Indexed OCR Text

301
The Life of Muhammad
وكان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا نام لم نوقظه حتى يكون هو يستيقظ لأنا لا ندري ما
يحدث له في نومه. (رواه البخاري باب الصعيد الطيب وضوء المسلم، من كتاب التيمم
- ج1 ص.49، وقسطلاني ج1 ص. 36. وفتح الباري ج1 ص. 380)
"When Rasulullah used to sleep, we would not wake him up
till he wakes up himself. This is because we do not know what
is happening to him in his sleep."
When Musa tely and Yusha' were travelling and the former
slept away, he said: "I will not wake him up." (Bukhārī)
Thus, just as the life, staying awake and dreams of the Prophets
is different from that of the general body of believers, in like
manner their death is also different from that of the general
body of believers.
In the following verse:
اللهُ يَتَوَقَّ الأَنْفُسَ حِيْنَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِيْ لَمَّ تَمُتْ فِيْ مَنَامِهَا
Allah is divided the "death" of people into two - one "death" at
the time of sleep and the other, actual death [when a person
dies]. It is clear that the "death" of the Prophets at the time of
sleep is totally different from that of ordinary people. The
perceptual and rational power of ordinary people are inactive
when they are dreaming. Whereas that of the Prophets remain
active. Their eyes are asleep but their hearts are awake. In other
words, they are outwardly unconscious but they are internally
awake and conscious.
In like manner, the actual death of the Prophets is different
from that of ordinary people. They are outwardly dead but
internally alive. This belief concerning the Prophets is
necessary that due to human constraints, they sleep. But it is
not necessary to believe that their sleeping is like ours. Rather,

302
The Life of Muhammad
consciousness is concealed in their dreaming. Similarly, it is
necessary to believe that the Prophets also experience
temporary death based on the verses:
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ
"Every soul shall taste death."
إِنَّكَ مَبِّتْ وَإِنْهُمْ مَّيِتُوْنَ
"You are certainly to die and they are certainly to die."
However, it is not necessary to believe that their death is
similar to ours and that they taste death exactly as we taste
death. In fact, such a belief smacks of disrespect to them. Each
person tastes death according to his position and rank [in the
sight of Allah $].
Maulānā Muhammad Qasim Nānautwī rahimahullah explicitly
states in his Ab-e-Hayat and Maktubāt that based on the above
mentioned two verses, it is absolutely necessary to believe that
the Prophets experience death. He then merely shows the
difference in the type of death. It is clear from this that if actual
death is experienced by everyone [Prophets and non-Prophets],
this does not necessarily mean that the nature, type, level and
manner of death will also have to be the same. There are
certainly differences in this regard.
Thus, just as their awakefulness and consciousness is concealed
when they are asleep or dreaming, why should it be impossible
for their "life" to be concealed and hidden at the time of death ?!
The auliya' (close friends of Allah {%) say that the possibilities
are present. But in their temporary existence their non-existence
is hidden. The existence of possibilities is not a real existence,
it is merely an outward display.
كل ما في الكون وهم أو خيال - أو عكس في المرايا أو ظلال

303
The Life of Muhammad %
"All that is in the universe is a notion, an imagination, a
reflection in mirrors, or a shade."
This body of ours is merely a mirror of our inner self. Our
every step is a reflection of our non-existence which appears to
be shining and splenderous. When a person falls ill, he begins
to see death in his life. This illness is like a mirror in which
man sees his death. No sooner he experiences helplessness and
vulnerability, his intrinsic incapability comes out of its veil of
temporary strength. When any tricky and difficult question or
matter is presented to him, and he is unable to provide a
solution for it, his intrinsic ignorance comes out of its veil of
acquired and temporary knowledge.
Therefore, if in this 14th century [of Islam] a great scholar of
Islam and one who has truly recognized Allah %, i.e. Maulana
Nānautwī rahimahullah, through his insight, sees the intrinsic
life of the Prophets behind the veil of death, then what is so
impossible about this.
إذا لم تر الهلال فسلّم - لأناس رأوه بالأبصار
"If you have not seen the new moon, submit before those who
have seen it with their own eyes."
Life and death are certainly opposites. However, for one
opposite to be concealed behind the other is an accepted fact for
the Prophets and auliya'. Maulānā Rūmī rahimahullah has
gone to great detail in this regard in his Mathnawī.
I have gone to detail in this regard. My humble condition is
such that when I think about the pure lives of the pious
predecessors, the righteous and virtuous peoples of the past,
and the eminent scholars, then I think that our life is like death,
and that our remaining awake is like a dream. In other words,
this defective and tainted life of ours is a veil for our death.

