What is our duty toward the Mothers of the Believers, and are they equal in virtue or is there a distinction among them?

Question:
May Allah reward you, Your Eminence, father. The questioner says: Regarding the saying of Allah the Exalted, , what is our obligation toward the Mothers of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with them)? And are they equal in virtue, or is there a distinction among them?

Answer:
Yes, the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) have a right upon the ummah (the Muslim community), because they are the Mothers of the Believers, and the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in this world and the Hereafter. They have great virtue over all other Muslim women. As for whether some of them are better than others, yes, some of them are better than others, some of them are better than others. As for Khadijah and A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with them both), the scholars differed on which of them is greater, Khadijah or A'ishah? There are two opinions.