Amal Al-Sibai

Saudi Gazette

 

KNOWN as ‘the pure’, ‘the Princess of Quraysh’, and the finest woman of her time, was Khadijah, wife of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).



God had given her a myriad of qualities suited to be the wife of a Prophet; to share the mission of passing on the Message of God.



She had immense strength yet gentleness, noble lineage and beauty yet humble character, extensive wealth yet generosity, a sharp mind yet a kind and soft heart. This was the make-up of a woman who would support and defend the new faith, Islam.



Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her, was the daughter of Khuwaylid bin Asad and Fatimah bin Za’idah, both from noble and prosperous tribes.



Before her marriage to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) she had been married and widowed, twice. She had two sons from her first marriage and a daughter from her second, according to historians Mahmoud Mahdi Al-Istanbuli and Mustafa Abu Alnasr Al-Shalabi.



Khadijah’s father was a wealthy businessman who left her a large fortune. She was managing the business adeptly but she needed someone trustworthy to oversee transactions and to travel on business trips. She heard about the most honest, righteous, and conscientious man in all of Makkah, known as ‘the honest and trustworthy’, Muhammad (peace be upon him), and so she employed him.



Khadijah’s servant, Maysarah, accompanied Muhammad (peace be upon him) on a business expedition to Syria and the trip was successful and profitable. Upon their return, Maysarah told Khadijah of Muhammad’s honesty, sincerity, and good manners.



Impressed by Muhammad’s unmatched integrity, an unwavering respect for this blessed man bloomed inside of her.



His noble behavior won Khadijah’s admiration, which developed into a deeper affection. Once, when Muhammad was walking on his way back home, Khadijah, looking out of her window, noticed that birds were hovering over his head to shield him from the scorching sun, wrote Fida Malik in the book, Wives of the Holy Prophet.



Khadijah perceived this as a telling sign that he would be a man of greatness and importance.



She disclosed her wish to marry Muhammad (peace be upon him) to her friend, Nafisa, who told Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) the good news. He was 25 years of age at that time, and Khadijah was 40. The age difference did not impede him from accepting the marriage proposal because Khadijah was a woman of excellent and compassionate character, and was from a respectable family.



The wedding was a joyful occasion; delicious meat was cooked and served to the relatives of the married couple and to the poor people in Makkah. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) presented to his wife 20 camels.

Khadijah opened her heart and home to the guests. To honor Halima, the woman who had nursed and cared for Muhammad (peace be upon him) in his infancy, Khadijah gave her 40 sheep.



They were a happy couple; tales have it that there was no happier couple than the two of them. Khadijah created a caring, nurturing, and loving environment in their home for her husband, four daughters, and two sons (the boys died in early childhood). Together, they spent lavishly to feed the poor and hungry when famine hit Makkah.



She was the first woman the Messenger of Allah married and he married no other woman until after her death.



As Muhammad (peace be upon him) neared the age of 40, he grew increasingly silent; longing for solitude, pondering on the world and the One God. He would retreat to the cave of Hiraa where he would meditate for days. Khadijah was patient and understanding; looking after her family during his absence.



When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) ran to Khadijah, shivering, bewildered, and horrified, telling her that an Angel had revealed the words of God to him, she did not doubt him for a second. She was a constant source of solace and comfort; believing in him and supporting him.



Wrapping him in a warm blanket, Khadijah reassured her husband, “Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your kin, you help the poor and weak; you serve your guests generously and assist those enduring hardships.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)



She stood by him when others ridiculed and rejected him. “She believed in me when none else did. She embraced Islam when people disbelieved me. And she helped and comforted me in her person and wealth when there was none else to lend me a helping hand,” said Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). (Musnad Imam Ahmad)



The first convert, the first to believe in Muhammad’s prophecy was a woman. It was Khadijah who was the first to embrace Islam.



Alongside the Prophet (peace be upon him), Khadijah called people to Islam, educated them, and was a model of the discipline and behavior of a Muslim, through her words and actions. She offered moral and financial support to the Prophet and new Muslims. She used her wealth and influential status in Makkah to defend the rights of the weak and poor who were tyrannized simply because they embraced the new faith and denounced the idols.



“Khadijah was extremely sweet; with a heart of gold. She was also a learned scholar and had made a comparative study of religions and was well grounded in the Christian and Jewish scriptures. Her knowledge and influence won many converts to Islam. Whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) was in despair, she inspired him with fresh hope and courage,” wrote Malik.



When Khadijah died, 10 years after the Revelation started, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was devastated. Losing his wife, who was also his confidant, companion, and supporter, was a calamity. Everything looked dark and dismal; he called the year that she passed away ‘the year of sorrow’. A true blessing, Khadijah was painfully missed, and she has left a hole in our hearts; an ache because we never met her.