Names Of The Wives Of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had 11 wives during his lifetime, and we will now go over the names of all the wives of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
- Hazrat Khadijah bint Khuwaylid
- Hazrat Sawdah bint Zam’ah ibn Qays
- Hazrat Aishah bint Abi Bakr al-Siddiq
- Hazrat Hafsah bint Umar
- Hazrat Zaynab bint Khuzaymah
- Hazrat Umm Salamah bint Abi Umayyah
- Hazrat Juwayriyah bint al-Harith
- Hazrat Zaynab bint Jahsh
- Hazrat Umm Habibah bint Abi Sufyan
- Hazrat Maymunah bint al-Harith
- Hazrat Safiyyah bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab
All of the wives of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) are referred to as “Ummahat al-Mumineen,” which translates as “mothers of all believers.”
They were his wife in this world, and they will be his spouses in the next one.
Names Of The Wives Of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) married 11 times in his lifetime and we will discuss all in order.
Hazrat Khadijah bint Khuwaylid
The best hadith related to Hazrat Khadijah is in Sahih Bukhari.
Narrated Hazrat Ali:
I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, “Mary, the daughter of `Imran, was the best among the women (of the world of her time) and Khadija is the best amongst the women. (of this nation).
[Sahih al-Bukhari 3432]
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (r.a) was the Prophet’s first wife. He married her when he was 25 years old and she was 40, and he did not marry again until she died. She gave birth to all of his children except Ibrahim.
She met Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the widow of a wealthy merchant, but she had made her own fortune. She hired Muhammad as a business agent but soon realized he would make an excellent husband.
Hazrat Khadijah (r.a) bore him 6 children, two of whom died as infants. She was supportive and encouraging to Muhammad when he received his initial revelations, and she stayed faithful to him when many prominent Makkans began to resist him.
For the rest of his life, he loved, missed, and remembered Khadijah.
Narrated Aisha:
I did not feel jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) as much as I did of Khadija though I did not see her, but the Prophet (ﷺ) used to mention her very often, and when ever he slaughtered a sheep, he would cut its parts and send them to the women friends of Khadija. When I sometimes said to him, “(You treat Khadija in such a way) as if there is no woman on earth except Khadija,” he would say, “Khadija was such-and-such, and from her I had children.”
[Sahih al-Bukhari 3818]
Hazrat Sawdah bint Zam’ah ibn Qays
Khadijah, the Prophet’s first wife, died after a twenty-five-year marriage. In the tenth year of his Prophethood, the Prophet (peace be upon him) married Sawdah bint Zam’ah ibn Qays (r.a).
Sawdah and her first husband were among the very first Muslims to arrive in Abyssinia. Her husband died in exile, leaving her a poor widow with small children.
They were married for three years before Prophet married again.
Sawdah had the great privilege of being an immigrant for the sake of Islam twice, once to Abyssinia and once to Medina. She was the first of several widows whom the Prophet married.
Hazrat Aishah bint Abi Bakr al-Siddiq
The Prophet (peace be upon him) married ‘Aishah bint Abi Bakr al-Siddiq (r.a) in Shawwal of the tenth year of the Prophethood.
Aishah was raised as a Muslim, while the majority of her close companions were converted.
According to numerous ahadith, she and the Prophet became extremely close after their marriage. Her husband loved her dearly and she was a brilliant Islamic scholar. As a narrator of over 2000 ahadith, she was known for her keen intelligence, love of learning, and impeccable judgment.
Aishah was one of only three wives of Prophet Muhammad who knew the entire Quran by heart.
Aishah was widowed at the age of 18 or 19 and went on to teach and play an important role in the spread of Islam for over 40 years.
It was narrated from ‘Aishah that the Prophet said:
“The superiority of ‘Aishah to other women is like the superiority of Tharid to other kinds of food.”
[Sunan an-Nasa’i 3948]
Narrated Abu Salama:
`Aisha said that the Prophet (ﷺ) said to her “O `Aisha’ This is Gabriel and he sends his (greetings) salutations to you.” `Aisha said, “Salutations (Greetings) to him, and Allah’s Mercy and Blessings be on him,” and addressing the Prophet (ﷺ) she said, “You see what I don’t see.”
[Sahih al-Bukhari 3217]
Hazrat Hafsah bint Umar
Hazrat Hafsah (r.a), the daughter of one of Prophet Muhammad’s closest confidantes, Hazrat Umar ibn Al-Khattab, was Prophet Muhammad’s fourth wife.
Sadly, she was widowed at the age of eighteen, but she had the honor of marrying Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and thus uniting the Al-Khattab family with the Prophet’s family.
In addition to reading and writing, Hazrat Hafsah (r.a) memorized the entire Quran, like Hazrat Aishah (r.a). A religious and intelligent woman, she would spend hours debating Quranic verses.
