Apostle of God, and that thou hast been the only wife he married as a virgin, and that a verse came down from heaven in thy justification.' After he had left, Abd Allah Ibn Zobeir entered, to whom she said, 'Ibn Abbas has been here and praised me, although to-day I do not take pleasure in any one's coming and praising me. What would it have mattered, if I had been a sun-dried brick? Would, I had been some such thing, so that no one had taken my name in his mouth; and would, I had never been created!' She died, A.H. 58, more than 66 years of age.

4. Hafza, the daughter of Omar Ibn Khattab. Before she became the Prophet's wife, she had been married to Khanis, who was one of the fugitives to Abyssinia, and afterwards one of the combatants of Bedr. After his death, A.H. 2 or 3, the Prophet married her, as soon as her legal time of waiting was over.

It is reported that when Hafza's first husband was dead, her father, Omar, offered her to Othman, whose wife Rokaia, daughter of Mohammed, had just died. Othman asked for time to consider, and then declined the offer. Omar went to Mohammed to complain of Othman's conduct, and the Prophet settled the affair by saying, 'May God give to Othman a better woman than thy daughter, and to thy daughter a better husband than Othman!' This wish was speedily fulfilled; for Mohammed himself married Hafza, and gave his own daughter Om Koltum to Othman.

It is also reported that Omar had offered Hafza to Abu Bekr, who gave him no answer whatever, so that he felt greatly incensed. But one day, after Mohammed's marriage with Hafza, when Abu Bekr met Omar, he accosted him thus, 'Perhaps thou art offended with me for having left thee without an answer, when thou hadst offered me thy daughter Hafza.' Omar replying, 'Yes, I was very much offended,' Abu Bekr continued, 'The truth is, that nothing prevented me from accepting her, except my knowing that the Apostle of God had set his heart on having her, and it was in order not to betray that Excellency's secret, that I did not give thee an answer then.'

It is recorded that later on the prince of the world divorced Hafza. Omar, as soon as this news reached him, cast earth upon his head and became very disconsolate. On the next day Gabriel descended, saying 'O Mohammed, in order to show mercy to Omar, God requests of thee to return to Hafza.' Hafza was born five years before the prophetic mission, and died in the reign of Moawia, A.H. 45 or 48 or 50, about sixty years old. The current

books derive sixty traditions from her, of which six are generally received.

5. Zeinab, Bint Khazima, had been married to three successive husbands before Mohammed, the first of whom divorced her, and the second and third were killed respectively in the battles of Bedr and Ohod. His Excellency married her A.H. 9. She had only been eight months in his house when she died, or, according to another account, three months. She was called 'the Mother of the Poor,' because of her compassion for them, and the abundant alms which she bestowed upon them.

6. Om Selma or Hind, Bint Abu Omia, was first married to Abu Selma, Mohammed's cousin, to whom she bore four children. Of these, two emigrated with their parents to Abyssinia, and afterwards to Medina. Abu Selma was wounded in the battle of Ohod, and his wound closed. When Mohammed sent him on an expedition, it reopened and became the cause of his death. Their love for each other was so great that they made a covenant to the effect that whoever should survive the other, should not marry again. But before his death, Abu Selma said to his wife, ' When I die, do not thou suffer trouble, but marry again, and may God give thee a husband better than myself, who will never pain or grieve thee.'

Om Selma says, 'When Abu Selma was dead, I thought of these words, but said to myself, Who can be a better husband to me than he was? I had no idea of marrying again. I went to his Excellency, saying to him, "Thou knowest that Abu Selma is dead, what prayer shall I offer in my loneliness?" He replied, "Say, O God, forgive me and him, and give me something better in his stead." Then I persevered in offering up this prayer, and God gave me something better than Abu Selma; he gave me in wedlock to the Apostle of God.' According to another account, his Excellency went to Om Selma's house, after her husband's death, to condole with her, and prayed, 'O God, assuage her grief, remove her trouble, and compensate her by some one better than Abu Selma.' Afterwards, events turned out in accordance with this prayer.

It is recorded that when Om Selma's time of mourning was over, both Abu Bekr and Omar desired to marry her, but she declined them both. On his Excellency proposing to her, she replied, 'Welcome, O Apostle of God; but I am a lady of a certain age, with orphans, and also am very jealous, unable to endure having