Who Are the Wives of the Prophet (PBUH), and Why Are They Called Mothers of the Believers?
من هن زوجات النبي ﷺ؟ ولم سماهن الله أمهات المؤمنين؟
This title is mentioned in the Qur’anic text in Surat Al-Ahzab
( The Prophet has a stronger affinity to the believers than they do themselves. And his wives are their mothers. As ordained by Allah, blood relatives are more entitled ˹to inheritance˺ than ˹other˺ believers and immigrants, unless you ˹want to˺ show kindness to your ˹close˺ associates ˹through bequest˺. This is decreed in the Record.)
Muslims infer that they have merit and advantage over the rest of Muslim women in the Qur’anic text in Surat Al-Ahzab as well. ( O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women: if you are mindful ˹of Allah˺, then do not be overly effeminate in speech ˹with men˺ or those with sickness in their hearts may be tempted, but speak in a moderate tone.)
Names of the wives of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
● Khadijah bint Khuwaylid.
● Sawdah bint Zam’ah.
● Aisha bint Abi Bakr.
● Hafsah bint Umar.
● Hind bint Abi Umayyah (Umm Salamah).
● Zaynab bint Jahsh.
● Juwayriyyah bint al-Harith.
● Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan (Umm Habibah).
● Safiyyah bint Huyayy.
● Maymunah bint al-Harith.
● Zaynab bint Khuzaymah.
Note: The earlier published list named “Zainab bint Al-Harith” and left out Maymunah bint al-Harith and Zaynab bint Khuzaymah. The wife is Zaynab bint Jahsh, and this answer itself counts all three among his wives below, so it was corrected.
First: Allah the Almighty said: (The Prophet has a stronger affinity to the believers than they do themselves. And his wives are their mothers.)
This verse shows that he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has a stronger claim on every believing man and woman than they have on themselves, just as his wives are mothers of the believing men and mothers of the believing women.
The meaning of (The Prophet has a stronger affinity to the believers than they do themselves) is that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is closer in guardianship, that is, in nearness, to every believer than the believer’s own self; that is, he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has more right to direct the souls of the believers, because their own selves call them to ruin while he calls them to salvation. This is supported by his saying (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
“My example and the example of the people is that of a man who kindled a fire. When it lit up what was around him, the moths and these creatures that fall into fire began falling into it, and he kept pulling them out while they overpowered him and rushed into it. So I am holding you by your waist-wrappers to keep you from the Fire, while they rush into it.”
He also has a stronger claim on their love and support, so they support him even against what is dearest to them and love him above what they love most, as in the hadith narrated from Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said
“None of you believes until I am more beloved to him than his child, his parent and all the people.”
Abdullah ibn Hisham reported: We were with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and he was holding the hand of Umar ibn al-Khattab. Umar said to him, “O Messenger of Allah, you are more beloved to me than everything but myself.” The Prophet said, “No, by the one in whose hand is my soul, until I am more beloved to you than yourself.” Umar said, “Indeed, I swear by Allah that you are more beloved to me now than myself.” The Prophet said, “Now you are right, O Umar.”
The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has a stronger claim on each of the believers than their own selves, because he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gave them such sincere advice, care and compassion that he was the most merciful and compassionate of creation towards them. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has done them a greater favour than anyone else, for not an atom’s weight of good reached them, nor was an atom’s weight of evil kept away from them, except at his hands and because of him (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). That is why some explanatory readings have: “and he is a father to them”, because he nurtures them as a father nurtures his children.
Therefore, whenever what the self wants, or what anyone else wants, conflicts with what the Messenger wants, they must put what the Messenger wants first, not set anyone’s words, whoever he may be, against the words of the Messenger, ransom him with their lives, their wealth and their children, not speak until he has spoken, and not put themselves forward before him.
Second: Wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married thirteen women. He died leaving nine; two died in his lifetime, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid and Zaynab bint Khuzaymah (the mother of the poor); and there were two with whom he did not consummate the marriage. Here are their names and something of their stories.
1. Khadijah bint Khuwaylid: He married her when he was twenty-five years old, and she was forty, and she was the first woman he married and he did not marry anyone else while he was with her.
