The Marriages of the Prophet (SAW)

Asalaamu alaikum Wa rahmatulahi Wa baraqatuhu 

Indeed the best of Statements is the book of Allah and the best of guidance is the guidance of Rasulullah (SAW).

The worst of all deeds are the newly invented acts (innovations),  for every innovation is a misguidance and every misguidance is in the fire.

I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad (salallahu alaihi wa salaam) is His last Messenger.

May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his household and all those who strive on his rightly guided path until the day of judgement.

In Shaa Allah the topic that I am presenting on is " The Marriages of the Prophet (SAW) "

May Allah guide us as we go such a beautiful topic.

Let's start by looking at what Islam Say about marriage.

In Islam , marriage is a blessed contract between a man and a woman, in which each becomes permitted to the other.

They begin the long journey of life in a spirit of love, cooperation,  harmony and tolerance,  where each feels at ease with the other and finds tranquility, _contentment_ and _comfort_  in the  company of the other.

The QUR'AN has described this relationship between men and women which brings love, harmony, trust and compassion in the most moving and eloquent terms:

And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves,  that you may dwell in tranquility with them,  and He has put love and mercy between your hearts.   ( Qur'an 30:21)

Marriages Of The Prophet (salallahu alaihi wa salaam)

In the pre-Islamic era, women had been treated in such a way that their womanly pride was offended.

 Concubines were seen as an instrument  of amusement and were treated in a  very degrading way. Fearing that they would grow up to become prostitutes, little girls were buried alive by their parents without any mercy.

With petrified hearts, even worse crimes were committed in order to protect them from calamity , all of this was the result of ignorance.

Allah describes their behavior as follows :

 " When news is brought to one of them,  of (the birth of)  a female (child), his face darkens, and he is filled with inward grief. With shame does he hide himself from his people,  because of the bad news he has received!  Shall he retain it on (sufferance and) contempt or bury it in the dust? Ah! What an evil (choice) they decide on "      ( Qur'an 16: 58-59 )

By the order of Prophet Muhammad (SAW),  women's rights were established. Women  became examples of modesty and virtue in society. The institution of motherhood gained *honour* . With the Hadith that says, " Paradise lies under the feet of the mothers", mothers earned the status that they deserved by the courtesy of Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alaihi wa salaam).

The wives of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)

After the death of his first wife, Khadija, the Prophet (SAW)  married eleven women , all were divorcees, except A'isha (Radiyallahu Anha),  the daughter of Abubakar (Radiyallahu Anhu).

Six of his wives were from the tribe of Quraish and five were from different Arabian tribes.

List of the wives of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)

 1. Khadija bint Khuwaylid

 2. Sawda bint Zam'a

 3. A'isha bint Abi Bakr

 4. Hafsa bint Umar

 5. Zaynab bint Khuzayma

 6. Hind(Umm Salama) bint Abi Umaya

 7. Zaynab bint Jahsh

 8. Rayhana bint Zayd Ibn Amr

 9. Juwairiya bint Al-Harith

 10. Ramla (Umm Habiba ) bint Abi Sufyan

 11. Safiya bint Huyay

 12. Maymunah bint Al-Harith

 

 Khadija bint Khuwaylid

At age 25, Rasulullah (salallahu alaihi wa salaam) married his wealthy employer, the 40 year old merchant Khadija(Radiyallahu Anha).

They had two sons, asim and Abd-Allah  and four daughters : Zaynab, Ruqaiya, Umm Kulthum, and Fatimah

 

 Sawda bint Zam'a

Before Rasulullah (salallahu alaihi wa salaam) left for Madina, it was suggested by Khawlah bint Hakim that he marries Sawda bint Zam'a,  who suffered many hardships after she became a Muslim.  Prior to that, she was married to a paternal cousin of hers named As-Sakran bin Amr and had five or six sons from her previous marriage.

