A Great Lady

When I was just a little girl

I asked my mother what will I be
Will I be pretty, will I be rich?
This was what she said to me
O my daughter! O my daughter!
You will be pretty
You will be rich
And you will be much more than pretty and rich (inshaAllah)

O my Mother! What more will I want to be?

This was what she said to me
Let me tell you about a great lady
Who you must strive to be

She was beautiful

She was rich
She was intelligent
She was pure
She was religious
She was sought for by men
But she liked this one man
So she sent her close friend
"What is it that stop you from getting married?" asked the friend to the man
He answered, "I have no means to marry"
"What if the person who is interested in you have no problem with these?"
"Who is she?" he excitedly inquired
"Khadija binti Khuwaylid," she answered
"How could such a marriage be mine? She is so far above me," he said.

When he came to Khadija, she said these

O son of my uncle!
I love you for your kinship with me
For that you are ever be the center
Not being partisan among the people
I love you for your sincerity, integrity and character
I love you for your trustworthiness
I love you for your truthfulness in speech.

He married her with a dowry of 20 camels

Their love for each other ran deep
She produced a merry and content household
But he also found love of seclusion
So he retreated to a cave one month a year
She packed him food and supplies
She went with him sometimes
At other times, she went to him to replenish his supplies
He saw the burden on her to travel the treacherous trip
So they met in between
The prayed together at a nearby masjid
Afterwards they parted until they meet again.
 Fifteen years later,
One day in the cave, he felt the presence of another being
He held him in his arms in a tight embrace
He asked him to read, which he didn't know how

To Khadija he rushed with his heart trembling,

"Cover me! Cover me!"
"O Khadija, what has happened to me? I fear for myself"
She replied, "Never! I swear by Allah! Allah will never disgrace you,
You keep good relations with your kith and kin,
You help the poor and the destitute,
You serve your guests generously
You assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones."

That was Jibril with a message from Allah

She didn't doubt him at all
She believed in his Prophethood
She preached alongside him the Message
She gave it all
Her riches, her comfort, her life
For the sake of Allah
Her greatness was shown by Allah
One day, Jibril came to him and said,
"This is Khadija, coming to you with some type of food and drink.
When she comes, give her greeting from her Lord and me
And give her the good news that she will have a house in Paradise,
a house of brilliant pearls where there will be no clamor or toil"
 Allah's gladtiding is not surprising
For she served her husband well
Always quick to please him
And she raised very amazing people
The fruits of her labor were wondrous
Umm Kalthum, Ruqayyah, the faithful, courageous daughters of Islam
Faatimah, the First Lady in Paradise
Ali bin Abi Talib, one of the four righteous Caliph
And the gallant and righteous Zayd ibn Haritha, his "adopted" son
Just to name a few

Not a day that passed except he remembered her

As if there was no woman on earth except her
Whenever he slaughtered a sheep
He sent them to her women friends
Out of great love and respect for her
He said, "The best woman in her time was Maryam,
The best woman of my nation is Khadija"
"She had faith in me when everyone did not believe me."
Indeed, she occupied a very special place in his heart to his end

May peace and blessings upon the Prophet, his family and his Companions

by Aisha Othman