The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the final Messenger of Allah and the best of the prophets. Allah granted him certain distinctions that were not given to others, among them that he was permitted to marry more than four women.
Allah honored his wives with the title Mothers of the Believers, as He says:
“The Prophet has a greater claim over the believers [and is closer to them] than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers.”
(Qur’an 33:6)
Because of this honor, the wives of the Prophet ﷺ hold a special and respected position in Islam.
They were not only the wives of the Messenger ﷺ, but also teachers of the Muslim community, transmitting knowledge about the private life, worship, and character of the Prophet ﷺ. Through them, many rulings related to family life, purification, worship, and social conduct reached the Muslim ummah. His wives, especially those who lived for a long period after him, played an important role in conveying the Prophetic traditions to the Muslims.
This page rests mainly on The Sealed Nectar’s “Prophetic Household” section, by Shaykh Safiur Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, with the Abridged Biography of Prophet Muhammad; Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged); Tafsir as-Sa’di, Vols. 7 and 8; and Sharh Riyaad as-Saaliheen, Vol. 3.
The Prophet ﷺ married eleven women, who are known as the Mothers of the Believers:
1. Khadijah bint Khuwaylid
2. Sawdah bint Zam’ah
3. Aishah bint Abi Bakr
4. Hafsah bint Umar ibn al-Khattab
5. Zaynab bint Khuzaymah
6. Umm Salamah (Hind bint Abi Umayyah)
7. Zaynab bint Jahsh
8. Juwayriyah bint al-Harith
9. Umm Habibah (Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan)
10. Safiyyah bint Huyayy
11. Maymunah bint al-Harith
When the Prophet ﷺ passed away, nine of his wives were still living: Sawdah, Aishah, Hafsah, Umm Salamah, Zaynab bint Jahsh, Juwayriyah, Umm Habibah, Safiyyah, and Maymunah.
The historians of prophetic biography differed regarding the chronological order of the Prophet’s marriages. This difference arises from whether the beginning of marriage is counted from the marriage contract or from the consummation of the marriage.
In The Sealed Nectar, Shaykh Safiur Rahman al-Mubarakpuri lists the eleven in the order of the Prophet’s marriages to them:
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid
Sawdah bint Zam’ah
Aishah bint Abi Bakr
Hafsah bint Umar ibn al-Khattab
Zaynab bint Khuzaymah
Umm Salamah
Zaynab bint Jahsh
Juwayriyah bint al-Harith
Umm Habibah
Safiyyah bint Huyayy
Maymunah bint al-Harith.
(The Sealed Nectar, “The Prophetic Household”)
A Brief Biography of the Prophet’s Wives
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid ibn Asad ibn Abd al-Uzza al-Qurashiyyah was the first wife of the Prophet ﷺ. He was twenty-five years old and she was forty when they were married, and she was the only wife he had until she died.
She was a wealthy and respected woman who conducted trade and hired men to manage her business. When she heard about the honesty and trustworthiness of the Prophet ﷺ, she employed him to manage her trade.
After observing his character, she admired him and proposed marriage through her friend Nafisah bint Munyah. The Prophet ﷺ accepted, and he requested his uncles to go to Khadijah’s uncle to discuss the matter. Subsequently, they were married, and the marriage agreement was witnessed by Bani Hashim and the chiefs of Mudar.
Khadijah had many virtues. She was the first person to believe in the message of Islam. She supported the Prophet ﷺ during the earliest and most difficult years of revelation.
She comforted him when revelation first came and reassured him when he feared for himself. Her support strengthened the Prophet ﷺ at the beginning of his mission.
She was the mother of all the Prophet’s children except Ibrahim, who was born to Maria al-Qibtiyyah.
She was also given glad tidings of a house in Paradise and received greetings of peace from her Lord, brought by Jibreel. Abu Hurayrah reported that Jibreel came to the Messenger of Allah and said:
“Allah’s Messenger, lo, Khadijah is coming to you with a vessel of seasoned food or drink. When she comes to you, offer her greetings from her Lord, and give her glad tidings of a palace of jewels in Paradise where there is no noise and no toil.”
Sawdah bint Zam’ah
Sawdah bint Zam’ah ibn Qays was previously married to her paternal cousin al-Sakran ibn Amr, who embraced Islam and later passed away.
