List
of Wives of the Prophet of Islam (SAWA)
In the early part of
the eighteenth century, the Christian writers started with new tactics of
attacking Islam. They aimed, through publications full of lies and slanders, at
diverting attention from the noble framework of Islam and degrading the exalted
person of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAWA).
The basis of that adverse propaganda were
the books written by Christian writers of the fifteenth century. A writer had
written a book under the title ‘Refutation to the Religion of Muhammad’
which became the source of later writers against Islam. These writers were
unacquainted with the real facts about Islam, due to their ignorance of the
Arabic language in which Islamic history and holy books were then available.
It is not strange, therefore, to see then
writing against the Prophet of Islam, accusing him of lust because he had
married a number of wives, whilst other Muslims were restricted to a maximum of
four at a time. (They perhaps forgot that the writers of the present Bible have
openly accused their own Prophets of having committed adultery!)
Of course, by misinforming their
Christian brothers, and slandering the Prophet of Islam (SAWA), they hoped to
cause a set-back in the fast progress of Islam. But, these tactics did not
succeed much. We find a number of learned and fair-minded Christian writers
defending the Holy Prophet (SAWA) against such slanders, in apologetic language.
Undoubtedly these stories of slanders are
totally unacceptable to Muslims, since part of their faith is to believe in the
infallibility (Ismat or sinlessness) of the Prophets. But at the same
time it is imperative to acquaint the non-Muslims with the true facts.
VERDICT OF HISTORY
Unbiased historians, both Muslims and
Christians, are agreed that the number of marriages contracted by the Prophet of
Islam (SAWA) was not as a result of lust or to satisfy the sexual desires. If
this had been the case he would not have married the twice-widowed Khadijah, 40
years old, at the youthful age of 25 when one is full of emotion and sexual
urge.
Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) lived together
with his first (and, at that time, the only) wife, Khadijah, happily for 26
years with great mutual affection, despite the fact that young and beautiful
girls of Arabia were easily available to him and were keen to be married to the
Prophet (SAWA). Not even once, during that period, did the Prophet (SAWA) take
another wife. Undoubtedly he would have at least considered another younger wife
simultaneously with Khadijah if he ever suffered from lust and fondness of young
women, particularly when the country’s customs wholly approved unlimited
marriages.
CRITICS DUMBFOUNDED
Let us look at the life history of the
Prophet (SAWA) of Islam. During the prime of his life, he remains satisfied with
an aged and twice-widowed wife and does not even think of another. Then during
his last ten years of his life, after passing the age of fifty, in his old age,
when he is surrounded by various difficult problems of the newly borne Islamic
state, he starts marrying a number of wives.
Ask these Christian writers why this
phenomenon?
What logical answer can these critics
give to this amazing question?
Was it not a difficult exercise and heavy
burden to marry widows and support orphans? Was it easy for a perfectly
dignified man in the person Muhammad (SAWA) to marry women of different outlook,
characters and tribes, including some of much younger age who were still unaware
of the full responsibilities of life?
Let us ponder over the reply to these
questions as given by a famous western historian, Thomas Carlyle in his book
“Heroes and Heroes’ Worship”. He says in effect that contrary to what his
enemies accuse him, Muhammad (SAWA) was never lusty and sexualist and that it
was a slander only out of prejudice against him and this indeed is a great
injustice.
John Devenport says, “and it may then
be asked, is it likely that a very sensual man, of a country where polygamy was
a common practice, should be contented for five-and-twenty years with one wife,
she being fifteen years older than himself”.
LIST OF WIVES OF THE PROPHET OF ISLAM
After the death of his first wife,
Khadijah, he married up to twelve wives in this order: -
Let us examine the circumstances and
conditions under which these marriages had taken place.
In principle, it can be stated that the
marriages were contracted with one or more of the following objectives:-
(1) For the sake of caring for the
orphans and looking after the poor windows. These were some Muslim women who had
earlier enjoyed high dignity in the Arab society. But on the death of their
husbands, their status and even faith were jeopardy, because their tribal chiefs
would take them back and compel them to renounce Islam, thus converting then
back to polytheism.
