He
Wrote:
Muhammad’s Multiplicity of
Marriages
Sam
Shamoun
The Quran limits the
number of wives that a Muslim can have to four:
If ye fear that ye
shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, marry women of
your choice, two or three or four; but if ye fear that ye
shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one, or (a
captive) that your right hands possess, that will be more suitable,
to prevent you from doing injustice. S. 4:3
On at least two
occasions Muhammad forced certain man who had more than four wives
to divorce some of them:
Narrated Abdullah
ibn Umar
Ghaylan ibn Salamah ath-Thaqafi accepted Islam and that he had ten
wives in the pre-Islamic period who accepted Islam along with him;
so the Prophet (peace be upon him) told him to keep four and
separate from the rest of them.
Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it. (Al-Tirmidhi,
Number 945 taken from the Alim CD-ROM Version)
Narrated Al-Harith
ibn Qays al-Asadi
I embraced Islam while I had eight wives. So I mentioned it to the
Prophet (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
Select four of them. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 12,
Number 2233)
Yet Muhammad failed to
live up to his own standards since he had more than 4 wives and
didn’t treat them all fairly:
O Prophet! We have
made lawful to thee thy wives to whom thou hast paid their dowers;
and those whom thy right hand possesses out of the captives of war
whom Allah has assigned to thee; and daughters of thy paternal
uncles and aunts, and daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts,
who migrated (from Makkah) with thee; and any believing woman who
gives herself to the Prophet if the Prophet wishes to wed her;-
this only for thee, and not for the Believers (at large); We
know what We have appointed for them as to their wives and the
captives whom their right hands possess;- in order that there should
be no difficulty for thee. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful. Thou mayest defer (the turn of) any of them that thou
pleasest, and thou mayest receive any thou pleasest: and there is no
blame on thee if thou invite one whose (turn) thou hadst set aside.
This were nigher to the cooling of their eyes, the prevention of
their grief, and their satisfaction - that of all of them - with
that which thou hast to give them: and Allah knows (all) that is in
your hearts: and Allah is All- Knowing, Most Forbearing. It is not
lawful for thee (to marry more) women after this, nor to change them
for (other) wives, even though their beauty attract thee, except
any thy right hand should possess (as handmaidens): and Allah
doth watch over all things. S. 33:50-52
The hadiths state:
Narrated Qatada:
Anas bin Malik said, "The Prophet used to visit all his wives in a
round, during the day and night and they were ELEVEN IN NUMBER."
I asked Anas, "Had the Prophet the strength for it?" Anas replied, "We
used to say that the Prophet was given the strength of thirty (men)."
And Sa'id said on the authority of Qatada that Anas had told him
about nine wives only (not eleven). (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume
1, Book 5,
Number 268)
Narrated 'Ata:
We presented ourselves along with Ibn 'Abbas at the funeral
procession of Maimuna at a place called Sarif. Ibn 'Abbas said,
"This is the wife of the Prophet so when you lift her bier, do not
Jerk it or shake it much, but walk smoothly because the Prophet
had NINE WIVES and he used to observe the night turns with eight of
them, AND FOR ONE OF THEM THERE WAS NO NIGHT TURN." (Sahih
al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 62,
Number 5)
Narrated Anas bin
Malik:
The Prophet used to pass by (have sexual relation with) all his
wives in one night, and at that time he had NINE wives. (Sahih
al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 62,
Number 142)
My Response:
Indeed the marriages of the Prophet (S)
have come over criticism by missionaries and Anti-Islamists alike.
The Missionaries tend to say that Muhammad (S) self-served himself,
by taking more then 4 wives, yet they ignore the amount of good,
that came out of these marriages:
" It is quite
evident that the marriages of the Holy Prophet were governed mainly
by the feelings of compassion for the widows of his faithful
followers, who had no meands to fall back upon after they were
bereft of the love and care of their husbands. This fact has been
acknowledged even by the critics of the Holy Prophet. " It should be
remembered, however," says Bosworth Smith, " that most of Muhammad's
marriages may be explained, at least, as much by his pity for the
forlorn condition of the persons concerned, as by other motives."
Other marriaegs
were contracted from the motives of policy, in order to conciliate
the heads of rival factions.
