At a glance
The Mothers of the Believers- Dates
- Married the Prophet ﷺ c. 3 AH; died c. 4 AH
- Who
- Known as Umm al-Masakin, Mother of the Poor
- Stages
- Building Madinah
ProfileZaynab bint Khuzaymah
Zaynab bint Khuzaymah (may Allah be pleased with her) is remembered by a single title: Umm al-Masakin, the Mother of the Poor. People gave it to her for her generosity, and in Madinah she became known for feeding those who had nothing.
Her earlier husband had fallen in battle, and she was left a widow. She married the Prophet ﷺ around 3 AH, in the years after Badr and Uhud, when Madinah held many widows and orphans and the whole community was learning to care for them. Her own care for the poor was part of that.
She lived only a short time as his wife and died in the early years in Madinah. She was the first of his wives to pass away in his lifetime after Khadijah, and she was buried in the graveyard of Baqi in Madinah. Her life was brief, and what the community kept of her is her kindness.
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.