Rayhana bint Zaid

Rayhana bint Zaid (ریحانہ بنتِ زید) was the daughter of Zaid ibn Amr ibn Khunafah ibn Sham’oon, who was a Jewish man and belonged to the tribe of Banu Nadhir. She was a practicing Jew and was married to a man of Banu Quraidha, named Al-Hakm, ¹ and spent her life with that tribe until the tribe was defeated in a battle and the women and children were taken as captives.

Conquest of Banu Quraidha

During Ghazwa-e-Khandaq or Ahzab (Battle of Allies or Confederates), the tribe of Banu Quraidha violated the covenant, which they had signed with the Holy

and sided with the confederates, against the Muslims. When the confederates were defeated and forced to withdraw, they left Banu Quraidha to face the consequences of their actions. Almighty ordered Prophet Muhammad to fight against the people of Banu Quraidha, thus, the Holy Prophet besieged their fortified quarters. When the people of Banu Quraidha realized that they could not fight the Muslims, they held their council meetings, and decided to surrender to the Muslims and comply with the Judgement of the Holy Prophet . The Holy Prophet did not pass a judgement for the treachery of Banu Quraidha, instead, he assigned Saad ibn Muaz to judge them, who had been a former ally of Banu Quraidha. Every one, including the people of Banu Quraidha agreed to this choice. When Saad reached the fortress, the people came out and surrendered their arms. Saad then announced his verdict and declared that all the people who were involved in the fighting were to be killed, their wealth confiscated and distributed amongst the Muslims, and their women and children be taken as captives. Prophet Muhammad accepted Saad’s judgement and stated that he had judged while abiding by the commands of . ²

Rayhana was amongst the women and children who were taken as captives. The Holy

chose her as his share in the spoils of war. ³ Upon receiving her, he offered her and freedom. ⁴ Regarding this matter, two types of narrations have been recorded in the books of . They are as follows:

Ibn Hisham states:

  فكانت عند رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حتى توفي عنھا وهي في ملكه، وقد كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عرض عليھا أن يتزوجها، ويضرب عليھا الحجاب، فقالت:يا رسول الله، بل تتركني في ملكك. ⁵

  She (Rayhana) stayed as a handmaiden with the Holy Prophet as long as she lived. The Holy Prophet offered to marry her and cover her (but she refused) and said O Prophet of Allah (), please leave me as your handmaiden.

While Waqdi states:

  ...كانت أمة لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فأعتقھا وتزوجھا... ⁶

  She (Rayhana) was a handmaiden of the Messenger of Allah. He freed her and married her.

Ibn Saad states:

  كانت ريحانة بنت زيد بن عمرو بن خنافة قرظية. وكانت من ملك رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بيمينه فأعتقھا وتزوجھا ثم طلقھا. ⁷

  Rayhana bint Zaid ibn Amr ibn Khunafa was from (tribe of) Al-Quraidha. She was a handmaiden of the Messenger of Allah. He (the Holy Prophet ) freed her, married her and then divorced her (once).

Baladhuri, ⁸ Ibne Kathir, ⁹ Al-Asqalani ¹⁰ and Yusuf Al-Sahili ¹¹ endorse Ibn Saad’s and Al-Waqidi’s narrations. These three scholars also mention that the Holy

did ruju' with her (accepted her as a wife after divorcing her once), and continued to live with her. Baladhuri further adds that the dowry which Prophet Muhammad gave to Rayhana was her freedom or similar to other women ¹² while Yusuf Al-Salihi states that her dowry was 12 Auqia ¹³ silver. Furthermore, according to the narration of Thalaba, quoted by Ibn Hisham, it is also an established fact that she converted to later on. ¹⁴

Demise

She passed away during the lifetime of the Holy

¹⁵ in 10 A.H. ¹⁶ and was buried in Jannat Al-Baqee, ¹⁷ next to Zaynab bint Khuzaymah , the mother of the faithful.

 

---

• ¹ Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1990), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 8, Pg. 102.
• ² Safi Al-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri (2010), Al-Raheeq Al-Makhtum, Dar ibn Hazam, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 326-328.
• ³ Muhammad ibn Yusuf Al-Salihi Al-Shami (1993), Subul Al-Huda wal-Rashad fi Seerat Khair Al-Abad, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 10, Pg. 429.
• ⁴ Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Umar Al-Waqidi (1409 A.H.), Al-Maghazi, Dar Al-A’alami, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 2, Pg. 521.
• ⁵ Abd Al-Malik ibn Hisham (1955), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Hisham, Shirkah Maktabah wa Matba’ Mustafa Al-Babi, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 2, Pg. 245.
• ⁶ Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Umar Al-Waqidi (1409 A.H.), Al-Maghazi, Dar Al-A’alami, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 2, Pg. 521.
• ⁷ Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1990), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 8, Pg. 103.
• ⁸ Ahmed ibn Yahya ibn Jabir ibn Dawood Al-Baladhuri (1996), Jumal min Ansab Al-Ashraf, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 454.
• ⁹ Abul Fida Ismael ibn Kathir Al-Damishqi (1976), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Kathir, Dar Al-Ma’rifat lil Taba’at wal-Nashr wal-Tawzi, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 4, Pg. 605.
• ¹⁰ Abu Al-Fadl Ahmed ibn Ali Al-Asqalani (1415 A.H.), Al-Isaba fi Tamyeez Al-Sahaba, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 8, Pg. 146.
• ¹¹ Muhammad ibn Yusuf Al-Salihi Al-Shami (1993), Subul Al-Huda wal-Rashad fi Seerat Khair Al-Abad, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 11, Pg. 220.
• ¹² Ahmed ibn Yahya ibn Jabir ibn Dawood Al-Baladhuri (1996), Jumal min Ansab Al-Ashraf, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 454.
• ¹³ Muhammad ibn Yusuf Al-Salihi Al-Shami (1993), Subul Al-Huda wal-Rashad fi Seerat Khair Al-Abad, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 11, Pg. 220.
• ¹⁴ Abd Al-Malik ibn Hisham (1955), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Hisham, Shirkah Maktabah wa Matba’ Mustafa Al-Babi, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 2, Pg. 245.
• ¹⁵ Izz Al-Din Ali ibn Muhammad Al-Shaibani ibn Athir (2003), Usud Al-Ghaba fi Ma’rifat Al-Sahaba, Maktaba Al-Tawfiqiya, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 7, Pg. 112-113.
• ¹⁶ Yusuf ibn Abdullah ibn Abd Al-Barr Al-Qurtabi (1992), Al-Istia’ab fi Ma’rifat Al-Ashab, Dar Al-Jeel, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 4, Pg. 1847.
• ¹⁷ Abu Al-Fadl Ahmed ibn Ali Al-Asqalani (1415 A.H.), Al-Isaba fi Tamyeez Al-Sahaba, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 8, Pg. 146.