Who she was, in simple words
Hazrat Khadija (RA) was the first wife of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). She was the first person who believed in him when Allah gave him the first revelation. No man and no woman believed before her. She believed at once, and she never doubted him.
She was also a strong and respected businesswoman of Makkah. She ran a large trade business before Islam. Rich and noble men of Quraysh wanted to marry her, but she refused them. Later, she chose Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) for marriage because she saw his honesty and his clean character.
She gave him peace at home. She gave her wealth for Islam. She stood with him in the hardest years of his life. For these reasons, Muslims love her and call her Umm ul Momineen, which means Mother of the Believers.
Quick facts about Hazrat Khadija (RA)
| Full name | Khadija bint Khuwaylid (RA) |
|---|---|
| Born | About 555 CE, in Makkah. Some books say 556 CE. |
| Tribe and family | Banu Asad, a respected family of the Quraysh tribe |
| Father | Khuwaylid ibn Asad, a leader and merchant of Makkah |
| Mother | Fatima bint Zaidah |
| Famous name | Tahira, which means the pure one. People also called her Amirat Quraysh, which means princess of Quraysh. |
| Work | Merchant. She ran trade caravans to Syria and Yemen. |
| Husband | Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). She was his first wife. |
| Children with the Prophet | Qasim, Abdullah, Zainab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthum and Fatima (RA) |
| Big role in Islam | First Muslim, first believer, and the first person who spent her wealth for Islam |
| Died | Ramadan, 619 CE, in Makkah, about 3 years before the Hijra to Madinah |
| Buried | Al Hajun cemetery in Makkah, also called Jannat al Mualla |
Her family and her birth in Makkah
Hazrat Khadija (RA) was born in Makkah, the holy city of Arabia. Her family belonged to Banu Asad. Banu Asad was one of the respected families of Quraysh, the tribe that looked after the Kaaba and led Makkah.
Her father, Khuwaylid ibn Asad, was a brave man and a known merchant. He had a high place among the leaders of Makkah. Her mother, Fatima bint Zaidah, also came from a noble family. So she grew up in a home with respect, wealth and good manners.
Most Seerah books say she was born about 15 years before Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). That gives the year 555 CE. A few books give a close year. This small difference is normal in old history, because people kept no written birth records then.
Her childhood and her good character
From a young age, people saw a clean and serious character in her. She did not follow the bad habits of Makkah. At that time, most people of Makkah worshipped idols. Seerah books report that Khadija (RA) never worshipped idols. She stayed away from the wrong customs of her time.
People of Makkah gave her the name Tahira. Tahira means the pure one. Think about this point. A whole city gave this name to a woman before Islam came. That shows how clear her character was in front of everyone.
A note on dates and past marriages
Scholars differ on a few details, such as her exact birth year and her marriages before the Prophet. Many books report two marriages before him, with children from those marriages. Some scholars hold a different view. This article follows the view in most Seerah books. The main events of her life are clear and agreed.
A successful businesswoman of Makkah
After her father passed away, Khadija (RA) handled the family trade. Soon, she built one of the largest trade businesses in Makkah. Her caravans carried goods to Syria in the summer and to Yemen in the winter, just like the big merchants of Quraysh.
She did not travel with the caravans herself. She used a system called mudarabah. In this system, she gave her goods and money to a trusted man. He travelled and sold the goods. Then they shared the profit by an agreed share. This system needs sharp judgement, because the owner must choose the right person every time.
Her caravans carried goods such as leather, cloth, perfume, spices, dry food and oil. Seerah books say her trade was so large that her caravan could equal the caravans of many other Quraysh merchants put together. She paid her workers fairly, and she checked every report with care.
She also used her wealth with a kind heart. She helped poor people, widows and orphans in Makkah. People knew her door was open for a person in need.
How she met Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
Khadija (RA) always searched for honest men for her trade. People of Makkah told her about a young man with a rare character. They called him Al Amin, which means the trusted one. That young man was Muhammad (peace be upon him), who was about 25 years old at that time.
She offered him her trade goods for the journey to Syria. She offered him a better share than she gave to others. She also sent her trusted servant Maysara with him to help him and to report back to her.
