The wives of Prophet Muhammad - أمهات المؤمنين - were the women married to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Muslims often use the term "Umm al-Mu'minin" prominently before or after referring to them as a sign of respect, a term derived from the Quran. Prophet Muhammad was monogamous for 25 years when married to his first wife, Khadija bint Khuwaylid. After her death in 619 CE, he over time married a number of women, most of them widows, for reasons of family bonds and to provide for them after his companions had died.