Then there was also
one more consideration, in no way less important than those
discussed earlier, which led to these marriages. Muhammad (peace be
upon him) was the bearer of God's message not only for men, but also
for women. The womenfolk needed the prophetic guidance, training and
instruction in the same way as the males. The Holy Prophet was fully
alive to this need of Muslim society. He had, therefore, in the best
interest of the Ummah, endeavoured to create a new leadership
amongst women, which, like its counterpart amongst men, could by
precept and example, help the formation of new type of womanhood
representing the teachings of Islam. How could this objective be
achieved without first preparing the most perfect specimens of
Muslim womanhood. The Holy Prophet allowed some women, belonging to
different social groups, having different tastes and tendencies, and
different intellectual standards to enter his household ashis wives
and then by his close personal contact nurture and train their
God-given factulties so perfectly in acccordance with the teachings
of islam that they could serve as pillars of light not only for the
womenfolk of the Islamic common-wealth, but for the whole of
manking. One or two women could not undertake this heavy
responsibility. A whole group was required to meet this need."
(Source: "The
Life of Muhammad PBUH" by Abdul Hameed Siddique, Islamic
Publications LTD.)
And,
"As far as the issue of
the Prophet’s marriages is concerned (peace and blessings be upon
him) it is not problem for a Muslim who understands the ideal
character of the Prophet and the circumstances under which his
marriages were contracted. Quite often they stand as a stumbling
block for non-Muslims to understand the personality of the Prophet,
causing one to reach the wrong conclusion, which is not to the
credit of Islam or the Prophet.
We will not give any conclusions of our own or denounce the
conclusions of others. We shall present certain facts and allow the
readers to see for themselves.
1. The institution of marriage enjoys a very high status in
Islam. It is highly commendable and essential for the sound survival
of society.
2. Prophet Muhammad never said that he was immortal or
divine. Time and time again, he emphasized that he was a mortal
being chosen by Allah to deliver His message to mankind. Although
unique and distinguished in his life, he lived like a man and died
as a man. Marriage, therefore, was natural for him, and not a heresy
or anathema.
3. He lived in an extremely hot climate where the physical
desires press hard on men, where people develop physical maturity at
an early age, and where easy satisfaction was a common thing among
people of all classes. Nevertheless, Muhammad (peace and blessings
be upon him) had never touched a woman until he was 25 years of age
when he married for the first time. In the whole of Arabia he was
known by his upright character and was called Al-Amin (the
trustworthy), a title which signified the highest standard of moral
life.
4. His first marriage at this unusually late age was to
Khadeejah, who was twice widowed and 15 years his senior. It was her
who initiated the contract, and he accepted the proposal in spite of
her age and marital status. At the time he could have quite easily
found more beautiful women to be much younger wives, if he was
inclined towards his physical desires.
5. He lived with Khadijah as her husband until he was over 50
years of age, and by her he had all his children with the exception
of Ibrahim. She remained his wife until her death when she was over
65 years, and throughout her marriage the Prophet never took another
wife or had any other intimacy.
6. Persecutions and perils were continually inflicted on him
and the believers, particularly at the end of Khadijah’s life. It
was during this time that his wife died and after her death, he
stayed without re-marrying for some time. Sawdah, who had emigrated
with her husband to Abyssinia in the early years of persecutions,
sought shelter on her way back after her husband died. The natural
course for her was to turn to the Prophet himself for whose mission
her husband had died. The Prophet extended his shelter and married
her. She was not particularly young or beautiful. She was an
ordinary widow with a quick temper. Later in the same year, the
Prophet proposed to `A'ishah who was seven years old and the
daughter of his beloved Companion, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased
with him). The marriage was not consummated until sometime after the
emigration to Madinah and when she had reached maturity. The motives
of these two marriages can be understood to be anything except
passion and physical attraction. However, he lived with the two
wives for five to six years, when he was 56 years of age, without
taking any other wife.
7. From the age of 56 to 60, the Prophet (peace and blessings
be upon him) contracted nine marriages in quick succession. In the
last three years of his life he contracted no marriages at all. Most
of his marriages were contracted in a period of about five years
when he was passing the most difficult and trying stage in his
mission. At that time the Muslims were engaged in decisive battles
and entangled in an endless circle of external and internal
problems. It was at that time that the Islamic legislation was in
the making, and the foundations of an Islamic society were being
laid down. The fact that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)
was the most dominant figure in these events and the center around
which they revolved, and that most of his marriages took place
during this particular period is an extremely interesting
phenomenon. It invites the serious attention of historians,
sociologists, legislators, psychologists, etc. It cannot be
interpreted simply in terms of physical attraction and lust.
8. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) lived a
simple and modest life. During the day he was the busiest man of his
era as he was Head of State, Chief Justice, Commander-in-Chief,
instructor, etc. At night he was spiritually devoted to Allah as he
used to stay one to two-thirds of every night vigilant in prayer and
meditation (Qur'an, 73: 20). His furniture consisted of mats, jugs,
blankets and other simple things, although he was the king and
sovereign of Arabia. His life was so severe and austere that his
wives once pressed him for worldly comforts, but they never had any
(cf. Qur'an, 33: 48). Obviously, that was not the life of a lustful
and passionate man.
9. The wives he took were all widows or divorced with the
exception of `A'ishah. None of these widowed and divorced wives was
particularly known for physical charms or beauties. Some of them
were senior to him in age, and practically all of them sought his
hand and shelter, or were presented to him as gifts, but he accepted
them as legal wives.
This is the general background of the Prophet's marriages, and it
cannot give any impression that these marriages were in response to
physical needs or biological pressures. It is inconceivable to think
that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) maintained so
large a number of wives because of personal designs or physical
wants. Anyone, friend or foe, who doubts the moral integrity or the
spiritual excellence of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be
upon him) on account of his marriages has to find satisfactory
explanations of questions like these. Why did he first marry at the
age of 25 after having had no association with any female? Why did
he choose a twice-widowed woman, 15 years his senior? Why did he
remain with her until her death when he was over fifty without
having another wife? Why did he accept all those helpless widows and
divorcees who possessed no particular appealing qualities? Why did
he lead such an austere and hard life, when he could have had an
easy and comfortable one? Why did he contract most of his marriages
in the busiest five years in his life when his mission and career
were at stake? How could he manage to be what he was, if the harem
life or passions overtook him? There are many other points that can
be raised and the whole subject cannot be simply interpreted in
terms of masculine love and desire for women. It calls for serious
and honest consideration.
Reviewing the marriages of Prophet Muhammad individually one does
not fail to find the actual reasons behind these marriages. They may
be classified as follows:
1. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to the
world as an ideal model for mankind, and he was in all aspects of
his life. Marriage in particular is a striking illustration. He was
the kindest, most loving and charitable husband. He had to undertake
all stages of human experience and moral tests. He lived with one
wife and with more than one, with the old and the young, with the
widow and the divorcee, with the pleasant and the temperamental, and
with the renowned and the humble. But, in all cases be was the
epitome of kindness and consolation, and so designated to experience
all the different aspects of human behavior and situations. This
could not have been a physical pleasure; it was a moral trial as
well as a human task, and a hard one too.
2. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to
establish morality and assure every Muslim of security, protection,
moral integrity and a decent life. His mission was put to the test
in his life and it did not stay in the stationary form of theory. As
usual, he took the hardest part and did his share in the most
inconvenient manner. Wars and persecution burdened the Muslims with
many widows, orphans and divorcees. They had to be protected and
maintained by the surviving Muslim men. It was his practice to help
these women become resettled by marriage to his Companions. The
Companions rejected some women and so some of those women sought his
personal patronage and protection. Realizing fully their conditions
and sacrifices for the cause of Islam, he had to do something to
relieve them. One course of relief was to take them as his own wives
and accept the challenge of heavy liabilities. So he did so and
maintained more than one wife at a time when it was no fun or easy
course. He had to take part in the rehabilitation of those widows,
orphans and divorcees because he could not ask his Companions to do
things that he himself was not prepared to do or participate in.
These women were trusts of the Muslims and they had to be looked
after jointly. What he did, then, was his share of responsibility,
and as always his share was the largest and heaviest. That is why he
had more than one wife and more than any of his Companions.
3. There were many prisoners of war captured by the Muslims
who were entitled to security and protection. They were not killed
or denied their rights: human or physical. On the contrary, they
were helped to settle down through legal marriages to Muslims
instead of being taken as concubines and common mistresses. That
also was another moral burden on the Muslims, which had to be
shouldered jointly as a common responsibility. Here, again, Muhammad
carried his share and took some responsibilities by marrying two of
those captives.
4. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) contracted
some of his marriages for sociopolitical reasons. His principal
concern was the future of Islam. He was interested in strengthening
the Muslims by all bonds. That is why he married the young daughter
of Abu Bakr, his First Successor, and the daughter of `Umar, his
Second Successor. It was by his marriage to Juwayriyyah that
he gained the support for Islam of the whole clan of Bani
Al-Mustaliq and their allied tribes. It was through marriage to
Safiyyah that he neutralized a great section of the hostile Jews of
Arabia. By accepting Mariyah, the Copt from Egypt, as his wife, he
formed a political alliance with a king of great magnitude.
It was also a gesture of friendship with a neighboring king that
Muhammad married Zaynab who was presented to him by the Negus of
Abyssinia in whose territory the early Muslims found safe refuge.
5. By contracting most of these marriages, the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) meant to eliminate the caste or
class system, racial and national pride and superiority, and
religious prejudices. He married some of the humblest and poorest
women. There was his marriage to Mariyah from Egypt, a Jewish woman
of a different religion and race, and a Negro girl from Abyssinia.
He was not satisfied with merely teaching brotherhood and equality:
actions speak louder than words.
6. Some of the Prophet's marriages were for legislative
reasons and to abolish certain corrupt traditions. Such was his
marriage to Zaynab, divorcee of the freed slave Zayd. Before Islam,
the Arabs did not allow divorcees to remarry. Zayd was adopted by
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and called his son as
was the custom among the Arabs before Islam. But Islam abrogated
this custom and disapproved of its practice. Prophet Muhammad (peace
and blessings be upon him) was the first man to express this
disapproval in a practical way. So he married the divorcee of
his "adopted" son to show that adoption does not really make the
adopted child a real son of the adopting father and also to show
that marriage is lawful for divorcees. Incidentally, this very
Zaynab was Muhammad's cousin, and had been offered to him in
marriage before she married Zayd. He refused her then, but after she
was divorced he accepted her for the two legislative purposes: the
lawful marriage of divorcees and the real status of adopted
children. The story of this Zaynab has been associated in some minds
with ridiculous fabrications regarding the moral integrity of
Muhammad. These vicious fabrications are not even worth considering
here (see Qur'an, 33: 36, 37, 40).
These are the circumstances accompanying the Prophet's marriages.
For the Muslims there is no doubt whatsoever that Muhammad had the
highest standards of morality and was the perfect model for mankind
under all circumstances. To non-Muslims we appeal for a serious
discussion of the matter. Then, they may be able to reach sound
conclusions."
(Source: Islam in
Focus, p.177-179 by Hammudah Abdallati, bold and underlined emphasis
ours)
Also, Sheikh Yusuf
Al-Qardawi states:
"Before the advent of
Islam, it had been the habit of men to marry an unlimited number of
women. The Old Testament states that David had 100 wives and Solomon
had 700 wives and 300 concubines. However, Islam nullified marriage
to more than four women.
If a man became a Muslim and he had more than four wives, the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would say to him: “Choose
only four and divorce the rest.”
Polygamy is permissible in Islam on the condition that the man
treats all his wives equally, otherwise he should marry one only.
Allah Almighty says, “And if ye fear that ye cannot do justice
(to so many) then one (only).” (An-Nisa': 3)
However, Allah Almighty granted Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him) something that is not allowed to any other
Muslim. He Almighty allowed him to keep the wives that he had
married and did not order him to divorce, replace any of them, or to
marry anymore women. Allah Almighty says: “It is not allowed thee
to take (other) women henceforth nor that thou should change them
for other wives even though their beauty pleased thee, save those
whom thy right hand possesses.” (Al-Ahzab: 52)
This is because the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) have a special status: they are mentioned in the Qur`an as
Mothers of the Believers. Allah Almighty says, “The Prophet is
closer to the believers than their selves, and his wives are (as)
their mothers.” (Al-Ahzab: 6)
Due to this honorable position, they were forbidden to remarry after
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Allah Almighty says,
“And it is not for you to cause annoyance to the Messenger of
Allah, nor that ye should ever marry his wives after him.”
(Al-Ahzab: 53)
This means that if they were divorced, they would have been deprived
of marriage for the rest of their lives, and they would also be
deprived of the honor of being part the Prophet’s family, which is
considered an unjust penalty when they had not done anything wrong.
Suppose that Allah had enjoined the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) to choose only four of his wives and divorce the rest.
