Rayhana bint Zayd: Mothers of the Faithful

Among the wives of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), two were of Jewish backgrounds- one of which was Rayhana bint Zayd (RA). Through her marriage to the Prophet (PBUH), she too was blessed with the title of “Ummul Mo'mineen”- mother of the believers.

She originally belonged to the Jewish tribe of Banu Nadir and she was previously married to Al-Hakim, who belonged to the tribe of Banu Qurayza. In 627, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) defeated the army of Banu Qurayza after a siege that lasted for twenty-five days. All the men belonging to the Banu Qurayza tribe were executed on the charge of treason and the women and children were enslaved by the Muslims.

Rayhana bint Zayd (RA) was amongst the enslaved and had become a widow at the time. According to Islamic sources, she was a beautiful young woman. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) took her under his custody and offered her the chance to embrace Islam. Moreover, he also told her if she was to accept Islam, he would marry her. According to some sources, initially, she is known to have refused the offer out of love for her deceased husband and her faith. However, eventually, she changed her mind and converted to Islam. Upon this news, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) freed her and married her.

She was given a dowry by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) upon their marriage like the rest of his wives had gotten. She also attained the honor of becoming the wife of the Messenger of Allah (SWT).

The details of her life are unclear and fairly scarce. The year of her death is also quite uncertain- some scholars believe that she passed away when the Prophet (PBUH) returned from his farewell pilgrimage. Others believe that she lived on after the death of the Prophet (PBUH) and died 10 years after.

However, a unanimous report does suggest that she was buried at Jannat al Baqi- the cemetery in Medina, where several of the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) wives were also buried.