Khadijah bint Khuwaylid

Narrated Abu Hurairah: Jibril (Gabriel) came to the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and
said: "O Allah's Messenger! This is Khadijah,
coming to you with a dish having meat soup (or
some food or drink). When she reaches you, greet
her on behalf of her Lord (Allah) and on my behalf,
and give her the glad tidings of having a palace
made of Qasab in Paradise, wherein there will be
neither any noise nor any toil, (fatigue, trouble,
etc.)." [Al-Bukhari]
'Abdullah bin 'Abbas narrated that one day the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) drew
four lines on the earth and asked his Companions
if they understood what these lines stood for. They
respectfully replied that he knew better. He then
told them that these lines stood for the four
foremost ladies of the universe. They were
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, Fatimah bint Muhammad,
Maryam bint Imran, the mother of the Prophet Issa
and 'Asia bint Muzahim (the wife of the Pharaoh).
She was the first person to have an abiding faith in
the utterances of the Prophet (peace and blessings
be upon him) and to accept Islam as her religion
and her way of life. She was blessed with the
distinction of having been greeted with Salam
(greetings) by Allah and the Angel Jibril.
Khadijah was born in Makkah in the year 556 CE.
Her mother's name was Fatimah bint Zayd, and
her father's name was Khuwaylid bin Asad. He was
a very popular leader among the tribe of Quraysh,
and a very prosperous businessman who died
while fighting in the famous battle of Fujjar.
Khadijah thus grew up in the lap of luxury. She
married Abu Halah Malak bin Nabash bin Zarrarah
bin At-Tamimi and bore him two children, Halah
and Hind. She wanted to see her husband prosper
and financed him in setting up a big business. But
unfortunately he passed away. Some time later the
young widow married 'Atique bin 'Aith bin
'Abdullah Al-Makhzumi, and she had a daughter by
him as well named Hindah, but the marriage soon
broke up on grounds of incompatibility. After this
all her attention was devoted to the upbringing of
her children, and building up the business she
inherited from her father. Her astuteness and
business ability made her business one of the most
widespread businesses among the Quraysh.
Her policy was to employ hard working, honest and
distinguished managers to deal on her behalf as a
lot depended on the integrity of the employees who
traveled far and wide on her behalf. She exported
her goods to far away markets like Syria, and her
managers bought goods from those markets to be
sold at home.
Khadijah had heard of the integrity, honesty and
principled behavior of the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) and sent a job offer to him
to head her trading caravans. He gladly accepted
the offer and started working for her. Khadijah sent
him on a business trip; her old and trusted slave
Maysarah being delegated to accompany and serve
him.
Maysarah was impressed by the Prophet's
integrity, strength of character, adherence to
principles, his amicable dealings and his business
abilities. On the way back from Syria, the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) lay down under
a tree to rest for a while. Nestora, a Jewish monk,
noted for his knowledge of religion and for his
insight saw him and asked Maysarah who he was.
Maysarah told him all about Muhammad (peace
and blessings be upon him) and his reputation for
honesty and intelligence. Nestora then told him
that this man would be elevated to Prophet hood
in the future, as no man had ever rested under that
particular tree but Prophets.
Tradition has it that Maysarah also saw two
angels bearing a cloud over Prophet's head to
protect him from the glare and heat of the sun.
When he returned home Maysarah reported to
Khadijah all that had taken place on the trip to
Syria. She was deeply moved and impressed, and
started thinking of proposing marriage to
Muhammad. But how could she express her
thoughts to him? She already rejected several
proposals of marriage from men belonging to some
of the noblest families of the Quraysh. How would
her tribe react? What would her family say? And
what was more, would her proposal be acceptable
to this young, yet unmarried man of the tribe of
Quraysh?
As she pondered over these questions and debated
within herself, one night she dreamt that the
shining sun had descended from the heavens into
her courtyard, radiating her home. When she woke
up she went for the interpretation of this wonderful
dream to her cousin, Waraqah bin Nawfal, a blind
man noted for his skill in interpreting dreams, and
for his depth of knowledge, particularly of the
Torah and the Injil. When he heard her dream, he
gave a serene smile, and told her not to worry, as
this was a very promising dream. The glorious sun
she saw descending into her courtyard indicated
that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) whose advent had been predicted in the
Torah and the Injil was to grace her home and she
would gain from his presence in her life.
After this meeting with Waraqah she became
stronger in her desire to marry Muhammad (peace
and blessings be upon him). One of her very close
friends, Nafisah bint Manbah knew of her
inclination and she went to Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him) and requested his
permission to ask him a very personal question.
