Muhammad

Zainab bint Abi Salama, may Allah be pleased with her, was a stepdaughter of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ through his marriage to Umm Salama bint Abi Umayya. Her father was Abu Salama ibn Abd al-Asad, a companion who died from wounds sustained at the Battle of Uhud. After her father's death, the Prophet ﷺ married her mother Umm Salama, and Zainab was raised in the Prophet's household as one of the closest people to him. This proximity gave her direct access to his teachings and the daily practices of his wives. She was a Tabi'iyyah by technical classification but had personal experience of the Prophet's household and narrated hadiths from both the Prophet ﷺ and from her mother Umm Salama. Her narrations cover women's religious practice, household conduct, mourning, and the Prophet's daily habits. She was also a teacher to the next generation of scholars. Her narrations are regarded as highly authentic given her intimate knowledge of the prophetic household, and they appear in Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and other major collections. She was among the most knowledgeable women of the Tabi'in generation on matters pertaining to the Prophet's family.