This would mean that four of them would have been chosen to be the
Mothers of Believers and the other five would have been deprived of
the honor. This would have been a very awkward situation since none
of those exemplary women deserved to be dismissed from the Prophet’s
family and be denied the honor that she had gained.
Therefore, it was Allah’s will for them to remain as the Prophet’s
wives as an exception to him only. This is based on Allah’s saying:
“Lo! the bounty is in Allah's hand. He bestoweth it on whom He
will. Allah is All Embracing, All Knowing.” (Al `Imran: 73)
As for the answer to the question: why did the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) marry nine women in the first place? We can
say that this is well known. He did not marry any of them for the
reasons that the Orientalists falsely claim. It was not carnal
desires, which made the Prophet marry any of his wives. If he were
as they claim, he wouldn’t have been the young man married to a
woman 15 years his senior. He was 25 when he married Khadijah who
had been married twice before and had many children.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) lived all his youth
with her in happiness. When she died, he called that year "The year
of grief". He loved, respected and kept praising her so much even
after her death to the extent that `A’ishah (may Allah be pleased
with her) used to be jealous of Khadijah despite her having been
dead.
At the age of 53, after the death of Khadijah and after Hijrah
(emigration to Madinah), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) began to marry his other wives. He married Sawdah bint Zam`ah,
who was an elderly lady, in order to be his housewife. He married
the daughter of Abu Bakr, who was his friend and Companion, in order
to strengthen their relationship although she was still too young to
be married. Then he married Hafsah, `Umar’s daughter, so that both
of his Companions, Abu Bakr and `Umar, would be granted the same
honor, even though Hafsah was a widow and was not pretty.
He also married Umu Salamah who was a widow. When her husband, Abu
Salamah, died, she thought she would never find a better husband.
They had both emigrated and suffered a lot for the cause of Islam.
She said in her grief as a widow: “Lo! We are Allah’s and Lo!
unto Him we are returning.” (Al-Baqarah: 156) She prayed to
Allah to help her and recompense her with a better husband, but she
wondered whether she could ever marry someone better than her late
husband. So Allah recompensed her for her grief and bestowed on her
a far better husband who was Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings
be upon him). He married her and rewarded her for the loss of her
husband and her abandoning her family in order to emigrate to
Madinah.
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) married
Juwayriyah bint Al-Harith in order to encourage her family to be
Muslims. In the expedition of Bani al-Mustaliq, the Muslims captured
a lot of Juwayriyah's kinsfolk, and when the Companions of the
Prophet knew that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had
married her, they set the captives free because they had become kin
of the Prophet Muhammad. And so kin must not be captured.
The other woman was Um Habibah, the daughter of Abu Sufyan and who
was the bitterest enemy of Islam. She had left her father and
preferred to emigrate with her husband to Abyssinia (Al-Habashah)
for the sake of Islam. But then her husband died and she became
alone in a foreign land. What was the Prophet supposed to do in such
case? Would he leave her without help? Of course not! So he sent his
proposal to Negus (An-Najashi), the king of Abyssinia, and
authorized him to pay her the dowry and to make the marriage
contract while he was in Madinah. Another good reason for this
marriage is that marrying the daughter of Abu Sufyan would make him
less hostile to Islam due to the new kinship.
Therefore, he did not marry any of his wives for lust or worldly
desires, but for the good of Islam in order to strengthen the ties
between the people and the new religion, especially because kinship
and blood relations were well respected among the Arabs.
In conclusion, by marrying those women, the Prophet aimed at
unifying the Arabs and solving many problems. His wives became the
Mothers of the Believers, teachers of the Muslim Ummah in family and
women’s affairs, and related a lot about his family life even in the
most private situations.
Everybody has private matters except the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) who asked people to relate everything
concerning his life in order to teach the Muslim Ummah and guide
them to what is right.
The most important point is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) set a good example for Muslims in all aspects of life
including family life. A Muslim man can draw very good lessons from
the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and
in the way he treated his wives."
(Source:
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503544000
)
And Sheikh Ahmed Kutty
states:
"The Prophet’s
multiple marriages have their own wisdom and purpose ordained by
Allah Almighty. In this he is no different than previous prophets
such as Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses), Ya`qub (Jacob), Dawud
(David), etc., who all had more than one wife. It is wrong to judge
them by the standards of our modern secular values and ideals.