Narrated `Abdullah bin `Umar:
`Umar bin Al-Khattab said, “When (my daughter) Hafsa bint `Umar lost her husband Khunais bin Hudhaifa As-Sahrni who was one of the companions of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and had fought in the battle of Badr and had died in Medina, I met `Uthman bin `Affan and suggested that he should marry Hafsa saying, “If you wish, I will marry Hafsa bint `Umar to you,’ on that, he said, ‘I will think it over.’ I waited for a few days and then he said to me. ‘I am of the opinion that I shall not marry at present.’ Then I met Abu Bakr and said, ‘if you wish, I will marry you, Hafsa bint `Umar.’ He kept quiet and did not give me any reply and I became more angry with him than I was with `Uthman . Some days later, Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) demanded her hand in marriage and I married her to him. Later on Abu Bakr met me and said, “Perhaps you were angry with me when you offered me Hafsa for marriage and I gave no reply to you?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ Abu Bakr said, ‘Nothing prevented me from accepting your offer except that I learnt that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) had referred to the issue of Hafsa and I did not want to disclose the secret of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) , but had he (i.e. the Prophet) given her up I would surely have accepted her.”
[Sahih al-Bukhari 4005]
Hazrat Zaynab bint Khuzaymah
Hazrat Zaynab (r.a) was the first of Prophet Muhammad’s wives who did not belong to the Quraish tribe.
In Ramadan, thirty-one months after the Hijrah, the Prophet (peace be upon him) married Hazrat Zaynab bint Khuzaymah (r.a).
She had earned the title of “Mother of the Poor” prior to this marriage as a result of her work with the poor and her generosity to them.
She was married to Prophet Muhammad after her previous husband was killed in battle. Muslim men no longer feared that if they died in battle, their families would go hungry and neglected.
Hazrat Umm Salamah bint Abi Umayyah
Hazrat Umm Salamah (r.a) married Prophet Muhammad when she was 29 years old after her first husband died from wounds acquired while fighting in the battle of Uhud.
She made a dua to Allah when her husband died, saying:
“O Lord, reward me for my affliction and give me something better than it in return, which only You, the Exalted and Mighty, can give.”
Allah responded to that dua. Umm Salamah related about 300 hadiths, many of which were about women.
Umm Salama, the wife of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
If any servant (of Allah) who suffers a calamity says:” We belong to Allah and to Him shall we return; O Allah, reward me for my affliction and give me something better than it in exchange for it,” ‘ Allah will give him reward for affliction, and would give him something better than it in exchange. She (Umm Salama) said: When Abu Salama died. I uttered (these very words) as I was commanded (to do) by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). So Allah gave me better in exchange than him. i. e. (I was taken as the wife of) the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).
[Sahih Muslim 918b]
Hazrat Juwayriyah bint al-Harith
Hazrat Juwayriyah bint al-Harith (r.a) was captured by Muslims during the war against Banu Mustaliq, and she approached the Prophet (peace be upon him) to plead for his assistance.
He proposed buying her freedom and marrying her, and she accepted. The Prophet (peace be upon him) married and gave birth to her.
When the people learned of this, they released their own prisoners in order to honor the Messenger’s in-laws. She was a greater blessing to her.
Juwayriyah (r.a.) was married to the Prophet for 6 years and lived on after him for 39 years. She passed away at the age of 65.
Hazrat Zaynab bint Jahsh
Hazrat Zaynab (r.a) was a young Quraish noblewoman previously married to Prophet Muhammad’s freed slave and adopted son Zayd who was close to the Prophet.
Zayd did not suit the description she had in mind for a guy, so Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) permitted them to divorce.
This created a problem because divorce was disapproved of, leaving a lady in an odd spot; in order to appease all parties, including Zaynab’s family, she married Prophet Muhammad.
The Quran contains verses that address this issue, and by marrying Zaynab, Prophet Muhammad demonstrated that in Islam, an adopted son is not the same as a natural son.
“And ˹remember, O Prophet,˺ when you said to the one for whom Allah has done a favour and you ˹too˺ have done a favour, “Keep your wife and fear Allah,” while concealing within yourself what Allah was going to reveal. And ˹so˺ you were considering the people, whereas Allah was more worthy of your consideration. So when Zaid totally lost interest in ˹keeping˺ his wife, We gave her to you in marriage, so that there would be no blame on the believers for marrying the ex-wives of their adopted sons after their divorce. And Allah’s command is totally binding.”
[Quran 33:37]
A hadith also refers to Hazrat Zaynab. Narrated Anas:
Zaid bin Haritha came to the Prophet (ﷺ) complaining about his wife. The Prophet (ﷺ) kept on saying (to him), “Be afraid of Allah and keep your wife.” Aisha said, “If Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) were to conceal anything (of the Qur’an he would have concealed this Verse.” Zainab used to boast before the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) and used to say, “You were given in marriage by your families, while I was married (to the Prophet) by Allah from over seven Heavens.” And Thabit recited, “The Verse:– ‘But (O Muhammad) you did hide in your heart that which Allah was about to make manifest, you did fear the people,’ (33.37) was revealed in connection with Zainab and Zaid bin Haritha.”
