Zaynab bint Khuzayma
The fifth wife of Muhammad, his fourth living wife at that time, was Zaynab bint Khuzayma. I mention that she was bint – the daughter – of Khuzayma because Muhammad later married a second Zaynab.
She was the first wife of Muhammad who did not belong to the Quraish tribe. Her father belonged to the Hilal tribe in Mecca. Not much is known about her because she died in Medina in 625. Born in Mecca in 596 and died in Medina in 625. Her first husband was a man named Jahm, a first cousin. Cousin marriages are common in Islam in Mecca, but genetically unwise. When it occurs more often within families, it can lead to all kinds of problems, including premature births.
At the time of her first marriage she was said to have been very generous and nicknamed the ‘mother of beggars’. At that time she was still a polytheist as it is called in the history of Islam. Her second husband was a prominent Muslim named Abdullah, one of the companions of Muhammad and also brother-in-law of the Prophet. But apparently the choice of partner was limited among believers in the early days of Islam. Abdullah fought in several battles and was killed at Uhud. It is not possible to identify exactly when Muhammad married Zaynab. According to some sources, she had already divorced the aforementioned Abdullah.
Muhammad married Zaynab a month after consummating his marriage to Hafsah. He didn’t waste any time. According to the sources, he married Zaynab because he did not want to let one of his companion’s wives waste away. That was also common in Mecca. He seemed to let his fighters know that they did not have to be afraid: if they died, their widows would be taken care of. According to other sources, he wanted to strengthen his relationship with her tribe but these things are not mutually exclusive. The marriage lasted only a few months, she died when she was 30.