Sajah, the female false prophet

Sajah bint al-Harith was a prophetess-claimant who arose during the Riddah period following the death of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. She was from the Banu Taghlib tribe, which was predominantly Christian, and had grown up in the Jazira region. She gathered followers and marched toward Madinah. When she learned that Abu Bakr was preparing formidable forces against her, she changed course. She then allied herself with Musaylima al-Kadhdhab of Yamama, and the two false prophets married — reportedly Musaylima paid her 'mahr' by exempting the dawn and night prayers from her followers' obligations, an incident that became a source of dark humor in early Islamic literature. After Musaylima was killed at the Battle of Yamama in 12 AH, Sajah and her movement collapsed. She eventually genuinely embraced Islam and settled in Basra, where she lived a quiet life. She reportedly died in 56 AH during the caliphate of Muawiyah. Her story is unique in that she began as a false prophetess and ended as a sincere Muslim.