304
The Life of Muhammad %
And that in this superficial wakefulness of ours, our dream of
negligence is concealed. Our condition is like what a poet said:
وخبرني البواب أنك نائم - فقلت إذا استيقظت أيضا فنائم
"The guard informed me that you are asleep. I thought to
myself, when you wake up you are also sleeping."
A poet says:
اقتلوني اقتلوني يا ثقات - إن في قتلي حياتا في حيات
يا منير الخد يا روح البقا - اجتذب روحي وجد لي باللقا
"O you reliable ones! Kill me, kill me! Surely in killing me
there is life in life. O the one who illuminates the cheek! O the
soul of eternity! Take away my soul and be kind to me by
meeting me."
After explaining the proofs on the life of the Prophets, Imam
Qurtubī rahimahullāh writes:
يحصل من جملته القطع بأن موت الأنبياء إنما هو راجع إلى أن غيبوا عنا بحيث لا ندركهم
وإن كانوا موجودين أحياء ولا يراهم أحد من نوعنا إلا من خصه الله تعالى بكرامة من
أولياءه. انتهى. كذا في شرح المواهب للزرقاني ج5، ص 334 وكذا في أبناء الأذكياء
بحياة الأنبياء للسيوطي ج2، ص 149. من مجموعة رسائل السيوطي.
"In the face of all the proofs, it becomes absolutely certain that
the essence of the death of the Prophets is that they have been
concealed from us in such a way that we cannot perceive them
even though they are present and alive. None from among us
can see them except him whom Allah % chooses from His
special friends."
'Allāmah Shiblī rahimahullah, 'Allāmah Suyūtī rahimahullah,
'Allāmah Zurgani rahimahullah and Hafiz Ibn Qayyim

305
The Life of Muhammad %
rahimahullah are all of the opinion that the preferred belief is
that the essence of the death of the Prophets is that it is hidden
from our eyes. They are certainly alive even though we cannot
see this with our own eyes. This is like a sleeping person - he is
alive but we do not perceive his life. This is the belief of all the
scholars of Hadith.
Imam Bayhaqī rahimahullah writes that the death of the
Prophets is not death in the true sense of the word. Rather, their
death is merely unconsciousness and insensitivity.1
'Allāmah Munawī rahimahullah writes that sometimes, the
word "death" is used to refer to lack of all perception and
sensations.2 For example, a Hadith states that when a person
wakes up from his sleep, he should recite the following
invocation:
اَلْحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذِيْ أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُوْرُ
"All praise is due to Allah who gave us life after causing us to
die. And to Him is the resurrection."
In this Hadith, the words "gave us life" mean "causing us to
wake up" while "causing us to die" mean "causing us to sleep".
So in this context, "sleep" is referred to as "death".
The same has been written by Shaykh Ibn 'Alan Makkī
rahimahullāh in Kitab al-Adhkār. Refer to Sharh Kitab al-
Adhkār, vol. 1, p. 287. 'Allāmah Zabīdī rahimahullāh has gone
into quite a bit of details with regard to the different meanings
and applications of the word "death". Refer to Sharh al-Qamūs,
vol. 1, p. 586 for details.
1 Imam Bayhaqî: Juz' Hayat al-Ambiya'.
2 'Allāmah Munāwî: Fayd al-Qadir, vol. 5, p. 91.