When he said he had no objection, she asked why
he had not yet got married. He said he did not
have the financial resources. Then she asked him if
he would be willing to marry a beautiful lady from
a noble and wealthy family, who was inclined
towards marriage with him. He asked whom she
was referring to; when he learnt her identity he
said that he was willing, provided she was willing
to marry him. Khadijah' was overjoyed.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
was then twenty-five years of age and Khadijah
was forty years old. (According to one tradition,
she was twenty-eight). The two uncles of the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
Hamzah and Abu Talib approached her uncle,
'Umar bin Asad, with the formal proposal. It was
accepted and the two families began preparing for
the wedding. Halimah As-Sa'diyyah who nursed
the Prophet in his infancy was specially invited for
the wedding and traveled to Makkah from her
village. When she left after the festivities, Khadijah
presented her with household goods, a camel and
forty goats as an expression of gratitude to the
lady who had taken such good care of Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him) in his infancy.
Khadijah was very blessed in the marriage, and
had six children. First two sons, Qasim and
'Abdullah; then followed the daughters, Zaynab,
Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthum and Fatimah. It was a
very happy, peaceful and content household, but
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) felt
something was missing, and he was extremely
restless. He would retire for a month once a year
to the cave of Hira to dedicate himself entirely to
prayer and meditation. One day he felt the
presence of another being who held him in his
arms in a tight embrace. Then he loosened his
hold and asked him to read; Muhammad (peace
and blessings be upon him) answered that he was
illiterate. But the person repeated the same act and
the phrase again and again. Then finally he read
these Ayat which are the first revelation of the
Quran. They are from Surah Iqra or Al-'Alaq.
"Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created
(all that exists). He has created man from a clot.
Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous. Who
has taught (the writing) by the pen. He has taught
man that which he knew not." [Noble Quran
96:1-5]
Then the being disappeared. This was such an
awesome experience that the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) returned home sweating
and shaking. He called out to Khadijah asking her
to cover him with a sheet or a blanket. When he
had calmed down to some extent, he told his wife
that he feared for his life, and narrated the whole
incident to her. Khadijah, a picture of loyalty and
serenity consoled him saying that Allah would
surely protect him from any danger, and would
never allow anyone to revile him as he was a of
man of peace and reconciliation and always
extended the hand of friendship to all. He never
lied, always hospitable, carried the burdens of
others and helped those who were in trouble.
These soothing and encouraging words of
sympathy and understanding from Khadijah gave
him immeasurable strength and confidence. She
then took him to meet her cousin, Waraqah bin
Nawfal, who immediately guessed the identity of
the being in the Cave of Hira as the Angel Jibril the
Messenger of Allah who had visited Moses as well.
Waraqah who was very old wished that he could
live to see the time when the Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him) would be
forced into exile by his people. The Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) was very surprised
and asked if his people would really do this to him.
Waraqah assured him that it was typical of human
beings that they would never appreciate or follow a
Prophet who rose among them. Waraqah added
that he wished he were alive at that time and be
able to help him. He added that if what he had
been told were true then surely it meant that her
husband was the Prophet of Allah (peace and
blessings be upon him) whose advent had been
mentioned in the scriptures.
The four daughters grew up to be faithful and
courageous daughters of Islam. They all migrated
to Al-Madinah, with the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him).
Zaynab was married to Abu 'Aas bin Rabi'ah,
Ruqayyah was married to 'Uthman. When she
passed away he married her sister Umm Kulthum;
Fatimah was married to 'Ali bin Abi Talib. The first
three daughters died during the lifetime of
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)
and his beloved daughter Fatimah lived just six
months after he passed away.
When the disbelievers saw that Islam was
attracting more and more followers in spite of all
their tactics, they decided to declare an open and
total political and economic boycott of the tribe of
Banu Hashim. This took place in the seventh year
after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) declared himself the Messenger of Allah. This
is also known in Islamic history as the Shi'ab Abi
Talib.
It was so severe that innocent children faced
starvation and hunger, and adults survived eating
the leaves of trees. Yet the firm followers of
Muhammad did not turn away from their true
religion and they came out of the ordeal stronger
and purer than before.
Khadijah who had been brought up in luxury in her
wealthy father's home now faced the economic
hardships with patience and courage, which are a
necessary part of any siege. Khadijah's nobility of
character and conduct pleased Allah, so much that
He sent special greetings for her.
Khadijah was the ideal wife and mother. The
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) lived in
her house which became a blessed place due to
his presence and the fact that Jibril (peace and
blessings be upon him) came often to visit him
there with Quranic revelations. It became the
centre of Islam, where all the Companions male
and female visited often to partake of the
hospitality of Muhammad (peace and blessings be
upon him) and his wife.