2. Sawdah bint Zam’ah: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married her in Shawwal, the tenth year of the Prophethood, a few days after Khadijah’s death, and she was married to her cousin Al-Sukran bin Amr, who had died.
3. Aisha bint Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq: He married her in Shawwal in the eleventh year of the Prophethood, a year after his marriage to Sawdah, and two years and five months before the migration. He married her when she was six years old, and he consummated the marriage in Shawwal, in Medina, seven months after the migration, and she was a nine-year-old girl, and she was the only virgin he ever married. She was the most beloved of creation to him, the most learned in religion of the women of the Ummah, and the most knowledgeable of them without exception.
4. Hafsah bint Umar ibn al-Khattab: Her husband Khunis ibn Hudhafah al-Sahmi died between Badr and Uhud, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married her in the year (3 AH).
5. Zaynab bint Khuzaymah from Bani Hilal bin Amer bin Sasa’a: She was called the mother of the poor, because of her mercy on them and her kindness to them. She was married to Abdullah bin Jahsh who was martyred in Uhud, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married her in the year (4 AH) and she died two or three months after marriage.
6. Umm Salamah Hind bint Abi Umayyah was married to Abu Salamah, he died in Jumada al-Akhirah (4 AH), so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) married her in Shawwal in the same year.
7. Zaynab bint Jahsh bin Ri’ab from Bani Asad bin Khuzaymah, the daughter of the paternal aunt of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), was married to Zayd bin Haritha - who was regarded as the Prophet’s adopted son - and Zayd divorced her. Then Allah the Almighty revealed, addressing the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
(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.)
8. Juwayriyyah, daughter of al-Harith, chief of Bani al-Mustaliq from Khuza’ah, married in Sha’ban in the year 6 AH.
9. Umm Habibah Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan, was married to Ubayd Allah bin Jahsh, migrated with him to Abyssinia, so Ubayd Allah apostatized, became Christian, and died there. Umm Habibah remained firm in her religion and her emigration, so when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent Amr bin Umayyah al-Damari with his letter to the Negus in Muharram year 7 AH, the Negus asked for Umm Habibah’s hand on his behalf and married her to him and sent her with Shurahbil ibn Hasanah.
10. Safiyyah bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab of the Children of Israel, was from the captives of Khaybar, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) chose her for himself, he freed her and married her after the conquest of Khaybar in the year (7 AH).
11. Maymunah bint al-Harith, sister of Umm al-Fadl Lubabah bint al-Harith, married her in Dhu al-Qa’dah in the year 7 AH in ‘Umrah al-Qadha, after he had come out of ihram, according to the sound view.
12. There were two whom he did not consummate his marriage to, one was from Bani Kilab, and the other of Kinda, who is known as al-Jawniyyah.
Third: The reason why they are called the mothers of the believers
That the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) are the mothers of the believers is only an honour with which Allah (SWT) has honoured them (may Allah be pleased with them).
They are the mothers of the believers in the obligation of glorification, kindness, reverence, and the prohibition on men marrying them, and in the requirement of hijab with them, may Allah be pleased with them, unlike real mothers.
One of those reasons is that their compassion for believers is the compassion of mothers, so they were given the status of mothers in glorification, reverence and honour.
The scholar Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned another subtle point, which can be illustrated by the following:
a. Man has two births, the first birth is his exit from his mother’s womb to this world, and the second birth is his exit from the darkness of ignorance and misguidance to the light of knowledge and guidance, and that is why Allah the Almighty called guidance life and called what comes before it death, as He the Almighty said:
(Can those who had been dead, to whom We gave life and a light with which they can walk among people)
b. The reason for his second birth is the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him; in the explanatory, non-canonical reading of Ubayy ibn Ka’b and Ibn Abbas:
( The Prophet has a stronger affinity to the believers than they do themselves. And his wives are their mothers).
“He is their father”, and the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) were ordered to communicate the knowledge and religion that was practiced in their homes, and so they became mothers of the believers, considering them the reason for the second birth, which is the birth of guidance.