306
The Life of Muhammad %
The Pure Wives of Rasūlullah
Allah % says:
النَِّيُّ أَوْلَى بِالْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَأَزْوَاجُهُ أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ
The īmanī existence and spiritual life of a believer is due to his
connection and link with Rasūlullah . It is for this reason that
Rasulullah is a spiritual father to the believers. Another
rendition of the above verse has the following words as well:
وَهُوَ أَبٌّ ◌َُّمْ
"And he is a father to them."
The wives of Rasulullah ¿ are the mothers to the believers in
the honour and respect that they deserve. Allah % says:
يَانِسَآءَ النَِّيِّ لَسْئُنَّ كَأَحَدٍ مِّنَ النِّسَآءِ إِنِ اتَّقَيْئُنَّ فَلاَ تَّخْضَعْنَ بِالْقَوْلِ فَيَطْمَعَ الَّذِيْ فِيْ قَلْبِهِ
مَرَضٌ وَقُلْنَ قَوْلاً مَّعْرُوْفًا. وَقَرْنَ فِيْ بُيُؤْتِكُنَّ وَلاَ تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الأُوْلَى وَأَقِمْنَ الصَّلَوةَ
وَآتِيْنَ الزَّكَوةَ وَأَطِعْنَ اللّهَ وَرَسُوْلَهُ، إِنََّا يُرِيْدُ اللّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِرَكُمْ
تَطْهِيْرًا. وَاذْكُرْنَ مَا يُتْلَى فِيْ بُيُؤْتِكُنَّ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللهِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ إِنَّ اللهَ كَانَ لَطِيْفًا خَبِيْرًا.
"O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any of the other
women provided you fear [Allah]. Therefore do not be too soft
in speech lest he in whose heart is a disease should be moved
with desire. But speak in an honourable manner. Remain in
your homes and do not display yourselves as was the custom of
displaying in the former days of ignorance. Establish the salah
and continue giving the zakah, and remain in the obedience of
Allah and His Messenger. Allah only wants to remove
loathsome things from you, O family of the Prophet, and to
completely purify you. Remember what is recited in your

307
The Life of Muhammad
homes of Allah's words and of wisdom. Surely Allah knows
the subtleties, all-aware." (Sūrah al-Ahzab, verses 32-34)
This grand title of Ummahatul Mu'minin (Mothers of the
believers) only applies to those specific women who remained
in the marriage of Rasulullah . Those whom he married but
divorced before their coming to him are not given this title.
Since they have been given this title of Mothers of the
believers, it is absolutely prohibited to marry them after the
demise of Rasūlullah . Allah % says:
وَمَا كَانَ لَكُمْ أَنْ تُؤْذُوا رَسُوْلَ اللهِ وَلاَ تَنْكِحُوْا أَزْوَاجَهُ مِنْ بَّعْدِهِ أَبَدًا. إِنَّ ذَلِكُمْ كَانَ عِنْدَ
اللهِ عَظِيْمًا. إِنْ تُبْدُوا شَيْئًا أَوْ تُخْفُوْهُ فَإِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيْمًا.
"It does not behove you to hurt the Messenger of Allah, nor to
ever marry his wives after him. Surely this act of yours is a
major sin in the sight of Allah. If you say anything openly or
conceal it, Allah has knowledge of everything." (Sūrah al-
Ahzāb, verses 53-54)
Any self-respecting and self-honouring person will feel hurt to
imagine his wife going to someone else after he has departed
from this world. Can there be anyone more self-respecting and
self-honouring in this entire world than Rasūlullah ?
Moreover, since they have been given the title of "Mothers of
the believers", it is against their lofty status and position to
enter into any other marriage. To marry your father's wife is
both rationally and traditionally despicable. Allah & says:
وَلاَ تَنْكِحُوْا مَا نَكَحَ آبَاؤُكُمْ مِّنَ النِّسَآءِ إِلَّ مَا قَدْ سَلَفَ إِنَّهُ كَانَ فَاحِشَةً وَّمَقْتًا وَّسَآءَ
سَبِيْلاً.
"Do not marry the women whom your fathers had married,
except what has already passed. This is an indecency, and a
disgusting act, and an evil way." (Sūrah an-Nisa', verse 22)

