What is the wisdom behind the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) marriage to nine women, given that his Shari'ah does not permit anyone else to have more than four wives?
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The questioner : We know that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) married nine women simultaneously. What is the wisdom behind this, given that his Shari'ah (peace and blessings be upon him) does not permit anyone else to have more than four women? And how is it that his son Ibrahim was from Maryam al-Qibtiyyah, even though she was not one of his wives? Or was she a slave he owned (peace and blessings be upon him)?
The Shaykh : It is well known that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away leaving behind nine women. He (peace and blessings be upon him) had married Khadijah, the Mother of the Believers, who was the first woman he married, and he was blessed with children from her, except for Ibrahim. He also married Zaynab bint Khuzaymah, but these two women passed away before him (peace and blessings be upon him).
As for those from whom he passed away, they were nine. This is one of his special characteristics (peace and blessings be upon him) in marriage. The wisdom behind permitting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to have more than four wives is that through his connection with them, there is honor for them and for their tribes. Also, through his connection with them, knowledge increases, because each of them possessed knowledge that she would not have possessed if she had not been his wife. And it is for Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to single out whomever He wills from His creation with a specific ruling for a specific reason. Just as Allah (Mighty and Majestic) singled him out by permitting marriage in addition to four, He also singled him out by permitting marriage through gift, where a woman might come and say, “I have dedicated myself to you, O Messenger of Allah,” and thereby become his wife, as Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Ahzab 33:50] Thus, Allah the Exalted made clear that this is specific to him and not to the believers. The wisdom behind this, and Allah knows best, is what we mentioned earlier: to facilitate marriage for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) so that he could marry without a mahr and without hardship if he wished, for the sake of the benefits, some of which we have mentioned previously.
As for the fact that his child came from his concubine, this is a matter that is not to be questioned, for this is by the divine decree and destiny of Allah. Just as he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not have a child from his wife Aishah, whom he married as a virgin, nor from his other wives except Khadijah, whom he married as a widow, we do not ask: Why did he not have a child from those women, but had a child from Khadijah and from Maryam? And to Allah the Exalted belongs the wisdom in what He wills[Ash-Shuraa 42:49-50] Perhaps one of the wisdoms is that Allah the Exalted granted him children from two categories of those lawful to him: the category of free wives, and the category of slave women.
The Shaykh : It is well known that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away leaving behind nine women. He (peace and blessings be upon him) had married Khadijah, the Mother of the Believers, who was the first woman he married, and he was blessed with children from her, except for Ibrahim. He also married Zaynab bint Khuzaymah, but these two women passed away before him (peace and blessings be upon him).
As for those from whom he passed away, they were nine. This is one of his special characteristics (peace and blessings be upon him) in marriage. The wisdom behind permitting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to have more than four wives is that through his connection with them, there is honor for them and for their tribes. Also, through his connection with them, knowledge increases, because each of them possessed knowledge that she would not have possessed if she had not been his wife. And it is for Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to single out whomever He wills from His creation with a specific ruling for a specific reason. Just as Allah (Mighty and Majestic) singled him out by permitting marriage in addition to four, He also singled him out by permitting marriage through gift, where a woman might come and say, “I have dedicated myself to you, O Messenger of Allah,” and thereby become his wife, as Allah the Exalted said:
O Prophet, indeed We have made lawful to you your wives to whom you have given their due compensation and those your right hand possesses from what Allah has returned to you [of captives] and the daughters of your paternal uncles and the daughters of your paternal aunts and the daughters of your maternal uncles and the daughters of your maternal aunts who emigrated with you and a believing woman if she gives herself to the Prophet [and] if the Prophet wishes to marry her, [this is] only for you, excluding the [other] believers
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَحْلَلْنَا لَكَ أَزْوَاجَكَ اللَّاتِي آتَيْتَ أُجُورَهُنَّ وَمَا مَلَكَتْ يَمِينُكَ مِمَّا أَفَاءَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ وَبَنَاتِ عَمِّكَ وَبَنَاتِ عَمَّاتِكَ وَبَنَاتِ خَالِكَ وَبَنَاتِ خَالاتِكَ اللَّاتِي هَاجَرْنَ مَعَكَ وَامْرَأَةً مُؤْمِنَةً إِنْ وَهَبَتْ نَفْسَهَا لِلنَّبِيِّ إِنْ أَرَادَ النَّبِيُّ أَنْ يَسْتَنكِحَهَا خَالِصَةً لَكَ مِنْ دُونِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَAs for the fact that his child came from his concubine, this is a matter that is not to be questioned, for this is by the divine decree and destiny of Allah. Just as he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not have a child from his wife Aishah, whom he married as a virgin, nor from his other wives except Khadijah, whom he married as a widow, we do not ask: Why did he not have a child from those women, but had a child from Khadijah and from Maryam? And to Allah the Exalted belongs the wisdom in what He wills