Wives of Muhammad in the context of "Jewish tribes of Arabia"

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⭐ Core Definition: Wives of Muhammad

Muhammad, the final Islamic prophet, is said to have had thirteen wives in total (although two have ambiguous accounts, Rayhana bint Zayd and Maria al-Qibtiyya, as wife or concubine). As a sign of respect, Muslims refer to each of these wives with the title "Umm al-Muʾminīn" (Arabic: أُمّ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِين, lit. 'Mother of the Believers'; plural: أُمَّهَات ٱلْمُؤْمِنِين, romanized: Ummahāt al-Muʾminīn), which is derived from 33:6 of the Quran.

Sources give different numbers (11-19) based on narrations about Muhammad's marriages. Ali Dashti lists 23 wives of Muhammad, which he divides them into three categories. Two of these were concubines, and four were women who gave themselves to Muhammad, other than concubines and wives permitted for him by the last part of verse 49 of surah Al-Ahzab. Nine of Muhammad's wives survived after him. Aisha, who became known as Muhammad's favorite wife in Sunni tradition, survived him by decades and was instrumental in helping assemble the scattered sayings of Muhammad that form the hadith literature for the Sunni branch of Islam.

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👉 Wives of Muhammad in the context of Jewish tribes of Arabia

The earliest attested presence of Jews in the Arabian Peninsula dates back to the early 6th century BCE, following the Babylonian conquest of Judah, which resulted in their expulsion from the Land of Israel. Over time and through successive exiles, the local Jewish tribes, who were concentrated in the Hejaz and partly in South Arabia, established themselves as one of the most prominent ethno-religious communities of pre-Islamic Arabia. Likewise, Judaism, which had been introduced as one of the few monotheistic religions in the region, stood as a deviation from the typical polytheistic practices of Arab paganism. These Jewish tribes continued to have a presence in Arabia during the rise of Muhammad, who founded Islam in the early 7th century CE. Muhammad's interaction with the Jewish community is documented to a considerable degree in Islamic literature, including in many ahadith. The Jewish tribes of the Hejaz are seen in Islam as having been the descendants of the Israelites/Hebrews. Two of Muhammad's wives were Jewish: Safiyya bint Huyayy and Rayhanah bint Zayd, both of whom belonged to the Banu Nadir by birth, though Rayhanah's status as a wife is disputed.

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Wives of Muhammad in the context of Ahl al-Bayt

Ahl al-Bayt (Arabic: أَهْل ٱلْبَيْت, lit. 'people of the house') refers to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In Sunni Islam, the term has also been extended to all descendants of the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) and even to all Muslims. In Shia Islam, the term is limited to Muhammad, his daughter Fatima, his cousin and son-in-law Ali, and their two sons, Ḥasan and Ḥusayn. A common Sunni view adds the wives of Muhammad to these five.

While all Muslims revere the Ahl al-Bayt, Shia Muslims assert that members of the Ahl al-Bayt are spiritual successors to Muhammad, possessing divine knowledge and infallibility. The Twelver Shiʿa also believe in the redemptive power of the pain and martyrdom endured by the members of the Ahl al-Bayt, particularly Husayn. Sunni Muslims, who do not believe in spiritual succession to Muhammad, only hold the Ahl al-Bayt in high regard.

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Wives of Muhammad in the context of A'isha

Aisha bint Abi Bakr (c. 614 CE – July 678) was a muhadditha, political figure, and the third and youngest wife of Islamic prophet Muhammad. Following the death of and succession to Muhammad, she was politically active during the caliphates of Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman, and stands out as a prominent female figure during the period.

Aisha played a significant role in early Islamic history, both during Muhammad's life and after his death. She is regarded in Sunni tradition as intelligent, inquisitive, and scholarly, and is often described as Muhammad's most beloved wife after Khadija bint Khuwaylid. She contributed to the transmission of Muhammad's teachings and remained active in the Muslim community for 44 years after his death. Aisha is credited with narrating over 2,000 hadiths, covering not only aspects of Muhammad's personal life but also legal, ritual, and theological subjects such as inheritance, pilgrimage, prayer, and eschatology. Her intellectual abilities and knowledge of poetry, medicine, and Islamic jurisprudence were praised by early scholars, including al-Zuhri and her student Urwa ibn al-Zubayr.

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Wives of Muhammad in the context of Hafsa bint Umar

Hafsa bint Umar (Arabic: حفصة بنت عمر, romanized: Ḥafṣa bint ʿUmar; c. 605–665) was the fourth wife of Muhammad and a daughter of the second caliph Umar (r. 634–644). In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title "Mother of the Believers" (Arabic: أمّ المؤمنين, romanized: ʾumm al-muʾminīn).

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LINKED FROM (PARENTS)
← Ahl al-Bayt ← Ahl al-bayt ← A'isha ← Aisha ← Jewish tribes of Arabia ← Ahl al Bayt ← Hafsa bint Umar
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Muhammad → Prophets and messengers in Islam → Rayhana bint Zayd → Maria al-Qibtiyya → Concubine → Muslims → Arabic language → Literal translation → Romanization of Arabic → Quran → Ali Dashti → Al-Ahzab → Sunni →