The First Lady of Islam: Khadijah’s Unwavering Faith and Support for the Prophet Muhammad SAW
𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐌
1) 𝐊𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐣𝐚 𝐁𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐊𝐡𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐝 رضي الله عنها .
Narrated Abu Hurairah Jibril (Gabriel) came to the Prophet and said, “O Allâh’s Messenger! This is Khadija, 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 (Allâh) 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)
The strength of character and noble qualities of Khadijah earned her the honor of being greeted by Allâh through his Angel Jibril .
An image of faithfulness, integrity, truth, modest good manners and nobility; generous, wise and understanding, nurtured in an atmosphere of wealth and luxury. She was the first person to have an abiding faith in the utterances of the Prophet and to accept Islâm as her religion and her way of life. She was blessed with the distinction of having been greeted with Salâm by Allâh and the Angel Jibril She was the first lady ever to be so honored. She was the first wife of the Prophet, and he did not marry again during her lifetime. They lived together in peace and harmony for more than 24 years. It was in her house that the Prophet received the revelations of Allah, through the Angel Jibril. During the siege that the Prophet underwent in Makkah, in the Shi’ab Abi Tâlib, she was there by his side, constantly supportive and sacrificing all the comforts of life.
When she passed away, the Prophet ﷺ was heartbroken at the loss of a dedicated companion who stood by him during the most difficult period of his life. He personally supervised the preparation of her grave, and climbed down into it to check it out. He then lowered her body into the grave himself. Thus ended the life of the lady who was the greatest supporter of Islâm in its earliest days. She who was the mother of Fatimah رضی اللہ عنھا, the First Lady of Paradise, the grandmother of the beloved grandchildren of the Prophet ﷺ, Hasan and Hussain رضي الله عنه
who are to be the foremost of the youths in Paradise.
‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbâs narrated that one day the Prophet drew four lines on the earth and asked his Companions if they understood what these lines stood for. They respectfully replied that he knows better. He then told them that these lines stood for the four foremost ladies of the universe. They were Khadijah bint Khawaylid, Fatimah bint Muhammad, Maryam bint Imrân, the mother of the Prophet Isa , and ‘Asiah bint Mazâhim رضى الله عنها(the wife of the Pharaoh).
The first name has the distinction of being the mother of all the believers, or practicing Muslims; the second Fâtimah, the daughter of the Prophet was given the glad tidings that she would be the leader among the women of Paradise. Maryam, the Pure and Chaste is the only woman to have given birth to ‘Isa, a Prophet of Allâh without having been touched by any man.
Asiah the long suffering and righteous wife of the evil Pharaoh had advised her husband to adopt the infant Moses (Musa A.S). This was at a time when infanticide was the law of the land. All the newborn boys of the tribe of Israel were being murdered because of the prediction that one of them would finally overthrow the Pharaoh and destroy him. She not only nurtured him in the very palace of Pharaoh, but also was one of the first to accept Islâm, as preached by Moses (Musa A.S).
Aishah R.A narrates that whenever the Prophet ﷺ talked about Khadijah R.A, 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 ﷺ missed her when he was blessed with a better, younger wife by Allâh. 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 Allâh. She converted to Islâm, 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 Allâh blessed me with children.”
Khadijah R.A was born in Makkah in the year 556 CE. Her mother’s name was Fatimah bint Zâ’ed, and her father’s name was Khawaylid bin Asad. He was a very popular leader among the tribe of Quraish, and a very prosperous businessman who died while fighting in the famous Battle of Fujjar. Khadijah R.A thus grew up in the lap of luxury. She married Abu Hâlah Malak bin Nabash bin Zarrarah bin At Tamimi. She bore him two children, Hâlah 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-Makhzomi, 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 hers one of the most widespread businesses among the Quraish. Her policy was to employ hardworking, honest and discriminating managers to deal on her behalf. There was no network of travel and communication as there is today and 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. Makkah, being strategically located on the trading caravan routes and the centre of international trade fairs, was a very profitable market for the goods brought back. The managers would get fifty percent of the profit, and this was enough incentive for them.
Khadijah R.A had heard of the integrity, honesty and principled behavior of the Prophet ﷺ, and sent a job offer to him to head her trading caravans. He gladly accepted the offer and started working for her. Khadijah R.A sent him on a business trip; her old and trusted slave Maisarah being delegated to accompany and serve him.
This trip proved to be an extremely profitable venture and Maisarah was astounded by some very remarkable scenes he witnessed on this trip. He was impressed and completely won over 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 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 Maisarah who he was. Maisarah told him all about the Muhammad and his reputation for honesty and intelligence. Nestora then told him that this man would be elevated to Prophethood in the future, as no man had ever rested under that particular tree but Prophets.
Tradition has it that Maisarah saw two angels bearing a cloud over the Prophet’s head to protect him from the glare and heat of the sun. He was stunned and overcome by a sense of gratitude that he had been given the opportunity of benefiting from the close companionship of this man soon to be chosen by Allâh as his Messenger.