KHADIJAH: THE PROPHET’S
FIRST COMPANION
The Prophet of Islam married a total of eleven women during his lifetime. These women are honoured with the title Mothers of the Believers. His first wife was Khadijah bint Khuwaylid. She was not only his first wife but also the first person to embrace Islam.
Khadijah was a wealthy woman who lived in Makkah as a widow. During this period, she entrusted the Prophet of Islam with her trade goods and sent him on a business trip to Syria. This arrangement, following the customs of the time, was based on a financial agreement. Upon his return, the Prophet reported profits greater than what others had earned. Khadijah, being noble and appreciative, rewarded him with double the usual payment—two camels instead of one.
Impressed by his honesty and conduct, she grew inclined toward him. Through an elderly woman of Makkah, she sent him a proposal of marriage. At that time, the Prophet was under the guardianship of his uncle, Abu Talib. After consulting him, the Prophet accepted the proposal. Abu Talib officiated the marriage in the presence of family members. At the time, Khadijah was 40 years old, and the Prophet was 25.
When the Prophet turned 40, the angel Gabriel came to him in the Cave of Hira and delivered the first revelation, informing him that God had appointed him as His Messenger. Upon returning home, the Prophet shared this extraordinary experience first with Khadijah. Being intelligent and upright, she had no hesitation in affirming the truth of his experience.
Afterward, Khadijah wrapped herself in a cloak and went to her cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal, who had embraced Christianity and studied the Torah and the Gospel. When she told him what the Prophet had experienced in the cave, Waraqah replied, “O Khadijah, if what you say is true, then this is the same noble angel (Namus Akbar) who came to Moses. Indeed, Muhammad is the prophet of this nation.” (Seerah Ibn Hisham, Vol. 1, p. 238)
Until then, Khadijah had only been his wife. From that point on, she became his partner in the prophetic mission. She supported him in every possible way, handed over all her wealth to him, and endured every hardship by his side. She even spent three extremely difficult years with him in the valley of Abu Talib. Yet not once did she utter a word of complaint.
According to Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, Abu Hurairah reported that one day in Makkah, the angel Gabriel came to the Prophet and said:
“O Messenger of God, Khadijah is coming to you with a dish of food. When she arrives, convey to her greetings of peace from her Lord and from me. And give her the glad tidings of a palace in Paradise made of pearls, where there will be no noise and no fatigue.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 3820; Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2433)
This glad tidings came at a time when the Quraysh were severely harassing the Prophet, and Khadijah suffered alongside him. They would create disturbances near their home, place thorns in the Prophet’s path, and subject them both to various forms of harm. Khadijah’s previously peaceful and comfortable life had been upended. Her marriage to the Prophet was not simply a union—it was a conscious decision to share a life of struggle and hardship.
It was during this difficult period that she received this divine assurance. Through it, God directly comforted her, letting her know that although people were troubling her in this world, she had no reason to worry. In the eternal life of the Hereafter, a peaceful and luxurious palace made of pearls awaited her—free from all noise and distress.
Khadijah received this reward because she lived a life of unwavering loyalty to the Prophet of Islam. She never once expressed dissatisfaction or doubt. When he declared his prophethood, she immediately believed him without hesitation. She remained his steadfast companion in his mission until the very end.
