At a glance
The Mothers of the Believers- Dates
- Married the Prophet ﷺ 7 AH
- Who
- Of the Banu Nadir, descended from the prophet Harun (peace be upon him)
- Stages
- Treaty & Victory
ProfileSafiyyah bint Huyayy
Safiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) belonged to the Banu Nadir, a Jewish tribe of Madinah that had been sent away from the city after breaking its agreement with the Muslims. Her family traced its descent to the prophet Harun (peace be upon him), a heritage the Prophet ﷺ later reminded her of with respect.
Her father was among those killed at Banu Qurayzah, and her husband was killed at Khaybar in 7 AH. She had lost almost everyone close to her. After Khaybar she was among those who came into Muslim hands, and the Prophet ﷺ set her free and gave her the choice to return to her people or to stay. She chose to stay and to become his wife.
Some women of the household taunted her about her Jewish background. A narration tells that the Prophet ﷺ taught her how to answer: that she was the daughter of a prophet, Harun, the niece of a prophet, Musa (peace be upon him), and the wife of a prophet. One night, when she had visited him during his retreat in the mosque in Ramadan, he walked her home. Two men of the Ansar passed and hurried on, and he stopped them to say: this is Safiyyah. He explained that Shaytan runs in a person's blood like blood itself, and he did not want a doubt to enter their hearts. She is remembered for her patience, her devotion and her generosity.
Meet them inWhere they appear in the seerah
More on How to Muslim
SourcesSources for this profile
The books, lectures and maps behind this page are listed on our Sources page.