Article 20 : The wives of the Prophet ﷺ

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The wives of the Prophet ﷺ are the mothers of the believers:

النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَى بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَأَزْوَاجُهُ أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ

The Prophet is more worthy of the believers than themselves, and his wives are [in the position of] their mothers.¹

Scholars have a mnemonic to remember the names of all eleven wives of the Prophet ﷺ :

خَسٌ مَعَ جَزَر صَحَهٌ

« [Eating] lettuce with carrots is healthy »

Khadijah bint Khuwaylîd – خ : خديجة بنت خويلد

Sawdah bin Zam’ah – س : سودة بنت زمعة

Maymunah bint al-Hârith – م : ميمونة بنت الحارث

A’ishah bint Abi Bakr – ع :عائشة بنت أبى بكر

Juwayriyah bint al-Hârith – ج : جويرية بنت الحارث

Zaynab bint Jahsh et Zaynab bint Khuzaymah – ز : زينب بنت جحش وزينب بنت خزيمة

Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan : Umm Habibah – ر : رملة بنت أبي سفيان أم حبيبة

Safiyyah bint Huyayy – ص : صفية بنت حيي

Hafsah bin Umar ibn al-Khattâb – ح : حفصة بنت عمر

Hind bint Abi Umayah : Umm Salama – ه : هند بنت أبي أمية أم سلمة

It should be noted that wives of the Prophet are also part of the Ahlul Bayt: members of the Prophet’s family. The Ahlul Bayt are the close believing relatives of the Prophet ﷺ, to whom alms giving is forbidden², they are the Banu Hâchim, the Banu Muttalib and the wives of the Prophet.³

Indeed, Allah says :

يَا نِسَاءَ النَّبِيِّ لَسْتُنَّ كَأَحَدٍ مِّنَ النِّسَاءِ ۚ إِنِ اتَّقَيْتُنَّ فَلَا تَخْضَعْنَ بِالْقَوْلِ فَيَطْمَعَ الَّذِي فِي قَلْبِهِ مَرَضٌ وَقُلْنَ قَوْلًا مَّعْرُوفًا ۝ وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَىٰ ۖ وَأَقِمْنَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتِينَ الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِعْنَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا

O wives of the Prophet, you are not like anyone among women. If you fear Allah, then do not be soft in speech [to men], lest he in whose heart is disease should covet, but speak with appropriate speech.

And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance. And establish prayer and give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah intends only to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the [Prophet’s] household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification.⁴

رضي الله عنهن

May Allah be pleased with them.

✽ ✽ ✽

والله تعالى أعلم

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Source : Lettuce With Carrots Are Healthy by Shaykh ‘Abdulmuhsin ibn Hamad al-‘Abbād