رُقَيَّةُ بِنْتُ مُحَمَّد
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا
Ruqayyah bint Muhammad ﷺ
Daughter of the Prophet ﷺ · Wife of Uthman · Emigrated to Abyssinia and Madinah
may Allah be pleased with her
Quraysh — Banu Hashim · Makkah, Abyssinia and Madinah, up to 2 AH
A daughter of the Prophet ﷺ and Khadijah, married to Uthman ibn Affan. She emigrated with him to Abyssinia and later to Madinah, and was gravely ill when the army marched for Badr — which is why Uthman was not there, and why she is remembered alongside that battle rather than in it.
Known for
Daughter of the Prophet ﷺ and Khadijah
A marriage was contracted for her before the prophetic mission with one of Abu Lahab's sons; he divorced her before it was consummated
She married Uthman ibn Affan
She and Uthman emigrated to Abyssinia, and later to Madinah
Her story in moments
Short episodes from her life, in order. Read one at a time.
Life & legacy
Before Uthman
Ruqayyah was a daughter of the Prophet ﷺ and Khadijah. Before the prophetic mission began, marriage contracts had been concluded for her and her sister Umm Kulthum with Abu Lahab's two sons. When Abu Lahab turned fiercely against the message, he had his sons divorce them before either marriage was consummated.
She then married Uthman ibn Affan, who had recently accepted Islam.
Abyssinia, Madinah, and Badr
Ruqayyah and Uthman were among those who left Makkah for Abyssinia during the years of persecution, and later migrated to Madinah with the rest of the community.
When the army set out for Badr, Ruqayyah was gravely ill. Uthman stayed behind in Madinah to nurse her rather than march, and the Prophet ﷺ assigned him a share of the reward as though he had been present. She died around the time of the battle. This is recorded consistently on Uthman's own record and is not narrated further here.
How the sources describe her
She grew up inside a household that Makkah's opposition targeted directly
She left Makkah for Abyssinia, and then left Abyssinia for Madinah, for the sake of the message
Connect
People around her
Family
- The Prophet Muhammad ﷺParent
Her father.
Her mother.
Her husband. He remained in Madinah to nurse her during her final illness rather than march to Badr.
Her sister, who married Uthman after Ruqayyah died.
Full timeline
- The early years of the prophetic mission
Her marriage to a son of Abu Lahab ends before consummation
- The Makkan years, before the Hijrah
Emigrates to Abyssinia with Uthman
- 2 AH
Gravely ill when the army marches for Badr; Uthman stays to care for her, and she dies around that time
Part of
Sources & review
In reviewBased on the listed sources. See something to correct? Tell us.
Sahih al-Bukhariصحيح البخاري
Hadith collection · Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari
As-Sirah an-Nabawiyyahالسيرة النبوية
Classical biography · Ibn Hisham, from the recension of Ibn Ishaq
Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabirالطبقات الكبرى
Classical biography · Ibn Sa'd
Al-Isabah fi Tamyiz as-Sahabahالإصابة في تمييز الصحابة
Classical biography · Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani
Siyar A'lam an-Nubalaسير أعلام النبلاء
Classical biography · Shams ad-Din adh-Dhahabi
SahabaMate editorial summary
Editorial summary
References follow the citation detail available in the source material.
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