Wives and children of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

Fifth wife: Zaynab bint Khuzayma al-Hilaliyah

There's very little information on Zaynab bint Khuzayma. She died during the Prophet's time in Madinah. After Khadijah, Zaynab became the only other wife to pass away in the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Sometime people confuse her with Prophet's other wife Zaynab bint Jahsh al-Asadiyyah, who was also the Prophet's cousin.

Zaynab bint Khuzayma was born into a noble family from the Banu Hilal tribe in Najd. Even before she became a Muslim she was known for her charity and love of the poor and orphans. She could not bear to see a person hungry or in dire need. These virtues earned her the title "Umm al-Masakin" ('Mother of the Destitute' or 'Mother of the Poor') - this too at a time of Jahiliya (Age of Ignorance).

Zaynab was among the early converts to Islam. Her generous quality became more pronounced after she converted to Islam, which has always strongly advocated giving in charity.

Zaynab's marriage to the Prophet (pbuh) lasted less than a year, some say 3, 5, or 8 months. So there's very little information on her, especially since she's not from Quraysh or have ancestors in Makkah.

There's conflicting report on her.

One report say Zaynab was married to Thufail ibn al-Harith ibn Abdul Muttalib, the Prophet's cousin. Thufail divorced her when they migrated to Madinah. Thufail's brother Ubaidah then married Zaynab out of respect. Sadly, Ubaidah was killed during the historic Battle of Badr and Zaynab became one of the numerous war widow. Zaynab had no family in Makkah or Madinah. She entrusted her plight entirely to Allah and devoted herself to prayer and meditation. So when she received a proposal from the Prophet (pbuh) she was overjoyed. They got married, possibly around 3 A.H., but the marriage only last few months before Zaynab passed away in Rabi' ul-Awwal 4 A.H.

Zaynab was the first of the wives to be buried at Baqi al-Garqad, Madinah and the only one to receive a funeral prayer led by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Visitors to the graveyard will find all nine graves of the Prophet's wives and Zaynab is the first.

Mother considered the most noble mother-in-law in history

It is said in some books of history that Zaynab's mother is the most noble mother-in-law in the history of mankind. She had 5 daughters, all of whom married people of importance. Two of them become Umm al-Momineen (Mother of the Believers) - Zaynab had a younger half-sister Maymuna bint al-Harith who married the Prophet (pbuh) later on. Maymuna and Zaynab had different fathers but same mother.

The third daughter was Umm al-Fadl bint al-Harith, Abbas's wife. Abbas was the Prophet's paternal uncle. Umm al-Fadl gave birth to Al-Fadl ibn Abbas and Abdullah ibn Abbas, two prominent Sahabis and cousins of the Prophet (pbuh). She had a younger sister called Lubabah as-Sughra who married Al Walid ibn al-Mughirah, the chieftain of Banu Makhzum of the Quraysh tribe, and his son is Khalid ibn al-Walid. Lubabah (bint al-Harith) was also a nickname of Umm al-Fadl so sometime people confuse the two sisters.

Her other daughter was Asma bin Umays who was married to Jafar ibn Abu Talib, the Prophet's cousin. She became a widow at the death of Jafar. The Prophet (pbuh) would visit her, console her, take care of her and look after Jafar's orphaned children. During the Khilafah of Abu Bakr, Abu Bakr married her few months before he passed away. Asma became pregnant when Abu Bakr died. She gave birth to his son Muhammad bin Abu Bakr.

After Abu Bakr's death, Asma married Ali ibn Abu Talib, Jafar's younger brother. She had sons with Ali also. Asma had a sister called Salma bin Umays who married to Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib. They had a daughter called Umara who was looked after by Jafar.