1 Journal of Religion & Society Volume 9 (2007) The Kripke Center ISSN 1522-5658 Muhammad’s Jewish Wives Rayhana bint Zayd and Safiya bint Huyayy in the Classic Islamic Tradition Ronen Yitzhak, Western Galilee College, Israel Abstract During his life, the Prophet Muhammad (570-632) married 12 different wives among whom were two Jewish women: Rayhana bint Zayd and Safiya bint Huyayy. These two women were widows whose husbands had been killed in wars with Muslims in Arabia. While Rayhana refused to convert to Islam at first and did so only after massive pressure, Safiya converted to Islam immediately after being asked. Rayhana died a few years before Muhammad, but Safiya lived on after his death. Classic Islamic sources claim that the Muslims did not like Rayhana because of her beauty and so made an issue of her Jewish origin, with Muhammad being the only one to treat her well. After Muhammad’s death, Safiya lived among his other wives in Mecca, but did not take part in the political intrigues at the beginning of Islam, in contrast to the other wives, especially the most dominant and favorite wife, Aisha. Introduction [1] According to Islamic tradition, the Prophet Muhammad married 12 different wives and had even more concubines. The custom of taking concubines was widespread in ancient times and therefore also was practiced in Arabia. Concubines were often taken in the context of war booty, and it seems that this is the reason for including in the Qur’an: “(you are forbidden) the married women, but not the concubines you, own” (Q 4:24; al-Qurtubi: 5.106). The reason for Muhammad’s polygamy, like that of other Muslims at that time, was a concern for the fate of Muslim concubines. Their husbands had died for their faith during the Jihad conducted by the Prophet Muhammad, and so after four months and ten days – the minimal time needed to know if a woman was pregnant – the Qur’an allowed the concubines to remarry (Q 2:234). Besides the important social aspect of its regulation, polygamy had great importance in the development and modeling of Muslim society at its