[Sahih al-Bukhari 7420]
Hazrat Umm Habibah bint Abi Sufyan
Hazrat Ramlah (r.a), also known as Umm Habibah, was the daughter of Abu Sufyan, a Quraish leader who was an enemy of Islam at the time.
Umm Habibah and her husband joined the migration to Abyssinia after converting to Islam and experiencing hardship. Her husband died shortly after that. With a young daughter and no evident means of support, she was alone in a strange nation.
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) learned of her position, he proposed marriage to her. She agreed. She was married to Prophet Muhammad for four years before he died.
Hazrat Maymunah bint al-Harith
Maymunah (r.a), or Barra as she was then known, desired to marry the Prophet (peace be upon him) and offered herself in marriage to him. He agreed. Maymunah(r.a) was the Prophet’s companion for just over 3 years, until his death.
Ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) reported:
Allah’s Messenger. (ﷺ) married Maimuna while he was a Muhrim.
[Sahih Muslim 1410b]
Hazrat Safiyyah bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab
Safiyyah (r.a) was born in Madinah to Huyayy ibn Akhtab, the head of the Jewish tribe Banu Nadir.
Muslims won the Battle of Khaybar, and Safiyyah (r.a) was enslaved. When Muhammad (peace be upon him) recommended that Safiyyah (r.a) convert to Islam, she agreed and married Muhammad.
Narrated `Abdul `Aziz:
Anas said, ‘When Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) invaded Khaibar, we offered the Fajr prayer there (early in the morning) when it was still dark. The Prophet (ﷺ) rode and Abu Talha rode too and I was riding behind Abu Talha. The Prophet (ﷺ) passed through the lane of Khaibar quickly and my knee was touching the thigh of the Prophet (ﷺ) . He uncovered his thigh and I saw the whiteness of the thigh of the Prophet. When he entered the town, he said, ‘Allahu Akbar! Khaibar is ruined. Whenever we approach near a (hostile) nation (to fight) then evil will be the morning of those who have been warned.’ He repeated this thrice. The people came out for their jobs and some of them said, ‘Muhammad (has come).’ (Some of our companions added, “With his army.”) We conquered Khaibar, took the captives, and the booty was collected. Dihya came and said, ‘O Allah’s Prophet! Give me a slave girl from the captives.’ The Prophet said, ‘Go and take any slave girl.’ He took Safiya bint Huyai. A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, ‘O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)s! You gave Safiya bint Huyai to Dihya and she is the chief mistress of the tribes of Quraidha and An-Nadir and she befits none but you.’ So the Prophet (ﷺ) said, ‘Bring him along with her.’ So Dihya came with her and when the Prophet (ﷺ) saw her, he said to Dihya, ‘Take any slave girl other than her from the captives.’ Anas added: The Prophet (ﷺ) then manumitted her and married her.” Thabit asked Anas, “O Abu Hamza! What did the Prophet (ﷺ) pay her (as Mahr)?” He said, “Her self was her Mahr for he manumitted her and then married her.” Anas added, “While on the way, Um Sulaim dressed her for marriage (ceremony) and at night she sent her as a bride to the Prophet (ﷺ) . So the Prophet was a bridegroom and he said, ‘Whoever has anything (food) should bring it.’ He spread out a leather sheet (for the food) and some brought dates and others cooking butter. (I think he (Anas) mentioned As-Sawaq). So they prepared a dish of Hais (a kind of meal). And that was Walima (the marriage banquet) of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) .”
[Sahih al-Bukhari 371]
READ NEXT: Names Of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
Who Was Muhammad’s Favourite Wife?
Khadija bint Khuwaylid (r.a)
Most Muslim traditions regard Khadija bint Khuwaylid (r.a) as Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) most cherished and favorite wife; Sunni tradition ranks Aisha (r.a) second to Khadija (r.a).
Why Did Muhammad Marry Aisha?
Allah picked Aisha (r.a) for him for obvious reasons involving her intellect and the preservation of hadiths. She was well-known for her superior intellect. She came from a well-known family of scholars.
READ NEXT: 99 Names Of Allah With Meaning And Benefits
Why Did Prophet Muhammad Marry So Many Times?
The following are the claimed aims of Muhammad’s marriages: He was aiding the widows of his companions. Developing familial bonds with his buddies (Muhammad married the daughters of Abu Bakr and Umar, while Uthman and Ali married his daughters).
Who Was The First Woman To Believe In Muhammad?
Khadija, the Prophet Muhammed’s first wife, was a wealthy businesswoman in her own right, controlling one of the most important caravan trade routes in the region. She was the first Muslim, and she believed in Muhammed before he did.
