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
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
- 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
- al-Tabari, History vol. X: The Conquest of Arabia (Donner translation, SUNY)
- 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.