As Muslims, we should learn about the Prophet Muhammad’s life, and in this article, we will learn about his sons and daughters.
The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) had four daughters and two sons from Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (RA) and one son from Maria al-Qibtiyah (RA). They were born in the following order:
- Qasim
- Hz Zainab
- Hz Ruqayyah
- Hz Umm Kulthum
- Hz Fatima
- Abdullah
- Ibrahim
All the prophet’s sons died at a young age.
The Sons of Prophet Muhammad.
Here are the sons of the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him).
Qasim ibn Muhammad.
The first son of the prophet is Qasim, that’s why the prophet was called Abu al-Qasim. He liked to be called Abu al-Qasim and his companions used to call him by this name. al-Qasim died at a young age in Mecca, even before the revelation in 605 CE.
Abdullah the son of the Prophet Muhammad.
The second son of the Prophet was Abdullah, he was born after Fatima. Abdullah was also known as al-Tahir and al-Tayyib, he passed at a young age in the year 615 CE.
Ibrahim ibn Muhammad.
The last son of the prophet was Ibrahim, the Prophet named him after the Prophet Ibrahim. It was narrated by Anas bin Malik that the prophet said:
“A child was born this night and I named him after the name of my father Ibrahim (PBUH).”
Ibrahim was sent to Umm Saif to take care of him, she was the wife of Abu Saif the blacksmith. The prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) used to visit Ibrahim regularly to check up on him. When the prophet heard that his sons became ill, he went to him with Abd ar-Rahman bin Auf.
Anas bin Malik (RA) Narrated:
We went with Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) to the blacksmith Abu Saif (RA), and he was the husband of the wet nurse of Ibrahim (the son of the Prophet). Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) took Ibrahim and kissed him and later we entered Abu Saif’s house at that time Ibrahim was in his last breath, and the eyes of Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) started shedding tears. Abd ar-Rahman bin Auf (RA) said, “O Allah’s Apostle, even you are weeping!” He said, “O Ibn Auf, this is mercy.” Then he wept more and said, “The eyes are shedding tears and the heart is grieved, and we will not say except what pleases our Lord, O Ibrahim! Indeed, we are grieved by your separation.”
The prophet’s son died at a young age, nearly when he was 16 or 18 months in the year 632 CE.
Did the Prophet have 4 daughters?
Yes, the prophet had four daughters and their names are:
- Zainab (RA)
- Ruqayyah (RA)
- Umm Kulthum (RA)
- Fatima (RA).
Let’s learn about each one of them.
Prophet Muhammad daughters names
Zainab the daughter of Prophet Muhammad.
The eldest daughter of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) and Khadijah was Zainab. Zainab was married to Abu al-As ibn al-Rabi he was from the clan Abd Ash-Shams of the Quraysh. They had two children Ali and Umaymah. However, Ali passed at a young age.
When Islam was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, Zainab converted to Islam, however, her husband refused to convert to Islam. The people of Quraysh told him to divorce her but he refused, however, he didn’t convert to Islam.
When life became tough for the Muslims they migrated to Madinah, however, Zainab chose to stay with her husband and children.
In the battle of Badr, Zainab’s husband Abu al-As fought against the Muslims and was taken prisoner when the Muslims won. In order for Zainab to fry her husband from captivity, she had to pay money but she didn’t have any money so she send the necklace that her mother Khadijah gave to her when she got married.
When the Prophet Muhammad saw the necklace, he remembered his wife Khadijah, and his eyes were filled with sadness and tears. He turned to his companions and said: “Zainab has sent this necklace as an amount to free Abu al-As. If you see fit to set free her prisoner and return her possession to her, then do so.”
So, a verse was revealed to show that a believer can’t marry a non-believer, here is the verse:
“And give not your daughters in marriage to idolaters till they believe, for verily a believing slave is better than an idolater though he please you.”
When Abu al-As reached Meccah he sent his wife Zainab to the Prophet in the Madinah and he ordered his brother to accompany her and hand her to the Prophet himself.
When the people of Quraysh heard about it they got mad and chased Zainab, at that time Zainab was pregnant and the attack led to a miscarriage. Then she reached Madinah and lived with the Prophet and refused to marry again.
When the time passed away, Abu al-As was returning with his caravan to Mecca that’s when the caravan was captured. However, Abu al-As managed to escape and went to ask for the prophet’s daughter’s help. Zainab let him in and went to her father and his companions telling them that she gave refuge to her husband and asked her father, the Prophet Muhammad to ensure that all the possessions of Abu al-As returned to him, and the Prophet agreed.
When Abu al-As went back to Mekkah he stood in front of the people of Quraysh and announced his acceptance of Islam. He then took the permission of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) to get back to his wife Zainab. And they were once again reunited in the month of Muharram in the year 07 AH.
