Were there any women whom the Prophet wanted to marry but could not marry?

- Were there any women whom the Prophet (pbuh) wanted to marry but did not / could not marry?
- Were there any women whom the Prophet intended to marry, proposed to, but did not marry?
- How many women were they in total and what are their names?
- What is the wisdom behind the Prophet’s not marrying them?

Dear Brother / Sister,

We have not been able to find very much information about the women the Prophet (pbuh) thought of marrying and proposed marriage to. A famous narration regarding the issue is as follows:

After the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet (pbuh) proposed to Umm Hani, the daughter of his paternal uncle Abu Talib. Umm Hani, who was very happy with this offer, said that she had many small children and that she was worried that she would not be able to fulfill her duties toward him while dealing with them or that the children would disturb him. Thereupon, the Prophet stated that Qurayshi women were the best of Arab women because of their care for their children. (Ibn Sa’d, VIII, 152; Hakim, IV, 58)

It is narrated that Umm Hani asked the Messenger of Allah to marry her afterwards and that the Prophet (pbuh) said to her that since she had not migrated from Makkah, it was not possible for him to marry her due to the following verse: “We have made lawful to thee … daughters of thy paternal uncles and aunts, and daughters of thy maternal uncles and aunts, who migrated (from Makkah) with thee” (see al-Ahzab, 33/50). (Ibn Sa’d, VIII, 153)

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