308
The Life of Muhammad %
The words "this is an indecency" make reference to the rational
repulsiveness of this. In other words, it is rationally an open
indecency for a person to marry the woman who was married to
his father.
The words "and a disgusting act" make reference to the Shar'i
repulsiveness of this. In other words, this act is despicable in
the Shari'ah and a cause of Allah's intense displeasure.
The words "and an evil way" make reference to the social
repulsiveness of this. Bara' ibn 'Azib .
narrates: "I saw my
maternal uncle carrying a flag. I asked him: 'Where are you
going to?' He replied: 'A person has married his father's wife.
Rasūlullah ¿ asked me to go and chop off his neck and attach
all his wealth.""1
Since it is rationally, legally and socially despicable and
repulsive to marry the wife of one's physical father, how much
more despicable and repulsive it will be to marry the wife of
our spiritual father, Muhammad Rasulullah ?!!
Another point in this regard is that if the wife begins to talk
about the good qualities of her previous husband, the second
husband will naturally dislike this. The Shari'ah strictly forbids
us from marrying the wives of our physical and spiritual fathers
so that we do not begin to harbour any ill-feeling towards them.
This is especially so with regard to our spiritual father
[Rasulullah]. To harbour ill-feeling towards him is
synonymous to wretchedness and unbelief.
The wives who remained in the company of Rasulullah # and
learnt the different injunctions of the Shari'ah, especially those
that are applicable to women, have to be conveyed to the
people without any doubts and hesitation. Assuming his pure
1 Narrated by 'Abd ar-Razzaq, Ibn Abî Shaybah, Ahmad, Hakim and
Bayhaqî.

309
The Life of Muhammad %
wives were to marry after him, critics would have got the
opportunity to level accusations against their reliability and
trustworthiness.
In verse 33 of Sūrah al-Ahzab, Allah s addresses the pure
wives of Rasulullah % and says to them: "and to completely
purify you". This verse was certainly revealed with regard to
them. This is clear from the context of the verses preceding it
and those that come after it. There is no need to get into any
polemics in order to prove this. From the beginning of the
section till the end of it, Allah % is addressing the wives of
Rasūlullah . However, Rasulullah _ included 'Alī 4%, Fatimah
radiyallāhu 'anhā, Hasan % and Husayn % in this as well. He
brought all of them together under his shawl and said:
اللهم هولاء أهل بيتي اذهب عنهم الرجس وطهرهم تطهيرا
"O Allah! This is also my family. Remove loathsome things
from them and completely purify them."
This is similar to the following verse:
لَمَسْجِدٌ أُسِّسَ عَلَى التَّقْوَى مِنْ أَوَّلِ يَوْمٍ ...
"The musjid that was founded on piety from the very first
day ... "
"
This verse was essentially revealed with regard to Musjid-e-
Qubā. However, Rasūlullah % included Musjid-e-Nabawī in
this ruling as well because it is even more eligible for this
praise.
In like manner, the previously quoted verse was revealed with
reference to the wives of Rasulullah . But since his children
were more eligible for this, he included them in it as well. As
for his wives, they were included in his family from even
before [he made this statement]. There was no need for him to
include them under his shawl. The above verses were

310
The Life of Muhammad
specifically revealed in reference to the pure wives. They are
addressed from the very beginning of that section till the end.
In fact, the rules of language demand that the wives be
essentially considered to be a person's family while the
children be considered after that. The reason for this is that the
words Ahl-e-Bayt mean "people of the house", and the wife is
considered first in this regard. As for the word "Al", it was
originally "Ahl". It will therefore refer to the wife.
The number of Rasulullah's _ wives and the order in which he
married them
Rasūlullah % had 11 wives, two of whom had passed away in
his very life: Khadījah radiyallāhu 'anhā and Zaynab bint
Khuzaymah radiyallāhu 'anhā. Rasūlullah % had nine wives at
the time of his demise.
عن أبي سعيد الخدري رضي الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ما تزوجت
شيئا من نسائي ولا زوجت شيئا من بناتي إلا بوحي جاءني به جبرئيل عن ربي عز
وجل. أخرجه عبد الملك بن محمد النيسابوري بسنده.
Abū Sa'īd al-Khudrī 4% narrates that Rasūlullah _ said: "I did
not marry any of my wives nor did I get any of my daughters
married except by revelation from my Sustainer which was
brought to me by Jibra'īl."1
Umm al-Mu'minīn Khadījah radiyallahu 'anhā
Khadījah radiyallāhu 'anhā is unanimously accepted as the
first wife of Rasūlullah . She is also unanimously accepted as
the first Muslim - no male or female preceded her in embracing
Islam. She was from the Quraysh tribe. Her father's name was
Khuwaylid and mother's name was Fatimah bint Za'idah. Her
1 'Uyûn al-Athar, vol. 2, p. 300.

