A Marriage That Cared for the Poor

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) also got married during that period of time to Zaynab bint Khuzaymah, and she is called Umm al-Masākīn, the mother of the poor. Why? Because she used to take care of the poor and give them food, give them money; she was very caring of the poor, so the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) married her. She was the wife of ʿAbdullāh ibn Jaḥsh, who was killed in the Battle of Badr.^* Here can be seen, in the marriages of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), an element of social welfare — the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) taking care of his followers. So after ʿAbdullāh ibn Jaḥsh died a martyr, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) married his wife and took care of her, and this can be seen throughout the marriages of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and also in many of the marriages of the Companions: they did not want to leave a widow uncared for, and that was part of the reason, the wisdom, behind plural marriage. It should not be thought that it is solely for the purpose of satisfying one's desires. There are other aspects to marriage: bringing up a Muslim family, taking care of one another — wa jaʿala baynakum mawaddatan wa raḥmah, "and He placed between you love and mercy," as Allah (swt) says.