Maymunah bint al-Harith


Maymunah bint al-Harith al-Hilaliyah was a wife of Muhammad. Her original name was Barrah, but Muhammad changed it to Maymunah, meaning"good tidings", as his marriage to her marked the first time in seven years when he could enter his hometown of Mecca.

Family

Her father was al-Harith ibn Hazn from the Hilal tribe in Mecca. Her mother was Hind bint Awf from the Himyar tribe in Yemen. Her full sister was Lubaba the Elder. Her paternal half-sisters were Layla, Huzayla and Azza. Her maternal half-siblings were Mahmiyah ibn Jazi al-Zubaydi, Asma bint Umays, Salma bint Umays and Awn ibn Umays. Ibn Kathir also mentions a tradition that Zaynab bint Khuzayma was another maternal sister.

Marriage

She married Muhammad in 629 in Sarif, about ten miles from Mecca, just after the Lesser Pilgrimage. She was in her late 30s when she married him.
Maymuna lived with Muhammad for three years until his death in 632.

Death

Maymuna's death date is controversial.
According to Al-Tabari: "Maymuna died in the year 61 A.H. during the caliphate of Yazid ibn Muawiyah. She was the last of the wives of the Prophet to die, and her age was then 80 or 81." However, Al-Tabari asserts elsewhere that Umm Salama outlived Maymuna.
Ibn Hajar also cites a tradition implying that Maymuna predeceased Aisha. "We stood on the walls of Medina, looking out … : 'By Allah! Maymuna is no more! She has gone, and you are left free to do whatever you like. She was the most pious of all of us and the most devoted to her relatives.'"