The Prophet ﷺ married her in Shawwal, in the tenth year of Prophethood, a few days after the death of Khadijah.
Among her virtues was that she gave her day with the Prophet ﷺ to Aishah when she became older, wishing to remain his wife and seeking his pleasure. Ibn Kathir records, in his explanation of the verse “And if a woman fears cruelty or desertion on her husband’s part” (Qur’an 4:128):
“In the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that ‘A’ishah said that when Sawdah bint Zam‘ah became old, she forfeited her day to ‘A’ishah, and the Prophet used to spend Sawdah’s night with ‘A’ishah.”
She passed away in the fifty-fourth year after the Hijrah (54 AH).
Aishah bint Abi Bakr
Aishah bint Abi Bakr al-Siddiq was the daughter of Abu Bakr.
The Prophet ﷺ married her after the death of Khadijah. The marriage contract occurred in Makkah, in the eleventh year of Prophethood, when she was six years old, and the marriage was consummated in Shawwal, the seventh month after the Hijrah, in Madinah, when she was nine years old. She was the only virgin he married.
Aishah was one of the most knowledgeable women of the Muslim community. Many companions would consult her regarding religious matters.
She narrated a large number of hadith and became one of the greatest scholars among the companions.
Allah revealed verses in the Qur’an declaring her innocence during the incident of the false accusation (the Ifk):
“Why then, did not the believers, men and women, when you heard it, think good of their own people and say: ‘This is an obvious lie.’”
(Qur’an 24:12)
The Prophet ﷺ was also asked:
“O Messenger of Allah! Who is the most beloved person to you?” He said: “Aisha”. They asked about the men, so he said: “Her father”.
(Reported by al-Bukhari 3662 and Muslim 2384, as quoted in Sharh Riyaad as-Saaliheen, Vol. 3)
Hafsah bint Umar
Hafsah bint Umar ibn al-Khattab was the daughter of the companion Umar.
She had previously been married to Khunays ibn Hudhafah al-Sahmi, who died in the period between the battles of Badr and Uhud. The Prophet ﷺ married her in the third year of the Hijrah.
She passed away in the forty-fifth year after the Hijrah (45 AH).
Zaynab bint Khuzaymah
Zaynab bint Khuzaymah was known for her compassion toward the poor and needy, which earned her the title “Mother of the Poor” (Umm al-Masakin). Her husband Abdullah ibn Jahsh was martyred at the Battle of Uhud, and the Prophet ﷺ later married her. However, she remained with the Prophet ﷺ only a short time, dying two or three months (according to another version, eight months) after her marriage.
(The Sealed Nectar, “The Prophetic Household”)
Umm Salamah
Umm Salamah, whose name was Hind bint Abi Umayyah, had previously been married to Abu Salamah. After his death, she supplicated to Allah for a better replacement. The Prophet ﷺ later married her in Shawwal of the fourth year after the Hijrah.
She narrated many hadiths from the Messenger of Allah. She was also known for her wise counsel. During the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the Prophet ﷺ accepted her advice to take the initiative and slaughter his sacrificial animals first, and the companions then raced to follow his example, which helped resolve a difficult moment among them.
Zaynab bint Jahsh
Zaynab bint Jahsh was the cousin of the Prophet ﷺ. She had previously been married to Zayd ibn Harithah. When Zayd divorced her, Allah married her to the Prophet ﷺ, as mentioned in the Qur’an:
“So, when Zayd had completed his aim with her, We gave her to you in marriage, so that there may be no difficulty to the believers in respect of the wives of their adopted sons when the latter have no desire to keep them.”
(Qur’an 33:37)
Juwayriyah bint al-Harith
Juwayriyah bint al-Harith was from the tribe of Banu al-Mustaliq.
She had a written agreement to purchase her freedom. The Prophet ﷺ fulfilled that agreement on her behalf and married her, in Sha’ban of the sixth year after the Hijrah.
Because of this marriage, the companions set a hundred of her people free. They said:
“It is for their affinity with Allah’s Messenger.”
She passed away in the forty-ninth year after the Hijrah (49 AH).
Safiyyah bint Huyayy
Safiyyah bint Huyayy was from the Children of Israel, the daughter of Huyayy ibn Akhtab, the chief of Banu Nadeer.
