Who was Khadijah? (RA)

Khadijah (RAA) was Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) most beloved wife, and for good reason. She was supportive, gentle, independent, powerful, and inspiring, not to mention the fact that she was named one of the four best women of all time by the Prophet (SAW) himself!

She was born in the year 555, raised on praiseworthy manners, and was nicknamed Al-Tahira, or the Pure One. By the age of forty, she was a successful businesswoman and sought after by many respectable men who wished to have her hand in marriage. She attained her wealth through hiring men and sending them on merchant trips. When she heard of Muhammad’s (SAW) commendable characteristics, she, in demonstrating her admirable independence and determination, asked for his hand.

When he received his Prophethood, she was the first to believe in him without question. She strengthened him, stood by him, and comforted him when his affairs took a turn for the worse. Never was she a cause for his distress. Indeed, she was such a faithful Muslimah and devout wife that Abu Hurairah (RAA) narrated:

On one occasion, when Khadijah was still alive, Jibril came to the Prophet and said, “O Messenger of Allah, Khadijah is just coming with a bowl of soup (or food or drink) for you. When she comes to you, give her greetings of peace from her Lord and from me, and give her the good news of a palace of jewels in the Garden, where there will be neither any noise nor any tiredness.”

Love and mercy continued to grow between the happy couple as the years went by. In twenty-five years of marriage, the Prophet (SAW) never remarried another woman, although it was within his right to do so. After Khadijah (RAA) passed away, she retained her special place in the Prophet’s (SAW) heart. Aisha (RAA) , one of the Prophet’s (SAW) subsequent wives, said, “The Prophet used not to leave the house before he would mention Khadijah and praise her.”

Once, it was narrated that Aisha (RAA) got jealous of the constant praise the late Khadijah (RAA) received, and said rashly to the Prophet (SAW) , “Allah has given you better than that old Quraish woman.” The Prophet (SAW) was angered and said, “No, by Allah, I swear that Allah has never given me better than her. She was the wife who believed in me when everyone else disbelieved in me. She affirmed my truthfulness when everyone else accused me of lying. She supported me with her money when everyone else deprived me. And Allah provided me with children through her when no other woman has given me children.” He was said to have been so angry that his forehead trembled, and Aisha (RAA) never ventured to make a similar comment again.

Today, she is a beacon of light to young Muslimahs. Not only did she rise in a society darkened by ignorance due to her own efforts and venerable mannerisms, but she was also an excellent example of Islam’s liberation towards women. Indeed, we cannot forget the woman that the Prophet (SAW) loved above all his other wives.

Aisha (RAA) said, “I was never jealous of any of the other wives of the Prophet like I was jealous of Khadijah. And I have not seen her, but the Prophet remembered her a lot.”