Maymuna bint al-Harith: Mothers of the Faithful

Maymuna bint al-Harith (RA) was the last woman to join the ranks of Umm al-Mo’mineen, mother of the believers, and became the last wife of our Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).


Maymuna bint al-Harith (RA) was born to Haris al-Halalia and Hind bint Auf in 594 AD. Her given birth name was “Barra”, which was later changed by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). Maymuna’s (RA) family tree was quite diverse and intertwined with the Holy Prophet’s (peace be upon him): her sister, Umm al-Fadl Lubaba was the mother of Abdullah ibn Abbas, who was the Holy Prophet’s (peace be upon him) nephew and her other sister, Salma bint Umays, was married to the Holy Prophet’s (peace be upon him) uncle, Hamza (RA). She was also the half-sister of Zaynab bint Khuzayma (RA), wife of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).


Towards the later part of her life, Maymuna (RA) had been yearning to marry the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) for quite a while. Hence, she decided to speak to her sister, Umm al-Fadl, about the matter, who in turn, talked to her husband, Al-Abbas. The matter was then brought to the Holy Prophet’s (peace be upon him) attentions through Al-Abbas, who presented Maymuna’s (RA) marriage proposal to the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself, who accepted the offer.


Thereafter, their wedding ceremony took place in the blessed month of Shawwal, in the year 7 AH. This marriage happened soon after the treaty of Hudaybiyya had taken place and Muslims living in Medina were allowed to enter Mecca to perform ‘umrah’ under its terms. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was 60 years old at the time of their marriage, while Maymuna (RA) was 36 years old.


Upon their matrimony, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) changed her birth name “Barra” to “Maymuna”, which literally meant ‘blessed’- which some believe was due to the blessing of the treaty of Hudaybbiya that had been agreed upon a while before. However, Maymuna (RA) spent only three years with the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) before his demise.


When the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) passed away, she lived on in the city of Medina for the next 40 years. It is said that Maymuna (RA) was a kind natured woman, who cared greatly about maintaining her ties of kinship and looking after the people around her. Like all other wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him), Maymuna (RA) was known for her piety and was deeply devoted to her worship of Allah (SWT). Moreover, It is also believed that it was in her room, where the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) felt the onset of the earlier symptoms of his last illness before his death and went on to seek his wife's’ permission be moved to Aisha’s (RA) house thereafter.


Maymuna (RA) was also a woman of great knowledge and intellect. She is known to have taught Muslims many of the Sunnah and hadith of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). It is believed that she is the narrator of around 13 ahadith, some of which can be found in Sahih-Bukhari and Sahih-Muslim.


Maymuna bint al-Harith (RA) passed on at the age of 80, in the year 51 AH. She was the last wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to die. Before she died, she had requested to be buried in the place where she had married the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) at Saraf and her request was fulfilled upon her demise.


There is a consensus amongst the Islamic scholars that it was after the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) marriage to Maymuna bint al-Harith (RA), his last wife, that Allah (SWT) revealed the following ayah:


“It is not lawful for you (O Muhammad, to marry more) women after this, nor to exchange them for other wives, even though their beauty is pleasing to you, except those whom your right hand possesses (as maid servants); and Allah is always watching over everything” (Quran 33:52).


The Messenger of Allah (SWT) did not take any wife after Maymuna (RA).


All the wives of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) did justice to their blessed title of being “Umm al-Mo’mineen” and remain, to this day, timeless role-models for the world. They loved the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and spent their whole life in the service of preserving and propagating Islam. They were chosen as our Holy Prophet’s (peace be upon him) blessed wives because of their outstanding characters and strength of faith. After the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), it is his family and companions that pose as a great source of timeless knowledge and guidance for Muslims and non-Muslims throughout the globe.