At a glance
The Mothers of the Believers- Dates
- Married the Prophet ﷺ c. 620 CE
- Who
- Early believer who migrated to Abyssinia, and the wife who joined his household after Khadijah
- Stages
- Sorrow & the Night Journey
ProfileSawdah bint Zam'ah
Sawdah (may Allah be pleased with her) was among the early Muslims of Makkah. She accepted Islam with her husband Sakran, and the two of them were among those who took refuge in Abyssinia during the persecution. Sakran died, leaving her a widow.
She married the Prophet ﷺ around 620 CE, soon after the Year of Sorrow, when the loss of Khadijah had left his household without a wife and his young children without a mother's care. Sawdah took on the role without fuss. She was the only wife in his home for the remaining years in Makkah, and she joined him in Madinah after the Hijrah.
She is remembered for her kindness and her good nature. When she grew older, a narration tells, she gave her turn in the rotation of the household to Aishah, because she knew how much the Prophet ﷺ loved her, and she preferred to remain one of his wives. Aishah, who could be fiercely jealous of the other wives, said of Sawdah that there was no woman whose place she would rather have taken.
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.