Khadijah Bint Khawaylid Radiallahu Anha – Part 1

The strength of character and noble qualities of Khadijah Radiallahu Ta’aala Anha earned her the honor of being greeted by Allah Ta’aala through his Angel Jibril Alaihis Salaam.

An image of faithfulness, integrity, truth, modest good manners and nobility; generous, wise and understanding, nurtured in an atmosphere of wealth and luxury. She was the first person to have an abiding faith in the utterances of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam and to accept Islam as her religion and her way of life. She was blessed with the distinction of having been greeted with salaam by Allah Ta’aala and the Angel Jibril Alaihis Salaam.

She was the first lady ever to be so honored. She was the first wife of the Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam, and he did not marry again during her lifetime. They lived together in peace and harmony for more than 24 years. It was in her house that the Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam received the revelations of Allah Ta’aala through the Angel Jibril Alaihis Salaam During the siege that Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam underwent in Makkah, in the Shi’ab Abi Talib, she was there by his side, constantly supportive and sacrificing all the comforts of life. Radiallahu Anha

When she passed away, Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam was heartbroken at the loss of a dedicated companion who stood by him during the most difficult period of his life. He personally supervised the preparation of her grave, and climbed down into it to check it out. He then lowered her body into the grave himself. Thus ended the life of the lady who was the greatest supporter of Islam in its earliest days.

She who was the mother of Fatimah Radiallahu Anha, the First Lady of Paradise, the grand mother of the beloved grandchildren of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam ‘ Hasan and Hussain Radiallahu Anhuma who are to be the foremost of the youths in Paradise. ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas Radiallahu Anhu, narrated that one day Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam drew four lines on the earth and asked his Companions if they understood what these lines stood for. They respectfully replied that he knows better. He then told them that these lines stood for the four foremost ladies of the universe. They were Khadijah bint Khawaylid, Fatimah bint Muhammad, Maryam bint Imran, the mother of Isa Alaihis Salaam and ‘Asiah bint Mazahim (the wife of Firoun).

The first named has the distinction of being the mother of all the believers, or practicing Muslims; the second Fatimah, the daughter of the Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam was given the glad tidings that she would be the leader among the women of Paradise. Maryam Alaihas Salaam , the Pure and Chaste is the only woman to have given birth to ‘Isa Alaihis Salaam’, a Prophet of Allah Ta’aala without having been touched by any man.

‘Asiah the long suffering and righteous wife of the evil Firoun had advised her husband to adopt the infant Moosa Alaihis Salaam. This was at a time when infanticide was the law of the land. All the newborn boys of the tribe of Israel were being murdered because of the prediction that one of them would finally overthrow Firoun and destroy him. She not only nurtured him in the very palace of Firoun, but also was one of the first to accept Islam, as preached by Moosa Alaihis Salaam.

‘Aishah  Radiallahu Anha, narrates that whenever Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam talked about Khadijah RadiAllah Ta’aalau Anha, it was in terms of the highest praise. One day her innate feminine envy overtook her sense of decorum and she spoke in disparaging terms of her, wondering why Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam missed her when he was blessed with a better, younger wife by Allah Ta’aala.

This displeased him, but forbearing as he was, he just sighed and answered,

“I have not yet found a better wife than her. She had faith in me when everyone, even members of my own family and tribe did not believe me, and accepted that I was truly a Prophet and a Messenger of Allah Ta’aala. She converted to Islam, spent all her wealth and worldly goods to help me spread this faith, and this too at a time when the entire world seemed to have turned against me and persecuted me. And it is through her that Allah Ta’aala blessed me with children.”

Source: Great Women of Islam