You came to me when I was twenty five
and you were forty, beautiful and wise;
Such poise and grace, so vibrant and alive -
Eternity was streaming from your eyes.
You brought me wealth beyond the human dream,
and not in gold alone; you taught me love -
your generosity was the extreme
of human kindness lavished from above.
When you proposed to me, I was amazed.
Should it not be the other way around?
My matriarchal queen, you made me dazed
I knew the treasure of the gods I found.
I kneeled before you when I said I would -
became your husband, as you knew I should.
~*~
Your business-like and independent mind
was rare for anyone who wore a dress
But it became you; yet you were so kind,
so soft and pliant under my caress.
You bore me children, though our sons had died
in infancy; their loss I mourned for years.
Our daughters were a miracle, I cried
at God's largess; those were such happy tears.
And you, my Meccan queen, were sweet and true,
my faithful wife, role model for your sex;
All women faded when I was with you.
You were so glamorous and quite complex.
You shared your wealth with relatives and poor;
with you, they felt abundant and secure.
~*~
Mount Hira was my place to meditate
One day I came back shaken and confused
I thought I was possessed - that evil Fate
beseeched my mind and left my wits abused.
You calmed me down, and then I saw, 'twas true -
I had a revelation from the Lord!
He picked me for his messenger, I knew -
A prophet, God's apostle, my reward.
You've taken the religion of Islam
right after that phenomenon of mine
And to my soul you were a healing balm -
those blessed years I had you for my shrine.
There is a lesson in your saintly life -
God picked his angel for the prophet's wife.
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Author Notes
Khadijah was the Prophet Muhammad's first wife and a first woman to follow the religion of Islam. She was a remarkable, wealthy, honorable woman from the ancient, pre-Islamic culture of Arabia, and the first Muslim.
Khadijah was a Meccan born to Khuwailid ibn Asad of the clan of Banu Hashim of the tribe of Banu Asad. Khadijah had been married and widowed twice. Her first husbands were Abu Halah ibn Zurarah and Ateeq ibn Aidh Makhzumi, both of the tribe of Banu Makhzum. Both of her husbands had deceased prior to her acquaintance with Muhammad.
Khadijah was well-known throughout the Arabian Peninsula due to her successful business tradings and her outstanding character. She cared for the poor and shared her wealth with relatives.
Eventually Khadijah proposed marriage to Muhammad, she being about the age of 40 and he 25. She and Muhammad were married in 595 C.E., a marriage that lasted for about 25 years until her death. She was the great love of his life, and he did not take another polygynous wife until after her death.
According to the experts, there is much evidence that Khadija came from a matrilineal/matriarchal culture. Her control of her business, her proposal to Muhammad, her marriage seemingly without an intermediary, the age difference, his fidelity to her without taking another wife during their marriage-- all represent customs from a female-favored society as was seen in Arabia prior to the advent of Islam.
Muhammad and Khadijah had six children. They were given two boys, Qasim and 'Abdullah, but neither survived infancy. They were also given four daughters, Zainab, Ruqaiyyah, Umm Kulthum, and Fatimah.
Muhammad was 40 when he received his first revelation. He would often go to Mount Hira for meditation. On returning one day, Khadijah could see he was quite shaken and upset. She inquired about this and he told her what had happened. She found out that today had been unlike any other in that, today, he had been given revelations from God! He had thought that he was possessed and was going mad. Khadijah tried to console her terrified husband by saying:
"Rejoice, O son of my uncle, and be of good heart. Surely by Him in whose hand is my soul, I have hope that you will be the prophet of this people. You have never done any wrong to anyone. You are kind to others and you help the poor. So Allah will not let you down."
Three years after this event Muhammad started preaching these revelations publicly, proclaiming that "God is One", that complete "surrender" to Him is the only way acceptable to God, and that he himself was a prophet and messenger of God, in the same vein as other Islamic prophets.
During the next 10 years, Khadijah proved herself to be a loving wife. She supported him when nobody else would. She consoled him when rough time hit them. She comforted and encouraged him when the Quraish did all they could to stop him from preaching. She remained the only wife of Mohammed until her death at the age of 65. She died on 10 Ramadan 620 C.E. in the 10th year of prophethood. Long after her death, Mohammed remembered and honored her often.
There is a lesson in Khadijah's life. She accepted and started working for the religion of Islam after the first revelation. This not only made her the first Muslim but also a role-model for women today. She led the example of a good, loving wife. She also showed us how to forget the desires of this life and work only for the good of Islam. Khadijah truly was a righteous woman.
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