Ummul Mu’minin (Mother of the Believers)—How Hazrat Khadija (RA) Exerted All Effort And Support For Her Husband’s Prophetic Mission!

By Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi, New Age Islam 11 March 2025 Note: Every year, on the 10th of Ramazan, Muslims recall the death of Khadija bint Khuwailid (SA), the first wife of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), also known as "Mother of the Believers". This article is an effort to re-discover her actual place and revisit her vital role as the first ‘patron of Islam’ and the biggest supporter of the Prophet ……… Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) lived in Mecca in the first two decades of the 7th century desert of Arabia and worked as a commercial caravan leader for a businesswoman named Khadija Bint Khuwailid. They married after Khadija came to learn that Muhammad was a man of words with magnanimous character, higher moral uprightness, trustworthiness (Amanah) and truthfulness (Sadaqah). It was Khadija herself who proposed to him to tie the knot. Historians unanimously agree that Khadija, like her husband from the upper tribe of Quraish, came from a well-respected and famed family. When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) began to receive Revelation and speak of One God, Khadija was the first to believe him. She supported her spiritually-inclined husband in every possible way—financially, emotionally, spiritually and psychologically. While the traditional business establishment turned most of the city against Muhammad, as his prophetic work and words impacted both their traditions and finances, Khadija took a clear stand and strongly stood by him. In essence, Khadija was the first believer, supporter, financer and human protector of the Prophet (PBUH). Divine protection comes most often in a human form. Muhammad (PBUH) wished to marry his cousin, the daughter of his most supportive uncle Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib before Khadija came into his life. But the marriage was not meant to be. Abu Talib was himself unwilling. The marriage proposal was disapproved of even though Muhammad (pbuh) was most endeared to Abu Talib. This makes it patently clear that sacred marriage alliances are divinely destined; they are made in heaven. The marriage between Muhammad and Khadija turned out to be heavenly as it exuded peace and a great sense of calmness, tranquillity, and serenity soon after the first divine revelation. When Gabriel/Jibril reportedly brought down the first verses of the Qur’an to Muhammad (pbuh), he began trembling with fear and wondered what was going to happen next. At this critical juncture, Muhammad immediately resorted to Khadija, and said, ‏"Cover me, cover me". Khadija covered Muhammad (pbuh) until he regained peace and comfort. Then he recounted to Khadija whatever happened to him in the cave of Hira on top of Mecca. He said he was horrified. "I fear that something may happen to me", said Muhammad (pbuh). And then Khadija tried to pacify and comfort him in these words: كَلاَّوَاللَّهِ مَا يُخْزِيكَ اللَّهُ أَبَدًا، إِنَّكَ لَتَصِلُ الرَّحِمَ، وَتَحْمِلُ الْكَلَّ، وَتَكْسِبُ الْمَعْدُومَ، وَتَقْرِي الضَّيْفَ، وَتُعِينُ عَلَى نَوَائِبِ الْحَقِّ‏.‏ "Nay, Allah will never disgrace you. Because you unite the relations, you bear the burden of the weak; you speak the truth, you help the poor and the destitute, you serve your guests generously and you assist those afflicted with a calamity." What occurred soon after the first revelation is more to the point. Khadija, in order to reassure Muhammad (pbuh) remarkably took him to her Christian paternal first cousin-brother Waraqa bin Nawfal, a man of letters well-versed in the scriptures of Moses and Jesus. This Christian scholar was the first to confirm Muhammad's prophethood. Endorsing her husband not just by herself but also by an Arabian ascetic Christian known for his literacy and erudition, significantly tells us Khadija’s deep care and consideration for her husband. Tellingly, this should be seen as vital in establishing Muhammad's prophetic position in the 7th century Bedouin Arabia. Now take a moment of silence, take a pause and ponder over this: Khadija leaves Muhammad alone as a single father of little Fatima when she passes away in 620 CE. And just two years after Khadija’s saddest demise which deeply pains Muhammad (pbuh), he was forced to flee 300 miles north to Medina. Fatima, still a girl dependent on her father, was uprooted and taken from the lovely life she knew. However, she becomes the best gift for Muhammad (pbuh) from Khadija to recall her fond memories. Perhaps this prompted him to state “Fatima is [an inseparable] part and piece of my flesh”. Thus, the inspiring prophetic mission of Muhammad (pbuh) starts off with a woman— Khadija bint Khuwaylid – a successful businesswoman and an entrepreneur of the elite class in Mecca. As the saying goes, “behind every man, there is a woman”, it was to her credit that Prophet