The Prophet's Relationships and His Household

Al-Qastallani's treatment of the Prophet's household follows careful Sunni theological principles, honoring all of the Prophet's wives and family members while maintaining the distinctions that scholarship has established. The wives of the Prophet are the Mothers of the Believers (Ummahat al-Mu'minin), a title conferred by the Quran itself (33:6), and their honor is part of the honor owed to the Prophet. Al-Qastallani records the names and principal characteristics of each wife: Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, the first wife and first believer; Sawda bint Zam'a; Aisha bint Abi Bakr, described by the Prophet as the most beloved to him after Khadijah; Hafsa bint Umar; Zaynab bint Khuzayma; Umm Salama; Zaynab bint Jahsh; Juwayriya bint al-Harith; Safiyya bint Huyayy; Umm Habiba Ramla bint Abi Sufyan; and Maymuna bint al-Harith.

The wisdom behind the Prophet's multiple marriages is addressed directly by al-Qastallani, responding to questions that had been raised both within the Muslim community and by non-Muslims. He notes that most of the marriages were to widows or divorcees, not to young unmarried women, which distinguishes them from the practices of men who marry for physical attraction alone. Each marriage served a social or political purpose: strengthening alliances, honoring families that had sacrificed for Islam, providing for women who had lost their husbands in battle, or demonstrating the validity of a specific marriage under circumstances that might have given rise to social censure without the prophetic example. Al-Qastallani also observes that the Prophet's conduct toward his wives was documented by those wives themselves as consistently kind and equitable.

The Prophet's children are mentioned with the care they deserve. He had six children with Khadijah: Qasim, Abdullah, Zaynab, Ruqayya, Umm Kulthum, and Fatima. Ibrahim was born to Mariya al-Qibtiyya and died in infancy, causing the Prophet great grief. All of the Prophet's sons died young, a fact that his enemies used to taunt him, prompting the revelation of Surah al-Kawthar. His daughters survived him, though all died within a short time of his passing except Fatima, who outlived him by approximately six months. Al-Qastallani records the virtues of Fatima al-Zahra in particular, noting the authenticated narrations attesting to her status: 'Fatima is a part of me; whoever angers her angers me.'

The Prophet's relationships with his Companions form a distinct dimension of al-Qastallani's account. The four rightly-guided Caliphs, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, are honored according to the Sunni principle of ranking that corresponds to the order of their caliphates, while the broader company of Companions is honored collectively as the generation that carried the prophetic message to the world. Al-Qastallani follows the principle that the Companions are to be spoken of with respect, that disputes among them are to be understood charitably in light of their ijtihad in difficult circumstances, and that any partisan alignment in modern times with one group of Companions against another violates the Sunni consensus position. The Prophet's household and his Companions are united in deserving the believer's love and respect.