Khadeejah bint Khuwailid (RA)- I

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Revelation began during His (SAW) marriage with Khadeejah (RA)

• It is reported on the authority of Urwah bin Az-Zubair from Aishah (RA) that the commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah’s Messenger (SAW) was in the form of good dreams which came true like bright daylight, and then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him.
• He (SAW) used to go in seclusion in the cave of Hira where he used to worship (Allah alone) continuously for many days before his desire to see his family.
• He (SAW) used to take food for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadeejah (RA) to take his food again till suddenly, the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira.
• The angel came to him and asked  him to read. The Prophet (SAW) replied: “I do not know how to read.”
• The Prophet added: The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied: “I do not know how to read”
• Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied: “I do not know how to read.”
• Thereupon, he caught me for the third time and pressed me, then he released me and said:

Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists), He has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood). Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous, (96:1-3)

• Then the Messenger of Allah (SAW) fled from the cave, but when he was halfway down the mountain, he heard a voice in the heaven saying: “O Muhammad! You are the Messenger of Allah and I am Gabriel.” He looked upwards and saw Gabriel (AS) in the form of a man, putting his feet on the horizon. He said: “O Muhammad! You are the Messenger of Allah and I am Gabriel (AS).”
• He stopped and looked at him, but Gabriel (AS) neither advanced nor retreated. The Prophet (SAW) turned his gaze from the horizon, but no matter which way he looked, he saw him.

Khadeejah (RA), a picture of loyalty and serenity

• The Prophet (SAW) returned to Khadeejah (RA) in a state of fright, his heart trembling with fear, and said: “Wrap me up! Wrap me up!” So they wrapped him up until the terror had departed from him, then he informed Khadeejah (RA) of what had happened and said to her: “I was afraid for myself.”
• She  consoled him by saying: “No! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your kith and kin, help the poor and needy, serve your guests generously and assist those afflicted with calamity who deserve to be helped.“

The effect of Khadeejah’s (RA) words

• These soothing and encouraging words of sympathy and understanding from Khadeejah (RA) gave him immeasurable strength and confidence.
• His (SAW) onward experiences of revelation became easy for him due to the support and comfort of his beloved wife.

Waraqah- Khadeejah’s (RA) cousin

• Khadeejah (RA) took him to her cousin Waraqah bin Nawful bin Asad bin Abdul Uzza, who, used to write in Hebrew letters. He was an old man who had lost his eyesight.
• Khadeejah (RA) said to Waraqah: “Listen to the story of your nephew, O my cousin!” Waraqah asked: “O my nephew! What have you seen?” The Messenger of Allah (SAW) described what he had seen. He said. “By Him in Whose Hand is the soul of Waraqah, An- Namus Al-Akbar (The bringer of revelation, the angel Gabriel) who used to come to Moses has come to him. I wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people would turn you out.”
• The Messenger of Allah (SAW) asked: “Will they drive me out?”  Waraqah replied in the affirmative and said: “Anyone who bought something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I should remain alive till the day when you will be turned out, I would support you strongly.” But after few days Waraqah died and the Divine Inspiration was also paused for a while.” (Bukhari)

Khadeejah’s home a Centre of Islam

• Khadeejah (RA) was an ideal wife and mother.
• She supported the Messenger of Allah (SAW), strengthening him, encouraging him, supporting him with her ideas, her wealth and her sincere affection.
• She believed in the Prophet (SAW) and in the Message he bought.
• The Prophet (SAW) lived in her house which became a blessed place due to his presence and the fact that Gabriel (AS) came often to visit him there with Quranic revelations.
• It became the centre of Islam, where the companions and women companions visited often to partake of the hospitality of Muhammad (SAW) and his wife Khadeejah (RA).

The Prophet’s Praise for Khadeejah (RA)

• Khadeejah (RA) had a special place in the heart of the Messenger of Allah (SAW).
• He used to say good things about her, praising her, acknowledging her virtues and how she had stood by him at the start of his Mission and how she had strengthened and supported him.
• Aishah (RA) said:  I did not feel jealousy towards any of the Prophet’s wives as I did towards Khadeejah. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) would almost never leave the house without mentioning Khadeejah and he would praise her highly. One day, he mentioned her and I was overcome by jealousy and I said: “Was she anything more than an old woman? Allah has given you in her place one better than she.” Upon hearing this, the Prophet (SAW) became extremely angry and said:

  “No, by Allah, Allah has not given me one better than she! She believed in me when the people disbelieved, she believed me when the people belied me, she shared her wealth with me when the people prevented me and Allah blessed me with children from her when the (other) women did not give me any.”

  Aishah (RA) said to herself: “I will never say anything bad about her.”

Khadeejah (RA) Death

• She passed away just three years before the hijrah.
• She died at the age of sixty five, having given twenty five years to Muhammad (SAW) and the cause of Islam.
• When Muhammad (SAW) saw her in the throes of death, he consoled her saying, Allah has so ordained it, and that the thing she was dreading, would prove favorable for her.
• Her eyes lit up and as she gazed at her beloved husband, her soul left her earthly body.

The Prophet (SAW) buries his beloved Wife

• Khadeejah (RA) grave was prepared at a place called Hujjoon near Makkah.
• Muhammad (SAW) himself stepped into the grave to see that everything was as it should be, and with his own hands lowered her gently into it.
• Thus passed away the Mother of all Muslims, the one who had sacrificed her all for Islam.

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