After the battle of Khaybar, in the seventh year after the Hijrah, he invited her to Islam, set her free and married her.
She passed away during the caliphate of Mu’awiyah, in the forty-ninth year after the Hijrah (49 AH).
Umm Habibah
Umm Habibah, whose name was Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan, migrated to Abyssinia with her husband Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh. Her husband later apostatized and died there, but she remained firm in her religion. The Prophet ﷺ sent Amr ibn Umayyah to the Negus (the king of Abyssinia) asking for her hand, in Muharram of the seventh year after the Hijrah, and the Negus arranged the marriage while she was still in Abyssinia.
She passed away in the forty-fourth year after the Hijrah (44 AH).
Maymunah bint al-Harith
Maymunah bint al-Harith was the last of the eleven women the Prophet ﷺ married. He married her in Dhul-Qa’dah of the seventh year after the Hijrah, after the Compensatory Umrah.
Maria al-Qibtiyyah
Maria al-Qibtiyyah was a Coptic gift from al-Muqawqis, the ruler of Egypt, and the mother of the Prophet’s son Ibrahim. She is counted among his slave-girls, not among his wives, so she is not one of the Mothers of the Believers.
The Choice Allah Gave Them
Allah also gave the wives of the Prophet ﷺ a choice, between the life of this world and its splendour, and Allah and His Messenger ﷺ and the final abode. Allah says:
“O Prophet, say to your wives: If you seek the life of this world and its splendour, then come, I will give you a gift [as compensation] and let you go in an amicable manner.”
“But if you seek Allah and His Messenger, and the final abode, then verily Allah has prepared for those among you who do good an immense reward.”
(Qur’an 33:28-29)
Shaykh as-Sa’di records the outcome of the choice:
“So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) gave them the choice, and they all chose Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), and the final abode, and not one of them differed. May Allah be pleased with them all.”
And he draws from it these lessons about the wives:
“This was a demonstration of their high status and high ambition, because Allah, His Messenger (ﷺ) and the final abode were their goal, not this world and its transient gains.”
“This choice of theirs was a means of increasing and multiplying their reward, and enabling them to reach a status that no other women could attain.”
Allah promised a double reward to the one among them who is obedient to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ and does righteous deeds:
“But whoever among you is devoutly obedient to Allah and His Messenger, and does righteous deeds, We will give her a double reward, and We have prepared for her a generous provision.”
(Qur’an 33:31)
As-Sa’di closes his comment on this verse:
“They were devoutly obedient to Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala – Glorified and Exalted is He) and His Messenger (ﷺ), and they did righteous deeds, thus the extent of their reward is known.”
On His words, “It is not lawful for you to take any [more] wives henceforth…” (Qur’an 33:52), as-Sa’di explains what followed for the wives:
“Here Allah shows His appreciation to the wives of His Messenger (ﷺ), as they had chosen Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) and the final abode. Therefore He had mercy on them and restricted His Messenger (ﷺ) to them (in the sense that he was not permitted to take any more wives).”
“By means of this verse, they became safe from having more co-wives and from divorce, because Allah decreed that they would be his wives in this world and the hereafter, and there would be no separation between him and them.”
Lessons from the Marital Life of the Prophet ﷺ
The following lessons are this article’s own summary, drawn from the Prophet’s ﷺ life with his wives as narrated in the books named in the References:
- The importance of kindness and gentleness toward one’s spouse
- Creating an atmosphere of love, happiness, and companionship in the home
- Paying attention to the feelings and emotional needs of one’s spouse
- Teaching one’s family and guiding them with wisdom
- Overlooking mistakes and maintaining patience in marital life
- Treating wives with fairness and justice
- Maintaining dignity and good character within the household
The Prophet ﷺ was the best example in his treatment of his wives. He showed compassion, patience, and affection toward them.
The Status of the Prophet’s Wives
The wives of the Prophet ﷺ hold a special status in Islam.
Shaykh as-Sa’di explains, on the verse at the head of this page (Qur’an 33:6), what it means that the wives are the mothers of the believers:
“One of the consequences of his being a father to them is that his wives are their mothers; that is, in terms of sanctity, respect and honour, not in terms of it being permissible to be alone with them or regarding them as mahrams.”