If we approach the
marriages of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) based on
his mission in light of the milieu he was called upon to fulfill, it
is not hard to discover that his marriages were never primarily
motivated by sexual considerations. Rather, they had much higher
purposes in the divine plan. These goals were mainly related to his
mission of unifying Arabs, and also, not less importantly, intended
to set standards for reforming intractable customs that had caused
so much misery and destruction for humanity.
Arabs before the
rise of Islam were a race who fought relentlessly for even the most
trivial matters, and no one before the Prophet (peace and blessings
be upon him) had ever succeeded in unifying them. The Prophet
unified them; marriage proved to be one of the means of achieving
this unity. Again, marriage to a widow was a curse in Arabia as well
in other major parts of the world such as India. In most of these
societies a widow was considered more like a pariah or curse for the
entire family. Almost all of the women that the Prophet married were
widows.
A still important
factor to consider: The most sexually active phase in anyone’s life
is before he reaches the age of fifty. We must remember that in this
phase, the Prophet had only one wife, Khadijah, who was fifteen
years older than him. The Prophet married her when he was
twenty-five and she was forty years. She died at the age of
sixty-five. It was only after her death and in Madinah, after he had
dedicated himself to the task of building a nation, that he married
a number of women belonging to different Arab clans, most of them
widows. By marrying them he was setting a precedent to reverse the
taboo of widow marriage. Secondly, he was paying back his due to
some of the companions who had perished in battles leaving behind
widows with children, just as he was also seeking to unify the Arab
tribes. Such a function of marriage is inconceivable for us today.
Having said this, I
must, however, further add: We need not apologize for the Islamic
teachings concerning human sexuality. Unlike some religions that
hold very negative views of sexuality, Islam celebrates sexuality
within the framework of marriage, and looks at it in a fairly
positive light, and the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be
upon him) best represents this ideal.
The question of the
Prophet’s multiple marriage should never pose a problem for the
faithful when they heed the statement of Allah in the Qur’an
concerning his marriages:
((Hence) no blame
whatever attaches to the Prophet for (having done) what God has
ordained for him. (Indeed, such was) God’s way with those that have
passed away afore-time- and remember that God’s will is always
destiny absolute!) (Al-Ahzab 33: 38)."
(Source:
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503546160
)
Judging by the
above, we can see that a large amount of good came out of the
marriages of the Holy Prophet (S).
He Wrote:
One
modern Muslim biographer of Muhammad provides the names of his wives
and concubines:
The Prophetic Household
Khadijah Bint Khuwailid: In Makkah — prior to Hijra — the
Prophet’s household comprised him [pbuh] and his wife Khadijah bint
Khuwailid. He was twenty-five and she was forty when they got
married. She was the first woman he married. She was the only wife
he had till she died. He had sons and daughters with her. None of
their sons lived long. They all died. Their daughters were Zainab,
Ruqaiya, Umm Kulthum and Fatimah.
Zainab was married to her maternal cousin Abu Al-‘As bin Al-Rabi‘
and that was before Al-Hijra. Ruqaiya and Umm Kulthum were both
married to ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan ÑÖì Çááå Úäå successively (i.e. he
married one after the death of her sister). Fatimah was married to
‘Ali bin Abi Talib; and that was in the period between Badr and Uhud
battles. The sons and daughters that Fatimah and ‘Ali had were
Al-Hasan, Al-Husain, Zainab and Umm Kulthum.
It is well-known that the Prophet [pbuh] was exceptionally
authorized to have more than four wives for various reasons. The
wives he married were thirteen. Nine of them outlived him. Two died
in his lifetime: Khadijah and the Mother of the poor (Umm
Al-Masakeen) — Zainab bint Khuzaima, besides two others with
whom he did not consummate his marriage.
Sawdah bint Zam‘a: He married her in Shawwal, in the tenth
year of Prophethood, a few days after the death of Khadijah. Prior
to that, she was married to a paternal cousin of hers called
As-Sakran bin ‘Amr.
‘Aishah bint Abu Bakr: He married her in the eleventh year of
Prophethood, a year after his marriage to Sawdah, and two years and
five months before Al-Hijra. She was six years old when he married
her. However, he did not consummate the marriage with her till
Shawwal seven months after Al-Hijra, and that was in Madinah. She
was nine then. She was the only virgin he married, and the most
beloved creature to him. As a woman she was the most learnčd woman
in jurisprudence.
