Maymunah رضي الله عنها
Maymunah bint al-Harith رضي الله عنها, the last woman the Prophet ﷺ married, a Mother of the Believers from a noble family connected to many righteous women, remembered for faith, kinship ties, worship, and narrating the Sunnah.
Maymunah bint al-Harith
She was Maymunah bint al-Harith al-Hilaliyyah رضي الله عنها. Her earlier name is reported as Barrah, and the Prophet ﷺ named her Maymunah.
Sister of noble women
She was connected to a remarkable family that included Umm al-Fadl رضي الله عنها, the wife of al-Abbas رضي الله عنه.
Last wife married
She was the last woman the Prophet ﷺ married, during the period of the compensated Umrah after Hudaybiyyah.
Her family background
Maymunah رضي الله عنها was Maymunah bint al-Harith ibn Hazn al-Hilaliyyah. She belonged to Banu Hilal and came from a family known in Islamic history through several honoured women.
Her mother was Hind bint Awf, who is famous in biographical works because many of her daughters and step-daughters were connected to noble Islamic households. Some scholars described Hind bint Awf as among the most honoured women through her sons-in-law, because her daughters were married into households of prophethood, leadership, and early Islam.
Maymunah رضي الله عنها was the sister of Umm al-Fadl Lubabah al-Kubra رضي الله عنها, the wife of al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه. She was also connected through family ties to Asma bint Umays رضي الله عنها and Salma bint Umays رضي الله عنها in the wider family reports.
Ibn Sa'd; Ibn Hajar; Ibn Abd al-Barr; adh-Dhahabi; biographical reportsThe wives of the Prophet ﷺ are Mothers of the Believers
النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَىٰ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ ۖ وَأَزْوَاجُهُ أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ
Meaning: “The Prophet is closer to the believers than themselves, and his wives are their mothers.”
Qur'an 33:6Her earlier life and widowhood
Before marrying the Prophet ﷺ, Maymunah رضي الله عنها had been married before. Biographical reports mention earlier husbands, including Mas'ud ibn Amr ath-Thaqafi and Abu Ruhm ibn Abd al-Uzza, though the sequence and details can vary in summaries.
She was a widow before the Prophet ﷺ married her. This must be mentioned with honour, not as a label. Allah raised her to become a Mother of the Believers, and her earlier life was part of the path that led to that honour.
Reports also mention that her name before Islam or before the Prophet ﷺ renamed her was Barrah. The Prophet ﷺ named her Maymunah, a name connected to blessing and goodness.
Sahih Muslim 2142; Ibn Sa'd; Ibn Hajar; Ibn Abd al-Barr; reports differ on some earlier detailsThe compensated Umrah and the proposal
The Prophet ﷺ married Maymunah رضي الله عنها around the time of Umrat al-Qada, the compensated Umrah after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. This took place in 7 AH, when the Muslims returned to Makkah to perform Umrah after having been prevented the previous year.
Reports mention that al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه, the Prophet’s ﷺ uncle and husband of Maymunah’s sister Umm al-Fadl رضي الله عنها, played a role in arranging the marriage.
This marriage strengthened family ties and created a noble connection with a family already close to the Prophet ﷺ through al-Abbas رضي الله عنه and Umm al-Fadl رضي الله عنها.
Sahih al-Bukhari 4258; Sahih Muslim 1410; Ibn Hisham; Ibn Sa'd; Seerah chronologyKeeping family ties
وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالْأَرْحَامَ
Meaning: “Be mindful of Allah, through whom you ask one another, and of family ties.”
Qur'an 4:1Was the Prophet ﷺ in ihram?
There is a well-known scholarly discussion about whether the Prophet ﷺ married Maymunah رضي الله عنها while in ihram or after leaving ihram. Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما narrated that the Prophet ﷺ married her while he was in ihram. However, Maymunah رضي الله عنها herself narrated that the Prophet ﷺ married her when he was not in ihram.
