The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had four daughters recognised in the Sunni biographical tradition — Sayyidatuna Zaynab, Sayyidatuna Ruqayyah, Sayyidatuna Umm Kulthum, and Sayyidah Fatima al-Zahra رضي الله عنهن — all born to Sayyidatuna Khadija al-Kubra رضي الله عنها. Each daughter’s life was marked by devotion, sacrifice, and proximity to a father whose prophethood transformed the world. Sayyidatuna Ruqayyah and Sayyidatuna Umm Kulthum رضي الله عنهما are among the less frequently discussed members of the Prophet’s household ﷺ — and yet their lives contain stories of faith under pressure, patience under reverence, and the particular reverence of daughters who did not outlive their father.
Sayyidatuna Ruqayyah رضي الله عنها
Sayyidatuna Ruqayyah رضي الله عنها was among the earliest Muslims — she embraced Islam as a young woman during the first years of revelation. She was first engaged to Utbah ibn Abi Lahab — but when the Quran condemned his father Abu Lahab in Surah al-Masad, the family annulled the engagement as an act of spite against the Prophet ﷺ. She was then married to Sayyiduna Uthman ibn Affan رضي الله عنه — the man who would become the third Caliph of Islam. She joined him in the first Hijrah to Abyssinia, where the small community of early Muslims sought refuge from Makkan persecution. She survived that Hijrah and made the Hijrah to Madinah. She fell ill and died in the year 2 AH — while Sayyiduna Uthman رضي الله عنه was at her bedside by the Prophet’s ﷺ instruction, missing the Battle of Badr.
Sayyidatuna Umm Kulthum رضي الله عنها
After the death of Sayyidatuna Ruqayyah رضي الله عنها, the Prophet ﷺ gave her sister Sayyidatuna Umm Kulthum رضي الله عنها in marriage to Sayyiduna Uthman رضي الله عنه — earning him the title Dhu al-Nurayn, Possessor of Two Lights, for having been married to two daughters of the Prophet ﷺ. Sayyidatuna Umm Kulthum رضي الله عنها also died before her father ﷺ — in the year 9 AH. The Prophet ﷺ attended her burial.
Their Place in the Prophet’s Heart
The Prophet ﷺ loved all his daughters with the tenderness that characterised his relationship with his family. The lives of his daughters were touched by the same trials that marked the entire early community — persecution, migration, loss — and they bore those trials with the same patience and faith that their father embodied and taught. To love the Ahl al-Bayt is to love all of them — including those who left the world before his prophethood was complete, whose names deserve to be known and honoured by every Muslim.
Explore this theme in depth in The Deeper Link.
How many daughters did the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ have?
The Prophet ﷺ had four daughters according to the Sunni biographical tradition, all born to Sayyidatuna Khadija رضي الله عنها: Sayyidatuna Zaynab, Sayyidatuna Ruqayyah, Sayyidatuna Umm Kulthum, and Sayyidah Fatima al-Zahra رضي الله عنهن.
Why is Sayyiduna Uthman called Dhu al-Nurayn?
Because he was married to two daughters of the Prophet ﷺ — Sayyidatuna Ruqayyah and, after her death, Sayyidatuna Umm Kulthum رضي الله عنهما. The title Dhu al-Nurayn means Possessor of Two Lights, honouring the blessing of being the son-in-law of the Prophet ﷺ twice over.
When did Sayyidatuna Ruqayyah die?
In the year 2 AH, during the period of the Battle of Badr. She had fallen ill and Sayyiduna Uthman رضي الله عنه stayed with her at the Prophet’s ﷺ instruction, missing the battle. She died in his care, and her death was among the griefs the Prophet ﷺ bore in the early years in Madinah.