Some critics of Islam, either because they are unaware of the facts or are biased, revile the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, as a self-indulgent libertine. They accuse him of character failings that are hardly compatible with a person of average virtue, let alone with the Prophet, God's last Messenger, and the best model for humanity to emulate, upon him be peace and blessings. A simple account of these marriages, which are openly discussed in many biographies and well-authenticated accounts of his sayings and actions, shows that they were part of a most strictly disciplined life, and another burden that he bore as God's Last Messenger.

The Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, entered into these marriages due to his role as the Muslims's leader and guide toward Islamic norms and values. In the following pages, we will explain some of the reasons behind his marriages and demonstrate that the charges are baseless and false.

The Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, married his first wife, Khadija, when he was 25 and had not yet been called to his future mission. Given the surrounding cultural environment, not to mention the climate, his youth, and other considerations, it is remarkable that he enjoyed a reputation for perfect chastity, integrity, and trustworthiness. As soon as he was called to the Prophethood, he acquired enemies who slandered him. However, none dared to invent something unbelievable. It is important to realize that his life was founded upon chastity and self-discipline from the outset, and remained so.

When he was 25 and in his prime, Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, married Khadija, a woman 15 years his senior. This marriage was very high and exceptional in the eyes of the Prophet and God. For 23 years, the couple lived a life of uninterrupted contentment in perfect fidelity. In the eighth year of Prophethood, however, Khadija died and the Prophet had to face raising his children by himself. Even his enemies had to admit that during all these years they could find no flaw in his moral character.

The Prophet took no other wife while Khadija was alive, although polygamy was socially acceptable. He remarried only after he was 55, an age by which very little real interest and desire for marriage remains. The allegation that these marriages were due to licentiousness or self-indulgence is thus groundless and without merit.

People often ask how a Prophet can be polygamous. There are three points to be made here. But first, let's recognize that those who continually raise such questions are atheists, Christians, or Jews who do not have accurate knowledge of either Islam and religion in general, and so, either deliberately or mistakenly, confuse right with wrong to deceive others and spread doubt.

Those who do not believe in or practice any religion have no right to reproach those who do. Their lifestyles, especially their multiple extramarital liaisons, are examples of unrestrained self-indulgence unhindered by such considerations as the happiness and well-being of young people in general, and of their own children in particular. Those who advertise themselves as free and liberated condone such practices as incest, homosexuality, and polyandry. One can only wonder how such relationships affect the children of such unions. Such critics have only one motive: to drag Muslims into the moral confusion and viciousness in which they themselves are trapped.

Jews and Christians who attack the Prophet for his marriages can be motivated only by fear, jealousy, and hatred of Islam. They forget that the great patriarchs of the Hebrew race, named as Prophets in the Bible and the Qur'an and revered by followers of all three faiths as exemplars of moral excellence, all practiced polygamy—and on a far greater scale than Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace.

Here we remember the words of Isaac Taylor, who spoke at the Church Congress of England, on how Islam changes the people who accept it:

The virtues which Islam inculcates are temperance, cleanliness, chastity, justice, fortitude, courage, benevolence, hospitality, veracity and resignation.... Islam preaches a practical brotherhood, the social equality of all Muslims. Slavery is not part of the creed of Islam. Polygamy is a more difficult question. Moses did not prohibit it. It was practiced by David and it is not directly forbidden in the New Testament. Muhammad limited the unbounded license of polygamy. It is the exception rather than the rule...

Polygamy did not originate with the Muslims. Furthermore, in the case of the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, from the viewpoint of its function within the mission of Prophethood, polygamy (or, more strictly, polygyny) had far more significance than people generally realize.

In a sense, polygamy was a necessity for the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, for through it he established the statutes and norms of Muslim family law. Religion cannot be excluded from private spousal relations or from matters known only by one's spouse. Therefore, there must be women who can give clear instruction and advice, rather than hints and innuendoes, so that everything is understood. These chaste and virtuous women conveyed and explained the norms and rules governing Muslim private life.

• Since these women were of all ages, the Islamic requirements and norms could be portrayed in relation to their different life stages and experiences. These provisions were learned and applied within the Prophet's household first, and then passed on to other Muslims by his wives.

• Each wife was from a different clan or tribe. This allowed the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, to establish bonds of kinship and affinity throughout the community. As a result, a profound attachment to him spread among many diverse people, thereby creating and securing equality, brotherhood, and sisterhood in a most practical way and on the basis of religion.

• Each wife, both during the Prophet's life and after his death, was of great benefit and service to Islam. Each one conveyed and interpreted his message to her clan: all of the outer and inner experiences, qualities, manners, and faith of the man whose life, in all its public and intimate details, embodied the Qur'an. In this way, all clan members learned about the Qur'an, Hadith, tafsir (interpretation and commentary on the Qur'an), and fiqh (understanding of the Islamic law), and so became fully aware of Islam's essence and spirit.

• Polygamy also allowed Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace, to establish ties of kinship throughout Arabia. As a result, he was free to move and be accepted as a member in each family, for their members regarded him as one of their own. Given such a relationship, they were not shy to ask him directly about the affairs of this life and the Hereafter. The tribes also benefited collectively from this proximity, considered themselves fortunate, and took pride in that relationship. Some of these tribes were the Umayyads (through Umm Habiba), the Hashimites (through Zaynab bint Jahsh), and the Banu Makhzum (through Umm Salama).

What we have said so far is general and could, in some respects, be true of all Prophets. Now we will discuss the lives of Ummahat al-Mu'minin—the mothers of the believers—not in the order of the marriages but in a different perspective.