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Her original name was Barrah. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) changed her name to Maimuna, which means blessing. She had several sisters, among them Umm al-Fadl Lubaba, who was married to Hadhrat Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him). He was also the uncle of the Prophet (peace be upon him). They had a son, Abdullah ibn Abbas, who was known to be among the wisest companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Sayyidah Zaynab bint Khuzayma (may Allah be pleased with her) was the half-sister of Sayyidah Maimuna (may Allah be pleased with her), while her sister Asma bint Umays, was previously married to Ja’far ibn Abi Talib and later married Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Her sister Salma bint Umays was married to Hadhrat Hamza, the “Lion of Allah”.
Sayyidah Maimuna (may Allah be pleased with her) herself expressed a desire to marry the Prophet (peace be upon him). She approached her sister, Umm al-Fadl, who in turn approached her husband al-Abbas. When he presented the wish of Sayyidah Maimuna (may Allah be pleased with her) to the Prophet (peace be upon him), the proposal was well received. Sayyidah Maimuna was 36 years old and the Prophet (peace be upon him) was 60 years old at the time of the marriage. They were married in the Islamic month of Shawwal, 7 AH. This event took place shortly after the Muslims of Medina were permitted to go to Makkah to perform Umrah under the Treaty of Hudaybiyya.
Both of them lived a harmonious life in each other’s company for a little over three years, before the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed away. She was known to have a very good nature and got along well with everyone. Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) describes her as follows: “Among us, she was the most pious and the most diligent in keeping the ties of kinship together.”
It was with her that the Prophet (peace be upon him) began to show signs of illness, which later led to his death. During his illness, he asked permission to move to Sayyidah Aisha’s (may Allah be pleased with her) house, where he ended his days.
She lived for 40 years in Medina, as a widow, and died at the age of 80, 51 A.H. She was the last of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) wives to pass away. Sayyidah Maimuna (may Allah be pleased with her) was buried in Saraf, a place near Makkah, at her own request because it was here that their marriage was contracted.
