Pilgrimage). That was in Dhul-Qa‘dah in the seventh year of Al-Hijra.
Those were the eleven women that the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) had married and  consummated marriage with them. He outlived two of them — Khadijah and Zainab, the Umm Al-
Masakeen. Whereas the other nine wives outlived him.
The two wives that he did not consummate marriage with were, one from Bani Kilab and the other  from
Kindah and this was the one called Al-Jauniyah.
Besides these, he had two concubines. The first was Mariyah, the Coptic (an Egyptian Christian), a  present gift from Al-Muqauqis, vicegerent of Egypt — she gave birth to his son Ibrâhim, who died in
Madinah while still a little child, on the 28th or 29th of Shawwal in the year 10 A.H., i.e. 27th January,
632 A.D. The second one was Raihanah bint Zaid An-Nadriyah or Quraziyah, a captive from Bani
Quraiza. Some people say she was one of his wives. However, Ibn Al-Qaiyim gives more weight to the  first version. Abu ‘Ubaidah spoke of two more concubines, Jameelah, a captive, and another one, a  bondwoman granted to him by Zainab bint Jahsh.
Whosoever meditates on the life of the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him), will conceive that his  marriage to this great number of women in the late years of his lifetime, after he had almost spent  thirty years of his best days of youth sufficing himself to one old wife — Khadijah and later on to
Sawdah, was in no way an overwhelming lustful desire to be satisfied through such a number of  wives.
These marriages were in fact motivated by aims and purposes much more glorious and greater than  what normal marriages usually aim at.
The tendency of the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) towards establishing a relationship by  marriage with both Abu Bakr and ‘Umar and his marriage to ‘Aishah and Hafsah — and getting his  daughter Fatimah married to ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, and the marriage of his two daughters, Ruqaiyah and
Umm Kulthum to ‘Uthman — indicate clearly that he aimed at confirming the relationship among the  four men — whose sacrifices and great achievements in the cause of Islam are well-known.
Besides this, there was that tradition of the Arabs to honour the in-law relations. For them a son or a  daughter-in-law was a means by which they sought the consolidation of relationship and affection with  various phratries. Hostility and fights against alliances and affinities would bring an unforgettable  shame, disgrace and degradation to them.
By marrying the Mothers of believers, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) wanted to demolish or break  down the Arab tribes’ enmity to Islam and extinguish their intense hatred. Umm Salamah was from
Bani Makhzum — the clan of Abu Jahl and Khalid bin Al-Waleed. Her marriage to the Messenger of
Allâh
(Peace be upon him) produced good results. Khalid’s deliberately undecisive attitude at Uhud — for  instance — was due to the Messenger’s marriage to Umm Salamah. Khalid went even further than  that,  in a short time he willingly became a keen obedient Muslim.
After the Messenger of Allâh’s marriage to Umm Habibah, Abu Sufyan, her father, did not encounter  him with any sort of hostility. Similarly his marriage to Juwairiyah and Safiyah made the two tribes  stop  all sorts of provocation, aggression or hostility against Islam. Better still, Juwairiyah, herself, was one  of the greatest sources of blessing to her own people. On the occasion of her marriage to the Prophet
(Peace be upon him), his Companions set a hundred families of her people free. They said: “It is for  their affinity with the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him).” No need to say what great good  impression this gratitude had on everybody’s soul. One of the greatest motives of all is Allâh’s bidding  his Prophet to educate and purify the souls of people who had known nothing whatsoever about  courtesy, education and culture. He had to teach them to comply with the necessities of civilization  and  to contribute to the solidification and the establishment of a new Islamic society.
An essential fundamental rule of the Muslim society is to prohibit mixing of men and women. Providing  direct education for women, though highly compelling, is impossible in the light of this Islamic norm.
Therefore, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had to select some women of different ages and talents,  and indoctrinate them systematically in order to educate she-bedouins and townswomen, old and  young, and thus furnish them with the instruments of propagating the true faith. The Mothers of  believers i.e. wives of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) were in such a convenient position that they  could convey the state of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and his affairs to people (men and  women).
Being educated and taught the teachings and rules of Islam, his wives, especially those who outlived