Muhammad's Wives in the Order in Which They Were Married to Him

1. Khadija Bint Khuwailid: Muhammad's first wife. He married her in 595 A.D. (25 years before the Migration); she died three years before the Migration and ten years after he claimed prophethood.
2. Sawda Bint Zam`a: Muhammad married her in the month of Ramadan ten years after he claimed prophethood, after the death of Khadija and before he married `A´isha, or some months before the Migration, depending on the sources. Opinions agree that she was Muhammad's second wife.Yet the question is whether he slept with `A´isha first or Sawda. Some believe that he married `A´isha first, but had intercourse with Sawda first, as `A´isha was too young.
3. `A´isha Bint Abu Bakr: Muhammad married her in the month of Shawwal, three years before the Migration, ten years after he claimed prophethood, according to the tradition of `A´isha herself.He had intercourse with her in the month of Shawwal, eight months after the Migration. She was the only virgin among Muhammad's wives.
4. Hafsa Bint `Umar: The Messenger of God married her in the month of Sha`ban, 31 months after the Migration, or in the third year after the Migration, or one month or two before Uhud.
5. Zainab Bint Khuzaima: Her husband died in the battle of Uhud, so Muhammad married her. This was 31 months after the Migration.
6. Ummu Salama: One tradition says that Muhammad married her three years before the Khandaq raid, in the sixth year after the Migration and the wedding was performed in Shawwal four years after the Migration, or three years after Badr.
7. Zainab Bint Jahsh: It is not possible to determine when Muhammad married her. It was either in Dsu al-Qa`da or Sha`ban in year 5 or 3 A.H. We will study the marriage of Muhammad and Zainab Bint Jahsh in a separate chapter.
8. Juwairiyya Bint al-Harith: She was taken captive during the raid of Banu al-Mustaliq and was part of the spoils. No one knows when this battle took place exactly. So the dates given for her marriage to Muhammad are the fifth or the sixth year after the Migration. Ibn Hisham claims that Muhammad bought her from Thabit Ibn Qais, set her free, and later married her.
9. Safiyya Bint Huyay: She was among the spoils of Khaibar (one of the famous Jewish tribes), which was conquered in the sixth year A.H., and was chosen for Muhammad.
10. Ummu Habiba: Stories say that the Negus of Ethiopia gave her to Muhammad as a wife.
11. Maria, the Copt: al-Muqawqas, king of Egypt, sent four female slaves to Muhammad and Maria was one of them. She reached Medina in the seventh year after the Migration. Only Khadija and Maria gave birth to male children among all of Muhammad's wives.
12. Maimuna Bint al-Harith: Muhammad married her in the seventh year after the Umra of al-Qadha. She was the last one the Messenger of God married.
13. Rayhana: She was not of the "mothers of the believers," in spite of her respectable position in the house of Muhammad. When the Prophet attacked Banu Qurayza, he took her captive since it was necessary for him to have a selection of each spoil. Muhammad offered her Islam but she refused. Yet it is said that she espoused Islam later.