(Arabian Peninsula),the wealthy, who had no conscience, were sleeping
in their comfortable beds, putting their arrogant heads on their
comfortable pillows. Theywere sleeping comfortably and never bothered
about anyone or anything else as they had everything in the world.
Also money was always at their disposal and they could do whatever
they wished, even irrational. They thought that as long as the earth
exists, they would have power.
On the same night, the poor and helpless people were sleeping in their
dirty houses or beside the walls of some rich person's house in the
cityor in Khadijeh's (S.A.) house and they would tryto forget all
about their sorrow and misery, at least for that night.
During this dark night, the stars and moon were hiding behind the dark
clouds. Not willing to see the prejudice and inequality amongst the
human beings, they had stopped shining.
On that night, everybody was asleep except Khadijeh (S.A.) and her
special servant and............
Khadijeh (S.A.) was thinking in her private room. She was swimmingin
the sea of dreams and had surrounded herself with the turbulent
wavesof her thoughts.
Then suddenly someone knocked at her door. Khadijeh (S.A.), still
dreaming, lifted her headand asked: "Who is it?" Someone answered: "It
isme, my lady, Maysara." Khadijeh (S.A.) replied:"Come in! I am awake.
I can't sleep tonight." The door opened and Khadijeh's special
servant, Maysara, rushed into the room, all confused.
Maysara said: "As Salaamu Alaikum, my lady, I am sorry if I am bothering you."
Khadijeh (S.A.) replied:"Wa Alaikum Salaam. Whatis wrong, Maysara? I
see that you are worried. Hassomething happened or...?" Maysara
answered:"No, no! Don't worry. Youyourself said that we should tell
you wheneveran indigent, helpless or an oppressed person wanted to see
you."
Khadijeh (S.A.) said: "Yes, yes. I myself said that. Now what has
happened and who wants to see meand why?" Maysara answered: "My lady,
a young woman carrying a heavy sack has come to the house. She was
shaking and crying and her hair was untidy. She begged me to bring her
to you. It seems that she came here because she is afraid and
depressed."
Khadijeh (S.A.) answered;"Very well. There is no problem. Tell her to
comein. I myself told you to call me anytime, day or night if any
helpless or homeless person wanted to see me. Don't let that person
leave this house in sadness or with empty hands".
Maysara went to call the young woman to take her to Khadijeh's room.
Khadijeh (S.A.) started thinking about that young woman and she told
herself: "Oh Allah! What has happened to this poor woman in the middle
of the night? What kind of problem has she faced that has caused her
to leave her house alone at this time and to come to my house? Who is
this helpless woman? Where does she come from? Andwhy did she come
here? Maybe she is a mother who came here with her sick child so that
we can provide food and medicine for it.
"Maybe she is a slave who has come here because of her unjust master.
Or maybe she is a chaste woman whose house the street ruffians entered
by force to kill her husband or take her innocent child. Maybe none of
these, but maybeher cruel husband wanted to take her innocent daughter
away from her and bury the girl alive under the cold dust of the
desert. Maybe for this reason, she took the baby and brought her here
seeking refuge in my house."
Many thoughts occupied the chaste mind of Khadijeh (S.A.) when
suddenly the door opened. A young woman,whose head and face were
covered with a veil,entered, crying. Tears had completely wet her red
and dusty cheeks. Herarms and legs were shaking out of sorrow and she
could only say:"As Salaamu Alaikum." She then sat down on thefloor and
tried to kiss Khadijeh's feet, but the latter stopped her and hugged
her and kissed her face like a kind mother. Khadijeh (S.A.) asked her:
'my daughter! What has happened? Why are you so upset? Besure that
whatever I can do I will do for you. Tell me, my daughter. Tell me
what has happened."
The young woman moved away from Khadijeh's embrace and opened the
heavy sack and placed it in front of Khadijeh (S.A.). She removed a
beautiful baby from it, which was like the blossom of springand hugged
it.
