Al-Wāqidī (1) said: ʿĀṣim ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Ḥakam narrated to us, from ʿUmar ibn al-Ḥakam, who said:

“The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, emancipated Rayḥānah bint Zayd ibn ʿAmr ibn Khunāfah. She had been married to a man who loved and honored her, and she used to say, ‘After him I shall never take another.’ She was exceedingly beautiful.

“When Banū Qurayẓah were taken captive, the prisoners were presented before the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. I,” she said, “was among those shown to him, and he ordered that I be set apart. From every booty he would take a special captive (ṣafiyy) for himself. Once I had been separated, Allah decreed the best for me. He sent me to the house of Umm al-Munḏir bint Qays for a few days, until he had executed the prisoners and distributed the captives.

“Later the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, came in to me, and modesty overcame me (2). He called me, seated me before him, and said: ‘If you choose Allah and His Messenger, the Messenger of Allah will choose you for himself.’ I replied, ‘I choose Allah and His Messenger.’

“When I accepted Islam, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, set me free—and he married me, granting me a dower of twelve uqiyyahs and a nash, just as he customarily gave his wives. He consummated the marriage with me in the house of Umm al-Munḏir, allotted me my regular turn as he did with his wives, and placed the veil over me. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him (3), was deeply taken with her; she never asked him for anything without his granting it. People said to her, ‘Had you asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, to free the Banū Qurayẓah, he would have done so.’ She would reply, ‘He did not enjoy seclusion with me until after he had dispersed the captives.’

“Even so, he would often spend time alone with her in abundant measure. She remained with him until she died on his return from the Farewell Pilgrimage, and he buried her in al-Baqīʿ. He had married her in Muḥarram of the sixth year after the Hijrah.”

Ibn Wahb (4) reported, on the authority of Yūnus ibn Yazīd, from al-Zuhrī, who said: “The Messenger of Allah kept Rayḥānah of the Banū Qurayẓah as a concubine, then emancipated her, whereupon she rejoined her family.”

Abū ʿUbaydah Maʿmar ibn al-Muthannā (5) said: “Rayḥānah bint Zayd ibn Shamʿūn was of the Banū al-Naḍīr—others say of Banū Qurayẓah. She used to stay in a date-grove belonging to the charitable endowment, and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would occasionally take his midday rest there. He captured her in Shawwāl of the fourth year.”

Abū Bakr ibn Abī Khaythamah (6) said: Aḥmad ibn al-Miqdām told us, Zuhayr narrated to us, from Saʿīd, from Qatādah, who said: “The Messenger of Allah had two bondwomen: Māriyah the Copt, and Rubayḥah (7)—or Rayḥānah—bint Shamʿūn ibn Zayd ibn Khunāfah of Banū ʿAmr ibn Qurayẓah. She had been married to her cousin, said to be ʿAbd al-Ḥakam, according to what has reached me, and she died before the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.”

Abū ʿUbaydah Maʿmar ibn al-Muthannā added: “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, had four bondwomen: Māriyah the Copt, and Rayḥānah…"