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Rayhana bint Zayd

ريحانة بنت زيد

Medina

A captive of Banu Qurayza or Banu al-Nadir; the reports differ on whether the Prophet freed and married her and put the veil on her or she remained in his possession; she died before the Prophet, or on his return from the Farewell Pilgrimage, and was buried at al-Baqi'.

Depth

At a glance

Roles
Companion
Counted among
Sunni
Era
The Prophetic Era · The Rashidun Caliphate
Region
Arabia
Review
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In space

Medina

Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph

Women

Place in the story

  • CompanionTradition

Sunni (transmitted)

Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.

Summary

Rayhana bint Sham'un ibn Zayd — or it is said Zayd ibn Amr ibn Khanafa — of Banu al-Nadir per Ibn Sa'd, of Banu Amr ibn Qurayza per Ibn Ishaq. She had been married to a man of Banu Qurayza called al-Hakam 1. It is also said her name was "Rabija" 2.

Her station: wife or concubine?

Her death

She died sixteen months before the Messenger of God's death — or it is said, when he returned from the Farewell Pilgrimage 1. In Ibn Sa'd's account from al-Waqidi she died on his return from the hajj and he buried her at al-Baqi' 2.

What is related of his praying in her house

Ibn Hajar cites Muhammad ibn al-Hasan in the reports of Medina: the Messenger of God prayed in a lodging in the house of Qays ibn Qahd which Rayhana al-Quraziyya, the Prophet's wife, dwelt in 2.

Did Ibn Manda give her her own entry?

Abu Musa said Ibn Manda mentioned her within Maria's entry without giving her one of her own; Ibn Hajar answers: "rather, he did give her one" 2.

Opinions on the question

The question: How is the story of Rayhana bint Zayd told, and what was her bond with the Prophet?

First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference

Basis: al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-sahaba — Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani

More opinions (2)

Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference

Basis: al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-sahaba — Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani

Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference

Basis: al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-sahaba — Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani

Connections

Lived in
Medina
Spouse of
Muhammadal-Hakam of Banu Qurayza

People and things also explored

The Incident of the Slander (Hadith al-Ifk)The marriage of Fatima and AliAisha bint Abi BakrFatima bint MuhammadHafsa bint UmarMaria al-QibtiyyaSafiyya bint HuyayyUmm Salama (Hind bint Abi Umayya)

Sources

  1. al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-sahaba — Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, p. 1877
  2. al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-sahaba — Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, p. 1878
  • al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri
  • Zad al-Ma'ad — Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya
  • Nisa' Hawl al-Rasul: Tarajim wa Qisas — al-Maktaba al-Asriyya
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Rayhana bint Zayd”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/rayhana-bint-zayd/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.

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Wing

People

Prophets, companions, scholars, rulers, scientists, poets, travelers: women and men who shaped the story. Related

The Incident of the Slander (Hadith al-Ifk)

On the return from the Expedition of al-Muraysi', Aisha was accidentally left behind when searching for a lost necklace and was escorted back to Medina by Safwan ibn al-Mu'attal; Abdullah ibn Ubayy orchestrated a malicious slander campaign that troubled the community for a month until verses of Surat al-Nur established her innocence.