Muhammad had the vital support in propagating a new faith tradition which was vehemently opposed to the tribal society deeply entrenched in Jahiliiya (ignorance) of the Meccan pagans. A residue of the pre-Islamic Mecca and born in an age known as the “era of ignorance”, Khadija must be credited for patronising the prophetic mission and the mystical movement of Islam. She should be recalled not just for being the ‘first believer’ but rather as the first financer, supporter, sponsor and patron of Islam. Khadija had the distinction of being not just the first wife of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) but also the mother of all progeny of the Prophet who later came to be called “Sadaat-e-Kiram” (the sacred lineage of the Prophet) across the world. But regrettably, the actual role and profound position of the first woman of Islam – and the Prophet’s first wife — is largely missing in the Muslim discourses. A woman who provided all spousal and emotional succor, spiritual solace and even financial support to the Prophet (pbuh) must be accorded a more dignified place in Islamic tradition. In fact, it was through the enormous emotional boost that Khadija provided to the Prophet (pbuh) that he passed through the hardest time of absorbing the first Quranic revelation. Surprisingly, this incident was described in spirited words by Hazrat Aisha (r.a) after the demise of Khadija Bint Khuwailid RA. Narrated Aisha Bint Abu Bakr: [After the first revelation came down] the Prophet (pbuh) resorted to his wife, Khadija. He implored: “Cover me, cover me.” She covered him and he restored calm and tranquility. He then enumerated everything that occurred in the caver of Hira to Khadija. He said he faced a sudden intense feeling of fear. Khadija, then, began to calm and pacify him: “God will never disgrace you, because you do good to the kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute (bear the burden of the weak); you speak the truth, serve your guest generously and you assist those stricken with calamities.” Notably, the two most significant Arabic phrases in this hadith text (“you assist those stricken with”) are: haqq (truthfulness) and nawa’ib (calamities or vicissitudes). According to the interpretation of Al Qastalani — 14th century scholar of hadith and Islamic theology, while haqq connotes a meaning similar to khair (righteousness), nawa’ib implies that the Prophet assisted both the righteous and the unrighteous, because the vicissitudes affect both of them. In fact, this was the mystical inclination from which his four personality traits — morality, reliability, sociability and truthfulness — were borne. Popularly known as “Al-Ameen” (trustworthy) and As-Sadiq (truthful), the Prophet was best recognized and described by his first wife Khadija, and then by Aisha Siddiqa who said: The Prophet’s character was a mirror to Qur’an”. Muhammad (pbuh) was thus best known to his wives. Khadija kept on encouraging the Prophet on pursuing his divine mission since his first exposure to the Divine Revelation — Wah’y — in the Cave of Hira. She kept on reassuring him about his humane nature and noble character so he never gives up. But during the demise of his most loving and the most beloved wife—Khadija Bint Khuwailid—Muhammad (pbuh) was broken. He felt estranged, forsaken, heartbreakingly lonely and deserted. He lost the most precious soul he dearly endeared. Thereafter, he called the year of Khadija’s death ‘A’am al-Huzn’ (the year of extreme grief and sorrow. But with his little daughter Fatima who was gifted to him as abundance of bliss (kauthar) as per the Qur’an, Prophet Muhammad was yet again boosted, emotionally and spiritually strengthened. This happened steadily as Fatima grew and was married to her cousin, Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS) who became the right hand of the Prophet throughout his prophetic journey. Muhammad’s family and followers established a new community in Medina as the message of Islam grew fast and spread widely in various parts of the world. Fatima lived for only a brief period after her father’s death in 632. But deplorably enough, within decades those who became claimants of a ‘puritanical Islam’ started to lay a monopoly over Muhammad’s mission and became deeply divided. They went to the extent of slaying Ali bin Abi Talib and later his children – Hussain bin Ali and his 72 family members – in the battlefield of Karbala. Thus they created much damage and disservice to the tireless efforts that Ummul Mo’minin (Mother of the Believers) Hazrat Khadija (RA) exerted in support of her noblest husband’s prophetic mission! ----- A Regular Columnist with Newageislam.com, Ghulam Rasool Dehlvi is an Indo-Islamic scholar, Sufi poet and English-Arabic-Urdu-Hindi writer with a background in a leading Sufi Islamic seminary in India. He is currently serving as Head of International Affairs at Voice for Peace & Justice, Jammu & Kashmir. 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