The Mothers of the Believers
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Welcome. In the Qur’an, Allah gives the wives of the Prophet ﷺ a special title. The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers.
The Mothers of the Believers. Every Muslim, man or woman, in every age, is invited to see these women as mothers of faith.
About seven hundred and fifty years ago, a great scholar of Makkah, Muhibb al-Din al-Tabari, wrote a book about them. He was the shaykh of the Sacred Mosque, a jurist and a scholar of hadith. And he called his book The Precious Necklace, as if each of these women was a pearl on a string.
He collected their family lines, their stories, their virtues, and what the Prophet ﷺ said about them.
They were very different women. A wealthy businesswoman. A widow with children. A young scholar. A princess from a defeated tribe. The daughter of the Prophet’s fiercest enemy. Each one has a story. And each story teaches something about faith, patience, and love.
In this summary, we will meet them one by one, beginning with the first, and perhaps the most beloved.