311
The Life of Muhammad
lineage is as follows: Khadijah bint Khuwaylid ibn Asd ibn
'Abd al-'Uzza ibn Qusayy. Her lineage meets with that of
Rasulullah % at the person called Qusayy.1
Since she was free from the customs and habits of jahiliyyah,
she was popularly referred to as Tahirah (the pure one) even
before Rasūlullah's % commission as a Prophet.
Her first marriage was with Abū Halah ibn Zurārah Tamīmī.
From this marriage, she had two sons by the name of Hind and
Halah. Both these children embraced Islam and are therefore
Sahābah. Hind ibn Abī Hālah
was very eloquent in his
speech. The detailed Tradition with regard to the physical
description of Rasulullah % is by and large narrated by him.
When Abū Halah passed away, Khadījah radiyallāhu 'anhā
married 'Atīq ibn 'A'idh Makhzūmī from whom she got one
daughter by the name of Hind. She also embraced Islam and is
blessed with being among the Sahabiyat. However, there are no
Traditions narrated from her. After some time, 'Atīq also
passed away and Khadījah radiyallāhu 'anhā remained a
widow.2
Nafīsah bint Munībah narrates that Khadījah radiyallāhu 'anhā
was a very noble and wealthy woman. When she became a
widow, every nobleman from the Quraysh desired to marry her.
However, when Rasūlullah % went on a trade journey with her
goods and returned with immense profits, she became inclined
towards him. She sent a message to him asking him what was
stopping him from getting married? Rasūlullah % replied: "I do
not possess anything." She asked him: "If this concern of yours
is sorted out, and you are invited towards a woman who has
wealth, beauty and compatibility, then do you still have any
1 Al-Işābah, vol. 4, p. 281.
2 Zurqānî, vol. 3, p. 220.

312
The Life of Muhammad
excuse?" Rasūlullah asked: "Who is that woman?" She
replied: "Khadijah." Rasulullah % accepted this proposal.1
The actual reason is that the closer the time for Rasulullah's
commission as a Prophet came, the more miracles of his
prophet-hood were demonstrated. This used to happen through
the statements of the 'ulama' of the Taurah and Injil, by the
statements of astrologers, or through unseen voices. When any
scholar of the Taurah or Injil set eyes on him, he would
immediately say: "This young man is going to be the final
Prophet whose glad tidings were given by Mūsa ) and 'Îsā
Stadtall."
Khadījah radiyallāhu 'anhā had full knowledge of these
incidents. She had heard from her slave, Maysarah, the
incidents that took place with Rasulullah % on the journey to
Syria and the story of a monk. She had heard about Buhayra,
the monk. Her cousin, Waraqah ibn Naufal was an eminent
scholar of the Taurah and Injil. He was awaiting the dawn of
the last Prophet. A detailed account in this regard was given in
volume one of this book. Bearing in mind all these incidents,
Khadījah's radiyallāhu 'anhā heart desired to marry Rasūlullah
Coincidentally, an incident occurred that in one of the
festivals of jāhilīyyah, the women of Makkah gathered.
Khadījah radiyallāhu 'anhā was also among them. She
suddenly sees a person appearing and announcing in a loud
voice:
إنه سيكون في بلدكن نبي يقال له أحمد فمن استطاع منكن أن تكون زوجة له فلتفعل
فحصبنه إلا خديجة فاغضت على قوله. رواه المدائني عن ابن عباس.
"There is going to be a Prophet in your city. His name will be
Ahmad. Whoever among you can become his wife should do
1 Al-Isābah, vol. 4, p. 282.

