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Fatwa CenterThe Prophet’s most beloved wife to him and the closest to him from among his companions
Question
Who did the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, love most from among his wives and who from among his companions was the closest to him?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
‘Aa’ishah bint Abu Bakr 
was the most beloved to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, from among his wives. ‘Amr ibn Al-‘Aas said that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, appointed him in a military expedition called “Dhat As-Salaasil”. On this occasion, ‘Amr asked the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, “Who is the most beloved person to you?” The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, “‘Aa’ishah (my wife)!” ‘Amr said, “I meant the most beloved from among men?” The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, “Her father (Abu Bakr)!” ‘Amr asked, “Who is next?” The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, “‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab!” ‘Amr said that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, added some other names to come next.
That the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, loved ‘Aa’ishah most was known among his companions so that if a companion wanted to send a gift to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, he would wait until he (the Prophet) went to ‘Aa’ishah on her day, in which he stayed at her house. The other wives of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, were jealous of such a state of affairs.
Hisham narrated:
People would make sure that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was in ‘Aa’ishah’s house whenever they wanted to send him gifts. ‘Aa’ishah said that her co-wives went to Umm Salamah (one of the Prophet’s wives) and complained to her saying, “O Umm Salamah! People send their gifts to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, only when he is at ‘Aa’ishah’s house. We would love to be as privileged as ‘Aa’ishah is. So ask the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, to tell people to send their gifts to him in whatever wife’s house he is in.” Umm Salamah passed the request to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who gave no response. Umm Salamah again talked to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, but he again gave no response. Umm Salamah asked the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, for the third time, and then he said, “O Umm Salamah! Do not pressure me regarding ‘Aa’ishah! I swear by Allah that the Revelation never came to me when I was with any of you (my wives) except with ‘Aa’ishah.” [Al-Bukhari]
The Prophet’s love of ‘Aa’ishah became obvious during the illness of which he died. During that time, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was so keen on staying with ‘Aa’ishah, and he did. ‘Urwah narrated that ‘Aa’ishah said, “During his illness of which he died, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, used to ask every time what wife he should go to the following day. By asking, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was hinting at his desire to stay at ‘Aa’ishah’s house. Therefore, the Prophet’s wives allowed him to stay with ‘Aa’ishah until he died.”
There is no doubt, however, that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, extremely loved his first wife Khadeejah bint Khuwayled . ‘Aa’ishah narrated:
I did not feel jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet as much as I did of Khadeejah even though I did not meet her, but the Prophet used to mention her name very often. He would slaughter a sheep, cut it into parts, and send them to Khadeejah’s friends. When I asked him, “You speak about Khadeejah as if there were no woman on earth like her.” He replied that “Khadeejah was such-and-such, and she was the mother of my children.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Speaking of the companions, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar were the most beloved to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, respectively, as mentioned in ‘Amr’s Hadeeth mentioned above. Also, ‘Aa’ishah was asked, “Who was the most beloved to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, from among his companions?” She said, “Abu Bakr then ‘Umar, then Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn Al-Jarraah.” [At-Tirmithi and Ibn Maajah, and Shaykh Sa’eed Al-Arna’oot said that the transmitters of the Hadeeth are trustworthy]
Allah knows best.
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