Daughters of the Prophet ﷺ

Besides Fatima, the Prophet ﷺ had three daughters by Khadija: Zaynab, the eldest; Ruqayya and Umm Kulthum, who successively married Uthman ibn Affan (the future third caliph). All lived through the trials of early Islam — persecution, boycott, exile — and all died during their father's lifetime.

Zaynab, the eldest, married her cousin Abu al-As ibn ar-Rabi'. Remaining in Mecca after the Hijra while her husband had not yet become Muslim, her story is marked by patience and faithfulness. She eventually joined Medina and died shortly after the Battle of Badr.

Ruqayya married Uthman ibn Affan. The couple emigrated first to Abyssinia to flee persecution, then to Medina. Ruqayya died in Medina at the very moment of the Battle of Badr, while Uthman, at her request, remained at her bedside.

Umm Kulthum, after the death of her sister Ruqayya, in turn married Uthman — which earned him the nickname Dhu an-Nurayn, 'the man of the two lights,' for having married two daughters of the Prophet ﷺ in succession.

Before Islam, Ruqayya and Umm Kulthum had been betrothed to the two sons of Abu Lahab; these betrothals were broken by Abu Lahab's sons after the revelation, out of hostility to the Prophet ﷺ.

None of the Prophet's ﷺ daughters is named in the Quran. Their story comes from the Sira and historical accounts, some details of which vary by source (dates of birth and death in particular). Note: the question of the exact status of Ruqayya and Umm Kulthum (biological daughters or stepdaughters) has been the subject of marginal historical discussion, but the overwhelming majority position, both Sunni and general, is that they were indeed daughters of the Prophet ﷺ and Khadija.

The daughters of the Prophet ﷺ teach patience in hardship and faithfulness: they lived through persecution, exile, and boycott alongside their father without renouncing their faith. Their path also recalls the price paid by the first generation of Muslims, and the dignity of women in this founding history.