313
The Life of Muhammad
so. On hearing this, all the women pelted him with stones,
except Khadijah. She remained silent at what he said."1
Khadījah's radiyallāhu 'anhā heart was already filled with
hopes and desires of having this wonderful opportunity of
being his wife. After hearing this announcement, the fire of her
hopes began burning even more.
A Tradition of Ibn Ishaq rahimahullah states that when her
slave, Maysarah, returned from the journey to Syria and related
all the incidents that took place, and also the conversation with
Nastūrā, the monk, then no sooner she heard all this, she said:
"If what the Jewish astrologer said is true, then it can be no one
but him [Muhammad ]."2
We learn from this that the women's assembly at that festival
took place before the return of Maysarah. Khadijah's
radiyallahu 'anha was not merely given the name Tahirah,
rather it was from Allah is that He instilled this name in the
minds of the people so that her purity and chastity may become
well known. This is similar to Rasūlullah % being given the
title of Amin - the trustworthy. This, so that his trustworthiness
and credibility may be an accepted fact, and no one may have
any reason to doubt this. It is for such occasions that it is said
that the utterances of the people should be considered to be the
kettle-drum of Allah %. Khadijah radiyallāhu 'anha was the
Maryam all of her time. She therefore received a special share
of the purity and chastity of Maryam skal, when Allah &# says in
the Qur'an:
وَطَهَّرَكِ وَاصْطَفَاكِ عَلَى نِسَآءِ الْعَالَمِيْنَ
1 Zurqānî, vol. 3, p. 220.
2 Zurqānî, vol. 1, p. 200.

314
The Life of Muhammad
"He purified you and chose you over the women of the
worlds."
Khadījah radiyallāhu 'anhā got a share of this and was given
the name of Tahirah. It is now obvious that such a pure and
chaste woman will naturally be inclined towards a person who
is pure and chaste. Allah % correctly said, and who can be
more correct than Him? Allah s says:
الطَّيِّبَاتُ لِلطَِّيْنَ وَالطَِّيُوْنَ لِلطَِّبَاتِ
"The upright females for the upright males, and the upright
males for the upright females."
Everyone is aware that prophet-hood and messenger-ship is not
any kingship. It has nothing to do with the luxuries and
comforts of this world. There is no way that dirhams and dīnars
can remain in the house of a Prophet, unless it remains for a
little while in wait for a person asking for a loan. Weeks and
months go by without the coal-stove being lit. Nights pass
without any light being lit. It is also a known fact that the love
for wealth, riches, comforts, luxuries, jewellery, etc. are in the
nature of women. Despite this and despite the fact that all the
noblemen and wealthy people of Makkah desiring to marry
Khadījah radiyallāhu 'anhā, she inclines towards Muhammad
. This is clear proof of her purity and chastity. From this, we
can also gauge the high understanding and foresight of
Khadījah radiyallāhu 'anhā. To desire the marriage of a
Prophet and a Messenger is not the work of an ordinary mind.
It is only deep intelligence and foresight that can prepare one
for such a desire. The reason is that intelligence shows that in
order to enter into a marriage with a Prophet, the woman must
be prepared to wash her hands off from this world. She must be
prepared to cover her self with the duvets and blankets of
poverty. The desire to marry a Prophet is synonymous to

315
The Life of Muhammad
desiring poverty and destitution. It is synonymous to inviting
difficulties and hardships.
Imām Shafi'ī rahimahullāh says that if a person makes a will
that when he dies, his wealth should be given to the most
intelligent person in this world, it will have to be given to the
most ascetic person in this world.1
The reason for this is that the most intelligent person in this
world is he who turns away from something that is fleeting and
directs his attention towards something that is eternal. Can
there be a person more foolish than he who sells the eternal
bounties of the hereafter for a corpse ?!
فَمَا رَبِحَتْ تِجَارَتُهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوْا مُهْتَدِيْنَ
"Their transaction was not profitable and they were not
guided."
Khadījah radiyallāhu 'anhā fully considered all these factors
and understood everything fully well and then made the first
move of proposing to Rasulullah . In so doing, she dashed all
the hopes of the noblemen of Makkah. How could that blessed
lady who had already resolved to shun the world ever bother to
look at the slaves of this world ?! When she had no concern for
wealth, why should she have any concern for the wealthy ?!
How could the wealth and prosperity of a prosperous person
ever incline this woman toward him? This very woman who is
prepared to sacrifice her own wealth for the cause of Allah (!
Rasūlullāh % consulted his kind uncle, Abū Talib, and accepted
her proposal. Her father, Khuwaylid, had already passed away.
However, her uncle, 'Umar ibn Asad, was alive at that time and
he attended the marriage.
1 Ash-Sha'rānî: Tanbîh al-Mughtarrîn, p. 50.

