Introduction

Muhammad Ali Qutb was an Egyptian Islamic writer who produced a substantial body of work in Arabic on biographical and ethical subjects drawn from early Islamic history. Women Around the Messenger belongs to a tradition of Islamic biographical literature focused on the female figures most closely connected to the Prophet Muḥammad, a genre that gained particular momentum in the latter half of the twentieth century as Muslim scholars sought to present the contributions of women in early Islam to both Muslim and non-Muslim audiences. Qutb's approach draws on classical Arabic sources, including the major seerah works, the canonical ḥadīth collections, and the biographical dictionaries of the Companions, presenting his material in a narrative style accessible to a wide readership. The English translation of this work made its content available to the substantial global audience of English-speaking Muslims.

The women treated in this volume include the Mothers of the Believers, the wives of the Prophet Muḥammad, each of whom occupied a unique place in the life of the Muslim community and contributed to the transmission of Islamic knowledge. Khadījah bint Khuwaylid, whose support was indispensable during the years of revelation in Makkah, and ʿĀʾishah bint Abī Bakr, whose mastery of ḥadīth and fiqh earned her recognition as one of the foremost scholars of the first generation, are given extended treatment. The work also covers Fāṭimah al-Zahrāʾ, the daughter of the Prophet and mother of al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn, as well as other female Companions who played roles in battle, in social care, in the transmission of revelation, and in the daily life of the early Muslim community in Madīnah.

The significance of a work such as this lies in its retrieval of figures who, despite their importance in classical Islamic sources, have often been unknown to readers whose access to Islamic history comes through contemporary rather than traditional channels. Qutb situates each biography within the context of the seerah, allowing the reader to understand how these women interacted with the events of the prophetic mission at Makkah and Madīnah. The work reflects the perspective of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah, affirming the high station of the Companions, the special honor due to the Mothers of the Believers, and the love that Muslims bear for the family of the Prophet, without lapsing into doctrinal excesses in any direction.

Readers engaging with this book should approach it as a work of narrative biography rather than critical historiography. Like much of the literature in this genre, it prioritizes accessibility and spiritual benefit over the technical apparatus of isnād analysis and source criticism. Those wishing to verify individual narrations or pursue any biography in greater depth should consult the primary classical sources, particularly Ibn Saʿd's al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā, which contains dedicated sections on the women of the Companions, and the relevant entries in al-Dhahabī's Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ. Women Around the Messenger serves as a valuable introductory survey, one that affirms the central place of women in the founding of the Muslim community and the preservation of the prophetic legacy.