After the Hijrah (migration) of the Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) to Al-Madinah, the
house was occupied by the brother of 'Ali. Later
Mu'awiyah bin Abu Sufyan who transcribed some
of the Divine Revelations purchased this house and
built a mosque. Thus the site of the house of
Khadijah became a place of prayer and worship for
all time. She had been used to praying two Rak'as
of Salat (prayer), mornings and evenings with the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), even
before prayers were made compulsory by Allah.
After accepting Islam she became more
contemplative and inclined towards worship; she
found a blessed feeling of peace in prayer.
Afif Kindi relates that 'Abbas bin 'Abdul Muttalib
was a great friend of his and he used to visit him
often in Yemen in connection with his business in
perfumes. On one occasion when they were
standing and chatting in Mina, they saw a
handsome young man approach. He carefully
washed his hands and feet and then stood
respectfully with his arms crossed on his breast.
Soon a dignified lady of noble bearing and a young
handsome young lad joined him. 'Afif asked 'Abbas
what they were doing and whether this was a new
form of exercise. 'Abbas replied that the youth was
his brother 'Abdullah's son, and the lady was his
wife. She was a woman of great wealth and virtue,
and an ideal wife and mother. The lad was his
brother Abu Talib's son. Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him) had announced that he
was a Messenger of Allah and had started
preaching a new religion called Islam. In due
course 'Afif accepted Islam, but he always
regretted the fact that he had not joined the
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)
and his Companions in their prayers and
supplication on that memorable day in Mina, when
he had first heard of Islam.
Khadijah passed away just three years before the
Hijrah, or the Prophet's (peace and blessings be
upon him) migration to Al-Madinah. She died at
the age of sixty-five, having given almost twenty-
five years to Muhammad and the cause of Islam.
When Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon
him) saw her in the throes of death he consoled
her saying Allah had so ordained it, and that the
thing she was dreading, would prove favorable for
her. Her eyes lit up and as she gazed at her
beloved husband, her soul left its earthly body.
Her grave was prepared at a place called Hujjun,
near Makkah. Muhammad (peace and blessings be
upon him) stepped into it to see that everything
was as it should be, and with his own hands
lowered her gently into it. Thus passed away the
'Mother' of all Muslims, the one who had sacrificed
her all for Islam, the lady who was the greatest
supporter of Islam in its earliest days. She who
was the mother of Fatimah, the First Lady of
Paradise, the grandmother of the beloved
grandchildren of the Prophet (peace and blessings
be upon him) Hasan and Hussein who are to be
the foremost of the youths in Paradise.
When she passed away, the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) was heartbroken at the
loss of a dedicated companion who stood by him
during the most difficult period of his life.
One of the ladies of the Quraysh, Khawlah bint
Hakim, visited the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) to console him, and saw his state of
depression and grief and remarked on it. He replied
it was only natural that he should be touched by
her absence, as she had been a loving mother to
his now neglected children; she had been a loyal
and sympathetic wife who shared his secrets. It
was only human and natural that he should feel
her loss as she was there for him during his most
difficult times. Whenever he was abused by the
disbelievers she had provided moral support and
unflagging faith.
A Companion of the Prophet narrates that
whenever any gift was brought to him he would
immediately send it to some lady who had been a
friend of Khadijah. Ayshah, a favorite wife of
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)
says that whenever a goat was slaughtered the
Prophet it would send some meat to Khadijah's
friends; when she remarked about this on one
occasion he told her, 'I have great regard for her
friends, as she has a special place in my heart.'
Ayshah said she never experienced such a feeling
of natural feminine jealousy for any other wife of
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as
she did for Khadijah. She also narrates that
whenever Muhammad spoke of her he would talk
at great length and praise her qualities, and pray
for her forgiveness.
Ayshah narrates that whenever the Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) talked about Khadijah,
it was in terms of the highest praise. One day her
innate feminine envy overtook her sense of
decorum and she spoke in disparaging terms of
her, wondering why the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) missed her when he was
blessed with a better, younger wife by Allah. This
displeased him, but forbearing as he was, he just
sighed and answered,
"I have not yet found a better wife than her. She
had faith in me when everyone, even members of
my own family and tribe did not believe me, and
accepted that I was truly a Prophet and a
Messenger of Allah. She converted to Islam, spent
all her wealth and worldly goods to help me spread
this faith, and this too at a time when the entire
world seemed to have turned against me and
persecuted me. And it is through her that Allah
blessed me with children."
As Allah says in Surah Al-Fajr in the Noble Quran
that it will be said to the pious believers:
"O the one in complete rest and satisfaction! Come
back to your Lord — well-pleased (yourself) and
well-pleasing (unto Him)! Enter you then among
My (honored) servants, and enter you My
Paradise." [Noble Quran 89:27-30]