Zaynab bint Khuzaymah

Zaynab bint Khuzaymah (c. 595-625 CE) was one of the Mothers of the Believers (Ummahat al-Muminin) and one of only two of the Prophet's wives who died during his lifetime (the other being Khadijah). She earned the title Umm al-Masakin (Mother of the Poor) even before Islam for her renowned generosity and care for the needy — a title that Islam reaffirmed and the Prophet ﷺ used for her. She was from the Banu Hilal tribe and had been previously married twice before her marriage to the Prophet ﷺ. Her second husband, Abd Allah ibn Jahsh, was killed at the Battle of Uhud in 3 AH / 625 CE, leaving her a widow. The Prophet ﷺ married her in 3 AH / 625 CE, approximately two to three months after Uhud, honoring her widowhood and recognizing her piety and generosity. She was approximately thirty years old at the time of marriage. Tragically, she died only eight months after their marriage, in late 3 AH or early 4 AH / 625-626 CE — making her the first of the Prophet's wives after Khadijah to die. The Prophet ﷺ performed her funeral prayer and she was buried in al-Baqi. Despite her brief time in the Prophet's household, she is revered as a Mother of the Believers and her title Umm al-Masakin remains one of the most honored epitaphs in Islamic tradition — a woman who gave to the poor so freely that it defined her identity before and after Islam.