“O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women: if you are mindful, then do not be overly effeminate in speech or those with sickness in their hearts may be tempted, but speak in a moderate tone.” (Qur’an 33:32)
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In Islam, the preference of the Mothers of the Believers over all other women of this Ummah is by the text of the Qur’an.
So, they are not like any of the other women.
“And whoever of you devoutly obeys Allah and His Messenger and does good, We will grant her double the reward, and We have prepared for her an honourable provision.” (Qur’an 33:31)
Thus, their reward is doubled, and this is a distinction that Allah has made only for the Prophets and the Mothers of the Believers.
Narrated `Abdullah:
I visited Allah’s Messenger (saw) while he was suffering from a high fever. I said, “O Allah’s Messenger (saw)! You have a high fever.” He said, “Yes, I have as much fever as two men of you.” I said, “Is it because you will have a double reward?” He said, “Yes, it is so. No Muslim is afflicted with any harm, even if it were the prick of a thorn, but that Allah expiates his sins because of that, as a tree sheds its leaves.”
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:5648
In Islamic theology, the doubling of reward (mudā‘afah) for trials and obedience is typically a characteristic reserved for prophets and those with the highest stations, further solidifying their unique status
“It is not lawful for you to marry more women after this, nor can you replace any of your present wives with another, even if her beauty may attract you—except those whom your right hand posses. And Allah is ever Watchful over all things.” (Qur’an 33:52)
It is not lawful for the Messenger of Allah (saw) to exchange them, because they are virtuous and Allah-fearing.
“O Prophet! Ask your wives, daughters, and believing women to draw their cloaks over their bodies. In this way it is more likely that they will be recognized and not be harassed. And Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Qur’an 33:59)
Allah has given precedence to the wives of the Messenger of Allah (saw) over his daughters in the mention, because they are superior.
“And it is not right for you to annoy the Messenger of Allah, nor ever marry his wives after him. This would certainly be a major offence in the sight of Allah.” (Qur’an 33:53)
The understanding of this is obvious. Do not marry the wives of the Blessed Prophet (saw) after his death. Allah (swt) considers an offence.
However, there was no problem for any of his daughters to be married multiple times.
Ruqayyah (ra) married Utbah ibn Abu Lahab (divorced), then married Uthman Ibn Affan.
Umm Kulthum (ra) married Utaybah ibn Abu Lahab (divorced), then married Uthman Ibn Affan after Ruqayyah’s death.
Zaynab (ra) the favourite daughter of the Prophet (saw) married Abu al-As ibn al-Rabi, then later married Abdullah ibn Jahsh.
Fatima (ra) married only Ali ibn Abi Talib.
And the Qur’an is full of praise for the Mothers of the Believers, and there is not even a single verse that praises the daughters of the Messenger of Allah in terms of their being daughters.
Although you will find praise of the daughters in the hadith literature. Even then the hadith literature is coloured by the hatred that the Umayyads, Abbasids and pro Alids had for each other.
So, for example, when Urwah ibn al-Zubayr narrated that Zaynab bint Muhammed (ra) was mentioned by the Blessed Prophet (saw) to be the best of his daughters, he (Zubayr) was accosted by Zayn al-Abidin who approached Urwah ibn Al-Zubayr in a very hostile manner demanding why he would put anyone anywhere near the rank of Fatima (ra).
A kind of terrorism and suppression by the Abbasids and the Alids towards anyone who would put someone else other then Fatima and Ali first. Here we narrate to you how Ali ibn al-Husayn went after Urwah ibn al-Zubayr (ra) like a raving madman.
Ahmad Abu Bakr ibn Muhammed ibn Hamdan al-Sayrafi in Marw told me, Abu Ismail Muhammed ibn Ismail told us, Saeed ibn Abi Maryam told us, Yahya ibn Ayyub informed us, Ibn al-Had told me, Amr ibn Abdullah ibn Urwah ibn al-Zubayr told me, on the authority of Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, on the authority of Aisha, the wife of the Prophet, (saw) When the Messenger of Allah, (saw), arrived in Medina, his daughter Zaynab left Mecca with Kinanah—or the son of Kinanah—and they went after her. Habbar ibn al-Aswad caught up with her and kept stabbing her camel with his spear until it felled her, and she miscarried and bled. The Banu Hashim and the Banu Umayyah then quarreled over her. She said… The Banu Umayya said: We are more entitled to her, and she was married to their cousin Abu al-As, and she was with Hind bint Utbah ibn Rabi’ah, and Hind used to say to her: This is because of your father. So the Messenger of Allah, (saw), said to Zayd ibn Harithah: “Won’t you go and bring me Zaynab?” He said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. He said: “Then take my ring.” So he gave it to him. Then Zayd set off and made his camel kneel. He kept being polite until he met a shepherd and said: Whose sheep do you tend? He said: For Abu al-Aas. He said: And whose sheep are these? He said: To Zainab bint Muhammed, so he walked with him for a while, then he said to him: Would you like me to give you something to give to her, and not mention it to anyone? He said: Yes, so he gave him the ring, so the shepherd went and brought his sheep in, and gave them the ring, and they recognized it, so she said: Who gave you this? He said: A man, she said: Where did you leave it? He said: In such and such a place. He said: So she remained silent until night came, then she went out to him. When she came to him, he said to her: Ride in front of me on his camel. She said: No, but you ride in front of me. So he rode and she rode behind him until she came. The Messenger of Allah, (saw), used to say: “She is the best of my daughters, and she was afflicted because of me.” This reached Ali ibn al-Husayn, so he went to Urwah and said: What is this hadith that I heard you narrate in which you diminish Fatimah’s right? He said, “By Allah, I would not wish to possess everything between the East and the West if it meant depriving Fatima of a right that belongs to her. And after that, you have the right to never speak of it again.” Urwah said, “This was before the revelation of the verse: {Call them by their fathers’ names; that is more just in the sight of God} [Al-Ahzab: 5]. This is an authentic hadith according to the criteria of the two Sheikhs (Al-Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not include it in their collections.”
Source: (https://al-hadees.com/mustadrak/2812 Mustadrak Al Hakim 2812)
There is a fascinating article by Professor Deborah G Tor: “The Parting of Ways between ʿAlid Shiʿism and Abbasid Shiʿism: An Analysis of the Missives between the Caliph al-Manṣūr and Muḥammed al-Nafs al-Zakiyya.” That gives some background in regard to the landscape.
Wouldn’t be suprised to see Professor Deborah G Tor on podcast in the future. You’re welcome.
However, we have digressed.
The Mothers of the Believers hold a textual precedence over all other women of the Ummah—including the Prophet’s own daughters in terms of legislated distinction—is consistent with the principles of usul al-fiqh (legal theory) and the explicit wording of Surah Al-Ahzab. Their status is derived from a direct divine address that establishes a unique category, whereas the virtue of other women (including the daughters) is derived from specific narrations regarding personal piety rather than a categorical divine address.
May Allah Guide the Ummah.
May Allah Forgive the Ummah.
Prima Quran 