316
The Life of Muhammad %
On the appointed date, Abu Talib together with other members
of the family including Hamzah, went to the house of Khadijah
radiyallāhu 'anhā and the marriage rites were performed. Abū
Talib read the marriage sermon (which was mentioned at the
beginning of this book) and the dowry was set at 500 dirhams.1
Khadījah radiyallāhu 'anhā was 40 years old at that time while
Rasūlullah % was 25 years old. Waraqah ibn Naufal was also
present for the marriage. When Abū Talib completed his
sermon, Waraqah ibn Naufal delivered a short speech.2
Some Traditions state that after the offer and acceptance of the
proposal, Khadījah radiyallāhu 'anhā had a cow slaughtered,
food was cooked and fed to the guests.3
The initial stage of Khadijah's radiyallahu 'anhā hope and
wish was fulfilled. The destination [i.e. Resulullah's
commission as a Prophet] was still at a distance. The
discomfort and unease at waiting for this remained with her. On
one occasion, Resulullah went to Khadijah radiyallahu
'anhā. On seeing him, she immediately embraced him and
hugged him to her bosom. She then said:
بأبي وأمي والله ما أفعل هذا لشيء ولكني أرجو أن تكون أنت النبي الذي ستبعث فإن
تكن هو فأعرف حقي ومنزلتي وأدع الإله الذي يبعثك لي. قالت فقال لها ولئن كنت أنا
هو قد اصطنعت عندي ما لا أضيعه أبدا وإن يكن غيري فإن الإله الذي تصنعين هذا
لأجله لا يضيعك أبدا. (باب تزويج النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم حديجة وفضلها)
"May my father and mother be sacrificed for you. I am not
doing this for any ulterior motive. Rather it is my wish that you
1 Zurqānî, vol. 3, p. 220.
2 Ibid, vol. 3, p. 221.
3 Ibid.

317
The Life of Muhammad %
will be the Prophet who is soon to be commissioned. And if
you are commissioned, you may remember my right and
position. You should also supplicate for me to the God who
will commission you. Rasūlullah
said: 'I take an oath by
Allah that if I am made that Prophet, I will never forget the
kindness that you showed to me. And if someone else is made a
Prophet, you should understand that the God for whom you are
doing this will never let your deeds go to waste.""1
Zubayr ibn Bakkār narrates that Khadījah radiyallāhu 'anhā
used to go repeatedly to Waraqah ibn Naufal and inquire about
Rasūlullah . He would reply:
ما أراه إلا نبي هذه الأمة الذي بشر به موسى وعيسى
"I do not think that he is anyone but the Prophet of this nation
whose gladtidings Mūsā and 'Îsā gave."
A Tradition states that on one occasion Khadījah radiyallāhu
'anhā went to Waragah and related something about Rasūlullah
to him. In reply, Waraqah said a poem. A part of it is as
follows:
هذه خديجة تأتيني لأخبرها - وما لنا بخفي الغيب من خبر
بأن أحمد يأتيه فيخبره - جبريل أنك مبعوث إلى البشر
"This Khadijah comes to me again and again so that I may
inform her, but I do not have knowledge of the unseen that
Jibra'il will come to Ahmad and inform him saying: 'You are
commissioned [as a Prophet] to mankind."
فقلت علي الذي ترجين ينجزه - لك إلا له فرجي الخير وانتظري
1 Fath al-Bārî, vol. 7, p. 200.

318
The Life of Muhammad %
"I said to her: It is not far fetched to assume that what you are
hoping for, Allah will certainly cause it to take place. You
should therefore place your hopes in Allah and remain
waiting."l
Children
It was from Khadījah radiyallahu 'anhā that Rasūlullah's
four daughters were born: Zaynab radiyallahu 'anha,
Ruqayyah radiyallāhu 'anhā, Umm Kulthūm radiyallāhu
'anhā and Fatimah radiyallāhu 'anhā. Two sons were also born
from her. Details in this regard will be given under the chapter,
Children, insha Allah. The sons passed away at a very young
age. However, the daughters lived, grew up and also married.
Demise
As long as Khadījah radiyallāhu 'anhā remained alive,
Rasulullah % did not enter into any other marriage. She passed
away 10 years after prophet-hood in Makkah (or three years
before the emigration to Madinah). She was buried in Hajūn.
Rasūlullah % personally lowered her into her grave. The
janāzah salāh was not prescribed at that time. She remained in
the marriage of Rasūlullah % for 25 years. She passed away at
the age of 65.
إِنَّا للهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُوْنَ
"To Allah we belong and to Him is our return."
1 Al-Isabah, under the biography of Waraqah ibn Naufal. These lines of
Waraqah are also narrated in Mustadrak. Hafiz Dhahabî remains silent in
this regard. There are other lines in this regard, wherein Khadîjah's
radiyallāhu 'anhā desire and longing can be gauged. Refer to Raud al-Anif,
vol. 1, pp. 125-127.