However, their happiness didn’t last, as a year later in 08 AH, she became ill and passed away.
The prophet’s daughter Ruqayyah.
The second daughter of the prophet and Hz Khadijah, Ruqayyah, was born three years later after Zainab. She got married to Utbah ibn Abu Lahab. After the revelation of Islam, Abu Lahab and his wife became enemies of Muslims. Abu Lahab called his two sons Utbah and Utybah who were married to two of the prophet’s daughters Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthum and told his sons to divorce them.
As time passed, Ruqayyah got married to Uthman ibn Affan and they were living in Abyssinia when they had their first son Abdullah who died at a young age. With time they went back to live in Meccah but then they migrated to Madinah. That’s why the prophet’s daughter Ruqayyah was called “The Lady with Two Migrations”.
During the battle of Badr, Ruqayyah became very ill, so the prophet told her husband Uthman to stay with her and take care of her.
On the same day of the Muslim’s victory in the battle of Badr, Ruqayyah passed away. The prophet was still in the battlefield so he couldn’t attend Ruqayyah’s funeral. She was the first daughter of the prophet to pass away, and she was buried in the al-Baqi Cemetery in Medina.
Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad (RA).
The third daughter of the prophet and Khadijah is Umm Kulthum, she was younger than Ruqayyah by one year.
Umm Kulthum was married to the son of Abu Lahab, Utaybah but when the revelation of Islam was revealed to the Prophet, Abu Lahab forced his son to divorce her.
She went back to live with her father, the prophet (peace and blessing be upon him). For many years she stayed home with her mother Khadijah helping her.
The people of Quraysh boycotted the Muslims, and they suffered a lot during that time. After the boycott was over Khadijah passed away. The mother’s death filled Umm Kulthum with sadness and sorrow. However, she decided to deal with the matter in a mature way and took care of the house and her little sister Fatima.
Later on, in the year 622 CE the Prophet migrated to Madinah and sent Zayd ibn Harith to bring his two daughters Umm Kulthum (RA) and Fatima (RA) to Medina.
Umm Kulthum witnessed the victory of the Muslims in the battle of Badr however she was shocked when she got the news of her sister Ruqayyah’s death. In the year 3 AH she was married to Uthman ibn Affan. And she died in the year 09 AH in the month of Sha’ban.
Fatima bint Muhammad (RA).
The last daughter of the prophet and Khadijah was Fatima.
Abdullah bin Masud (RA) narrated:
When the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was lying prostrate in prayer and around him were some people from the Quraysh, Uqbah bin Abu Mu’ait brought the fetus of a she-camel and threw it on the back of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH). He did not raise his head until Fatima arrived, removed it from his back, and cured him who had done that (ugly act).
Fatima was known for her kindness and her love to help the poor, she even used to give away her food even if it meant staying hungry.
She was married to Ali ibn Abi Talib in Madinah and they lived a happy life. They had two sons Hasan (RA) and Hussain (RA); and two daughters, Zainab (RA) and Umm Kulthum (RA).
Fatima played a key role in the Battles of Uhud and Trench, she treated the wounded and prepared food.
when Sahl was asked about the prophet’s wounds in the battle of Uhud he said:
The face of the Prophet (PBUH) was wounded and one of his front teeth was broken, and the helmet over his head was smashed. Fatima washed off the blood while Ali held water. When she saw that bleeding was increasing continuously, she burnt a mat (of date-palm leaves) till it turned into ashes which she put over the wound, and thus the bleeding ceased.
When the prophet got seriously ill, he stayed at the house of his wife Aisha, and when Fatima visited him, he told her two secrets.
Narrated Hz Aisha (RA):
The Prophet (PBUH) in his fatal illness, called his daughter Fatima and told her a secret because of which she started weeping. Then he called her and told her another secret, and she started laughing. When I asked her about that, she replied, “The Prophet (PBUH) told me that he would die in his fatal illness, and so I wept, but then he secretly told me that from amongst his family, I would be the first to join him, and so I laughed.”
Fatima died in the year 11 AH a few months after the prophet’s death.
How many sons and daughters did Prophet Muhammad have from Khadijah?
The prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) had four daughters and two sons. Their names are:
- Qasim (CE 598 – 601)
- Zainab (RA) (CE 599 – 629)
- Ruqayyah (RA) (CE 601 – 624)
- Umm Kulthum (RA) (CE 603 – 630)
- Fatima (RA) (CE 605 – 632)
- Abdullah (CE 611 – 615)
Youngest son of prophet Muhammad
The youngest son of the prophet Muhammed (peace and blessing be upon him) was Ibrahim (CE 630 – 632), he was born to Maria al-Qibtiyah (RA).
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