Safiyya

Safiyya bint Huyayy was of Jewish origin, a descendant of the Prophet Aaron (Harun). Taken captive after the Battle of Khaybar, she embraced Islam and married the Prophet ﷺ, becoming a Mother of the Believers.

Safiyya was the daughter of a Jewish chief of Khaybar and descended, according to the sources, from the lineage of the Prophet Aaron. After the Battle of Khaybar, she was taken captive. The Prophet ﷺ offered her a choice: remain in her religion and be freed, or embrace Islam and become his wife. She chose Islam.

She sometimes suffered from remarks about her origins. Tradition reports that the Prophet ﷺ taught her to respond with pride: 'My father is Aaron, my uncle is Moses, and my husband is Muhammad ﷺ' — reminding her of the nobility of her prophetic lineage.

On the number of wives: contrary to a common misconception, Islam does not permit an unlimited number of wives. For believers, the Quran sets a maximum of four, subject to the condition of equal treatment, and recommends taking only one if there is fear of injustice (Surah an-Nisa, 4:3). The Prophet ﷺ held a special status (Surah al-Ahzab, 33:50); God then forbade him from marrying additional women (33:52), thus fixing the number of his wives.

Safiyya teaches that Islam erases hierarchies of birth and origin. Welcomed as a Mother of the Believers despite her different background, she embodies the faith's openness to all, and the dignity restored to one who was disparaged.