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Mother of the believers Khadija bint Khuailid
She was the best of woman kind in her lifetime. She was the daughter of Khuailid Ibn Asad Ibn Abdul-Uzza Ibn Qusayy Ibn Kilab. She was from the tribe of Quraish and of Bani Asad and was called the chaste woman. She was born in a house of glory and leadership fifteen years before the Year of the Elephant and brought up in an honorable house. She was a rational and venerable woman. She was famous of her strictness, reason and decency. Because of this, she was respected and desired by the elite of her tribe.
She got married to Abu Halah Ibn Zararah of Tamimi-tribe and gave birth to Halah and Hind. After the death of Abu Halah, she married 'Ateeq Ibn A'iz Ibn Abdullah who was from the tribe of Bani Makhzum. They stayed together for a period of time before separation.
Then, she refused many proposals of marriage made by venerable man. She devoted her life for her children and towards managing her trade. She was wealthy and used to hire men to manage her trade as partners.
Being informed of Prophet Muhammad's truthfulness, integrity and good manners before his Messengership, she entrusted him to run her trade accompanied by her slave Maysarah in Ash-sham (Syria) and promised to pay him more than to others. The Prophet agreed and traveled with Khadija's slave. He achieved great gains by Allah's willing. Khadija was quite pleased with his achievements. But what pleased and gained her admiration even more was Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, himself.
She started to think of him and found herself attracted to Muhammad emotionally. She had never felt such emotion before But she started to wonder: Would he accept her proposal since she was forty and he was only twenty-five? How could she face those whom she refused of the masters of Quraish before?
Meanwhile, her friend, Nufaysa Bint Munabbih, entered and started to talk with her until she made her disclose what perplexed her. Then she comforted her and reminded her of his good character, lineage, wealth and grace over all those venerable men who sought to marry her.
No sooner did Nufaysa leave Khadija than she (Nufaysa) went to Muhammad, peace
and blessings be upon him. She intuitively asked him, "Why did you not marry, Muhammad?"
Nufaysa instantly went to Khadija to tell her the good news. On the other hand, Muhammad told his uncles about his wish to marry Khadija. Then, Abu Talib, Hamza and others went to Khadija's uncle, Amr Ibn Asad and betrothed his niece and offered him the dowry.
The marriage :
Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her, the wife :
Likewise, she gladly accepted Ali Ibn Abu Talib who was Muhammad's cousin and whose father (Abu Talib) had lots of children so Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him thought of helping him by raising up one of his children. Khadija, the loving wife, warmly accepted Ali Ibn Abu Talib as a member of her house.
Allah, Exalted be He, showered incessant favors upon such happy union. He blessed them with boys and girls. The boys were : Al-Qasim, Abdullah, the girls were : Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthum and Fatima may Allah be pleased with them.
Muhammad was inclined, as Allah willed, to worship in solitude. He kept on worshipping Allah in this manner in a cave on Mount Hira'. He used to stay there for days living on little provision away from the vain talk and the amusement of the people of Mecca who worshipped idols.
Although Khadija could not endure to be away from Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, she respected his wish to worship Allah in solitude and she did her best to provide him with peace and comfort in his life. She even sent servants to guard him when he was alone in the Hira's cave and ordered them not to disturb him.
Then came Jibreel (Gabriel), peace be upon him, with Allah's bless while Muhammad was in Hira' in the month of Ramadan. Having received Allah's revelation, he went home scared, pale and trembling.
He said, "cover me, cover me". After she knew what had happened and saw how scared her beloved husband was, the rational wife told him,
Khadija said, "Allah shall never subject you to any indignity..., for you always maintain your ties with those of your kin, and you are always generous in giving; you are diligent, and you seek what others regard as unattainable; you cool the eyes of your guest, and you lend your support to those who seek justice and redress. Stay firm, O cousin, for by Allah I know that He will not deal with you except most beautifully, and I testify that you are the awaited Prophet in this nation, and your time, if Allah wills, has come."
Such encouragement comforted the Prophet's heart. She then accompanied her husband to Waraqah's house to narrate the whole incident.
"Let me hear it in your own words," Nawfal said to Muhammad (pbuh), adding, "O noble master!" Having heard the Prophet's words, Nawfal took his time to select his words very carefully;
he said, "By Allah, this is the is the great angel who came to Moses and 'Isa and with which the Children of Israel are familiar! had said: `By whom in whose hand is my soul, you are, the Prophet of this nation. You will be rejected, hurt, expelled and fought. O how I wish I could be present when Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is delegated with Prophethood to support his mission and to assist him!'" Then he kissed his head.
Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, asked, "Would they expel me? "
Waraqa replied, "Yes, None has claimed what you claim without being fought".
Her generosity:
A struggle for Islam :
It was only natural for Khadija to receive her share of the harassment meted to him by none other than those who, not long ago, used to call him al-Sadiq (the truthful), al-Amin (the hionest) .
Khadija did not hesitate to embrace Islam at all, she was the biggest supporter to her husband, peace and blessings be upon him.
