The Women Around the Prophet: Twelve Lives
النساء حول النبي: اثنتا عشرة سيرة
A trail through the lives of twelve women from the Prophet's circle — from the steadfast in Mecca to the emigrants, the fighters and the Mothers of the Believers — known by what has been transmitted of them.
At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
The aim of this trail
To become acquainted with the roles of women in the first generation as they have reached us from the sources, and to place each one where she belongs in the story.
What you will know at the end
- Recall what each of them is known for.
- Connect each woman to an event or a stage of the story.
- See how differences between traditions are presented in some of their biographies.
How to read this trail
Each step is one woman and one documented page. Judgements and accounts are attributed to those who voiced them on every page, and where the traditions differ the Sunni view is presented first, then the others named by name. Approximate duration: 40 minutes; 12 steps. This is an experimental trail within "Tour and Learn".
Before you begin
It is best to start with The Meccan Period: From the Cave to the Hijra.
The steps
1. Khadija
Khadija bint Khuwaylid: the beginning — the first to believe, in the account.
2. Umm Ayman
Umm Ayman Baraka bint Tha'laba: she who cared for the Prophet as a child.
3. Sumayya bint Khayyat
Sumayya bint Khayyat: she who held firm under torture in Mecca.
4. Asma bint Umays
Asma bint Umays: she emigrated to Abyssinia.
5. Umm Habiba
Umm Habiba Ramla bint Abi Sufyan: she emigrated and returned after years.
6. Nusayba bint Ka'b
Nusayba bint Ka'b: she who pledged at al-Aqaba and defended on the day of Uhud.
7. Asma bint Abi Bakr
Asma bint Abi Bakr: the one of the two waist-belts on the Hijra journey.
8. Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib
Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib: the Prophet's aunt, and what is told of her on the day of the Trench.
9. Fatima
Fatima bint Muhammad: the Prophet's daughter; note how she is remembered among Sunnis and Shi'a.
10. A'isha
A'isha bint Abi Bakr: among the most prolific narrators of hadith; read the perspectives section on the page, the Sunni view first.
11. Hafsa
Hafsa bint Umar: and what is related of her in the preservation of the mushaf.
12. Umm Salama
Umm Salama Hind bint Abi Umayya: and her counsel on the day of al-Hudaybiyya.
When you finish
Sources
- al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-sahaba — Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The Women Around the Prophet: Twelve Lives”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/exhibits/path-women-around-the-prophet/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.