”The Prophet’s Marriage To Khadeejah (Radi Allahu anha) ”
Both her previous husbands having died, Khadeejah bint
Khuwailid (Radi Allahu anha) was a widow. She was known for her noble character, and the people of the Quraish would call her, “The Pure and Chaste One”’
She (Radi Allahu anha) was also very wealthy; she would
engage men to do business on her behalf. After she heard about
the truthfulness and trustworthiness of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) , she proposed that he do business for her in Ash-Sham, promising to
give him more than she gave to any other man who did business
for her. He (Peace be upon him) agreed and left Makkah in the company of
Maisarah, Khadija Radi Allahu anha’s servant. When Muhammad (Peace be upon him) reached Ash-
Sham, he sold the merchandise he had with him, and with the
proceeds purchased other merchandise. When all was said and
done, he had made a lot of profit for Khadeejah and she felt
that her wealth was blessed then more so than ever before.
Throughout the trip, Maisarah witnessed the
wonderful character, nobility, and truthfulness of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) ;
in addition to that, Khadijah experienced hitherto unparalleled
blessings in her wealth.
Based upon these reasons, she had a heart to heart discussion with her close friend Nafeesah bint Munabbah, telling her about the positive feelings she was having about the
Prophet (Peace be upon him) . Nafeesah went to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and proposed to him on behalf of Khadeejah(Radi Allahu anha) . The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was pleased with the proposal, but he nonetheless first went to his uncles to seek their
advice; they all agreed that he should marry her. And why
shouldn’t he marry her, for she was the noblest woman among the
Quraish; after her last husband had died, almost every Makkan
chieftain proposed to her, and she refused them all.
And so shortly thereafter the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) married her. She was the
first woman that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) married, and he didn’t
marry any other woman until she died. She gave birth to two of the
Prophet’s sons and four daughters. The two sons were Al-Qaasim
and ‘Abdullah (Radi Allahu anhu) – the latter of the two was also known by the names
of At-Taahir and At-Tayyibb.
Around the age that he was able to mount a riding animal, Al-
Qasim died. As for Abdullah (Radi Allahu anhu), he died as a child, prior to the
beginning of his father’s Prophethood. The Prophet’s daughters
were Zainab(Radi Allahu anha) , Ruqayyah(Radi Allahu anha) , Umm Khultoom(Radi Allahu anha) , and Fatimah (Radi Allahu anha)
They all embraced Islam, married, and migrated to Al-
Madeenah. When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) married Khadeejah(Radi Allahu anha) , he was twenty-five years old and she was forty.
Morals and Lessons:
1) Trustworthiness and truthfulness are the two most important
qualities of a successful businessman. They were the very two
qualities that prompted Khadeejah (Radi Allahu anha) to ask the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to
do business on her behalf. Consequently, Allah opened
many doors of goodness for her.
2) Business was one of the means through which Allah
provided sustenance for the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) prior to his
Prophethood. Later on his life, the Prophet said that, if a
Muslim businessman is both trustworthy and truthful, then he
will be resurrected among the Prophets, the truthful ones, and
the martyrs. Business is an ideal occupation for a Muslim, for a
businessman is not a slave to others; he does not always have
to succumb to the whims and desires of an employer. And it is
not he who needs people, but it is people who need him.
3) Allah decreed for the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to marry the ideal wife,
Khadeejah(Radi Allahu anha) , a wife that was both a suitable companion and a
trusted counselor and helper. Khadeejah (Radi Allahu anha) helped the Prophet (Peace be upon him) during difficult times, and participated alongside him in
spreading the message of Islam.
One who invites others to the teachings of Islam is especially in
need of a pious and good wife. Outside of the home, his days
are filled with struggle, and he faces constant opposition from
the enemies of Islam. He, therefore is in dire need, within the
home, of a partner who will comfort him and provide him with
the strength and encouragement he needs to fulfill his religious
duties.
4) The Prophet (Peace be upon him) tasted the bitterness of losing his sons, just as
previously in life, he (Peace be upon him) tasted the bitterness of losing his
parents. It was from the wisdom of Allah that none of his
sons lived past their childhood. With the death of the Prophet’s
sons, no one could then be tempted because of them, in terms
of loving them to an extreme level and claiming Prophethood
for them. Furthermore, the early deaths of the Prophet’s
children should serve as a comfort for those who aren’t blessed
with sons, and for those who are blessed with sons but lose
them at a very early age.
The death of the Prophet’s children was a form of tribulation,
and as the Prophet (Peace be upon him) made it clear, no one is tested more
severely than the Prophets. It was as if Allah wanted for
sadness and sensitivity to be part of the Prophet’s existence for a leader who has experienced hardships and tests in life, and endures them with patience and forbearance,
he is likely to then show compassion and sympathy to others
who are afflicted with hardships.
5) The story of the Prophet’s marriage to Khadeejah (Radi Allahu anha) should
make it clear to a Muslim that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was not concerned
with achieving the maximum level of physical pleasures that
men commonly strive for. Had he been preoccupied with
that, he would have, as other young men do, sought the hand
of a woman who was younger than Khadeejah (Radi Allahu anha) or at least one
who was not older than him. In choosing Khadeejah (Radi Allahu anha) as a wife,
the Prophet (Peace be upon him) showed that he was primarily concerned with
her nobility and character; after all, she was known in pre-
Islamic days as “The Pure and Chaste One.”
6) The Prophet’s married life with Khadeejah(Radi Allahu anha) refutes the claims
of those of Islam’s enemies who think that the topic of the
Prophet’s marriages provides them with a lethal weapon with
which they can attack Islam. When they talk about the Prophet , they paint the picture of a man who was obsessed with
satisfying his lusts and desires. But in reality, nothing was
further from the truth. Up until the age of 25, the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
lived a chaste life not within the confines of a puritan society,
but within a society that was replete with evil and ignorance, a
society wherein one was free to have romantic and sexual
encounters with as many women as one desired. Then when
the Prophet (Peace be upon him) did decide to marry, he married a woman
who was almost twice his age. During the next 15 years of his
life, there was no Shariah or set of laws to forbid him from
engaging in extra-marital affairs, as did other members of the
Quraish, yet he (Peace be upon him) remained faithful to Khadeejah(Radi Allahu anha) , without
even looking at any other woman, though there were many
other women that were available.
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) remained married to Khadeejah (Radi Allahu anha) until she
died at the age of 65, at a time when the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was himself
approaching old age. It is between the ages of 20 and 50 that a
man has especially strong desires for women other than his
wife; and even though the opportunities to marry other
women were available to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) , he (Peace be upon him) remained
monogamous throughout that entire period.
As for the Prophet (Peace be upon him) marrying ‘Aishah (Radi Allahu anha) later on, as well as
his other wives, each marriage had a story, a reason, and a
wisdom behind it. The story behind each marriage highlights
the wisdom and wonderful character of the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
After you finish reading this, don’t forget to send durood on our Holy Prophet Mohammad Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam and share this knowledge with your friends and family.
