ʿĀʾishah said:

When Khadījah passed away, Khawlah bint Ḥakīm came and said, “O Messenger of Allah, will you not marry?”

He asked, “And whom [do you have in mind]?”

She replied, “If you wish a virgin, and if you wish a previously married woman.”

He said, “Who is the virgin, and who is the previously married woman?”

She answered, “The virgin is the daughter of the person dearest to you—ʿĀʾishah; and the previously married woman is Sawdah bint Zamʿah, who has believed in you and followed you.”

He said, “Mention them to me,” and she related the rest of the report in a manner similar to what has already been cited.

This indicates that his marriage contract with ʿĀʾishah preceded his marriage to Sawdah bint Zamʿah, although he consummated his marriage with Sawdah in Mecca, whereas his consummation with ʿĀʾishah was delayed until Madinah in the second year, as noted earlier and as will be mentioned below.

Imām Aḥmad (1) related: Aswad narrated to us; Shurayk from Hishām, from his father, from ʿĀʾishah, who said: “When Sawdah grew old, she gave her day to me, so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to allocate to me her day along with the days of his other wives.” She added, “She was the first woman he married after me.”

Imām Aḥmad (2) also related: Abū al-Naḍr narrated to us; ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd narrated to us; Shahr told me; ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās told me that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ proposed to a woman of his clan named Sawdah. She was raising children; she had five—or six—children from a husband who had died.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “What is preventing you from marrying me?”

She replied, “By Allah, O Prophet of Allah, nothing keeps me from you—indeed you are the most beloved of people to me—but I honor you too much for these children to be placed at your head morning and evening.”

He asked, “Is there anything besides that that keeps you from me?”

She said, “By Allah, no.”

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “May Allah have mercy on you. The best women ever to ride camels are the righteous women of Quraysh: the most affectionate toward their children when they are young and the most protective of their husbands’ property.”

I say: Her husband before the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was al-Sakrān ibn ʿAmr, the brother of Suhayl ibn ʿAmr. He was among those who embraced Islam and migrated to Abyssinia, as mentioned earlier, then returned to Mecca and died there before the Hijrah—may Allah have mercy on him.

All these chains of narration show that the marriage contract with ʿĀʾishah preceded the contract with Sawdah. This is the view of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAqīl, and it is also narrated by Yūnus from al-Zuhrī. Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, however, preferred the opinion that the contract with Sawdah came before that of ʿĀʾishah, and he attributes this view to Qatādah and Abū ʿUbayd.

He said: It was likewise narrated by ʿUqayl from al-Zuhrī.

Section

We have already mentioned the death of Abū Ṭālib, the uncle of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and that he had been his supporter, standing at his side and defending him with everything within his power—his very self, his wealth, his words, and his deeds. When he died, the foolish among Quraysh dared to assail the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and harmed him