This motherhood does not qualify them to inherit like the mother who gave birth, nor does this prohibition of marriage extend to their daughters, so Ali bin Abi Talib married Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and her mother Khadijah, and Uthman married two daughters of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
ورد هذا اللقب في النص القرآني في سورة الأحزاب: (النبي أولى بالمؤمنين من أنفسهم وأزواجه أمهاتهم وأولو الأرحام بعضهم أولى ببعض في كتاب الله)، ويستدل المسلمون بأن لهن فضلا ومزية عن بقية نساء المسلمين بالنص القرآني في سورة الأحزاب أيضا: (يا نساء النبي لستن كأحد من النساء إن اتقيتن فلا تخضعن بالقول فيطمع الذي في قلبه مرض وقلن قولا معروفا).
أسماء زوجات الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم
خديجة بنت خويلد.
سودة بنت زمعة.
عائشة بنت أبي بكر.
حفصة بنت عمر.
هند بنت أبي أمية (أم سلمة).
زينب بنت جحش.
جويرية بنت الحارث.
رملة بنت أبي سفيان (أم حبيبة).
صفية بنت حيي.
ميمونة بنت الحارث.
زينب بنت خزيمة.
ملاحظة: جاء في النص المنشور سابقا في هذه القائمة: (زينب بنت الحارث)، ولم تذكر فيها ميمونة بنت الحارث ولا زينب بنت خزيمة، والصواب زينب بنت جحش، والجواب نفسه يعد الثلاث في زوجاته ﷺ فيما يلي، فصُحح.
أولاً: قال الله تعالى: “النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَى بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَأَزْوَاجُهُ أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ”
تدل هذه الآية على أنه ﷺ أولى بكل مؤمن ومؤمنة من نفسه، كما أن أزواجه أمهات للمؤمنين من الرجال وأمهات للمؤمنين من النساء.
ومعنى: “ أَوْلَى بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ“ أي: أن النبي ﷺ أشد ولاية- أي: قربا- لكل مؤمن من قرب نفسه إليه، أي هو ﷺ أحق بالتصرف في نفوس المؤمنين؛ لأن أنفسهم تدعوهم إلى الهلاك، وهو يدعوهم إلى النجاة، ويؤيد هذا قوله ﷺ: ” إنَّما مَثَلِي ومَثَلُ النَّاسِ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ اسْتَوْقَدَ نارًا، فَلَمَّا أضاءَتْ ما حَوْلَهُ جَعَلَ الفَراشُ وهذِه الدَّوابُّ الَّتي تَقَعُ في النَّارِ يَقَعْنَ فيها، فَجَعَلَ يَنْزِعُهُنَّ ويَغْلِبْنَهُ فَيَقْتَحِمْنَ فيها، فأنا آخُذُ بحُجَزِكُمْ عَنِ النَّارِ، وهُمْ يَقْتَحِمُونَ فيها”.
وهو أولى بمحبتهم ونصرتهم، فينصرونه ولو على أحب شيء إليهم، ويحبونه على أحب شيء عندهم، كما في الحديث عن أنس بن مالك رضي الله عنه- أن رسول الله ﷺ قال: ” لا يُؤْمِنُ أحدُكم حتى أكونَ أحبَّ إليه من ولدِهِ، ووالدِهِ، والناسِ أجمعينَ“، وعن عبدالله بن هشام قال:” كُنَّا مع النَّبيِّ ﷺ وهو آخِذٌ بيَدِ عُمَرَ بنِ الخَطَّابِ، فَقالَ له عُمَرُ: يا رَسولَ اللَّهِ، لَأَنْتَ أحَبُّ إلَيَّ مِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ إلَّا مِن نَفْسِي، فَقالَ النَّبيُّ ﷺ: لَا، والَّذي نَفْسِي بيَدِهِ، حتَّى أكُونَ أحَبَّ إلَيْكَ مِن نَفْسِكَ، فَقالَ له عُمَرُ: فإنَّه الآنَ، واللَّهِ، لَأَنْتَ أحَبُّ إلَيَّ مِن نَفْسِي، فَقالَ النَّبيُّ ﷺ: الآنَ يا عُمَرُ“.
