The Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ had four daughters recognised in the Sunni biographical tradition — Sayyidatuna Zaynab, Sayyidatuna Ruqayyah, Sayyidatuna Umm Kulthūm, and Sayyidah Fāṭimah al-Zahrāʾ رضوان الله عليهن — all born to Sayyidatuna Khadījah al-Kubrā 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 Kulthūm رضوان الله عليهما 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 grief, and the particular sorrow 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 Islām as a young woman during the first years of revelation. She was first engaged to ʿUtbah ibn Abī Lahab — but when the Qurʼān condemned his father Abū Lahab in Sūrah al-Masad, the family annulled the engagement as an act of spite against the Prophet ﷺ. She was then married to Sayyiduna ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān رضي الله عنه — the man who would become the third Caliph of Islām. 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 Madīnah. She fell ill and died in the year 2 AH — while Sayyiduna ʿUthmān رضي الله عنه was at her bedside by the Prophet’s ﷺ instruction, missing the Battle of Badr.
Sayyidatuna Umm Kulthūm رضي الله عنها
After the death of Sayyidatuna Ruqayyah رضي الله عنها, the Prophet ﷺ gave her sister Sayyidatuna Umm Kulthūm رضي الله عنها in marriage to Sayyiduna ʿUthmān رضي الله عنه — earning him the title Dhū al-Nūrayn, Possessor of Two Lights, for having been married to two daughters of the Prophet ﷺ. Sayyidatuna Umm Kulthūm رضي الله عنها also died before her father ﷺ — in the year 9 AH. The Prophet ﷺ attended her burial. Those who witnessed his grief at her grave recorded it as one of the most sorrowful scenes of the Prophet’s ﷺ life.
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.
How many daughters did the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ have?
The Prophet ﷺ had four daughters according to the Sunni biographical tradition, all born to Sayyidatuna Khadījah رضي الله عنها: Sayyidatuna Zaynab, Sayyidatuna Ruqayyah, Sayyidatuna Umm Kulthūm, and Sayyidah Fāṭimah al-Zahrāʾ رضوان الله عليهن.
Why is Sayyiduna ʿUthmān called Dhū al-Nūrayn?
Because he was married to two daughters of the Prophet ﷺ — Sayyidatuna Ruqayyah and, after her death, Sayyidatuna Umm Kulthūm رضوان الله عليهما. The title Dhū al-Nūrayn 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 ʿUthmān 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 Madīnah.