Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (may Allah be pleased with her) was the first wife of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). She was also the first person to believe in his message. When the revelation began and he came home shaken, she was the one who calmed him, believed him and stood by him.
This guide tells her journey of faith: the trust, the courage and the love that made her one of the most honoured women in Islam.
At a glance
- A respected merchant of Mecca, known for her good character.
- She chose the Prophet (ﷺ) as her husband because of his honesty, years before he became a prophet.
- When the first revelation came, she comforted him and took him to her cousin Waraqah.
- The first person to believe in his message.
- Allah (﷾) sent her His greeting of peace through the angel Jibril, with the good news of a house in Paradise.
- The Prophet (ﷺ) called her the best of the women of her time, and honoured her memory all his life.
- Before Islam
A respected merchant of Mecca. She hires Muhammad (ﷺ) to take her goods to Syria. Encyclopaedia BritannicaIbn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad
- c. 595
Having seen his honesty for herself, she marries him. Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad
- c. 610
The first revelation in the cave of Hira. She comforts the Prophet (ﷺ), and becomes the first to believe. Sahih al-Bukhari 3Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad
- The hard years
Mecca boycotts the Prophet's (ﷺ) clan. She stays at his side through the hunger and hardship. Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad
- 619
She dies in Mecca, in the same year as the Prophet's (ﷺ) uncle Abu Talib: the Year of Sorrow. Encyclopaedia BritannicaIbn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad
- After her death
The Prophet (ﷺ) speaks of her often, and keeps honouring the friends she loved. Sahih al-Bukhari 3818
Dates are in the Common Era. Early dates are approximate.
An honest merchant of Mecca
Khadijah came from the tribe of Quraysh, like the Prophet (ﷺ), and she was one of the respected merchants of Mecca. She traded by sending her goods with the caravans. She hired men she could trust to take them for her and share in the profit. Encyclopaedia BritannicaIbn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad
She heard of a young man whom the people of Mecca called al-Amin, which means "the trustworthy": Muhammad (ﷺ). She asked him to take her goods to Syria. He came back with a good profit, and her servant, who had travelled with him, spoke highly of him. The early biography says she then asked to marry him, telling him she admired his trustworthiness, his good character and his truthfulness. He accepted. Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad
It was a marriage of trust and love. The Prophet (ﷺ) took no other wife as long as she lived, and she bore him all but one of his children. Sahih Muslim 2436Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad
Comfort in the hardest hour
Before the revelation, the Prophet (ﷺ) loved to be alone. He would go to the cave of Hira, on a mountain near Mecca, to worship Allah (﷾) for many nights at a time. Khadijah supported him: he would come home to her, and take food with him for his next stay. Sahih al-Bukhari 3
One day, in the cave, the angel Jibril (Gabriel) came to him and told him to read. The first words of the Qur'an were revealed: Sahih al-Bukhari 3Qur’an 96:1–5
Proclaim! (or read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created
He came home to Khadijah with his heart pounding from the awe of what he had seen, and asked to be wrapped up. They covered him until his fear left him. Then he told her everything, and said that he feared for himself. Anyone who met an angel of Allah (﷾) would be shaken. Sahih al-Bukhari 3
Her answer is one of the most beautiful moments in the story of Islam. She swore by Allah (﷾) that Allah (﷾) would never disgrace him. Then she reminded him of the good he did. He kept ties with his relatives and carried the burdens of the weak. He helped the poor, welcomed guests, and stood by people in times of trouble. She knew how he lived, and she was sure that Allah (﷾) would not abandon such a man. Sahih al-Bukhari 3
Then she took him to her cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal, an old, blind man who had become a Christian and knew the earlier scriptures. The Prophet (ﷺ) told him what he had seen. Waraqah said this was the same angel Allah (﷾) had sent to Moses, and warned that his own people would one day drive him out. Waraqah died only a few days later. He taught the Prophet (ﷺ) nothing; he simply recognised what had come to him. Sahih al-Bukhari 3
The first to believe
Khadijah did not wait to see what others would say. The early biography of the Prophet (ﷺ) records that she was the first to believe in Allah (﷾) and His Messenger (ﷺ). She believed in the truth of his message. Ibn Ishaq, The Life of MuhammadEncyclopaedia Britannica
The same biography says that through her, Allah (﷾) lightened the Prophet's (ﷺ) burden. Outside, people rejected him and called him a liar. At home he found a wife who believed him, strengthened him and made light of the people's opposition. Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad
Steadfast through the hard years
As Islam grew, the leaders of Mecca turned against the Prophet (ﷺ) and his followers. In the end they boycotted his whole clan: no one was to trade with them or marry into their families. For two or three years the clan lived apart in their own quarter of Mecca, cut off and short of food. Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad
Khadijah, who had known wealth and comfort, stayed at her husband's side through all of it. Her faith did not waver. Not long after the boycott ended, she died. Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad
She died in the same year as the Prophet's (ﷺ) uncle Abu Talib, who had protected him. The Prophet (ﷺ) lost his wife and his protector together, and Muslims remember that year as the Year of Sorrow. Ibn Ishaq, The Life of MuhammadEncyclopaedia Britannica
A greeting of peace from her Lord
Khadijah's faith was honoured from above. One day, as she was coming to the Prophet (ﷺ) with a dish of food, the angel Jibril came to him. Jibril told him to greet her with peace from her Lord, and from Jibril himself. He also told him to give her the good news of a house in Paradise made of precious stones. In that house there is no noise and no tiredness. Sahih al-Bukhari 3820Sahih Muslim 2432
Think of what that means. Allah (﷾), the Lord of all the worlds, sent His greeting of peace to Khadijah, because of her faith and her goodness.
The Prophet (ﷺ) also said that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was the best of the women of her own time. Khadijah, he said, was the best of the women of hers. Sahih al-Bukhari 3815Sahih Muslim 2430
A love that never faded
The Prophet (ﷺ) never forgot her. He said that Allah (﷾) Himself had given him his love for her. Sahih Muslim 2435
His wife Aisha, who married him after Khadijah's death, recalled that he spoke of Khadijah very often and praised her. Whenever he slaughtered a sheep, he would send portions of it to Khadijah's friends. When Aisha once remarked on how much he thought of her, he answered by recalling Khadijah's many virtues. He also said she was the mother of his children. Sahih al-Bukhari 3818Sahih al-Bukhari 3816
Years after her death, he still honoured the people she had loved. His faithfulness to her did not end with her life.
What we can learn
Khadijah's journey shows what faith looks like in everyday life.
- Recognise goodness, and trust it. She judged the Prophet (ﷺ) by his honesty and character, and her trust was proved right.
- Comfort the people you love. When he was afraid, she reminded him of his good deeds and of Allah's (﷾) care.
- Believe with your whole heart. She did not wait for anyone else to believe first.
- Stay faithful in hard times. She stood by the truth through the boycott and its hunger, to the end of her life.
- Goodness is never forgotten. Allah (﷾) sent her His greeting of peace, and the Prophet (ﷺ) honoured her memory for the rest of his life.