The journey to Syria was a full success. He sold the goods with honesty and skill, and the profit was much higher than usual. On the way back, Maysara gave her a full report. He told her about the honesty of Muhammad (peace be upon him), his kind way with people, and his clean dealing in every sale.
This report impressed her deeply. She had met many merchants. She had refused marriage offers from rich and noble men. But here she saw a man with honesty, dignity and a pure character. Her heart moved towards marriage, not towards wealth or name.
Her marriage to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
Khadija (RA) sent the marriage message through her close friend Nafeesa bint Munyah. Nafeesa spoke to Muhammad (peace be upon him) and asked him why he did not marry. He said he did not have enough wealth for marriage. Nafeesa then asked if he would accept a woman of beauty, wealth, noble family and good character. He understood that she meant Khadija (RA), and he accepted with respect.
His uncles took the formal proposal to her family. The marriage took place in Makkah with the family elders present. In the view of most scholars, he was 25 years old and she was 40 years old at the time of marriage.
Their marriage lasted about 25 years. It was a marriage of love, trust and peace. He did not marry any other woman while Khadija (RA) was alive. She was his wife, his close friend and his first supporter, all in one person.
Their home was a home of dignity and mercy. Zaid ibn Haritha lived in their home as part of the family, and later the young Ali ibn Abi Talib also lived with them. Their home opened its doors to family and to people in need.
Her children
Allah gave Khadija (RA) and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) six children.
- Qasim, their first son. The Prophet got his famous name Abu al Qasim from him. Qasim died in childhood.
- Zainab (RA), their eldest daughter. She married Abu al As ibn al Rabi.
- Ruqayyah (RA), their daughter. She married Uthman ibn Affan (RA).
- Umm Kulthum (RA), their daughter. She also married Uthman ibn Affan (RA) after Ruqayyah (RA) passed away.
- Fatima (RA), their youngest daughter. She married Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA). The family line of the Prophet continued through her children, Hasan (RA) and Husain (RA).
- Abdullah, their second son. He was also called Al Tahir and Al Tayyib. He died in childhood.
Both sons died young. This was a hard test for both parents. They faced this pain with patience, and they kept full trust in Allah.
Books of Seerah also report children of Khadija (RA) from her marriages before the Prophet, and scholars differ on some of these details. Her full family story has its own article on ShehriPortal in this same category.
The first revelation and her strong words
Fifteen years after their marriage, a night came that changed history. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was alone in Cave Hira, a cave in the mountain near Makkah where he often went to think and worship. Angel Jibreel came to him with the first words of the Quran and said, Read. This event shook him deeply.
He came home with his heart beating fast. He said to Khadija (RA), Cover me, cover me. She covered him at once and stayed close to him until he felt calm. Then he told her everything and said he feared for himself.
Her answer shows her wisdom and her deep knowledge of his character. She said words that Sahih Bukhari records in Hadith 3. In simple English, her words mean this: No, by Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good ties with your family. You speak the truth. You carry the burden of the weak. You help poor people. You honour your guests. And you help people who face hardship for a true cause.
Read her list again. She did not give a general speech. She named his real daily habits, one by one. She knew the man she had lived with for 15 years, and she used that knowledge to calm him at the most important moment of his life.
The visit to Waraqa and the first belief
Then she took him to her old cousin, Waraqa ibn Nawfal. Waraqa was a Christian scholar who read the old books. He listened to the full story and said that the one who came to Cave Hira was the same angel who came to Prophet Musa (peace be upon him). He also warned that his people would push him out of Makkah one day.
Khadija (RA) believed in Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) at once. She became the first Muslim in history. She was the first person who prayed with him. She opened her home and her wealth for this new message from the first day.
How she supported Islam in the hard years
The leaders of Quraysh opposed Islam with full force. They mocked the Prophet, hurt his followers and blocked his path. In every test, Khadija (RA) stood firm beside him. He came home hurt and tired, and she gave him comfort, courage and peace.
She spent her large wealth for Islam without any limit. She freed slaves who accepted Islam and suffered for it. She helped poor Muslims with food and money. A rich woman of Makkah gave all she had for a cause that gave her no worldly profit. She did it only for Allah.