Many scholars give preference to the report of Maymunah رضي الله عنها because she was the bride and knew her own marriage circumstances directly. Other scholars discuss reconciliation between the reports and wording.
This issue should be taught respectfully and without confusion for general readers: reports differ, scholars discussed the matter, and the stronger practical teaching used by many jurists is that marriage is not contracted while in ihram.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1837; Sahih Muslim 1410; Sahih Muslim 1411; fiqh discussionsMarriage to the Prophet ﷺ
Maymunah رضي الله عنها became one of the Mothers of the Believers after her marriage to the Prophet ﷺ. She was the last woman he married, and this gives her a special place in the timeline of the Prophet’s ﷺ family life.
Reports mention that the Prophet ﷺ wanted to hold the wedding meal in Makkah, but Quraysh reminded him of the agreed time limit for the Muslims to remain in the city after Umrat al-Qada. The Prophet ﷺ left Makkah according to the treaty conditions.
The marriage was completed outside Makkah in the area of Sarif, a place that remained connected to Maymunah’s رضي الله عنها life until her final return to Allah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 4258; Ibn Hisham; Ibn Sa'd; Seerah reportsA family connected to early Islam
Maymunah’s رضي الله عنها family ties connected many important believers. Her sister Umm al-Fadl رضي الله عنها was among the early Muslim women and was married to al-Abbas رضي الله عنه. Her nephew Abdullah ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما became one of the greatest scholars of tafsir and hadith.
Maymunah رضي الله عنها was therefore not isolated from knowledge and service. She was part of a family environment that carried Islam, narrated hadith, and supported the Prophet ﷺ.
This connection matters because many narrations from Maymunah رضي الله عنها also come through Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما and others close to her household.
Sahih al-Bukhari; Sahih Muslim; Ibn Sa'd; Ibn Hajar; biographical worksHer worship and hadith narration
Maymunah رضي الله عنها narrated hadith from the Prophet ﷺ. Her reports include important details of ghusl, purification, prayer, household life, and the Prophet’s ﷺ Sunnah at home.
Among her well-known narrations is the report describing how the Prophet ﷺ performed ghusl. This became part of the fiqh of purification for the Ummah.
Like other Mothers of the Believers, she preserved private Sunnah that people outside the household could not observe directly. Her narrations are therefore a trust and a gift to the Ummah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 249; Sahih Muslim 317; Sahih al-Bukhari 266; hadith collectionsDua for purity
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ
Meaning: “Indeed, Allah loves those who constantly repent and loves those who purify themselves.”
Qur'an 2:222Ghusl of the Prophet ﷺ
Maymunah رضي الله عنها narrated the method of the Prophet’s ﷺ ghusl. These reports are found in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim and are used by scholars in chapters of purification.
This shows that her knowledge was practical and legally important. Muslims still learn purification through narrations she preserved.
Sahih al-Bukhari 249; Sahih Muslim 317The Prophet’s ﷺ prayer in her house
Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما stayed overnight at Maymunah’s رضي الله عنها house and narrated the Prophet’s ﷺ night prayer. This is one of the famous reports about qiyam al-layl.
Her home therefore became a place where details of worship were witnessed and transmitted to the Ummah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 117; Sahih Muslim 763Her kindness and freeing a slave woman
Maymunah رضي الله عنها once freed a slave woman. When she mentioned it to the Prophet ﷺ, he told her that if she had given her to her maternal uncles, it would have brought greater reward. The report teaches both the virtue of freeing and the importance of strengthening family ties through beneficial giving.
This hadith should not be read as criticism of her sincerity. It is Prophetic teaching about choosing the most beneficial form of charity when multiple good options exist.
It also reflects her generous nature and willingness to do righteous deeds.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2592; Sahih Muslim 999Her care for kinship
Maymunah رضي الله عنها is connected in reports to strong family ties. The Prophet ﷺ praised people and families who maintained kinship, and Maymunah’s family itself was a web of important relationships in early Islam.
Her life reminds readers that Islam does not make worship only a private matter. Family care, generosity, and maintaining ties are also part of obedience to Allah.
