Maymunah bint al-Harith

Maymunah bint al-Harith (c. 594-674 CE) was the last wife whom the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ married during his lifetime, and she is honored as one of the Mothers of the Believers (Ummahat al-Muminin). She was from the tribe of Banu Hilal and had been married twice before her union with the Prophet ﷺ. The marriage took place in 7 AH / 629 CE during the Umrat al-Qada — the compensatory Umrah that the Muslims performed under the terms of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, when the Prophet was permitted to enter Mecca for three days. It is reported that Maymunah offered herself to the Prophet and that the Prophet's uncle Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, who was also her brother-in-law, facilitated the marriage. She was approximately 36 years old at the time of the marriage, and the Prophet ﷺ was 60. The Prophet ﷺ and the Muslim community regarded her with great esteem. She was a sister of Umm al-Fadl (wife of Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib) and a maternal aunt of Khalid ibn al-Walid and Ibn Abbas (Abdullah ibn Abbas, the great Quranic scholar). Through these family connections, her marriage strengthened important alliances. Maymunah was known for her generosity, deep piety, and her role as a transmitter of hadith. She narrated approximately 76 hadiths from the Prophet ﷺ, covering topics of worship, purification, and the Prophet's personal conduct and manners. She was the last of the Mothers of the Believers to die, passing away in 51 AH / 674 CE at Sarif, the same location near Mecca where her marriage to the Prophet had been consummated. She requested to be buried there, and her wish was honored.