For example, Sawdah had migrated to
Abyssinia where her husband died, and she became absolutely without helper. It
was the time when the Prophet had lost Khadijah, his first wife; so he married
Sawdah.
Likewise, Zaynab daughter of Khuzaymah,
was an old-aged widow, who after the death of her husband was inflicted with
poverty, despite her being amiable and being known as ’Ummul-Masa-kin’(Mother
of the poor). The Prophet married her to uphold her dignity and she died of old
age only after two years of that marriage.
(2) For the sake of enacting a new law
and eradicating injustice by the ignorant tribes. For example, Zaynab bint-Jahsh
was the daughter of the Prophet’s aunt. She was married, at the recommendation
of the Prophet to Zayd ibn-Harithah, the freed slave and adopted son of the
Prophet(SAWA). This marriage was contracted to eradicate the discrimination
against slaves and poor and to emphasize the Islamic equality and brotherhood,
as Zayab was from the family of ‘Abd al-Muttalib, the grandfather of the Holy
Prophet (SAWA) and the Chief of Quraysh, whereas Zayd was a slave who was freed
by the Prophet (SAWA).
Unfortunately, Zaynab due to her family
pride, did not get along well with Zayd despite Prophet’s persuasions. The
rift between the two culminated to divorce. Meanwhile, the system of adoption of
children was expressly forbidden by Allah. So, when Zayd divorced Zaynab, the
Prophet of Islam (SAWA), at the express command of God, married Zaynab; and,
thus, put an end to the then prevalent belief that adopted sons were like real
sons and that wives or widows of adopted sons were like daughter-in-laws.
(3) For the sake of freeing prisoners and
slaves. For example, ’Juwayriyah’ was from a prominent tribe of Banul-Mustalaq.
In a war against Islam this tribe was defeated; and Juwayriyah, the daughter of
their Chief, was held in captivity. The Prophet (SAWA) married her to set an
example of protection and good treatment to prisoners of war.
On seeing that the prisoners had become relatives of the Holy Prophet (SAWA)
by marriage, the Muslims released all the prisoners of war held by them.
According to Ibne Hisham, over one hundred families of Banul-Mustalaq were
freed from captivity as a result of this marriage.
(4) For the sake of uniting some
prominent Arab tribes who often were at logger heads with each other and to
safeguard the internal political status of Islam.
The Prophet married ‘A’ishah daughter
of Abu Bakr from the tribe of Bani Tim, Hafsah daughter of ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab
from the tribe of Adi, Umm-Habibah daughter of Abu Sufyan from the tribe of
Umayyah, Safiyah daughter of Huaiy bin Akhtab of the Jewish tribe Bani an-Nadir,
and Maymunah from the tribe of Bani Makhzum .
Umm-Habibah (i.e. Ramla) was daughter of
Abu Sufyan of bani Umayyah who was the bitterest enemy of the Prophet (SAWA) and
had repeatedly fought against him. She, as a Muslim, was in great distress since
she was divorced from her original husband (who had become Christian in
Abyssiania) and her father was a great enemy of Islam.
Seeing her deprived of every help from
parent and divorced from husband, the Prophet (SAWA) married her in sympathy.
This marriage also gave a chance to the people of Bani Umayyah to soften their
hearts for Islam.
Safiyah was widowed daughter of Huaiy bin
Akhtab, one of the chiefs of Jewish tribe of Bani an-Nadir. When the prisoners
of this tribe were released by the Muslims, the Prophet (SAWA) married her in
order to safeguard her status; and, thus, also linking himself with one of the
great Jewish tribes of that time, and paving the way for them to come nearer to
Islam.
Maymunah was 51 years of age and from a
prominent tribe of Bani Makhzum whom the Prophet (SAWA) married in the year 7
after Hijrah.
The above marital history of the Prophet
(SAWA) clearly shows the noble aim and objectives for which he married a number
of wives. It is not difficult to see that none of these marriages was for
personal satisfaction of sexual desires as unjustifiably accused by the
Christian writers. Also, it is important to remember that all of these
marriages, except that with ‘A’ishah, were contracted with women who were
widowed not only once, but often twice and thrice.
THE
END