Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid

Khadeejahfirst was the wife of the Prophet, , the mother of his
children, the best of his wives and the first to believe in him. Her
name was Umm Hind Khadeejahbint Khuwaylid ibn Asad ibn 'Abd Al-'Uzzaa
ibn Qusayy . She was from Banu Asad , a branch of Quraysh , and her
mother was Faatimah bint Zaa'idah , from Banu 'Aamir ibn Lu'ayy , a
branch of the Quraysh .
She was born in Makkah , and grew up in a noble home. Her father died
during the Al-Fijaar war.
Before marrying the Prophet, , she was married to two Arab leaders.
The first was Abu Haalah ibn Zuraarah ibn An-Nabbaash from Banu Tameem
, who was the father of her daughters Hind and Haalah . The second was
'Ateeq ibn 'Aa'ith ibn 'Umar ibn Makhzoom , who was the father of her
daughter Hind bint 'Ateeq .
Khadeejah had a successful business and her commercial caravans
travelled between Makkah and Madeenah . She would also hire men and
give them money to invest it for her in trade. The Prophet, , was
oneof those who dealt with her in such a manner. She sent him in the
company of her slave Maysarah to Ash- Shaam (greater Syria) on a
business trip. When they came back, Maysarah told her about the
manners ofthe Prophet, , and his honesty and purity. He also told her
of the blessings which Allaah The Almighty caused to appear at his
hands so that her business multiplied in profit. As a result, she
wanted to marry him.
Soon afterwards, Hamzahibn 'Abd Al-Muttalib met her uncle 'Amr ibn
Asad ibn 'Abd Al-'Uzzaa asking for her hand to his nephew Muhammad , .
Their marriage was consummated fifteen years before he was
commissioned as a Prophet, when he, , was twenty five years oldand
Khadeejah was forty.
The couple were blessed with six children: Al-Qaasim, 'Abdullaah,
Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthoom and Faatimah .
Khadeejah loved the Prophet, , very much and would do whatever pleased
him. She even gave him her servant Zayd ibn Haarithah when she saw his
fondness for him.
One of the first examples of her support for the Prophet, , was when
he saw Jibreel (Gabriel) for the first time. He was terrified and went
to Khadeejah and said: "Cover me! Cover me!" When his fear had
subsided, he said: "I feared that something terrible would happen
tome." Khadeejah replied , "Never! By Allaah, Allaah will never fail
you. You maintain theties of kinship, you speakthe truth, you help the
poor and the destitute, you serve your guests generously, and you
assist those who are afflicted with misfortune." ] Al-Bukhaari [
She then took him to her cousin, Waraqah ibn Nawfal , who assured
himthat Allaah The Almighty had chosen him to be thefinal of the
Messengers.
She did not hesitate for amoment to accept his Da'wah (call), thus
becoming the first person to have faith in and believe in him. She
supported him in the course of his Da'wah and consequently, the
Prophet, , gave her theglad tidings of a house inParadise built of
pearls wherein there will be neither noise nor fatigue.[ Al-Bukhaari
and Muslim [
As a sign of his gratitude to her, the Prophet, , never married
another wife during her lifetime. When she died, he grieved greatly
for her. He would mention her name frequently and compliment her
generously, saying: "I have been endowed withher love." ] Muslim [
The Prophet, , was very faithful to her to theextent that he would be
extremely generous and kind to her friends, even after her death.
He, , also said that Khadeejah was the best woman on earth during her
time when he said: "Maryam the daughter of 'Imraan was the best among
the women [of the world at her time] and Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid is
the best amongst the women[of the world during her time]." ]
Al-Bukhaari and Muslim [
Khadeejah died three years before the Hijrah (emigration) and the
ascension of the Prophet, , to the heavens, at sixty five years of
age. She was buried in Al-Hajoon , leaving behind a great legacy and
an eventful life which history could never forget.