Family of the Prophet

From ilmpedia

The family of the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) lived in extreme penury. Many of his family died before his eyes, and they often suffered persecution on account of their Islam. The Prophet's many marriages ended the stigma attached to divorced and widowed women. He gladly accepted and cared for the children of his wives from previous husbands.

1 Wives
- 1.1 At Makkah
- 1.2 After emigration to Madinah
2 Children
3 References

Wives

Historians agree that eleven ladies had the honour of being wives of the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him). They are referred to as Ummahat-ul-Mumineen (Mothers of the Believers) ^[1]

At Makkah

Khadijah - She was the first wife of the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him). She was elder to him and a widow, and the first woman to embrace Islam. She married the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) before he was anointed with Prophethood. All the children of the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) were born through this marriage (except Ibrahim- see below). She had three children prior to marrying the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) and was popularly called Tahirah (The pure one) for her virtuous nature. She was a major source of comfort for him when he was being persecuted and he always remembered her kind nature.
Sauda - she was a widow and the second wife of the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him). The Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) married her after the death of Khadijah.
Aishah - she was the youngest wife of the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him). She was the daughter of his friend Abu Bakr. She was the only wife of the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) who was not married previously. She has narrated many Hadith, and was much loved by the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him).

After emigration to Madinah

The remaining eight marriages were conducted in Madinah, after the Hijrah:

Hafsah - she was the daughter of Umar, the close Companion of the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him).
Zainab bint Khusaimah - also known as Umm-ul-Masakin (Mother of the Poor) for her liberal spending in the way of the poor. She was the second wife of the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) to die in his lifetime.
Umme Salmah - She was a widow with four children, and was the last of the Prophet's wives to die, in 62 AH. She was famous for her beauty. Her son Salmah served as guardian to give her in marriage to the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him). This marriage was conducted after the death of Zainab bint Khusaimah.
Zainab bint Jahsh - She was a cousin of the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) and also the divorced wife of his adopted son, Zayd bin Harithah. She was proud of the fact that her marriage was sanctioned by Allah Himself in the Qur'an (in Surah Al-Ahzab). She was thirty-five at the time she came into the Prophet's (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) household. She was the first wife of the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) to die after his death.
Juwairiah bint ul Haris - She was famous for her beauty, and daughter of a tribal chief. She was taken captive in battle, and the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) paid her ransom himself. As a consequence of the marriage, a large number of her tribesmen accepted Islam.
Umme Habibah - She was the daughter of Abu Sufyan, chief of the Quraysh. Since she was in Abysinnia when the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) sent her the marriage proposal, her Nikah was conducted by King Negus, who himself sent her to Madinah with gifts.
Safiyyah - She was a direct descendant of Prophet Harun. She was also captured in battle, and the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) paid her ransom, and set her free. However, on her request, the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) married her. She was seventeen years old then, and the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) was her third husband.
Maimoonah- She was an extremely pious lady whom the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) married when he was going to perform Umrah to Makkah.
Mariah - She was a Coptic slave who was gifted to the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) by King Negus. She bore his son Ibrahim.

Children

The Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) had three sons and four daughters:

His sons are:

Qasim, born before Prophethood, died at the age of two
Abdullah, born after Prophethood, died young. On his death, Surah Al-Kauthar was revealed. He was also called Tayyab and Tahir.
Ibrahim - born in 8 AH and died in 10 AH. The Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) was much grieved by his death.

The daughters of the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) are:

Zainab - The eldest daughter of the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) born five years after his marriage to Khadijah, when he was thirty. She was wounded by the Quraysh and died of the same illness in 8 AH.
Ruqayyah - She was born when the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) was thirty-three. She was first married to Utbah, son of Abu Lahab, who divorced her, and then she came to be married to Uthman, the Companion of the Prophet. She died when the Battle of Badr was taking place, and the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) could not be present at her burial.
Umme Kulthum - She was married to Utaibah, another son of Abu Lahab, and was divorced by him (both Ruqayyah and Umme Kulthum had not yet begun living with their husbands when they were divorced). After the death of Ruqayyah, she was married to Uthman. She died in 9 AH.
Fatimah - She was the youngest and most beloved daughter of the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him). She was born when the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) was forty-one (i.e.- the first year of Prophethood), and he gave her the glad tidings of being 'the leader of ladies in Paradise'. She was also called Az-Zahra (The Illumined One). She was married to Ali, the cousin of the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him). She died six months after the Prophet's (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) death. The progeny of the Prophet (Blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) continued through her sons, Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn.