Huff Post: by Qasim Rashid: In her recent piece, “7 Things That May Surprise You About Muhammad,” author Lesley Hazleton offers unique insights into Prophet Muhammad’s life. Giving credit where it is due, I’ve enjoyed Hazleton’s TED talk on Prophet Muhammad, and many of her writings on Islam. In fairness, however, several of her “7 Things” are incorrect. This article mentions and clarifies these matters.

1. He was born an orphan.

Hazleton accurately summarizes Prophet Muhammad’s early years but perhaps it is semantically more accurate to say “he was orphaned as a young child.” The foster mother who cared for him as an infant and young child was a woman named Haleema. Prophet Muhammad loved her dearly.

2. He married up — and for love.

Hazleton accurately summarizes Prophet Muhammad’s marriage to Hazrat Khadija, but I offer two minor matters of clarification.

First, while Hazleton is correct that the marriages were “a means of diplomatic alliance,” Prophet Muhammad was in fact married 11 times, not nine times, after Khadija’s death.

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