The Mothers of the Believers
The wives of the Prophet ﷺ
Eleven women the Qur'an calls the mothers of the believers, in the order he married them, each with a short life.
ٱلنَّبِيُّ أَوۡلَىٰ بِٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ مِنۡ أَنفُسِهِمۡۖ وَأَزۡوَٰجُهُۥٓ أُمَّهَٰتُهُمۡۗ
An-Nabiyyu awlā bil-mu'minīna min anfusihim, wa azwājuhū ummahātuhum
- 1
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid
The first person to believe in him. She supported him with her wealth and comfort, and was the mother of all his children except Ibrahim. She passed away in Makkah before the Hijrah.
Read her full story → - 2
Sawdah bint Zam'ah
An early Muslim who had migrated to Abyssinia. She married the Prophet ﷺ after Khadijah's passing, and later gave her turn to 'A'ishah (Sahih al-Bukhari 5212).
- 3
'A'ishah bint Abi Bakr
Daughter of Abu Bakr. A great scholar of the Companions who narrated a large part of the Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ passed away in her room.
- 4
Hafsah bint 'Umar
Daughter of 'Umar. The written copy of the Qur'an gathered under Abu Bakr was kept with her (Sahih al-Bukhari 4986).
- 5
Zaynab bint Khuzaymah
Known as "the mother of the poor" for her generosity. She passed away only months after the marriage.
- 6
Umm Salamah
An early emigrant to Abyssinia and Madinah. Her wise advice at Hudaybiyyah settled the Companions (Sahih al-Bukhari 2731). She was the last of the wives to pass away.
- 7
Zaynab bint Jahsh
His cousin, whose marriage is mentioned in the Qur'an (33:37). Famous for her charity, she was the first of the wives to pass away after him.
- 8
Juwayriyah bint al-Harith
Of the Banu al-Mustaliq. When she married the Prophet ﷺ, the Companions freed many captives of her people.
- 9
Umm Habibah (Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan)
She stayed firm in Islam in Abyssinia, where her nikah to the Prophet ﷺ took place.
- 10
Safiyyah bint Huyayy
From the Banu an-Nadir, of the family of Prophet Harun (peace be upon him). She married the Prophet ﷺ after Khaybar.
- 11
Maymunah bint al-Harith
The last woman he married, in 7 AH, at the time of the Umrah after Hudaybiyyah.
The order and some dates are as given by the historians of the Seerah. The longer reads are part of our weekly series for sisters.
More: Sisters' LibraryThe Prophet's ﷺ family treeProphet Muhammad ﷺ, the best of mankind
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