Sajah bint al-Harith

سجاح بنت الحارث

c. 590 CE – c. 660 CE · c. 40 AH† †

† Hijri date derived by computation from the Gregorian/Julian date; it may differ from the transmitted date by a day or two.

A woman of Tamim by her father and Taghib by her mother who claimed prophecy in rhymed speech, marched an army toward Medina, then turned to Yamama and joined Musaylima — before returning to Islam and living into the caliphate.

Depth

At a glance

Roles
Poet
Era
The Prophetic Era · The Rashidun Caliphate
Region
Arabia
Identifiers
Wikidata
Review
Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it

Life in time

500525550575600625650675700725750 c. c. c. c. c.
The Early Abbasid Caliphate · Pre-Islamic Arabia · The Prophetic Era · The Rashidun Caliphate · The Umayyad Period Contemporaries: Abdullah ibn Salam · Amr ibn al-As · Halima al-Sa'diyya · Umm Salama (Hind bint Abi Umayya) · Zirr ibn Hubaysh

Civil wars and revoltsWomenProphets

Place in the story

  • Rival claimanttowardMuhammad · 632 CE · 11 AH† – 632 CE · 11 AH†Historical
  • RebeltowardRashidun Caliphate · 632 CE · 11 AH† – 632 CE · 11 AH†Historical
  • Convert to Islam · c. 633 CE · c. 12 AH†Tradition

Christian (debated) · Sunni (transmitted)

Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.

Overview

Sajah bint al-Harith — Tamimi by her father, Taghlibi by her mother — a woman who claimed prophethood in rhymed prose and marched an army toward Medina, then joined Musaylima at al-Yamama, then returned to Islam and lived in it.

Life

In the days of the Ridda, Sajah came out speaking in the saj' rhymed prose that marked soothsayers among the Arabs; a host of her mother's kindred and her father's people gathered to her, and she marched an army toward Medina, then turned aside to al-Yamama 1.

In the sources' telling she met Musaylima, believed in his prophethood and married him, then he sent her back to her people — before Banu Hanifa were routed at Aqraba' 1.

Then she returned to Islam, and the tradition says she died a Muslim in Mu'awiya's reign 2.

The legacy

Sajah is the only woman in the Ridda story who claimed prophethood and marched an army — and the rare figure of that war who lived to close her tale a Muslim.

For young visitors

A woman named Sajah claimed to be a prophet and marched an army — then joined a claimant like herself, then returned a Muslim and lived long.

Connections

Explore the connections

Member of
Banu Tamim· Banu Taghib
Spouse of
Musaylima
Opposed
Rashidun Caliphate

People and things also explored

Musaylima's apostasy and claim to prophethood at al-Yamama· al-Aswad al-Ansi· The delegation of Banu Hanifa· Musaylima's letter to the Prophet and the reply· The Prophet's dream of the two gold bracelets, interpreted as the two liars· Muhammad· Musaylima· Salma bint Attab

Sources

  1. al-Tabari, History vol. X: The Conquest of Arabia (Donner translation, SUNY)
  2. Ibn Sa'd, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir (Bewley translation, Ta-Ha)
  • Watt, Muhammad at Medina (1956)
  • Futuh al-Buldan — al-Baladhuri (Mu'assasat al-Ma'arif edition)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Sajah bint al-Harith”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/sajah/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-19.

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Wing

People

Prophets, companions, scholars, rulers, scientists, poets, travelers: women and men who shaped the story.
Related

Musaylima's apostasy and claim to prophethood at al-Yamama

When the Banu Hanifa delegation returned to al-Yamama, Musaylima apostatised and claimed prophethood, saying he had been made a partner in the matter with Muhammad and citing the Prophet's words that he was 'not the worst placed of you'. He produced rhymed sayings imitating the Qur'an, permitted wine and fornication and lifted the prayer, while still testifying that Muhammad was a prophet, and Hanifa rallied to him. Ibn Ishaq has it from a shaykh of Banu Hanifa and adds: God knows best which account is true.