After the young woman gave the baby many longand warm kisses while
still in tears, she placed the baby in front of Khadijeh (S.A.) and
said:
"Oh Lady of Quraish! Oh kind Khadijeh (S.A.) I beg you, please have
mercy upon my baby and me. Look how beautiful it is and what beautiful
black eyebrows it has. For the sake of Allah look how it looks at me
with its sweet eyes. See what a beautiful smile it has. It seems that
the baby understands what I say because it looks at me this way. The
baby knowsthat I want to take it away from myself and give it to
somebody else."
Then the young woman looked at the sky and said: "Oh Almighty Allah!
Save us from this insecure and ignorant situation and from dirty
deeds. Send us a savior who can stop this savage situation and the
cruel killings. What did this innocent baby do that makes its father
want to bury it alive with no fear? What did I do wrong that I must
give up my baby?
The woman prayed to Allah and then started crying even more. The baby,
afraid of her mother's cries started crying also.
Khadijeh (S.A.), who was quiet until this time, tookthe woman's lovely
baby and hugged it and sympathetically said to the young woman: "My
daughter! Don't worry. "I will keep and protect your baby like my own
daughter, I know how you feel now and why you are so upset. I am a
mother and I know the heartache of mothers. I will raise her and
whenever you want, you can come here and see your baby."
The young woman said:"What if my husband comes and wants to take her
from you? He is an obstinate person. When I was pregnant, he told me:
'If it is a boy, he is mine. If it is a girl, it belongs to the
grave.' He repeated this sentence everyday to bother me."
Today when I felt the pains of delivery, I took refuge in the desert
so I could deliver the baby. There, this beautiful girl was born. I
didn't return to the house because I knew if I took it to the house,
it would have meant the grave for it; as a result, I came to your
house because I knew that my daughter would be protected here.
Oh kind Khadijeh (S.A.)! We, the women of this region, know you very
well. We know that you protect the orphans better than their
parents,but I am still afraid that my angry husband may come here and
get the baby from you.
"He may even hurt me and kill me for having given the baby to you. But
it doesn't matter. Let him kill me but my daughter will be alive."
The young woman uttered these words and fell down at Khadijeh's (S.A.)
feet and started crying very hard. Khadijeh (S.A.) picked herup and
placed her hand on the dusty hair of the young woman and very kindly
said: "My daughter! I told you not to worry about your baby. I will
raise her like my own baby and I will never give her to your husband.
He can't do anything here. If he comes here, I will hide her. Be sure
that your baby is in a secure place. Now get up and rest a little bit.
You don't feel well. You have come a long way. Leave everything to
Allah because Allah is closer and kinder to a person than anyone
else."
After the young woman heard the kind words of Khadijeh (S.A.), she
went to a corner of the room and fell into a deep sleep.The great
Khadijeh (S.A.), whose pure spirit was shaken by the recent incidents
thought very hard about the things that the young woman had told her.
Then she asked herself: What is this misfortune that is over coming
the Arab fathers, that causes them to become so cruel and
conscienceless as to bury their innocent babies alive with their own
hands under tons of black soil? Do they fear poverty or feel ashamed?
The Lady of Quraish (Khadijah Bint Khuwaylid, Bibi Khadija, Hazrat
Khadija) kept thinking about this unfortunate situation and
deliberated as to how long this practice would continue. Having
pondered deeply, she started to pray and commune with Allah. She said:
"Oh Allah! I swear by yourProphets and the people who are close to
You. I beg You to send the Saviour that Jesus and the other Messengers
have promised for these unfortunate and ignorant people so that this
ugly, and unfortunate situation comes to an end. Only then would
innocent mothers be able to hold their unprotected and innocent babies
in their arms."
After prayer, she went to sleep. She dreamt that the sun was rising
from the sky and turned several times around the house of Allah. It
then moved towards her house, where its huge brightness dazzled her
eyes.
She woke up and realized that the day of Islam was near.
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