born 614, Mecca, Arabia
died July 678, Medina
Third wife of Muhammad .
The daughter of his supporter Abū Bakr , she became Muhammad's favourite wife. Left a childless widow at 18, she became politically active during the reign of the third caliph, Uthmān ibn Affān , leading the opposition that resulted in his murder in 656. She led an army against his successor, Alī , who defeated her in the Battle of the Camel. She was allowed to live her remaining years quietly in Medina and is credited with transmitting more than a thousand Hadīth .