Prophet was obliged to marry some of the most pious believing women, belonging to different tribes and clans, having different ages and different intellectual levels, but widely known and popular among their people, through his life with them, he was able to complete his mission by educating them about their religion. Later on, they served as pillars of knowledge for all women regarding all feminine issues.

Today, after about 1400 years of their departure, hundreds of books about women’s jurisprudence are written and available for all Muslims. These books convey the opinions of jurists regarding many feminine issues. The majority of these opinions are built on the knowledge received from the prophet’s wives, may Allah be pleased with them. Subjects like purification, rituals performed during menstruation and pregnancy, praying, giving alms and charity, fasting, performing pilgrimage, dressing and ornaments, marital life, motherhood, relating to husbands, raising children, divorce, etc., are all dully discussed, explained, and all possible questions were answered and dealt with.

Like any normal human being, the prophet’s life was divided into his social life that was visible to all people, and his private life that could only be observed by his wives. His private life held many teachings and facets that all Muslims need to learn, from the prayers he observed inside his house to the way he bathed. These noble ladies, or as we call them, “Mothers of believers,” delivered, most faithfully the knowledge they acquired from the prophet P.B.U.H. They shared his private life with their students from the second generation. This created a complete picture for the prophet’s life for all Muslims, men and women. Allah says in the Qur’an: “It is not lawful for you (O Muhammad) to take more wives after this, nor to change them for others, even if their beauty attracts you, except those whom your right hand possesses. Allah is Ever a Watcher over all things.” [The Qur’an (33:52)].

This verse implies that the prophet contracted those marriages for a certain purpose. If you study the history of this period, you will be able to realize that those multiple marriages were a necessity originated from the nature of the tribal life that was still deeply rooted among the people of that era. This needed a practical solution to merge the different tribes and races back again into one family. There was a divine purpose behind them as implied and explained; when it was achieved, a restriction was place upon the prophet. Think about it, if the Qur’an was his invention and he was a sex hungry womanizer, would he have said the above verse and prevented himself from marrying any woman he likes?! It’s important to know that the prophet took through his life two concubines whom he educated and emancipated. They both embraced Islam and lived in Madinah the rest of their lives. One of them was Lady Maria the Coptic who bore the prophet his beloved son Ibrahim. The reports differ as to whether he married those two ladies or not. Either way, they lived with him and received similar treatment to that of his wives.
They are both revered and respected by all Muslims.

Another important point worth mentioning here is that the prophet’s treatment to his wives was so honorable and noble; although his life was hard and full tribulations, none of his wives regretted marrying him. Anas, the prophet’s companion and the one who was honored by serving the prophet for ten years, said about the prophet’s hard life, “According to my knowledge, the Prophet never tasted a flattened bread loaf, nor did he ever see roasted mutton.” [Recorded by Bukhari and Ibn Mājah].

Lady ‘Āʾishah also described their hard life to her nephew saying, “Over two months would elapse during which we saw three crescents, and yet no fire was kindled in the Prophet’s house (i.e. they did not cook any food).” Her nephew ‘Urwah asked her, “O Aunt, what did you eat for sustenance?” Lady ‘Āʾishah said, “The two blacks: ripen dates and water.” [Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim].

Lots of information about the prophet’s hard life was reported by his wives and companions. Despite these hardships, his wives never hated their life with him. Once when tired from this hard life, they complained and agreed to ask the prophet for increase in what he provides. The prophet was troubled because he didn’t have any time to go back to trading. Allah ordered him to give them the opportunity to choose between two things, “O Prophet! Tell your wives: ‘If you desire the life of this world, and its glitter, then come! I will make a provision for you and set you free in a handsome manner (i.e. divorce). But if you desire Allah and His Messenger, and the abode of the Hereafter, then verily, Allah has prepared for the good-doers amongst you an enormous reward.’ ” [The Qur’an (33:28-29)].

“Nay, but I choose Allah and his messenger,” was their unhesitant answer though each one of them answered separately as they later on reported. Now could the man deserving such an answer be a sex hungry womanizer, or was he a noble devoted merciful husband whose loss could never be compensated?! I leave the judgment to the reader’s conscience, may Allah guide us all to the truth.

Please find attached herein the latest Pdf version of
“Islamic Methodologies Made Easy”
Written By Ehab Shawky.