The prophet Muhammad had eleven wives in his life (twelve if you count Maria al-Qibtiyya). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad’s_marriages If he had had a son, that probably would have precluded any succession dispute and the Sunni-Shi’a split might never have occurred. But he didn’t, he was survived by only one daughter, Fatima – by his first wife, Khadija – who married Ali. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatima_Zahra All the Sayyids – purported descendants of Muhammad – trace their lineage to Fatima. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayyid How could a man with 11 wives leave only one child? I mean, if he were sterile he should have had none at all, and if he were fertile he should have had several. Are there any theories?
Now I read that Wikipedia more closely, it appears Muhammad might have had other children although details are controversial – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad#Middle_years:
But why did only one survive him, or leave descendants of her own? Seems like an awful run of bad luck. Was Muhammad so devoted to Khadija that he never consummated his other marriages?
If the hadith are to be believed, no. In fact, he would bed `A’ishah quite frequently, with the permission of his other wives, many of whom were rather old and so presumably had less desire for that sort of thing.
Some men just have fertility problems – witness all the trouble King Henry VIII had producing an heir.
Fertility isn’t binary. He could have had very poor fetility but got very lucky once.
Fertility isn’t binary. He could have had very poor fertility but got very lucky once.
Also, infant mortality was very high before modern medicine. Perhaps they died young?
It is all rather murky as hadith shouldn’t be taken as 100% reliable. But it is worth keeping in mind that:
a) Khadija was purportedly 40 when she married Muhammed in 595 ( 15 years older than him ) and thus past her own prime child-bearing years.
b) She supposedly died in 619 or 623. In either case Muhammed was in at least his forties, possibly fifties by then and the little wrigglers may have lost some of their potency by the time he started re-marrying.
c.) While some were young ( A’isha and a manumitted slave or three ), as yBeaf alluded a number of his later marriages seem to be a sort of charity ( perhaps partly political as well ) - older war-widows of slain companions given a place to make a home.
Given the above and mix in the usual dose of luck and I don’t think it all that unusual. The high infant mortality was definitely in keeping with the time ( and perhaps an older mother ).
- Tamerlane
Mary the Copt (a.k.a. Mariya al-Qubtiyah) bore Muhammad’s second son, Ibrahim, who died in Medina in AH 10, at the age of a year and a half. Coincidentally, there was a solar eclipse the same day. People were going, the sun is darkened because the prophet’s son died! and Muhammad, through his tears, told them not to think like that, the sun and moon are not darkened because of human deaths…