(4) Hend, a widow, 28 years old. She had a son when she married. Her father was Omeya.
(5) Zainab, divorced wife of Zaid, his freed slave. Married 627 (5 Hedjrah).
(6) Barra, a captive, widow of a young Arab chief, slain in battle.
(7)[(7)] Rehana, a Jewish captive. Her father was Simeon.
(8) Safīya, the espoused wife of Kenāna. This wife outlived the prophet for forty years. Mahomet put Kenana to death in order to marry her.
(9) Umm Habība (mother of Habiba), widow of Abû Sofian.
(10) Maimuna, who was 51 when he married her, and a widow. She survived all his ten wives.
⁂ It will be observed that most of Mahomet’s wives were widows.
Mahomet. Voltaire wrote a drama so entitled in 1738; and James Miller, in 1740, produced an English version of the same, called Mahomet the Impostor. The scheme of the play is this: Mahomet is laying siege to Mecca, and has in his camp Zaphna and Palmira, taken captives in childhood and brought up by him. They are really the children of Alcanor, the chief of Mecca, but know it not, and love each other. Mahomet is in love with Palmira, and sets Zaphna to murder Alcanor, pretending that it is God’s will. Zaphna obeys the behest, is told that Alcanor is his father, and is poisoned. Mahomet asks Palmira in marriage, and she stabs herself.
Mahomet’s Coffin is said to be suspended in mid-air. The wise ones affirm that the coffin is of iron, and is suspended by the means of loadstones. The faithful assert it is held up by four angels. Burckhardt says it is not suspended at all. A marabout told Labat: