| Why prophet Muhammad
married 9 wives?
First:
Prophet Muhammad was not the first prophet to have more than one wife:
Prophets who had more than one wife are as mentioned in Bible and Torah:
- Prophet Abraham: 3 wives
(Sarah, Hagar, Caesura).
- Prophet Jacob: 4 wives
(Lea, Zelda, Rachael, Palma).
- Prophet Moses: 4 wives
(Safire, Gibshia, bint Kini, bint Hobab).
- Prophet David: 9 wives.
Prophet Solomon: 700 wives and 300 slaves.
So multiple wives of prophets
was not new or invented by prophet Muhammad
Second:
Clearing a common misunderstanding:
- Prophet Muhammad PBUH
... was not married to 9 wives at the same time as everyone may think... but
he married 9 times, he never had 9 wives at the same time.
- He never married while
his first wife was alive, who died when he was 50 years old, when all lust
and desire have faded.
- Most of the women he
married were over 50 years old and sometimes older than him, widows and have
children... so, if he is marrying for sex or lust, I believe he would have
married younger and virgin women, all he had to do is ask, and all his companions
will offer him their daughters, as this is considered an honor for them.
Third:
The prophet's wives: A closer look:
He married each of his wives for a reason.
| Lady
Khadeeja: |
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- His first wife.
- was a widow.
- was 40 and he was
25 when they got married.
- was 65 and he was
50 when she died.
- lived together
for 25 years.
- Never married again
when she was alive.
- The year she died
called the Sorrow year ... because he loved her so much.
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| Lady Sawda: |
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- Was a widow.
- Was 55 and he was
50 when they got married.
- She and her late
husband ran away from their Folks after they became Muslims …
so after her husband died she couldn’t go back to them …
and she had no one to support her after him.
- People used to
look down at widow women at these days… so he married her to break
the rule.
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| Lady Aaisha: |
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- Was 9 or 11 when
he married her.
- Her father was
his best friend Abu-Bakkr … and best friends at these days was
like brothers so one doesn’t marry his best friend’s daughter
as if he is her uncle … so he married her to break the rule too
…
- People at these
days used to marry girls at this age … so it was not weird or
strange to marry her in this age … besides she was considered
ready to get married … an adult by this age …
Loved her the most.
- Was the only one
who was virgin when they got married.
- Was alive for 48
years after the death of the prophet.
- Was the main reference
for everyone in all religion’s matters after the death of the
prophet… including her father and the prophet’s companions.
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| Lady Hafsah:
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- Her father was
Omar-bin-AlKahttab … the prophet's best friend after Abu-Bakkr
…
- Was a widow.
- So he married her
because of her father … who gave a lot to Islam .. to honor him.
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| Lady Zienab
bint Khouzaymah: |
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- Was 60 and he was
55 when they got married.
- Was a widow…
and she used to help the wounded.
- When her husband
died she had no one to help her or support her … so the prophet
married her to give her shelter.
- Died two years
after marrying the prophet.
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| Lady Om-Salamh:
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- Was 55 and he was
over 50 when they got married.
- Was a widow with
4 orphans... 2 boys and 2 girls.
When the prophet knew
about her he sent to her asking her to marry him … she refused and
she said “I’m old and I’m a mother of orphans”
… so he send to her telling her “I don’t care for your
age and your children are mine”… so she accepted and they
got married…
- He loved her children more than their true father.
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| Lady Zienab
bint Gahsh: |
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- Was the prophet’s
cousin … grew up in his house till he married her to Zayd (his
manumitted slave).
- Before adoption
was forbidden the prophet adopted one of his slaves whom he freed and
called him “Zayd bin(son of) Muhammad” … but when
adoption was prevented by verses that was sent to the prophet …
people still consider Zayd the son of Muhammad … and the father
doesn’t marry a woman who one day was the wife of his son and
vice versa …
- So when Zayd married
Zienab … she used to look down to him and tell him rough words
because he used to be a slave … and he wanted to divorce her but
the prophet asked him not to … but one day she talked very rough
to him that he divorced her…
- So God sent some
verses in the Quran telling prophet Muhammad PBUH that he must marry
her to make people believe that he is not Zayd’s father
- The verses are:
(33:37)
“And
(remember) when you said to him (zayd bin Harithah ; the freed-slave of
the Prophet) on whom Allah has bestowed Grace (by guiding him to Islam)
and you (O Muhammad too) have done favour (by manumitting him) "Keep
your wife to yourself, and fear Allah." But you did hide in yourself
(i.e. what Allah has already made known to you that He will give her to
you in marriage) that which Allah will make manifest, you did fear the
people (i.e., Muhammad married the divorced wife of his manumitted slave)
whereas Allah had a better right that you should fear Him. So when Zaid
had accomplished his desire from her (i.e. divorced her), We gave her
to you in marriage, so that (in future) there may be no difficulty to
the believers in respect of (the marriage of) the wives of their adopted
sons when the latter have no desire to keep them (i.e. they have divorced
them). And Allah's Command must be fulfilled.” |
So finally as you
could see that the prophet:
Didn't marry for lust: he
was over 50 when he married for the second time, what kind of lust that can
happen suddenly after 50.
Didn't marry for sex: most of the women he married were over 50 and some of
them were even older than he was, and had children.
Never was married to 9 wives at the same time: instead, he was married 9 different
times.
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