Then Quraysh started a full boycott against the family of the Prophet. For about three years, they cut off food, trade and marriage ties with them in the valley of Shib Abi Talib. Khadija (RA) left her comfortable home and lived in that hard valley with him. She was about 60 years old at that time. She faced hunger and hardship with patience, and she never complained.
Her death and the Year of Sorrow
The long boycott broke her health. Soon after the boycott ended, Hazrat Khadija (RA) passed away in Ramadan in 619 CE. Most reports give her age as about 65 years. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) buried his beloved wife in Al Hajun cemetery in Makkah.
In the same year, his uncle Abu Talib also passed away. Abu Talib had protected him from Quraysh for many years. The Prophet lost his wife at home and his protector outside in one year. For this reason, that year is called Aam ul Huzn, which means the Year of Sorrow.
Her high status in Islam
Allah honoured Khadija (RA) in a way that no report can raise further. Sahih Bukhari (Hadith 3820) and Sahih Muslim (Hadith 2432) record that Angel Jibreel came to the Prophet and said that Khadija was coming with food and drink. Jibreel told him to give her Salaam, peace greetings, from her Lord Allah and from Jibreel himself. Jibreel also gave her the good news of a palace of pearls in Jannah, where there will be no noise and no tiredness.
A house in Jannah, and Salaam from Allah Himself. She got this honour while she was still alive in this world.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) never forgot her. Years after her death, he kept speaking about her with love. He sent meat as a gift to her old friends. When a voice at his door sounded like her sister Hala, his face showed his emotion. He said that she believed in him when people rejected him, she accepted his message as truth when people denied it, she helped him with her wealth when people held back, and Allah gave him children through her and not through any other wife.
Hazrat Aisha (RA) reported that the Prophet praised Khadija (RA) very often. His love for her stayed fixed in his heart until his own death.
Her life in one timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| About 555 CE | She is born in Makkah in the Banu Asad family of Quraysh. |
| Before 595 CE | She builds a large and respected trade business in Makkah. |
| About 595 CE | She marries Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) after the Syria trade journey. |
| 610 CE | The first revelation comes in Cave Hira. She believes first and supports him. |
| About 616 to 619 CE | She stands with him in the boycott years in Shib Abi Talib. |
| Ramadan 619 CE | She passes away in Makkah. That year becomes the Year of Sorrow. |
Lessons from her life, in brief
- Honesty builds a name. People trusted her in trade because she dealt with truth for years.
- Choose character over wealth. She refused rich men and chose a husband for his honesty.
- Calm words heal fear. At the first revelation, she used facts about his character to give him peace.
- Wealth has a purpose. She spent her money on people in need and on the cause she believed in.
- Stand firm in hard times. She stayed patient in the boycott years at an old age.
ShehriPortal covers each lesson in full detail in the article Lessons From the Life of Hazrat Khadija (RA), in the category Death, Legacy and Lessons.
Questions people ask about Hazrat Khadija (RA)
Who was Hazrat Khadija (RA)?
She was the first wife of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), a respected businesswoman of Makkah, and the first person who believed in his message. Muslims call her Mother of the Believers.
Why did people call her Tahira?
People of Makkah called her Tahira, which means the pure one, because her character was clean and noble even before Islam. She stayed away from idol worship and from the bad customs of her time.
How old was Hazrat Khadija (RA) when she married the Prophet?
Most scholars say she was 40 years old and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was 25 years old at the time of marriage. Some scholars report a different age, and this article follows the majority view.
How many children did Hazrat Khadija (RA) have with the Prophet?
She had six children with Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): two sons, Qasim and Abdullah, and four daughters, Zainab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthum and Fatima (RA). Both sons died in childhood.
When did Hazrat Khadija (RA) die?
She died in Ramadan in 619 CE in Makkah, about three years before the Hijra to Madinah. She is buried in Al Hajun cemetery in Makkah, also called Jannat al Mualla.
Sources used for this article
- Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 3, the first revelation and her words of comfort.
- Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 3820, and Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2432, Salaam from Allah and the palace of pearls in Jannah.
- Books of Seerah, the biography of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), for her family, trade, marriage and the boycott years.
Where scholars differ, this article says so in the text. It does not present a weak or popular story as a confirmed fact. Read our Disclaimer and Sources and References pages to see how we check every article.