Ummul Mo'mineen Maymunah bint Al-Harith

(Dr. Imran Khan & Mufti. Shah Rafi Uddin Hamdani)

Maymunah bint Al-Harith’s (میمونة بنت الحارث) original name was Barrah bint Al-Harith. The Holy

changed her name to Maymunah ¹ which meant ‘blessed’. She was one of nine the sisters whom Prophet Muhammad referred to as ‘The Believing Sisters’. ² She was one of those individuals who had embraced before Hijrah, but did not migrate to Madinah.

Lineage

She was Maymunah bint Al-Harith ibn Huzn ibn Bujair ibn Al-Hazm ibn Ruwaibah ibn Abdullah ibn Hilal ibn Amir Sa’sa’a ³ ibn Muawiyah ibn Bakr ibn Hawazin ibn Mansoor ibn Ikrama ibn Hafsa ibn Qais Elaan ibn Mudar. Her mother’s name was Hind bint Auf ibn Zuhair ibn Al-Harith ibn Hamata. ⁴

Life Before Marriage with the Holy Prophet

In the time of Ignorance (Jahiliyah), she was married to Masood ibn Amr Al-Thaqafi. After his death, she was married to Abu Rahm ibn Abdul Uzzah who also passed away and made her a widow. After that, she lived alone until the Holy

came to Makkah for Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage). ⁵

Marriage with the Holy Prophet

In 7 A.H., the Holy Prophet gathered around 2000 men and departed for Makkah to perform Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage). They entered Makkah safely, as the

had deserted the city, so that the Muslims could safely perform the Umrah. ⁶

Many people wished to see

Muhammad , among them was Barrah bint Al-Harith (Maymunah ). ⁷ She contacted her sister Umm Al-Fadl and told her that she wanted to marry the Holy Prophet so that she could have the honor of being his wife. So, she asked Umm Al-Fadl to be her agent and ask the Holy Prophet for marriage. Umm Al-Fadl told her husband, Abbas ibn Al-Muttalib and asked him to talk to his nephew, Prophet Muhammad , about the marriage proposal. ⁸ Another narration states that Barrah herself went to the Holy Prophet and offered herself for marriage. ⁹ It was on this occasion, that the following verse of the was revealed: ¹⁰

  …وَامْرَأَةً مُؤْمِنَةً إِنْ وَهَبَتْ نَفْسَهَا لِلنَّبِيِّ إِنْ أَرَادَ النَّبِيُّ أَنْ يَسْتَنْكِحَهَا خَالِصَةً لَكَ مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ…50 ¹¹

  … and any other believing woman who dedicates herself to the Holy Prophet (for marriage), provided the Holy Prophet (too) has the intention to marry her (so all these are lawful for you. This command is exclusively for you, not for other believers (of the Ummah i.e., Community)

The phrase ‘believing woman who dedicates herself’ refers to that individual who was prepared to give herself in marriage to the Holy

without a dower, if he may like to marry her. ¹² Even though Prophet Muhammad had this permission, still, he married Maymunah (Barra) and gave her 400 dirhams ¹³ as dower in the month of Shawwal, 7 A.H. ¹⁴ The marriage took at a place called Sarf, where she had joined the Holy Prophet along with Prophet Muhammad’s freed slave, Abu Raaf'i . ¹⁵ The Holy Prophet could not marry her in Makkah because the people of Quraysh pointed out that the three days of his stay in Makkah was over, and only that time limit was allowed by the agreement, so he needed to leave. Therefore, Prophet Muhammad abided by the treaty of Hudaybiyah and left Makkah along with his followers. ¹⁶

According to Al-Asqalani, she was the last woman which the Holy Prophet married ¹⁷ and she also had the honor to narrate 13 ahadith of the Holy Prophet . ¹⁸ She was a devout Muslim who led a pious life. After the Holy

departed from this world, Maymunah continued his mission by preaching and guiding Muslim women regarding their religious affairs.

Demise

She passed away in 51 A.H. and Ibn Abbas led her funeral prayer. ¹⁹ She was buried in Sarf, at the spot where the Holy Prophet had set a tent for her at the time of the marriage. ²⁰

 

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• ¹ 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. 257.
• ² Abd Al-Rahman ibn Abdullah Al-Suhaili (2000), Al-Raudh Al-Unf fi-Sharha Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah, Dar Al-Ihya Al-Turath Al-Arabi, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 2, Pg. 301-302.
• ³ Ahmed ibn Yahya ibn Jabir ibn Dawood Al-Baladhuri (1996), Jumal min Ansab Al-Ashraf, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 444.
• ⁴ 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. 1915.
• ⁵ Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1968), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Sadir, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 8, Pg. 132.
• ⁶ Martin Lings (1985), Muhammad ﷺ: His Life, Based on the Original Sources, Sohail Academy, Lahore, Pakistan, Pg. 280.
• ⁷ Faridah Masood Debas (2009), The Wives of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, International Islamic Publishing House, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 157.
• ⁸ 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. 372.
• ⁹ Abu Abdullah Shams Al-Din Al-Zahabi (1985), Siyar A’lam Al-Nubala, Moassasatu Al-Risala, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 2, Pg. 243.
• ¹⁰ 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. 207.
• ¹¹ Holy Quran, Al-Ahzab (The Confederates) 33: 50.
• ¹² Muhammad ibn Jareer Al-Tabari (2000), Jam’e Al-Bayan fi Taweel Al-Quran, Moassasatu Al-Risala, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 20, Pg. 286.
• ¹³ 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. 372.
• ¹⁴ 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. 323.
• ¹⁵ Ahmed ibn Yahya ibn Jabir ibn Dawood Al-Baladhuri (1996), Jumal min Ansab Al-Ashraf, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 446.
• ¹⁶ Abul Fida Ismael ibn Kathir Al-Damishqi (1976), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Kathir, Dar Al-Ma’rifa lil Taba’a wal-Nashr wal-Tawzi, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 3, Pg. 433.
• 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. 323.
• ¹⁸ Abu Abdullah Shams Al-Din Al-Zahabi (1985), Siyar A’lam Al-Nubala, Moassasatu Al-Risala, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 2, Pg. 245.
• ¹⁹ 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. 1918.
• ²⁰ 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. 209.