Aminah's Prophetic Dreams During Pregnancy

During her pregnancy with Muhammad around 570 CE, Aminah bint Wahb experienced prophetic dreams and visions, according to Islamic tradition. She saw light emanating from her womb that illuminated the palaces of Syria, stretching across distant lands. A voice in her dreams told her she was carrying a prophet and instructed her to name him “Muhammad” (the praised one)—an unusual name in Arabia at that time. These visions paralleled other annunciation narratives in Abrahamic tradition, particularly Mary’s annunciation by the angel Gabriel. Aminah was already a widow, having lost her husband Abdullah during her pregnancy, making these divine reassurances particularly significant. Islamic sources emphasize these dreams as evidence of divine providence surrounding Muhammad’s birth and mission, though Aminah herself would die when Muhammad was only six years old, never living to see the fulfillment of the prophecies revealed to her in these prenatal visions.