Hafsah bint ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab: She was Aiyim (i.e.
husbandless). Her ex-husband was Khunais bin Hudhafa As-Sahmi in the
period between Badr and Uhud battles. The Messenger of Allâh [pbuh]
married her in the third year of Al-Hijra.
Zainab bint Khuzaimah: She was from Bani Hilal bin ‘Amir bin
Sa‘sa‘a. Was nicknamed Umm Al-Masakeen, because of her
kindness and care towards them. She used to be the wife of ‘Abdullah
bin Jahsh, who was martyred at Uhud, was married to the Prophet
[pbuh] in the fourth year of Al-Hijra, but she died two or three
months after her marriage to the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh].
Umm Salamah Hind bint Abi Omaiyah: She used to be the wife of
Abu Salamah, who died in Jumada Al-Akhir, in the fourth year of
Al-Hijra. The Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] married her in Shawwal of
the same year.
Zainab bint Jahsh bin Riyab: She was from Bani Asad bin
Khuzaimah and was the Messenger’s paternal cousin. She was married
to Zaid bin Haritha — who was then considered son of the Prophet
[pbuh] . However, Zaid divorced her. Allâh sent down some Qur’ânic
verses with this respect:
"So when Zaid had accomplished his
desire from her (i.e., divorced her), We gave her to you in
marriage." [Al-Qur'an 33:37]
About her, Allâh has sent down some verses of Al-Ahzab
Chapter that discussed the adoption of children in detail — anyway
we will discuss this later. The Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] married
her in Dhul-Qa‘dah, the fifth year of Al-Hijra.
Juwairiyah bint Al-Harith: Al-Harith was the head of Bani Al-Mustaliq
of Khuza‘ah. Juwairiyah was among the booty that fell to the Muslims
from Bani Al-Mustaliq. She was a portion of Thabit bin Qais bin
Shammas’ share. He made her a covenant to set her free at a certain
time. The Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] accomplished the covenant and
married her in Sha‘ban in the sixth year of Al-Hijra.
Umm Habibah: Ramlah, the daughter of Abu Sufyan. She was
married to ‘Ubaidullah bin Jahsh. She migrated with him to Abyssinia
(Ethiopia). When ‘Ubaidullah apostatized and became a Christian, she
stoodfast to her religion and refused to convert. However
‘Ubaidullah died there in Abyssinia (Ethiopia). The Messenger of
Allâh [pbuh] dispatched ‘Amr bin Omaiyah Ad-Damri with a letter to
Negus, the king, asking him for Umm Habibah’s hand — that was in
Muharram, in the seventh year of Al-Hijra. Negus agreed and sent her
to the Prophet [pbuh] in the company of Sharhabeel bin Hasnah.
Safiyah bint Huyai bin Akhtab: From the Children of Israel,
she was among the booty taken at Khaibar battle. The Messenger of
Allâh [pbuh] took her for himself. He set her free and married her
after that conquest in the seventh year of Al-Hijra.
Maimunah bint Al-Harith: The daughter of Al-Harith, and the
sister of Umm Al-Fadl Lubabah bint Al-Harith. The Prophet [pbuh]
married her after the Compensatory ‘Umrah (Lesser
Pilgrimage). That was in Dhul-Qa‘dah in the seventh year of
Al-Hijra.
Those were the eleven women that the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] had
married and consummated marriage with them. He outlived two of them
— Khadijah and Zainab, the Umm Al-Masakeen. Whereas the other
nine wives outlived him.
My Response:
The person missing in that list of the Prophetic
household is Mariya Qibtiyya:
"The books of sirah
(the biography of the Prophet Muhammad) differ on the number of his
wives (may Allah bless all). The main reason behind the differences
in the number of his wives is - in most of the cases - due to the
reliance on weak non-authentic hadiths.
However, the vast majority of Muslim scholars agreed
that the wives of the prophet (pbuh) were:
1. Khadijah
2. `A’isha bint Abu Bakr
3. Sawda bint Zum`ah
4. Hafsa bint `Umar
5. Zaynab bint Khuzaymah
6. Um-Habibah bint Abu Sufyan
7. Um-Salamah
8. Zaynab bint Jahsh
9. Juwariyah bint al-Harith
10. Safiyah bint Hayi ibn Akhtab
11. Maymunah al-Hilaliyah
12. Mariya al-Qibtiya (Who was from Egypt.)
(May Allah be pleased
with all of them). These are the names upon whom the scholars
agreed."