والرسول ﷺ أولى بكل واحد من المؤمنين من نفسه، لأنه ﷺ بذل لهم من النصح، والشفقة، والرأفة، ما كان به أرحم الخلق، وأرأفهم، فرسول الله ﷺ، أعظم الخلق مِنَّةً عليهم، من كل أحد، فإنه لم يصل إليهم مثقال ذرة من الخير، ولا اندفع عنهم مثقال ذرة من الشر، إلا على يديه وبسببه ﷺ، ولذا جاء في بعض القراءات التفسيرية: “وهو أب لهم”؛ لأنه يربيهم كما يربي الأب أبناءه.
بناء على ذلك، وجب عليهم إذا تعارض مراد النفس، أو مراد أحد من الناس، مع مراد الرسول، أن يقدم مراد الرسول، وألا يعارض قول الرسول، بقول أحد، كائنًا من كان، وأن يفدوه بأنفسهم وأموالهم وأولادهم، وألا يقولوا حتى يقول، ولا يتقدموا بين يديه.
ثانيًا: زوجات النبي ﷺ
عقد النبيّ ﷺ على ثلاث عشرة امرأة، ومات عن تسع نسوة، واثنتان توفيتا في حياته، وهما خديجة بنت خويلد والأخرى: أم المساكين زينب بنت خزيمة، وثم اثنتان لم يدخل بهما ﷺ، وفيما يلي أسماؤهن وشيء من أخبارهن
خديجة بنت خويلد: تزوجها وهو في خمس وعشرين من سنه، وهي في الأربعين، وهي أول من تزوجها من النساء، ولم يتزوج عليها غيرها.
سودة بنت زمعة: تزوجها رسول الله ﷺ في شوال سنة عشر من النبوة، بعد وفاة خديجة بأيام، وكانت قبله عند ابن عم لها يقال له السكران بن عمرو، فمات عنها.
عائشة بنت أبي بكر الصديق: تزوجها في شوال سنة إحدى عشرة من النبوة، بعد زواجه بسودة بسنة، وقبل الهجرة بسنتين وخمسة أشهر، تزوجها وهي بنت ست سنين، وبنى بها في شوال بعد الهجرة بسبعة أشهر في المدينة، وهي بنت تسع سنين، وكانت بكرا ولم يتزوج بكرا غيرها، وكانت أحب الخلق إليه، وأفقه نساء الأمة، وأعلمهن على الإطلاق
حفصة بنت عمر بن الخطاب: توفي زوجها خنيس بن حذافة السهمي بين بدر وأحد، فتزوجها رسول الله ﷺ سنة (3هـ).
زينب بنت خزيمة من بني هلال بن عامر بن صعصعة: كانت تسمى أم المساكين، لرحمتها إياهم ورقتها عليهم، كانت تحت عبد الله بن جحش، فاستشهد في أحد، فتزوجها رسول الله ﷺ سنة(4هـ) وتوفيت بعد الزواج بشهرين أو ثلاثة أشهر
أم سلمة هند بنت أبي أمية، كانت تحت أبي سلمة، فمات عنها في جمادى الآخرة (4 هـ)، فتزوجها رسول الله ﷺ في شوال من نفس السنة.
زينب بنت جحش بن رئاب من بني أسد بن خزيمة، وهي بنت عمة رسول الله ﷺ وكانت تحت زيد بن حارثة- الذي كان يعتبر ابنا للنبيّ ﷺ- فطلقها زيد، فأنزل الله تعالى يخاطب رسول الله ﷺ: “فَلَمَّا قَضى زَيْدٌ مِنْها وَطَراً زَوَّجْناكَها”.
جويرية بنت الحارث سيد بني المصطلق من خزاعة، تزوجها في شعبان سنة 6 هـ.
أم حبيبة رملة بنت أبي سفيان، كانت تحت عبيد الله بن جحش، هاجرت معه إلى الحبشة، فارتد عبيد الله وتنصر، وتوفي هناك، وثبتت أم حبيبة على دينها وهجرتها، فلما بعث رسول الله ﷺ عمرو بن أمية الضمري بكتابه إلى النجاشي في المحرم سنة 7 هـ، خطب عليه أم حبيبة فزوجها إياه وبعث بها مع شرحبيل بن حسنة.
صفية بنت حيي بن أخطب من بني إسرائيل، كانت من سبي خيبر، فاصطفاها رسول الله ﷺ لنفسه، فأعتقها وتزوجها بعد فتح خيبر سنة (7هـ).
