Zaynab bint Muhammad

Zaynab, eldest of the Prophet's daughters and the first of them to marry; she was born before the mission by a span said to be ten years ¹. Her cousin Abu al-As ibn al-Rabi' married her — his mother Hala bint Khuwaylid ¹.

Ibn Sa'd relates with a sound chain from al-Sha'bi that Zaynab emigrated with her father while her husband refused to become Muslim, and the Prophet did not part them ¹.

Al-Waqidi relates from A'isha that Abu al-As witnessed Badr with the polytheists and was taken captive; his brother Amr came for his ransom, and Zaynab sent with him a necklace that Khadija had given her when she entered on Abu al-As. When the Prophet saw it he knew it, softened, remembered Khadija, spoke to the people, and they released him and returned the necklace — taking from him a pledge to let her go free ¹. Al-Waqidi says: "this is the firmest version with us" ¹.

Ibn Ishaq transmits from Yazid ibn Ruman that the Prophet prayed the morning prayer and Zaynab called out: "I have given protection to Abu al-As ibn al-Rabi'". After turning away, the Prophet said: "did you hear what I heard?" — then said he had known nothing until he heard it, and "the lowliest Muslim's protection binds the Muslims" ¹.

In al-Waqidi's account, Abu al-As went out in a Quraysh caravan; the Prophet sent Zayd ibn Haritha in a hundred seventy riders, they met the caravan at al-Is in Jumada al-Ula of year 6 AH and captured men including Abu al-As. He entered on Zaynab and she gave him protection. Then he delivered the trusts to their owners in Mecca and returned, became Muslim in al-Muharram of year 7 AH, and the Prophet restored Zaynab to him by the first marriage ¹.

• Whether al-Qasim was born before or after Zaynab — it is disputed ¹.
• Al-Sha'bi's account of her protecting him and his Islam: Ibn Hajar gives it in Abu al-As's entry, ruling its chain to al-Sha'bi sound but the account mursal and anomalous — it is contradicted by what is firmer in Ibn Ishaq's maghazi ².

Ibn Hajar mentions from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Hazm that Zaynab died at the start of year 8 AH ¹. Muslim narrates from Umm Atiyya that when Zaynab died the Prophet said: "wash her an odd number of times, three or five" ¹. She bore Abu al-As Ali — who died near puberty in the Prophet's lifetime — and Umama, who lived until Ali married her after Fatima ¹.