THE STORY OF HAZRAT KHADIJAH

Khadijah (555-619) was a noble lady of Makkah. She was well known all around for her good nature and wealth. Like the Prophet Muhammad, she belonged to the tribe of the Quraysh. They had a common great-grandfather who was called Qusayy ibn Kilab. This is how they both were a part of the same big family. Khadijah was a 40-year-old wealthy widow when she married Prophet Muhammad.

The Prophet of Islam and Khadijah had six children, two boys and four girls. Both the boys, Qasim and Abdullah, died when they were still babies. The four daughters, Zaynab, Ruqayya, Umm Kulthum, and Fatima, grew up into beautiful young girls and were married when the time came. After his marriage to Khadijah, the Prophet started to spend more and more time thinking. There were many questions to which he tried to find an answer:

“Who is the being that has made the earth, the heavens, and everything between them? How did man come into being? Why was he placed on earth? How should he live on earth? What is life? What is death? And what will happen to man after he dies?”

After years of seeking the truth, God showered His mercy on him and quenched his thirst for truth. He was visited by an angel in a cave called Hira. Here, he was blessed with prophethood. However, this experience in the Cave of Hira shook the Prophet to his core. He did not know what to make of it. Disturbed and frightened, he went straight home and told Khadijah about the incident. He said: “Khadijah, I do not understand what has happened to me. I am worried about my life.” Seeing him trembling in shock and distress, Khadijah put a blanket over him and comforted him, saying: "God will never let you down. You are kind to your family. You are truthful. You help people in need and people experiencing poverty. You gladly welcome anybody who comes as a guest to your house. You follow the way of truth and justice.” (Al-Seerah al Nabwiyah by Ibn Kathir, Vol. 1, pp. 385-86)

Some time passed in this way. And then, one day, God commanded the Prophet: “Now the time has come to call people to Islam and preach the message openly.” (Seerah Ibn Hisham, Vol. 1, p. 262)

The Prophet realized that this was the beginning of a new era and that much would be expected of him now. He started to preach Islam full-time. He gave up his business activities, and Khadijah placed her wealth at his disposal. Her entire fortune was used up in the cause of Islam.

Khadijah gave her wealth to the cause of Islam and became personally involved in dawah work. She organized meals for the people of Makkah. This allowed her to meet them in groups, talk to them, and tell them about Islam. Some liked what they heard and joined the small group of believers.

However, not everybody liked the Prophet’s message, and many people in Makkah opposed Islam. This was especially true of the Quraysh tribe, who were the leaders of Makkah. They were scared that people would turn away from tribal traditions and would no longer listen to them. They began to be cruel to the Prophet and those who accepted Islam. They spoke rudely to them, threw dust and garbage on them when they passed their houses, and would not let them buy goods in their shops or do business with them. They would not allow them to take part in their gatherings. They spread all sorts of lies about them.

One day, the Prophet was sitting in Hira's cave and did not return home at his usual time. Khadijah became worried. She thought the Quraysh might harm him, so she sent a man to look for him. She wondered: “What could have happened to him? Why is he late?” The man she sent returned empty-handed and told her he could not find the Prophet anywhere in town. Khadijah decided to go and look for him herself. At that time, the Prophet was in the cave with the angel Gabriel. Gabriel said to the Prophet: “Khadijah is coming here. She has got some food and water for you.” And then he added: “When she comes in, give her the greetings from her Lord and tell her that there will be a house made of pearls for her in Paradise.” When Khadijah arrived, the Prophet told her: “Here is Gabriel. He is giving greetings to you from your Lord, and he is greeting you.”

Khadijah replied: “God is peace, and He is the source of all peace! May God’s peace and blessings be upon you, Messenger of God. And my greetings to Gabriel.” (Al-Nasai, Sunan Al-Kubra, Hadith No. 8301)

The hatred of the Quraysh was so intense that soon the Prophet, his wife Khadijah, their children, his uncle Abu Talib and his family, and all those who accepted Islam were forced to leave their homes in Makkah. They took refuge in an open plot of land called Shi’b Abi Talib, just outside the town. No proper houses were there, and they had to live in tents. It was like a refugee camp, and the family of the Prophet had to stay there for almost three years. They faced hunger, disease, and poverty. Sometimes, they had to eat the leaves from a tree to satisfy their hunger, for there was hardly anything else to eat.

Khadijah could have stayed on in Makkah. But she chose to stay with the Prophet in these times of trial and difficulty. Once the wealthiest lady of Makkah, Khadijah now lived in a makeshift tent under the open sky without enough food and water. But she did not complain. She bore the difficulties with great patience and endurance. Her presence supported the Prophet.

All the people in the makeshift camp lived in great poverty. They wore old clothes and slept on old blankets. They had hardly any personal belongings. Khadijah had just one wooden bucket and a mug. One day, even the mug broke. She did not have enough money to buy a new mug for herself. So, she remained patient about it. Luckily, a carpenter was passing her tent and agreed to repair it for her.

When the ban was finally lifted, the harsh treatment the believers had had to endure during the years of the ban had left them broken in mind and spirit. Their health suffered due to prolonged starvation, and many of them were sick. Khadijah’s health was not good either. She suffered great hardships and used to give all the food to her children and husband instead of eating herself. She passed away in the month of Ramadan in AD 619.