Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (may God be pleased with her) was one of history’s most remarkable women.

She was the first wife and first follower of Prophet Mohammad.

She was born to a father who was a successful merchant in the Quraysh tribe of Mecca. She inherited her father’s skills and became an indomitable business woman in a male-dominated time. Not only her business was larger than all of the Quraysh trades combined, but had a reputation of fair-dealing and high quality goods.

She was characterized as “noble and resolute”.  She traded goods through the primary commerce centers at that time; from Mecca to Syria and Yemen.

Khadijah was widely known in Arabia as a powerful, smart, independent woman. She was a woman who went after what she wanted and did not let society influence her decisions.  Due to her stellar reputation and piety, she earned the monikers like Ameerat-e-Qurayish (Princess of Quraysh) and Al-Tahira (the Pure One) and “Khadijah Al Kubra (Khadijah the Great). She broke all the barriers of her time without compromising her modesty or integrity to succeed in male-dominated trades.

She was renowned for distributing riches to the poor, generously spending on the deprived, financially helping her relatives and providing women with dowries for their marriage.

Despite being older than the Prophet and divorced, she was the one who initiated marriage talks with Him. Khadijah was the first person Muhammad (PBUH) spoke to about His initial, terrifying experience of revelation. With her wise words she not only consoled Him but also became the first convert to Islam. Throughout their entire marriage she remained a confidant and a source of support.  She financially supported Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) so he could preach with all his core and energy. In the early years when the growth of Islam was slow and increasingly dangerous, Khadijah protected Prophet with her political power and influence. Even in the most alarming and precarious times of Islam, her spirits remained high and her devoutness never flagged.

The year Khadijah died was 619 CE. She was 65 years old, and she and Muhammad had been partners for 25 years. 

She is referred to as “Mother of Believers” by Muslims. Muhammad revered Khadijah’s memory the rest of his life, and consistently held her up to both men and women as a model of intelligence, virtue, courage, and devotion to family and to God.