Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid

Khadeejahwas the first wife of the Prophet,, the mother of his
children, the best of his wives and the first to believe in him. Her
name wasUmmHind Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid ibn Asad ibn 'Abd Al-'Uzzaa
ibn Qusayy. She was fromBanu Asad, a branch ofQuraysh, and her mother
wasFaatimah bint Zaa'idah, fromBanu'Aamir ibn Lu'ayy, a branch of
theQuraysh.
She was born inMakkah, and grew up in a noble home. Her father died
during theAl-Fijaarwar.
Before marrying the Prophet,, she was married to two Arab leaders. The
first wasAbu Haalah ibn Zuraarah ibn An-NabbaashfromBanu Tameem, who
was the father of her daughtersHindandHaalah. The second was'Ateeq ibn
'Aa'ith ibn 'Umar ibn Makhzoom, who was the father of her daughterHind
bint 'Ateeq.
Khadeejahhad a successful business and her commercial caravans
travelled betweenMakkahandMadeenah. She would also hire men and give
them money to invest it for her in trade. The Prophet,, was one of
those who dealt with her in such a manner. She sent him in the company
of her slaveMaysarahto Ash-Shaam)greater Syria( on a business trip.
When they came back,Maysarahtold her about the manners of the
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,Hamzah ibn 'Abd Al-Muttalibmet her uncle'Amr ibn Asad
ibn 'Abd Al-'Uzzaaasking for her hand to his nephewMuhammad,. Their
marriage was consummated fifteen years before he was commissioned as a
Prophet, when he,, was twenty five years old andKhadeejahwas forty.
The couple were blessed with six children:Al-Qaasim, 'Abdullaah,
Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm KulthoomandFaatimah.
Khadeejahloved the Prophet,, very much and would do whatever pleased
him. She even gave him her servantZayd ibnHaarithahwhen she saw his
fondness for him.
One of the first examples of her support for the Prophet,, was when he
sawJibreel)Gabriel(for the first time. He was terrified and went
toKhadeejahand said:"Cover me! Cover me!"When his fear had subsided,
he said:"I feared that something terrible would happen to
me."Khadeejahreplied,"Never! By Allaah, Allaah will never fail you.
You maintain the ties of kinship, you speak the 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 him
that Allaah The Almighty had chosen him to be the final of the
Messengers.
She did not hesitate for a moment to accept hisDa'wah)call(, thus
becoming the first person to have faith in and believe in him. She
supported him in the course of hisDa'wahand consequently, the
Prophet,, gave her the glad tidings of a house in Paradise built of
pearls wherein there will be neither noise nor fatigue.
]Al-BukhaariandMuslim[
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 with her love."]Muslim[
The Prophet,, was very faithful to her to the extent that he would be
extremely generous and kind to her friends, even after her death.
He,, also said thatKhadeejahwas 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-BukhaariandMuslim[
Khadeejahdied three years before theHijrah)emigration( and the
ascension of the Prophet,, to the heavens, at sixty five years of age.
She was buried inAl-Hajoon, leaving behind a great legacy and an
eventful life which history could never forget.