Mary the mother of Jesus is the best of women of the Heavens, and the worthiest woman of the earth is Khadija bint Khuwaylid.

Khadija al-Kubra رضی اللہ عنھا was the wife of the Prophet ﷺ. Her full name was Khadija bint Khuwaylid. She was given the title, al-Kubra, because of her virtue and nobility. She was also called Sayyida, the great lady, Tahira, pure and Jayyidah, insightful.

Her father’s names was Kuwaylid, he was was regarded highly in the Arabian peninsula and sat with Abdul Muttalib, chief of the Hashimites. Her grandfather’s house was just nine meters away from the Kaabah. 

Khadija alongside some of her relatives and others in the peninsula were Hanifs. the Hanifis sought the truth and rejected false idols. They were aware of the Abrahamic Lord and awaited the Prophet ﷺ in these lands.

Khadija previous marriages

Prior to marrying the Prophet ﷺ, Khadija had been a widow with three children. Both her husbands were merchants, so she inerited their businesses. She continued the family business by organising caravans for multiple merchants.

Marriage to the Prophet ﷺ

After some time, she started to have dreams of an illuminated person and signs that a Prophet is to come. On one occasion, when they were at the Ka‘bah, a Jew came and called them, saying: “O women of Taymā’, a Prophet ﷺ will appear in this era, so whoever wants to become his wife, then let her do so.” The women started to laugh except Khadija, she took the news seriously. She continued having dreams so much that she knew the Prophet ﷺ will be a Hashimi Qurayshi. When she assessed all the men of the Hashimi clan, only Muhammed ibn Abdullah had potential traits of a Prophet ﷺ so she started observing his behaviour.

One day, Khadija was planning her next caravan to Damascus. She needed someone to lead and manage the caravan on her behalf as well as conduct her personal business whilst out there. The Prophet’s uncle, Abu Talib heard about this opportunity so he encouraged the Prophet ﷺ to step up and lead the caravan. 

Abu Talib proposed the Prophet ﷺ as the best man for the job. Khadija immediately accepted. Abu Talib requested double the rate for the Prophet ﷺ due to his honesty, nobility and uprightness. Khadija replied, if you asked for more, I would have accepted. This also meant she can now assess this man Muhammad. She sent her slave Maysara to personally assist the Prophet. He was to also report back everything he saw regarding the Prophet with regards to his conduct and dealings.

Maysara fed back everything. One particular event he notes is a heated exchange whilst the Prophet ﷺ was negotiating a deal. The other person asked the Prophet ﷺ to swear upon Lat and Uzza, to which he would not. In the end the man gave up and the Prophet ﷺ walked away with the deal on his terms. As the Prophet ﷺ walked away, the man stopped Maysara and asked who is that man!? The one who won’t swear on Lat and Uzza when the rest of us do, even in vain. Before Maysara could answer, the man said, ‘he must be a Prophet!’

On their journey back to Mecca, they stopped by a tree (currently in Jordan) and the Prophet ﷺ rested there. Before long, a Monk called Nestor ran up to the caravan, and asked who is that man resting under that tree? They told him his name, lineage and that he was a merchant. The Monk said, “No! Verily that man is a Prophet!” The Monk enquired more about the Prophet ﷺ, and after each statement he confirmed that this is surely the coming Prophet ﷺ and his finality. The Monk then went to the Prophet ﷺ and kissed his forehead, telling him, he is the promised Prophet mentioned in the Torah.

When they came back to Mecca and the accounts were done, they had doubled in profits so it was a successful business trip. Khadija was happy but was more ecstatic about Maysara’s Feedback. Maysara only had the best things to say. Khadija shared this with her cousin and mentor, the knowledgeable Waraqa bin Nawfal.

Khadija knew Muhammad will be a Prophet ﷺ one day so in order to serve the esteemed Prophet, she wanted to be his wife. Her friend Nafisa bint Munya saw anxiety upon her face so asked what is it worrying you? Khadija spoke about marriage to which Nafisa said, “You have rejected many proposals, you have stated you do not want marriage any more.” Khadija then told her about Muhammad bin Abdullah and his virtues. She wanted to marry him. Nafisa at once said, I’ll speak to Muhammad.

