Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

dear mr burhan

peace be on you

1. Did Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) kept all his wives together?

2. Did all his wives were on good terms?

3. Did Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) take them out together?

4. Did Prophet Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) eat with them together?

thanks

a sister

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Answer:

Relationship between Prophet’s wives

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Q-1: Did Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) kept all his wives together?

The Messenger of Allah (saws) married a total of eleven times in his life, and the maximum wives he had at any one time was nine. He housed each of his wives in a separate house, which were basically simple individual rooms, separate from each other.

Q-2: Did all his wives were on good terms?

The wives of the Messenger of Allah (saws) were generally on very good terms with each other, but being human beings they obviously had their natural differences, likes, dislikes, trivial jealousy, etc. which any wives would have if they were all married to one man.

One may be able to gauge their terms from these basic episodes as described by one of the wives of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.853 Narrated by Aisha

Whenever Allah's Messenger (saws) intended to go on a journey, he used to draw lots among his wives and would take with him the one on whom the lot fell. He (saws) also used to fix for everyone of his wives a day and a night, but Sauda bint Zam'a gave her day and night to 'Aisha, the wife of the Prophet (saws), intending thereby to please Allah's Messenger (saws).

Sahih Muslim Hadith 6759 Narrated by Aisha

Aisha said: “One day Allah's Messenger (saws) went out of her (Aisha's apartment) during the night, and she felt jealous. Then he (saws) came and he saw me (in an agitated state of mind). He (saws) said: “Aisha, what has happened to you? Do you feel jealous?” Thereupon she said: “How can it be (that a woman like me) should not feel jealous in regard to a husband like you?” Thereupon Allah's Messenger (saws) said: “It was your Shaitaan who had come to you”, and she said: “ O Allah's Messenger (saws), is there along with me a Shaitaan?” He (saws) said: “Yes.” I said: “Is the Shaitaan attached to everyone?” He (saws) said: “Yes.” I (Aisha) again said: “ O Allah's Messenger (saws), is it with you also?” He (saws) said: “Yes, but my Lord has helped me against him as such I am absolutely safe from his mischief.”

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 5.166 Narrated by Aisha

I did not feel jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet (saws) as much as I did of Khadija though I did not see her, but the Prophet used to mention her very often, and whenever he slaughtered a sheep, he would cut its parts and send them to the women friends of Khadija. When I sometimes said to him, "(You treat Khadija in such a way) as if there is no woman on earth except Khadija," he (saws) would say, "Khadija was such-and-such, and from her I had children."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.755 Narrated by Urwa from Aisha

The wives of Allah's Messenger (saws) were in two groups. One group consisted of 'Aisha, Hafsa, Safiyya and Sauda; and the other group consisted of Um Salama and the other wives of Allah's Messenger (saws). The Muslims knew that Allah's Messenger (saws) loved 'Aisha, so if any of them had a gift and wished to give to Allah's Messenger (saws), he would delay it, till Allah's Messenger (saws) had come to 'Aisha's home and then he would send his gift to Allah's Messenger (saws) in her home. The group of Um Salama discussed the matter together and decided that Um Salama should request Allah's Messenger (saws) to tell the people to send their gifts to him in whatever wife's house he was. Um Salama told Allah's Messenger (saws) of what they had said, but he did not reply. Then they (those wives) asked Um Salama about it. She said, "He did not say anything to me." They asked her to talk to him again. She talked to him again when she met him on her day, but he gave no reply. When they asked her, she replied that he had given no reply. They said to her, "Talk to him till he gives you a reply." When it was her turn, she talked to him again. He then said to her, "Do not hurt me regarding 'Aisha, as the Divine Inspirations do not come to me on any of the beds except that of 'Aisha." On that Um Salama said, "I repent to Allah for hurting you." Then the group of Um Salama called Fatima, the daughter of Allah's Messenger (saws) and sent her to Allah's Messenger (saws) to say to him, "Your wives request to treat them and the daughter of Abu Bakr on equal terms." Then Fatima conveyed the message to him. The Prophet (saws) said, "O my daughter! Don't you love whom I love?" She replied in the affirmative and returned and told them of the situation. They requested her to go to him again but she refused. They then sent Zainab bint Jahsh who went to him and used harsh words saying, "Your wives request you to treat them and the daughter of Ibn Abu Quhafa on equal terms." On that she raised her voice and abused 'Aisha to her face so much so that Allah's Messenger (saws) looked at 'Aisha to see whether she would retort. 'Aisha started replying to Zainab till she silenced her. The Prophet (saws) then looked at 'Aisha and said, "She is really the daughter of Abu Bakr!"

Q-3: Did Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) take them out together?

On most of his (saws) travels, journeys and expeditions, the custom of the Messenger of Allah (saws) was that he would draw lots amongst his wives, and take one of his wives along with him on his travels.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 6.274 (part) Narrated by Aisha

Whenever Allah's Messenger (saws) intended to go on a journey, he used to draw lots among his wives and would take with him the one on whom the lot had fallen. Once he drew lots when he wanted to carry out a Ghazwa, and the lot came upon me (Aisha). So I proceeded with Allah's Messenger (saws) after Allah's order of veiling (the women) had been revealed and thus I was carried in my howdah (on a camel) and dismounted while still in it.

To the best of our knowledge, there is no mention in the authentic traditions of the Messenger of Allah (saws) that he took all his wives together with him, whether to an outing in Medina, or during any of his travels; except when he went for his only Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah. It is recorded that the wives of the Prophet (saws) would meet regularly in the house of the wife where the Prophet (saws) intended to stay the night.

Sahih Muslim Hadith 3450 (part) Narrated by Anas ibn Malik

Allah's Messenger (saws) had nine wives (at one time). So when he divided (his stay) with them, the turn of the first wife only came on the ninth (day). They (all the wives) used to gather every night in the house of the one where he had to come (and stay that night

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 8.301 (part) Narrated by Aisha

We, the wives of the Prophet were all sitting with the Prophet (saws) and none of us had left when Fatima came walking, and by Allah, her gait was very similar to that of Allah's Messenger (saws). When he saw her, he welcomed her, saying, "Welcome, O my daughter!" Then he made her sit on his right or his left, confided something to her, whereupon she wept bitterly. When he noticed her sorrow, he confided something else to her for the second time, and she started laughing.

Q-4: Did Prophet Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) eat with them together?

Yes, on several occasions the Messenger of Allah (saws) had his meal with all his wives together.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan