The 7th Wife of the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH): Juwayriyah

Who was the 7th wife of the Prophet Muhammed? The 7th wife of the Prophet was Juwayriyya bint al-Harith. She was the daughter of al-Hārith ibn Abi Dirar, the chief of Banu Mustaliq. According to many sources, she married the Prophet at the age of 20, whilst he was 58. She had been married before, but her first husband, Musafa bin Safwan, died in the battle against the Muslims. This successful campaign against the Banu Mustaliq, opposers to Islam, left her a prisoner to one of the Prophet’s companions. Juwayriyya, however, was known for her political savvy and beauty, which she used to free herself and marry the Prophet. In this series: The Mother of Believers, we will talk about every wife the Prophet has married and hopefully, we will do them justice. So let’s get to it!

1. Juwayriyya’s early life

Juwayriyah was part of the Banu Mustaliq tribe, the daughter of al-Hārith ibn Abi Dirar. This practically made her a princess. We all know the 7th wife of the Prophet by the name Juwayriyah, but her original name given to her by her father was ‘Barrah’. Barrah in Arabica translates to ‘the righteous’, or ‘the pious’. The Prophet often gave his companions and even his wives new names. Barrah was the daughter of al-Hārith ibn Abi Dirar and prince of the Banu Mustaliq tribe, which opposed the Muslims. By given her a new name, Juwayriyah and many other companions of the Prophet were given a new ‘identity’. They became new people when the converted to Islam. This new name helped sever their ties to their old ways.

The name ‘Juwayriyah’ can come from two different roots with different meanings and origins. The first name is Quranic, while the second name is more commonly used:

1. Juwayriya, is an indirect Quranic name for girls that means “young woman”, it is a loving nickname for a girl who is becoming a young woman. It is originated from the J-R-A root which means “to flow”, a word that is used in much in the Quran.

2. Juwayreeya, is an Arabic name for girls that means “Damask rose”. This rose is very fragrant and is often used in perfumes.

1.2 Juwayriyah’s beauty

Juwayriyah was well known for her beauty and elegance. Since she was brought up in the lap of luxury, she had all the manners and charms of a princess. She mastered the language, the literary style and was known to be extremely eloquent. Aisha, the 3rd wife of the Prophet had a bit of a jealous streak in her. The first time Aisha saw Juwayriyah, she thought that she was as beautiful as a fairy!

1.3 Her first husband

She was married to Mani ibn Safwaan, who was one of their leaders and most influential men. He died in the battle against the Muslims.

2. Becoming the 7th wife of the Prophet. 

2.1 What happened to Juwayriyah after her people lost the battle

She became a prisoner to Thabit bin Qais. This wasn’t something she ever thought would happen and therefore she didn’t accept it as her fate. She saw a challenge. She also knew that she wanted to save her people from imprisonment. Juwayriyah, being the chief’s daughter, and being married to a very influential man, was very politically savvy. She was going to negotiate her release! Thabit bin Qais agreed on a sum for her freedom, but since she was now penniless, she didn’t have any money. Again, this did not stop her. She petitioned to meet the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) knowing that he was a fair man with a good heart.

2.2 Meeting the Prophet & becoming the 7th wife.

When she went to the Prophet she pled her case to him. Aisha was there to witness this meeting. She was described saying:

“She was a pleasant woman. No one saw her except he became captivated by her. While the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was sitting, Juwayriyah entered asking him concerning her ransom agreement (with Thaabit). By Allah, as soon as I saw her, I disliked her entering in front of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) for I knew that he would see what I saw in her.

Juwayriyah explained her position and requested for help with the sum she owed Thabit bin Qais for her freedom. The Prophet (PBUH) asked her:

Would you like something better than this? ‘I will pay on your behalf and then marry you.’

She immediately answered and said:

‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah.

This made Juwayriyah the 7th wife of the Prophet and one of the Mothers of Believers.