Allah says:
“And remember what is recited in your homes of the revelations of Allah and wisdom.”
(Qur’an 33:34)
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen, in his explanation of this verse, describes the wives:
“The address here is to the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ); the pure and purified women of outstanding prestige – may Allah be pleased with them all.”
“These women are the purest women that ever walked the surface of the earth since the creation of Adam.”
Allah also says:
“And it is not (right) for you that you should annoy Allah’s Messenger, nor that you should ever marry his wives after him (his death). Verily, with Allah that shall be an enormity.”
(Qur’an 33:53)
The Rights of the Prophet’s Wives upon the Muslims
The Mothers of the Believers are honored wives of the Messenger of Allah.
It is obligatory for Muslims to:
- love them
- respect them
- defend their honor
- speak well of them
- say “may Allah be pleased with them” when mentioning them.
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen said:
“The obligation on us is to revere the members of the household of the Prophet, his believing relatives and his wives, the mothers of the believers. They are all members of his household and they have a right on us.”
(Sharh Riyaad as-Saaliheen, Vol. 3)
Imam Ibn Taymiyyah states, in his creed Aqidah Wasitiyyah:
“And they take as allies, the Wives of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the Mothers of the believers, and they believe that they are his wives in the Hereafter.”
Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen, explaining these words, says:
“So we ally with them by aiding and defending them, and the belief that they are the most virtuous of all wives on the earth, since they were the Wives of the Messenger ﷺ.”
References
The Sealed Nectar (Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum), Safiur Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, Darussalam, 2011, ISBN 978-603-500-110-6: “The Prophetic Household” (printed pp. 630-634) and the chapters “His Marriage to Khadijah” (printed p. 104), the Year of Grief section (printed p. 176), and “His Marriage to Sawdah in Shawwal, the Tenth Year of Prophethood” (printed p. 177).
Abridged Biography of Prophet Muhammad, Imam Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab, Darussalam: the chronicle of the forty-fourth year (printed p. 390, the death of Umm Habibah), of the forty-fifth year (printed p. 391, the death of Hafsah), of the forty-ninth year (printed p. 391, the deaths of Safiyyah and Juwayriyah), and of the fifty-fourth year (printed p. 392, the death of Sawdah).
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), the ten-volume set: on Qur’an 4:128 (Sawdah giving her day to ‘A’ishah), Qur’an 24:12, Qur’an 33:37, and Qur’an 33:53.
Tafsir as-Sa’di, Shaykh Abdur-Rahman ibn Nasir as-Sa’di, IIPH, English Edition 1, 2018: Vol. 7, on Qur’an 33:6 (printed pp. 389-390) and on Qur’an 33:28-30 (printed pp. 409-411); Vol. 8, on Qur’an 33:31 (printed p. 21), on Qur’an 33:34, and on Qur’an 33:52 (printed p. 50).
Sharh Riyaad as-Saaliheen, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, Darussalam: Vol. 2, printed p. 264 (his words on the wives at Qur’an 33:34); Vol. 3, printed p. 248 (the most beloved hadith, reported by al-Bukhari 3662 and Muslim 2384, and the obligation to revere the household of the Prophet).
Explanation of Aqidah Wasitiyyah, Ibn Taymiyyah’s creed with Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-‘Uthaymeen’s explanation, Vol. 2: printed p. 402 (the creed on the wives of the Messenger of Allah) and printed p. 403 (his explanation of it). This edition prints the divine name as “Allâh”; in the passages quoted on this page it is spelled “Allah”, by the site’s spelling decision.
Further Reading
- Aisha: Her Excellence and the Refutation of Slander: Aisha’s excellence and the answer to the slander against her
- Refuting the Claim that Aisha Was 18 or 19: the claim about Aisha’s age answered from the reports
- Female Scholars in Islamic History: the women who learned, narrated, and taught
- Child Marriages in Islam: the marriage of Aisha and the rulings around young marriage
Verified on 2026-10-26 against: The Sealed Nectar (Darussalam, 2011); Abridged Biography of Prophet Muhammad (Darussalam); Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged); Tafsir as-Sa’di (IIPH), Vols. 7 and 8; Sharh Riyaad as-Saaliheen (Darussalam), Vols. 2 and 3; and Explanation of Aqidah Wasitiyyah, Vol. 2.