Juwayriya bint al Harith

Juwayriya was the daughter of al-Hārith ibn Abi Dirar, the chief of the Banu Mustaliq. Her name was Barra before converting to Islam. (With the idea that taking a name that has a positive connotation helps to purify someone, the Prophet gave her the name Juwayriya.) She was taken as a captive after the successful campaign against the Banu Mustaliq in 5 A.H.

Although there are different narrations regarding the marriage of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Juwayriya, who was taken prisoner along with several other members of her tribe during the campaign, the sources agree that this marriage was the means to freeing all the captives taken from the Bani Mustaliq. The companions set them all free, saying, “How can we take the relatives of the Prophet as slaves?”

It is understood that this marriage ceased the hostility between the Muslims and the tribe of Banu Mustaliq, and the main intention behind the marriage of the Prophet to Juwayriya was to bring this tribe closer to Islam. The fact that members of Banu Mustaliq converted to Islam after this marriage supports this argument.

Juwayriya was a woman fond of praying, remembering God and fasting. Juwayriyah, who was described as “the most beneficial and generous woman of her tribe,” passed away in 50 or 56 A.H. She narrated 7 hadiths from the Prophet.