2.3 Saving her people from imprisonment

Juwayriyah was a very smart woman. Her marriage to the Prophet would free her people from their shackles. Aisha said:

“When the news of this marriage came to the people they began saying, ‘Will the Prophet’s in-laws be held as captives?!’ Then the people freed all the captives that were with them from the tribe of Banoo al-Mustaliq, and the number of those who were freed reached one hundred households because of the Prophet’s marriage to Juwayriyah.”

Juwayriyah had a sense of responsibility, which made her wish to speak to the Prophet about her freedom even stronger. Juwayriyah (as Aisha said) was very beautiful and she was a widow. She must have known that when she went to speak to the Prophet, he would see that their matrimony could help both their causes. The Prophet’s mission of Islam and Juwayriyah’s mission to save her people. Her yes was so immediate, we can presume that she intended to marry him when she went to speak to him. (This is speculation on my part though, but Juwayriyah was far too smart not to have thought about herself)

When the Prophet married Juwayriyah, the Muslims released all their prisoners, stating that they could not keep the Prophet’s relatives in imprisonment. Because the Juwayriyah married the Prophet, it allowed her tribe to enter Islam with honour by removing the humiliation of their defeat.

3. What can we learn from Juwayriyah?

According to multiple sources, Juwayriyah was an eloquent speaker who knew her value. For example:

after the Prophet’s death, his companions Abu Bakr Siddiq and Omar Farooq granted Juwayriyah and the other wives of the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) (& Mothers of Believers) were each supposed to receive 12,000 Dirhams during Governing. The Mothers of Believers were forbidden to marry again, so they received money from others. Apparently, Omar Farooq wanted to give Juwairiyah and Safiyah (who both used to be prisoners) only 6,000 Dirhams each as a pension. Both the women knew their own worth and would rather not get any money than being insulted by Omar. By not giving each woman the same about, he gave the impression to them that he did not consider them matched with the other “Mothers of Believers”. Both ended up receiving 12,000 Dirhams as a pension.

What this shows about Juwayriyah (and Safijah) is that they knew their own value! They would rather have nothing from him and still be sure in their matched value to the other Mothers of Believers than to be given money but not be seen as equal.  Juwayriyah, coming from her background, knew her rights and what she deserved. She also knew that she was allowed to have expectations and standards and have them met by others.

3.1 The 7th wife of the Prophet did not settle! 

Some women marry men who are far below their standards, so they don’t end up alone! I believe that it is better to be alone and still have your value than to get half of what you deserve (or wanted) and lose your value. Every sister’s standard is different though. This doesn’t necessarily have to be about money. It can be any standard really, what matters is that it is a non-negotiable. One of my non-negotiables is that my husband MUST adhere to the five pillars of Islam (the declaration of faith (shahada), prayer (salah), alms-giving (zakat), fasting (sawm) and pilgrimage (hajj). There are other things that I find important, I for one, would never marry a man who is not financially stable.

Being a Classy Muslim Sister means having standards and boundaries. Some will say you are haughty or have an attitude, you don’t. You know your value, you have class, don’t you forget it!

4. Who were the Prophet’s other wives?

The Prophet married 11 wives in total (although, there are some discussions on the exact number). 

1. Khadijah bint Khuwaylid 
2. Sawdah bint Zam’a 
3. Aisha bint Abu Bakr 
4. Hafsah bint Umar ibn Al-Khattab
5. Zaynab bint Khuzaymah
6. Umm Salamah bint Abu Umayyah
7. Juwayriyah bint al-Haarith 
8. Zaynab bint Jahsh 
9. Umm Habibah bint Abu Sufyan
10. Safiyyah bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab 
11. Maymunah bint al-Haarith

I talk about the other women in the category “Mother of Believers“. If you want to know more, please have a look! Do you want to help the other Muslim sisters in your life acquire more knowledge on this topic? Share my blog with them and follow me on Social Media!

Kisses,

Your Classy Muslim Sister

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