Yahya ibn `Afeef is quoted saying that he once came, during the period of jahiliyya (before the advent of Islam), to Mecca to be hosted by al-Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib, one of the Prophet's uncles mentioned above. "When the sun started rising," says he, "I saw a man who came out of a place not far from us, faced the Ka`ba and started performing his prayers. He hardly started before being joined by a young boy who stood on his right side, then by a woman who stood behind them. When he bowed down, the young boy and the woman bowed, and when he stood up straight, they, too, did likewise. When he prostrated, they, too, prostrated." Then he expressed his amazement at that, saying to al-Abbas: "This is quite strange, O Abbas!" "Is it, really?" retorted al-Abbas.
"Do you know who he is?" al-Abbas asked his guest who answered in the negative.
"He is Muhammad ibn Abdullah, my nephew. Do you know who the young boy is?" asked he again.
"No, indeed," answered the guest. "He is Ali son of Abu Talib. Do you know who the woman is?" The answer came again in the negative, to which al-Abbas said, "She is Khadija daughter of Khuwaylid, my nephew's wife."
This incident is included in the books of both Imam Ahmad and al-Tirmithi, each detailing it in his own Sahih.
And she stood patiently in the face of persecution to which her revered husband, peace and blessings be upon him, and his small band of believers were exposed at the hands of the polytheists and aristocrats of Quraysh, sacrificing her vast wealth to promote Islam, seeking Allah's Pleasure.
The life of Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her, was changed. She saw her loving husband being hurt and rejected. They called him a liar, a magician or a poet. She bid her daughter, Ruqayyah, farewell when she was migrating with her husban Uthman Ibn Affan and other Muslims to Abyssinia to escape the torture of Quraish.
When Quraish boycotted Muslims to besiege them politically, economically and socially she stood by Muslims in Abu Talib's valley leaving the comfortable life her house and stayed there in hunger, struggle and sufferings for three years although she was by that time sixty-five years old.
Her death, may Allah be pleased with her:
Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her, died in the month of Ramadan, ten years after the start of the Prophetic mission, 25 years after her marriage with Muhammad (pbuh), she was then sixty five years old.
She was buried at Hajun in the outskirts of Mecca. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) dug her grave and buried her... Funeral prayers (salat al janaza) had not yet been mandated in Islam. It is reported that by the time she died, her entire wealth had already been spent to promote Islam; she left not a single gold dinar nor a single silver dirham, nor anything more or less...
Her merits, may Allah be pleased with her:
The Prophet of Islam (pbuh) used to talk about Khadija quite often after her demise, so much so that his youngest wife, `Ayesha daughter of Abu Bakr, felt extremely jealous and said to him, "... But she was only an old woman with red eyes, and Allah has compensated you with a better and younger wife (meaning herself)."
This caused him (pbuh) to be very indignant, and he said, "No, indeed; He has not compensated me with anyone better than her. She believed in me when all others disbelieved; she held me truthful when others called me a liar; she sheltered me when others abandoned me; she comforted me when others shunned me; and Allah granted me children by her while depriving me of children by other women."
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Abu Hatim, al-Dulabi, al-Tabari, and many others, all quote `Ayesha saying: "One day, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) mentioned Khadija affectionately, so I was carried away by jealousy and said about her what I should not have said. It was then that his face changed color in a way I never saw it change except when he (pbuh) was receiving revelation, so I realized what I had done and felt overwhelmed by regret to the extent that I could not help uttering these words: `O Lord! If You remove the anger of Your Messenger right now, I pledge not to ever speak ill of her as long as I live.' Having seen that, he forgave me and narrated to me some of her merits."
Both Muslim and Bukhari indicate in their respective Sahih books that among Khadija's merits was the fact that the Lord of Dignity ordered Jibraeel (Gabriel), peace be upon him, to convey His regards to her.
Gabriel said to Muhammad (pbuh): "O Muhammad! Khadija is bringing you a bowl of food; when she comes to you, tell her that her Lord greets her, and convey my greeting, too, to her." When he (pbuh) did so, she said: "Allah is the Peace, and He is the source of all peace, and upon Gabriel be peace." Gabriel, peace be upon him, told Prophet Muhammad then that Allah Almighty has prepared for Khadija, may Allah be pleased
With her, a calm house made of pearls in paradise.
He answered, "I cannot afford marriage"
She smiled and said, "If there is anyone who could be eligible would you agee?"
He asked, "Who is she?"
She said instantly, "Khadija Bint Khuailid."
He said, "I would agree if she did."
When marriage was concluded, many animals were slaughtered and distributed among the poor. They held the wedding party in Khadija's house.
When khadija, may Allah be pleased with her, became the wife of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, she set the greatest example in loving and supporting her husband. She granted him Zayed Ibn Haritha, her servant, when she felt that he loved him.
Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her, was so kind and generous. She offered Halima as-Sa'diyyah who suckled Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, forty sheep as a gift to the one who suckled her beloved husband, Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
Three years after the siege Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her, died three years before Hijra (immigration to Medina). This year was called "the year of sadness" because Abu Talib, the Prophet's uncle and the one who constantly stood by him, died shortly followed by the loving wife Khadija.
Among Khadija's merits was her being one of the four most perfect of all women of mankind, the other three being: Fatima daughter of Muhammad (pbuh), Maryam bint `Umran (Mary daughter of Amram), mother of Jesus and niece of prophet Zakariyya, and `Asiya daughter of Muzahim, wife of Pharaoh.
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