ميمونة بنت الحارث، أخت أم الفضل لبابة بنت الحارث، تزوجها في ذي القعدة سنة (7هـ) في عمرة القضاء، بعد أن حل منها على الصحيح.
الثنتان اللتان لم يدخل بهما، فواحدة من بني كلاب، وأخرى من كندة، وهي المعروفة بالجونية.
ثالثًا: سبب تسميتهن أمهات المؤمنين
زوجات النبي ﷺ أمهات المؤمنين إنما هو شرفٌ شرفهن الله تعالى به-رضي الله عنهن-.
وهن أمهات المؤمنين في وجوب التعظيم والمبرة والإجلال وحرمة النكاح على الرجال، وحجبهن رضي الله تعالى عنهن بخلاف الأمهات.
ومن تلك الأسباب أن شفقتهن على المؤمنين كشفقة الأمهات، فأنزلن منزلة الأمهات في التعظيم والإجلال والإكرام.
ذكر العلامة ابن القيم لطيفة أخرى، ويمكن توضيحها بما يلي:
أ. إن الإنسان له ولادتان، ولادة أولى هي خروجه من بطن أمه إلى هذه الدنيا، وولادة ثانية هي خروجه من ظلمات الجهل والضلال إلى نور العلم والهداية، ولذلك الله تعالى سمى الهداية حياة وسمى ما قبلها موتًا، كما قال تعالى: ” أَوَمَنْ كَانَ مَيْتًا فَأَحْيَيْنَاهُ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُ نُورًا يَمْشِي بِهِ فِي النَّاسِ”.
ب. السبب في ولادته الثانية هو المصطفى رسول الله محمد ﷺ، جاء في قراءة أبي بن كعب وابن عباس-وهي قراءة تفسيرية ليست متواترة-:”النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَى بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَأَزْوَاجُهُ أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ”، “وهو أب لهم“، وأزواج النبي ﷺ أمرن بتبليغ ما يكون في بيوتهن من العلم والدين صرن أمهات للمؤمنين باعتبار أنهن سبب للولادة الثانية وهي ولادة الهداية.
هذه الأمومة لا توجب ميراثا كالأم التي ولدت، وكذلك لا تنتقل الحرمة إلى بناتهن، ولذا فقد تزوج علي بن أبي طالب من فاطمة بنت النبي ﷺ وأمها خديجة، كما تزوج عثمان ببنتين من بنات النبي ﷺ.
1. The Quranic Basis of the Title | أصل التسمية القرآنية في سورة الأحزاب
Allah says in Surah Al-Ahzab: “The Prophet has a stronger affinity to the believers than they do themselves. And his wives are their mothers.” (33:6). Ibn Kathir explains that they are mothers in sanctity, respect, honour, reverence and esteem, but no one may be alone with them, and the prohibition of marriage does not extend to their daughters and sisters, by consensus.
النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَىٰ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ ۖ وَأَزْوَاجُهُ أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ (سورة الأحزاب: 6)
قال الله تعالى: {النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَىٰ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ ۖ وَأَزْوَاجُهُ أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ} (الأحزاب 33: 6). قال ابن كثير: أي في الحرمة والاحترام، والإكرام والتوقير والإعظام، ولكن لا تجوز الخلوة بهن، ولا ينتشر التحريم إلى بناتهن وأخواتهن بالإجماع.
2. Legal Meaning of Maternity: Veneration and Marriage Prohibition | المعنى الشرعي للأمومة: التحريم والإجلال دون الخلوة
Their being mothers means respect and the prohibition of marrying them: “And it is not right for you to annoy the Messenger of Allah, nor ever marry his wives after him.” (33:53). The same verse commands asking them “from behind a barrier”, so the title does not allow being alone with them, and, as the scholar explains, it brings no inheritance. See also the women a man may never marry.