319
The Life of Muhammad %
Virtues and merits
The Sahīh of Imam Bukharī rahimahullah and Imam Muslim
rahimahullah narrate from Abū Hurayrah
that on one
occasion, Jibra'il & came to Rasulullah and said: "O
Messenger of Allah! This Khadijah is about to bring some food
to you. When she does so, convey her Sustainer's salāms
(greetings of peace) to her and my salāms to her as well. And
give her glad tidings of a palace in paradise. This palace will be
made of a single pearl. There will be no noise in this palace nor
any hardships and difficulties."
The Tradition of Imam Nasa'ī rahimahullah states that on
hearing the above, Khadījah radiyallāhu 'anhā said:
إن الله هو السلام وعلى جبريل السلام ورحمة الله وبركاته. وزاد ابن السني من وجه آخر
وعلى من سمع السلام إلا الشيطان.
"Surely Allah % is as-Salam (the giver of peace) Himself.
Peace be on Jibra'il, the mercy of Allah and His blessings
also." Ibn as-Sunnī adds from another chain of narrators: "And
peace be on all those who hear this salam, except for Satan."1
Hafiz Ibn Qayyim rahimahullah says that for Allah s to
convey His salām to someone is a virtue and merit that is
enjoyed by none other than Khadijah radiyallāhu 'anhā. No
one shares her in this merit.
The 'ulama' are unanimous that the most superior women are
these three: Khadijah radiyallahu 'anhā, Fatimah radiyallahu
'anhā and 'A'ishah radiyallahu 'anha. However, they differ as
to who is the most superior from these three. Hafiz Ibn 'Abd al-
1 If students of Hadîth wish to learn about the details and sciences of this
Hadîth, they may refer to Fath al-Barî, vol. 7, p. 105, and Sharh al-
Mawāhib of Zurqānî, vol. 3, p. 222. We have not provided these details here
because they are connected more to Arabic rhetoric.

320
The Life of Muhammad %
Barr rahimahullah says that a Hadith of Ibn 'Abbas % solves
this problem:
سيدة نساء العالمين مريم ثم فاطمة ثم خديجة ثم آسية. قال وهذا حديث حسن يرفع
الإشكال.
"The leader of the women of the entire universe is Maryam,
then Fatimah, then Khadijah, and then Asiyah (the wife of
Pharaoh). Ibn 'Abd al-Barr says that this is a good Hadith and it
solves this problem."1
Umm al-Mu'minīn Saudah bint Zam'ah radiyallahu 'anhā
A few days after the death of Khadijah radiyallahu 'anhā,
Saudah radiyallāhu 'anhā came into the marriage of Rasūlullah
. She was also from the noblewomen of the Quraysh. Her
lineage is Saudah bint Zam'ah ibn Qays ibn 'Abd Shams ibn
'Abdūd ibn Nasr ibn Malik ibn Hasl ibn 'Amir ibn Lu'ayy.2
On reaching Lu'ayy ibn Ghalib, her lineage meets with that of
Rasūlullah . Her mother's name was Shamus bint Qays ibn
'Amr ibn Zayd. She was from the Ansar and the Banū Najjar
tribe. She embraced Islam at the beginning. Her first marriage
was with her cousin, Sukran ibn 'Amr. When the Sahabah
went on the second emigration to Abyssinia, Saudah
radiyallāhu 'anhā and her husband, Sukrān 4% also went. When
they were returning to Makkah, Sukran 4% passed away. They
had one son by the name of 'Abdur Rahman. He also embraced
Islam and was martyred in the battle of Jalūla.
1 For further details, refer to Zurqānî, vol. 3, p. 223, Fath al-Bārî, and Rûh
al-Ma 'anî under the commentary to the verse: "O Maryam! Surely Allah
chose you ... "
2 Sîrah Ibn Hishām and 'Uyûn al-Athar.