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Khadijah bint Khuwaylid

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The Wives of Muhammad

Khadijah bint Khuwaylid

Umm Salama Hind bint Abi Umayya

Zaynab bint Jahsh

Juwayriya bint al-Harith

Ramlah bint Abi-Sufyan

Safiyya bint Huyayy

Maymuna bint al-Harith

Maria al-Qibtiyya**

*succession disputed **disputed

Khadijah bint Khuwaylid or Khadija al-Kubra <ref name="ummah">http://www.ummah.net/khoei/khadija.htm</ref> (Arabic: خديجة‎ ) (555 or 565 <ref name="ummah"/> or 570 to 619 or 623 <ref name="ummah"/>) was the first wife of the Prophet Muhammad. Khadijah al-Kubra, the daughter of Khuwaylid ibn Asad and Fatimah bint Za'idah, belonged to the clan of Banu Asad of the tribe of Banu Quraish. She became the first convert to Islam, man or woman.

1 Biography
2 Family
3 Legacy
- 3.1 Sunni view
- 3.2 Shi'a view
4 Relatives
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Since her age of birth is calculated from her age of marriage to Muhammad, her date of birth is also disputed and is thought of as somewhere between 555 CE and 570 CE.

Her father was Asad ibn Abd-al-Uzza and her mother was Fatima bint Za'ida ibn al-Asam of Banu Amir ibn Luayy ibn Ghalib, a distant relative of Muhammad, who died around 575 CE. <ref name="ummah"/> Her father died in 585 CE. <ref name="ummah"/>

It is said, that when Quraysh's trade caravans gathered to embark upon their lengthy and arduous journey either to Syria during the summer or to Yemen during the winter, Khadija's caravan equalled the caravans of all other traders of Quraysh put together. <ref name="ummah"/>

Although the society in which Khadija was born was a very male chauvinistic one, she earned two titles: Ameerat-Quraysh, Princess of Quraysh, and al-Tahira, the Pure One. <ref name="ummah"/>

While some deny that she had previous husbands, <ref> This is not a unanimous opinion amongst Muslim historians and many have said that these narrations of Khadija [a]'s previous marriages are fabricated reports. Their findings instead are that Khadija [a] was in fact never married until she became the Prophet [s]'s wife; and that the daughters in her care (Zaynab, Rukayya, Umm Kulthum) were in fact her deceased sister's orphans that she took under her care. For example, see: [1] [2] (google cache acceced 2006-07-12)</ref> other sources state that after her first husband Abu Halah ibn Zurarah (al-Taminia) of Banu Adi <ref name="ummah"/> died, she married Ateeq ibn Aidh. <ref name="ummah"/>

It is believed by some, that both her previous husbands had died in wars and both were from Banu Makhzum. <ref name="ummah"/>

It is said that when her second husband also died, she was sought for marriage by many honorable and highly respected men of the Arabian peninsula, throughout which she was quite famous due to her business dealings but she was afraid of becoming widowed yet again. <ref name="ummah"/>

Khadijah (who was a businesswoman) needed the services of an honest individual to manage her trade. At that time, Muhammad who was 22 years of age, was recommended as a suitable choice for the job by several notable people of Mecca. Due to his success in various commercial related ventures, Khadijah prospered in her business. <ref name="islamiat"> Muhammad, Farkhanda Noor. Islamiat for Students. Revised Edition 2000: pp. 74-75.</ref>

It is said that she used to feed and clothe the poor, assist her relatives financially and even provide for the marriage of those of her kin, who could not otherwise have had means to marry. <ref name="ummah"/>

[edit] Marriage with Muhammad — 595

With the passage of time, her admiration for Muhammad developed into a deeper affection. When he was 25 years old, she proposed the idea of marriage to him. After he accepted the offer, she married her employee in the year 595 CE. <ref name="islamiat"/>

Her age at the time of her marriage to Muhammad is disputed. While it is traditionally thought of as 40, <ref> Pickthall, Mohammed Marmaduke. The Meaning of the Glorious Koran. Times Mirror: pp. viiii.</ref> <ref name="islamiat"/> some historians allege that she was 25, while others claim that she was 28. <ref name="Gracious ">Fatima The Gracious page 29</ref>

[edit] Islam — 610

When her husband was said to have received his first revelation from the Angel Gabriel, she was the first person — among both male and females — to convert to Islam. According to some sources, it was Khadijah's parental cousin, Waraqah ibn Nawfal, who informed Muhammad of his prophethood soon after his vision of the angel. [3]

She remained at his side and supported him throughout his mission to spread Islam.

[edit] Death — 619 or 623

Muhammad took no other wife until after her death, out of his love for her. The year of her death is known as the Year of Sorrow, because of the devastation that it caused him and it was also the same year in which his uncle and guardian Abu Talib died. She was either 58 or 65 years old. <ref name="ummah"/> Her body was buried in Mecca. <ref name="islamiat"/>

[edit] Family

She had a total of six children: two sons and four daughters.

All six children were born before Muhammad started preaching Islam. The first son, Qasim ibn Muhammad, died when he was two. Muhammad was nicknamed Abu Qasim, meaning the father of Qasim. The younger son was named Abdullah.

Certain Shi'a historians argue that some of her daughters were from her previous marriage, while Sunnis insist that all her children were by Muhammad. <ref>Genealogy of Khadijah's Daughters</ref>

Her oldest daughter Zainab embraced Islam before her husband and migrated from Mecca to Medina; she died in about 630 CE. Her other two daughters, Ruqayya and Umm Khulthum, were wed to two sons of Muhammad's uncle and a bitter enemy, Abu Lahab, who is condemned in chapter 111 of the Qur'an. Both daughters were divorced in retaliation after Muhammad started preaching Islam. Ruqayya married Uthman ibn Affan, who later became the third caliph and she migrated with him to the city of Axum in Ethiopia, when Muslims were being persecuted in Mecca. She later returned to Medina and died around 624 CE. Uthman then wed her sister Umm Khulthum, who died in about 631 CE, without children. Her fourth daughter Fatima was married to Ali ibn Abi Talib, who later became the fourth caliph.

One Shi'a source states that:

By her first husband, she gave birth to a son who was named after his father Hind and who came to be one of the greatest sahabah (companions of the Holy Prophet). He participated in both battles of Badr and Uhud, and he is also famous for describing the Prophet's physique; he was martyred during the Battle of the Camel in which he fought on the side of Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib, although some historians say that he died in Basrah. All biography accounts describe Hind as an outspoken orator, a man of righteousness and generosity, and one who took extreme caution while quoting the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). Besides him, Khadija gave birth by Abu Halah to two other sons: al-Tahir, and, of course, Halah, who is not very well known to historians despite the fact that his father is nicknamed after him. <ref name="ummah"/>