 

 A'isha bint Abi Bakr 💛

She was the daughter of Rasulullah's (SAW)  close friend Abu Bakr.

Majority of traditional sources state that A'isha(RA) was betrothed to Rasulullah (SAW)  at the age of six or seven , but she stayed in her parents home until the age of nine or ten according to  _Ibn Hisham_, when the marriage was consummated, with Rasulullah (SAW), then 53, in Madinah.

She was extremely scholarly and inquisitive. This is evident in the fact that she is known to have narrated about 2210 Ahadith.

 Widows of the war in Macca

Hafsa bint Umar and Zaynab bint Khuzayma

As a result of the battles that took place in Macca, many men were killed leaving behind  widows and orphans.

Hafsa bint Umar, daughter of Umar bin Al-Khatab (RA) was widowed at the battle of *Badr*. She was the wife of _Khunais Ibn Hudhaifa_.

Zaynab bint Khuzaymah was also widowed at the battle of Badr. She was the wife of Ubaydah bin Al-Harith,  a faithful Muslim and from the tribe of Al-Muttalib.

 

Hind bint Abi Umayya (Umm Salama ) 💙

The death of Zaynab coincided with that of Abu Salama, a devout Muslim, as a result of his wounds from the battle of Uhud.

When Rasulullah proposed marriage to her, she was reluctant for *three*  reasons :

1.She claimed to suffer from jealousy and pointed out the prospect of an unsuccessful marriage.

2. Her old age

3. Her young family that needed support.  But Rasulullah (SAW) replied that he would pray to Allah to free her from jealousy, that he too was of old age and that her _family_ was like his family. She accepted and Rasulullah (SAW)  married her.

 

The Prophet (SAW)  married these women for a number of reasons

1. Religious and legislative purpose

The Prophet (SAW)  married Zaynab bint Jahsh. The Arabs in the era of ignorance would prohibit a man from marrying the wife of his adopted son,  they believed that the adopted son was like a man's actual son in all aspects.

The Prophet (SAW) married her, although she was previously the wife of his adopted son, Zaid bin Harithah. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) married her to abolish this belief.

 

Allah (SWT) says:

"And (remember ) when you said to him (Zaid bin Harithah (RA), the freed slave of Rasulullah (SAW))  on whom Allah has bestowed Grace ( by guiding him to Islam)  and you (O Muhammad (SAW)  too)  have done favour ( by manumitting him) : ' Keep your wife to yourself and fear Allah. ' But you did hide in yourself ( ie what Allah has already made known to you that He will give her to you in marriage) that which Allah will make manifest, you did fear the people (ie their saying that Muhammad (SAW)  married the divorced wife of his manumitted slave) whereas Allah had a better right that you should fear Him. So when Zaid had accomplished his desire from her, (ie divorced her), We gave her to you in marriage, so that (in future),  there may be no difficulty to the believers in respect of (the marriage of) the wives of their adopted sons when the latter have no desire to keep them (ie they have divorced them). And Allah's Command must be fulfilled. "   (Qur'an 33:37)_

 

2. Political reasons and for the spread of Islam, to invite people to Islam, and to gain the favour of the Arab tribes :

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) married women from the largest and strongest Arab tribes. He (SAW)  ordered his companions to do this as well. The Prophet (SAW) said to Abdur-Rahman bin Auf:

"If they obey you (ie accept Islam),  then marry the daughter of the head of the tribe. "

3. Social Reasons: The Prophet (SAW) married the wives of some of his companions who had died, in battle or while on a mission to preach Islam.

 

He married them even though they were older than him, and did so to honour them and their husbands.

Alhamdulillah this is where I end my presentation. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our noble Prophet, Muhammad (Salallahu Alaihi Wa Salaam), his household, companions and all those who follow his rightly guided path until the last day.

Any faults from my presentation are from me and anything said right is from Allah.

May Allah forgive us  our Sins and grant us Jannatul Firdaus by His Mercy.