Did the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, divorce some of his wives, and are all of his wives among the Mothers of the Believers, and what is the status of the wives of other prophets in Islam?

The first of the wives of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her. He passed away while he had nine wives: Aisha, Hafsa, Sawdah, Zaynab bint Jahsh, Umm Salamah, Umm Habibah, Maymunah, Juwayriyah, and Safiyyah. He also married Zaynab bint Khuzaymah, but she passed away during his lifetime. Thus, his agreed-upon wives number eleven.

There are narrations about his marriages to other women, but most of them are not authentic, and some were only engagements or did not involve consummation. Among the marriages that were confirmed but did not last was his marriage to Umaymah bint Sharahil (daughter of Al-Jaun); he divorced her when she sought refuge in Allah from him. He also married Qutaylah, sister of Al-Ash'ath ibn Qays, but he passed away before giving her a choice.

Among the characteristics of the Prophet's wives, peace and blessings be upon him, is that they are the "Mothers of the Believers," meaning in terms of sanctity, respect, veneration, and the prohibition of marrying them after him. Allah, the Almighty, says: (The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers), and He says: (And that you should not marry his wives after him ever). This characteristic is established for the eleven wives and does not apply to those he divorced or those who passed away before consummation. This status has not been established for the wives of other prophets, as some of them were righteous and others were not, like the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot.