Inspirational Women Throughout History – Khadijah Bint Khuwaylid (ra)

This post is about the woman that I love most, who has been my role model for most of my life, Khadijah (ra). Out of all the women I want to share with you, her post will be the most difficult for me to write because once I start talking about her, I just can’t stop. I have spent so long learning about her life that I have SO MUCH I want to say about her.

She was an extraordinary woman in so many ways, a successful businesswoman, a wife, a mother, a leader, the first Muslim, a woman promised paradise. Who was given the honour of receiving salaam from Allah himself through Jibreel. If there was only one person throughout history that I could meet, it would be her.

She was a unique woman especially in pre-Islamic Arabia. Not only was she a successful businesswoman. She owned the most successful and wealthiest business in all of Quraysh. If you put her caravans next to the caravans of every other caravan of Quraysh, hers would be more. She became known as the Princess of Quraysh.

But being so wealthy and having such a high position in society didn’t make her arrogant or proud, she was known for being humble and generous with her wealth. She had a green silk pavilion over the roof of her home which was a sign for the poor and needy that they could go to her to get help.

She had been married and widowed twice by the age of 25 and then didn’t marry for 15years. When she did decide to marry, she proposed to him, who would eventually become the Prophet (saw). She told him that she fell for him because of his noble character and truthful tongue. And of course, their marriage is a love story for the ages.

Even after she married the Prophet (saw), he continued to work for her and they had a wonderful marriage. They were a very prominent couple in society, he was known as Amin (the truthful one) and she was known as Taherah (the pure one) and they were very involved in society. They adopted orphaned kids alongside raising their own. She continued to prosper in her business.

After revelation came to the Prophet (saw) their circumstances changed as they were shunned from society along with everyone else who became Muslim and when the tribes boycotted the Muslims and people began dying from thirst and starvation she used up all her wealth to buy as much food as she could to distribute to those suffering and eventually died as a result of the boycott. She was in her 60s by then and when she passed away that year became known as the year of sorrow because of how much it affected the Prophet (saw).

She was a woman who was smart and resourceful, she was a kind and generous person who helped those in need and she made a huge impact in society and history because it was through her support and faith in the Prophet (saw) that helped him to spread the message about Islam. She was instrumental in the beginning and despite her never having lived long enough after revelation to fast Ramadan or pray the 5 daily prayers she has the highest status in Islam and the Prophet (saw) said that four women perfected their faith and she was among those four.

You can also read my first post about Nusaybah here

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