She said to the Prophet ﷺ, ” O Muhammad, what is stopping you from marrying!?” the Prophet ﷺ replied, “Financial means.” Nafisa told him not to worry about finance and wealth but think about the virtue of a woman he would want to marry. She then proposed Khadija to which the Prophet ﷺ was silent, but it was a silent approval. She didn’t tell him Khadija was interested in marrying him, but that they should both visit her. The Prophet ﷺ preferred to discuss it with his elders to get their permission and blessing instead of approaching Khadija directly. Abu Talib and Hamza proposed the Prophet ﷺ to Khadija’s uncle, Amr ibn Asad. Both families were of nobility so they accepted the proposal. The Prophet ﷺ gave a dowry of 500 dirhams, and Khadija was so joyed, she did not leave anybody out of the wedding reception. She also invited the Prophet’s ﷺ wet nurse, Halima Sadia and gave her gifts when she left the reception. After the marriage, Khadija bought a house from her cousin in the Ajyad Mountain pass and she lived here with the Prophet ﷺ for the next 25 years.

Her Children

Khadija already had three children from her previous marriages. She had six children with the Prophet ﷺ. The first was a boy called Qasim, hence the Prophet ﷺ was also called Abul Qasim, he died around one years old. Then she had a daughter called Zaynab. Then Khadija gave birth to two more daughters, Ruqayya and Umm Kulthum. The fifth child was Fatima who was born when the Prophet ﷺ was 35. The sixth child of Khadija was a boy called ‘Abdullah (also called Tahir), he died in infancy.

Other than these children there were others who were part of the household. Ali bin Talib, Zayd bin Haritha, Hind the son of Khadija, Zubair ibn Awaam who would often stay with the Prophet and there may have been several others.

Some Anecdotes

Afif Kindi relates that ‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul Muttalib was a great friend of his and he used to visit him often in Yemen in connection with his business in perfumes. On one occasion when they were standing and chatting in Mina, they saw a handsome young man approach. He carefully washed his hands and feet and then stood respectfully with his arms crossed on his breast. Soon a dignified lady of noble bearing and a young boy also joined him. ‘Afif asked ‘Abbas what they were doing and whether this was a new form of exercise. ‘Abbas replied that the youth was his brother ‘Abdullah’s son, and the lady was his wife. She was a woman of great wealth and virtue, and an ideal wife and mother. The child was his brother Abu Talib’s son, Ali. Afif loved what he saw and was eager to know more about this new deen, but he never got the chance to enquire or accept Islam. Later when he became Muslim, he often recalled his regret of having the chance of being the first Muslim.

On one occasion Khadija was on her way to take food and drink to the Prophet ﷺ. Jibril was with the Prophet ﷺ so he told him to tell her, Allah conveys greeting to you and give her glad tidings and that she will have a castle made of pearls in heaven, a place of no conflict and no fatigue. But instead of rejoicing and taking a back seat and letting this glad tiding distract her, she continued to be a devout Muslim and wife of the Prophet ﷺ.

When the Prophet ﷺ used to preach in Mecca, he used to host dinners to invite people to Islam. Khadija would cook and pay for these dinners from her own money. 

Aisha used to say, the Prophet ﷺ used to mention Khadija often, so much that she sometimes used to get jealous. When the Prophet ﷺ would sacrifice an animal, he would also share with Khadija’s friends. One day, Khadija’s sister, Hala was at the door. Her voice and mannerisms resembled Khadija so much that the Prophet ﷺ thought Khadija has arrived. Aisha spoke out to why he remembers her so much since she is gone now. The Prophet ﷺ said because of her sacrifice to the deen, “When the people denied me she believed me. When they called me a liar, she affirmed me. When they deprived me, she supported me with her wealth. And she gave me many children.” She was worthy of remembrance.

Many years later, when Zaynab sent something to ransom her husband imprisoned in Madina, she sent her mothers necklace. On receiving it, the Prophets remembered Khadija and teared up.

Khadija died in 9AH during the end of the Boycott. Her grave was prepared at a place called Hujjun, also called Jannat al-Mu’alla.

The best of the women of Paradise are Khadījah bint Khuwaylid, Fāŧimah bint Muħammad, Āsiyah bint Muzāħim (the wife of Pharoah), and Maryam the daughter of ‘Imrān, may Allah be pleased with them.