The Prophet's Marriages

For those who really want to know,

Muhammad ﷺ (before becoming a prophet) was a young handsome man of 25 years when he first married. Whom? A twice widowed lady (Khadijah ؓ ) who was 15 years older and already had kids from her previous marriages. This marriage lasted 25 years (till her death). The Prophet was now 50 years old, and despite the polygamous tradition of Arabs, had not married any other lady all those years. He had 6 kids from her.

All the other women the Prophet then married were also either widows or divorcees, with the sole exception of Lady Aishahؓ . Aishah married the Prophet after she entered puberty, and this marriage lasted 9 years (till his death).

Each of the marriages with the other wives had their own social context and background. For instance, the Prophet married Lady Zainab ؓ  to demonstrate in clear terms that one's adopted son is not his real son, and his wife is not his daughter in-law. Some ladies were prisoners of war (Juwairiyah ؓ ), some others well past the age of having any sexual desire (Saudah ؓ ). Some were from the People of the Book and some other marriges were solemnised for diplomatic reasons. There was always a rationale for each marriage. He never had kids from any of these wives. The only kid he had in his later years was from a Coptic slave woman who was given to him by the Christian governor of Alexandria.

Had the Prophet been overtly interested in fulfilling his carnal desires (nauzubillah min zalik), he would have married multiple women when he was quite young, and no one would have raised an eyebrow. But he was a man of purity of thought and practice. He remained absolutely dedicated to Lady Khadijah till her last breath and fondly remembered her till his own.

People who try to judge Prophet Muhammad ﷺ using their own filthy standards can never look high enough to gauge his stature. We pity them. Their unfounded hatred for the Prophet is keeping them away from his benevolent teachings. Alas!