وَمَا كَانَ لَكُمْ أَن تُؤْذُوا رَسُولَ اللَّـهِ وَلَا أَن تَنكِحُوا أَزْوَاجَهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ أَبَدًا (سورة الأحزاب: 53)
أمومتهن تعني الإجلال وتحريم نكاحهن، قال تعالى: {وَمَا كَانَ لَكُمْ أَن تُؤْذُوا رَسُولَ اللَّـهِ وَلَا أَن تَنكِحُوا أَزْوَاجَهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ أَبَدًا} (الأحزاب 33: 53)، وفي الآية نفسها الأمر بسؤالهن من وراء حجاب، فلا تبيح هذه الأمومة الخلوة بهن، ولا توجب ميراثا كما بين الشيخ.
3. The Honored Mothers of the Believers | حصر أمهات المؤمنين الطاهرات وأسمائهن الشريفة
The Mothers of the Believers are eleven: Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, Sawdah bint Zam'ah, Aisha bint Abi Bakr, Hafsah bint Umar, Zaynab bint Khuzaymah, Umm Salamah (Hind bint Abi Umayyah), Zaynab bint Jahsh, Juwayriyyah bint al-Harith, Umm Habibah (Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan), Safiyyah bint Huyayy, and Maymunah bint al-Harith, as the answer lists them. Allah addressed them: “O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women” (33:32).
يَا نِسَاءَ النَّبِيِّ لَسْتُنَّ كَأَحَدٍ مِّنَ النِّسَاءِ إِنِ اتَّقَيْتُنَّ (سورة الأحزاب: 32)
أمهات المؤمنين إحدى عشرة: خديجة بنت خويلد، وسودة بنت زمعة، وعائشة بنت أبي بكر، وحفصة بنت عمر، وزينب بنت خزيمة، وأم سلمة هند بنت أبي أمية، وزينب بنت جحش، وجويرية بنت الحارث، وأم حبيبة رملة بنت أبي سفيان، وصفية بنت حيي، وميمونة بنت الحارث، كما عددهن الجواب، وقد خاطبهن الله تعالى بقوله: {يَا نِسَاءَ النَّبِيِّ لَسْتُنَّ كَأَحَدٍ مِّنَ النِّسَاءِ إِنِ اتَّقَيْتُنَّ} (الأحزاب 33: 32).
4. What Was Recited in Their Homes | ما يتلى في بيوتهن من آيات الله والحكمة
Allah told them: “˹Always˺ remember what is recited in your homes of Allah’s revelations and ˹prophetic˺ wisdom.” (33:34). Ibn Kathir explains: act on the Book and the Sunnah that Allah revealed to His Messenger in your homes, as Qatadah and others said, and remember this blessing given to you alone, that revelation came down in your homes; and Aisha was the foremost of them in this blessing. The scholar notes that they were commanded to convey the knowledge and religion that was in their homes.
وَاذْكُرْنَ مَا يُتْلَىٰ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللَّـهِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ (سورة الأحزاب: 34)
قال الله تعالى: {وَاذْكُرْنَ مَا يُتْلَىٰ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللَّـهِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ} (الأحزاب 33: 34)، قال ابن كثير: أي اعملن بما ينزل الله على رسوله في بيوتكن من الكتاب والسنة، قاله قتادة وغير واحد، واذكرن هذه النعمة التي خصصتن بها من بين الناس، أن الوحي ينزل في بيوتكن دون سائر الناس، وعائشة الصديقة بنت الصديق أولاهن بهذه النعمة. وقد أمرن بتبليغ ما يكون في بيوتهن من العلم والدين كما بين الشيخ.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Where in the Quran are the wives of the Prophet called Mothers of the Believers?
In Surah Al-Ahzab: The Prophet has a stronger affinity to the believers than they do themselves. And his wives are their mothers (33:6).
Does the title "mother" mean that male believers can be in private seclusion with them without hijab?
No. Ibn Kathir explains that they are mothers in sanctity and respect, but no one may be alone with them, and Allah commanded asking them from behind a barrier (33:53).
Was it permissible for anyone to marry the Prophet's wives after his death?
No, Surah Al-Ahzab (33:53) strictly forbade anyone from marrying them forever.
How many wives did the Prophet have who are recognized as Mothers of the Believers?
Eleven. He married thirteen women and did not consummate the marriage with two; Khadijah and Zaynab bint Khuzaymah died in his lifetime, and he died leaving nine.