(Source:
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?cid=1123996015774&pagename=IslamOnline-English-AAbout_Islam/AskAboutIslamE/AskAboutIslamE
, bold and underlined emphasis ours )
For a more detailed
discussion regarding Mariyah the Copt, please visit:
http://www.answering-christianity.com/bassam_zawadi/rebuttaltoalisina9.htm
http://www.answering-christianity.com/umar/mary_concubine_rebuttal.htm
http://www.answering-christianity.com/umar/umar_mary_rebuttal.htm
He Wrote:
The two wives that he did not consummate marriage with were, one
from Bani Kilab and the other from Kindah and this was the one
called Al-Jauniyah.
Besides these, he had
two concubines. The first was Mariyah, the Coptic (an Egyptian
Christian), a present gift from Al-Muqauqis, vicegerent of Egypt —
she gave birth to his son Ibrâhim, who died in Madinah while still a
little child, on the 28th or 29th of Shawwal in the year 10 A.H.,
i.e. 27th January, 632 A.D. The second one was Raihanah bint Zaid
An-Nadriyah or Quraziyah, a captive from Bani Quraiza. Some people
say she was one of his wives. However, Ibn Al-Qaiyim gives more
weight to the first version. Abu ‘Ubaidah spoke of two more
concubines, Jameelah, a captive, and another one, a bondwoman
granted to him by Zainab bint Jahsh.
[Za'd Al-Ma'ad 1/29] (Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (THE SEALED
NECTAR) Biography of the Noble Prophet, Saif-ur-Rahman
al-Mubarakpuri [Maktaba Dar-us-Salam Publishers & Distributors,
First Edition 1995], "The Prophetic Household", pp. 483-485;
online source)
My Response:
(brother Umar missed this part)
From me, Osama
Abdallah:
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, had the authority to act as he
was inspired, until he was told otherwise by GOD Almighty:
"It is not lawful for thee (to
marry more) women after this, nor to change them for (other) wives,
even though their beauty attract thee, except any thy right hand
should possess (as handmaidens): and God doth watch over all
things. (The Noble Quran, 33:52)"
The Arabs 1500 years
ago were, and many of them still are today, tribe-oriented. This
means that they dealt and still deal with each others in tribal
mentality. Marriage is one form in bringing alliance between
tribes. When the Prophet, peace be upon him, married his wives, he
didn't only marry the woman, but he also brought her tribe with her,
especially if she was a daughter of an important figure in the
tribe:
"(But
the treaties are) not dissolved with those Pagans with whom ye have
entered into alliance and who have not subsequently
failed you in aught, nor aided any one against you. So fulfil your
engagements with them to the end of their term: for God loveth the
righteous. (The Noble Quran, 9:4)"
"Never should a believer kill a believer; but
(If it so happens) by mistake, (Compensation is due): If one (so)
kills a believer, it is ordained that he should free a believing
slave, and pay compensation to the deceased's family, unless they
remit it freely. If the deceased belonged to a people at war with
you, and he was a believer, the freeing of a believing slave (Is
enough). If he belonged to a people with whom ye have
treaty of Mutual alliance, compensation should be paid to his
family, and a believing slave be freed. For those who
find this beyond their means, (is prescribed) a fast for two months
running: by way of repentance to God: for God hath all knowledge and
all wisdom. (The Noble Quran, 4:92)"
"Those who believed, and adopted exile, and fought for the Faith,
with their property and their persons, in the cause of God, as well
as those who gave (them) asylum and aid,- these are (all) friends
and protectors, one of another. As to those who believed but came
not into exile, ye owe no duty of protection to them until they come
into exile; but if they seek your aid in religion, it is your duty
to help them, except against a people with whom ye have a
treaty of mutual alliance. And (remember) God seeth all
that ye do. (The Noble Quran, 8:72)"
Since the Muslims were dealing with so much hostility from the pagan
Arabs, the Prophet, peace be upon him, saw that it was necessary to
minimize the animosity with as many tribes as possible, especially
those who were geographically closer to the Muslims. A perfect
solutions by the perfect Prophet of GOD Almighty. Islam prevailed;
paganism was defeated, and the enemies of GOD Almighty were crushed.