Muhammad's Wives

In his book, Jesus and Muhammad: Profound Differences and Surprising Similarities, Mark A. Gabriel conducts a factual analysis of the life and teachings of Jesus and Muhammad, sourcing his statements with primary texts and reputed historical reports. I found his chapter "Attitudes Toward Women" especially helpful in understanding the differences between the way an Islamic society views women and the way a Christian society views women. Here are some notes about Muhammad (the Example for All Muslims) that I found interesting: 

List of Muhammad’s Wives:

1. Khadija, the first wife.
Muhammad was 25, she was 40. She is described as being emotionally supportive when he received revelations (during which he foamed at the mouth etc.). She encouraged him when the people of Mecca resisted his teachings, and he remained married to her until her death at age 65.

2. Aisha, the child bride.

About a year after fleeing Mecca for Medina (622), Muhammad married Aisha, the six-year-old daughter of his follower, Abu Bakr. He consummated their union when she was nine years old. Aisha was part of Muhammad’s harem until his death. Over the course of her life she became a key figure in Islamic history, narrating thousands of hadith.

She also was active politically, in that she hated Muhammad’s cousin Ali ibn Abu Talib. At one point, Ali told Muhammad he ought to divorce Aisha, and Aisha heard about it. She never stopped hating Ali. Years later, after Muhammad’s death, Ali was elected to become the next Islamic caliph, but Aisha opposed him. She gathered an army of dissidents, and in the battle that followed (the Battle of Camel), Ali was killed, along with about ten thousand Muslims. Yep, Aisha is a major figure.

3. Hafza bint Umar ibn al-Khattab
Hafza was the daughter of one of Muhammad’s warriors.

4. Umm-Habib Rumleh bint Abi Sufyan
Umm was the daughter of the leader of the Quraysh tribe in Mecca.

5. Zainab, the wife of Muhammad’s adopted son
Basically, Muhammad goes to visit his son, but his son isn’t home. Muhammad gets a glimpse of a partially-clothed Zainab, and falls in love with her. When her husband gets home, Zainab tells him about his father’s behavior (and exclamations of love). Shortly after, Muhammad’s son divorces Zainab, and Muhammad marries her.

But not before the ‘angel’ Gabriel appears and reveals that 1) there is to be no more adoption, and all adoptions are annulled (surah 33;4) and that Allah has made a special exception for Muhammad to marry his son’s wife (Surah 33:37-38, “Allah’s command must be fulfilled. There can be no difficulty to the Prophet in what Allah has indicated to him as a duty). Her former husband died while fighting in Jihad three years later.

6. Umm Salama Hend bint Abi Ummayah

7. Maymuna bint el-Harith al-Hilleliah

8. Sauda bint Zema’a el Amawiya

9. Juwayriya bint al-Harith – Jewish prisoner
She was taken by Muhammad during a raid on the beni Mustaliq. On that same raid, Aisha (age 11) was accused of adultery, and Muhammad received a revelation from the angel Gabriel that she was innocent (Surah 42:11-18).

10. Safiya, Jewish prisoner of war
Two years after he married Zainab, Muhammad was working on getting all the Jews out of Arabia. He had been mostly successful, but the village of Khaybar was still full of Jews. One night, he and his men surrounded it. They waited until most of the people were asleep, and then attacked. Muhammad had most of the young men and adults killed, but ordered that the women and children should be taken prisoner.

In the course of the slaughter, he noticed a beautiful girl – Safiya. Her father and husband had already been killed, and she had already been taken by one of Muhammad’s men – Quais bin Thabet Al-Shammas. Muhammad traded two prisoners (Safiya’s cousins) for Safiya, in effect buying her from Quais.

Muhammad made Safiya ride back with him to Medina. He waited until she menstruated once, and then married her.

11. Ra-hana bint Shumahon

12. Maria bint Shumahon

13. Umm Sharik

Muslim men are permitted four wives....except Muhammad, because he received Allah’s special permission in this revelation:

“O Prophet! We have made lawful to you your wives to whom you have paid their dowers; and those whom your right hand posesses out of the prisoners of war whom Allah has assigned to you; and daughters of your paternal uncles and aunts, and daughters of your maternal uncles and aunts, who migrated (from Makkah) with you; and any believing woman who dedicates her soul to the Prophet if the Prophet wishes to wed her; – this only for you, and not for the Believers (at large). – Surah 33:50, Ali Translation

However, none of his widows (nine of them) were allowed to remarry after he died, even though several of them were probably in their twenties (Surah 33:6, 52), and Muhammad himself had been married to a widow. 

(material adapted from pp 177-183 of Jesus and Muhammad)

Read more on Women in Islam at: Pilgrim Toward Truth Home Page