Khadijah bint Khuwaylid: The First Believer

Among all the women of Islamic history, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid occupies a place of singular honor. She was the first person — man or woman — to accept the message of Islam. She was the Prophet's ﷺ greatest support in his most vulnerable moments. She was a successful merchant whose business acumen enabled a remarkable independent life in a society that confined most women to domestic roles. And she was, by the Prophet's ﷺ own testimony, one of the four greatest women who ever lived.

Her Life Before Islam

Khadijah was born in Makkah around 555 CE into the respected clan of Asad, a branch of the Quraysh tribe. Her father Khuwaylid ibn Asad was a successful merchant, and after his death, Khadijah took over the management of a thriving trading enterprise. She employed agents to travel the trade routes to Syria and Yemen, managing her caravans with a competence and shrewdness that earned her a reputation throughout the Hijaz. She was known among the Quraysh as al-Tahirah — "the Pure One" — for her dignity, moral character, and generosity.

She had been married twice before and was widowed twice, left with children and a substantial business to manage. When she heard of a young man of Makkah known for his extraordinary trustworthiness and called al-Amin — the Trustworthy — she proposed to employ him to lead her caravan to Syria. That young man was Muhammad ibn Abdullah, who was twenty-five years old; Khadijah was approximately forty.

The Marriage and Its Meaning

When Muhammad ﷺ returned from Syria with profitable results and reports of his honest dealing, Khadijah took the remarkable step of proposing marriage to him — through an intermediary, as custom required. The Prophet ﷺ accepted. By all accounts, it was a marriage of genuine love, deep respect, and complete partnership. They would be married for twenty-five years, until her death, and in all that time the Prophet ﷺ took no other wife. The significance of this monogamy in a society where wealthy men routinely maintained multiple wives speaks to the depth of their bond.

Khadijah bore the Prophet ﷺ six children: two sons, Qasim and Abdullah (both of whom died in infancy), and four daughters: Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthum, and Fatimah. It is through Fatimah that the Prophet's ﷺ lineage continues to the present day.

The First Revelation and the First Believer

When the Prophet ﷺ descended from the Cave of Hira in a state of trembling after the first revelation from the angel Jibreel, it was Khadijah who held him, wrapped him in a cloak, and spoke words of calm certainty: "By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously, and assist those afflicted by calamity." (Bukhari, Muslim)

She then took him to her cousin Waraqa ibn Nawfal, a learned Christian scholar of the scriptures, who confirmed that what Muhammad ﷺ had experienced was the same revelation that had come to Moses. Khadijah was the first person to accept the Prophet ﷺ as the Messenger of Allah — before Abu Bakr, before Ali, before any man or woman on earth. Her faith was total, immediate, and unwavering.

Her Support During the Years of Persecution

The years following the first revelation were years of hardship, ridicule, and increasing persecution for the early Muslim community. Khadijah's wealth, social standing, and fierce loyalty were critical protections for the Prophet ﷺ and his followers. She spent her fortune in support of the new faith. When the Quraysh imposed a social and economic boycott on the Muslims and their allies, it was Khadijah's resources that helped sustain the community through privation.

The Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said: "She believed in me when people denied me. She helped me with her wealth when people withheld from me. And Allah provided me with children through her when He withheld children from my other wives." (Ahmad)

Her Death and the Year of Sorrow

Khadijah died in 619 CE, in the tenth year after the first revelation, at approximately sixty-five years of age. Her death devastated the Prophet ﷺ. The same year saw the death of his uncle and protector Abu Talib — the two pillars of his support removed within months of each other. Islamic tradition refers to this year as Am al-Huzn — the Year of Sorrow.

Allah Himself honored her through revelation: the Angel Jibreel came to the Prophet ﷺ saying that Allah sent His greetings of peace (salam) to Khadijah and gave her glad tidings of a house of pearl in Paradise (Bukhari, Muslim). The Prophet ﷺ continued to honor her memory throughout his life, becoming visibly moved whenever her name was mentioned. Aisha reported: "I was never more jealous of any of the Prophet's wives than of Khadijah, though she had died before he married me." (Bukhari)