Her story is especially helpful for teaching that a woman’s home and family network can become a place of knowledge, narration, and reward.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2592; Sahih Muslim 999; biographical reportsAfter the Prophet ﷺ returned to Allah
Maymunah رضي الله عنها lived for many years after the Prophet ﷺ returned to Allah. She continued to be honoured as one of the Mothers of the Believers and as a narrator of hadith.
Reports commonly mention that she returned to Allah in 51 AH, though some reports mention 61 AH. The well-known report says that she asked to be taken to the place where her marriage to the Prophet ﷺ had been completed, near Sarif, and she returned to Allah there.
She was buried at Sarif, near Makkah, in the place connected to her marriage. This gives her life a beautiful circle: the place of her Prophetic marriage became the place of her final rest.
Ibn Sa'd; Ibn Hajar; Ibn Abd al-Barr; adh-Dhahabi; reports differ on exact yearDua for good in both worlds
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
Meaning: “Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.”
Qur'an 2:201Reports that need careful wording
Some details in Maymunah’s رضي الله عنها life require careful wording: her earlier marriages, the exact sequence of reports, whether the Prophet ﷺ married her while in ihram or not, and the exact year she returned to Allah.
The strongest teaching points are clear: she was the last woman the Prophet ﷺ married, she came from a noble family connected to righteous women and scholars, and she preserved important Sunnah for the Ummah.
A careful page should not turn scholarly differences into confusion. It should show the reader that Islamic scholarship preserves reports honestly, weighs them carefully, and respects the Mothers of the Believers.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1837; Sahih Muslim 1410; Sahih Muslim 1411; Ibn Sa'd; Ibn Hajar; fiqh discussionsSimple timeline
Dates are approximate where reports vary.
Noble family background
Maymunah رضي الله عنها was born into Banu Hilal, in a family connected to several honoured women in Islam.
Earlier marriage and widowhood
Biographical reports mention earlier marriage and that she was a widow before marrying the Prophet ﷺ.
Umrat al-Qada
The Prophet ﷺ and the Muslims performed the compensated Umrah after Hudaybiyyah.
Marriage to the Prophet ﷺ
The Prophet ﷺ married Maymunah رضي الله عنها, and she became the last woman he married.
Narrating the Sunnah
She preserved important reports about purification, prayer, household life, and worship.
Returned to Allah
Reports differ on the exact year. She returned to Allah near Sarif and was buried there.
What her story teaches
Maymunah رضي الله عنها teaches that family ties, worship, and knowledge can come together in one life. Her marriage strengthened bonds between noble Muslim families, and her narrations preserved practical Sunnah for later generations.
She teaches that widows are honoured in Islam and that a woman’s earlier life does not reduce her dignity. Allah raised her to become a Mother of the Believers.
Her story also teaches that sacred knowledge may be preserved through quiet household moments: ghusl, prayer, kinship, charity, and daily obedience.
References used
- Qur'an 33:6: the wives of the Prophet ﷺ are Mothers of the Believers.
- Qur'an 4:1: mindfulness of Allah and family ties.
- Qur'an 2:222: Allah loves those who purify themselves.
- Qur'an 2:201: dua for good in this world and the Hereafter.
- Sahih Muslim 2142: reports about changing the name Barrah.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 4258 and Sahih Muslim 1410: reports connected to the marriage of Maymunah رضي الله عنها.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1837, Sahih Muslim 1410, and Sahih Muslim 1411: reports and discussion about ihram and the marriage.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 249, Sahih Muslim 317, and Sahih al-Bukhari 266: Maymunah’s رضي الله عنها narrations about ghusl and purification.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 117 and Sahih Muslim 763: Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما observing the Prophet’s ﷺ night prayer in her house.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 2592 and Sahih Muslim 999: her freeing a slave woman and the lesson about family ties.
- Ibn Hisham, Ibn Sa'd, Ibn Hajar, Ibn Abd al-Barr, adh-Dhahabi: family background, earlier marriage reports, marriage chronology, final years, and burial at Sarif.