My Favorite Love Story

 My Favorite Love Story

     Habiba Ghanem

The love that they had for each other was the forever and always kind of love. It’s better than any love story we hear about these days. It’s a story that I personally love to hear over and over again.  He was a young man who was known for his great character and she was a successful business women; a widow who the richest and most noble men wanted to marry.

They met when she was seeking a trustworthy person to travel and take care of business affairs. His uncle went to her and told her that the young man would be able to do the job.

Can anyone guess the two people whose story I am about to tell?

If you guessed Prophet Muhmmad (PBUH) and Khadija Bint Khuwaylid (RA) then you are correct!

When Khadija (RA) asked her servant to report to her about the young man after his first business trip (which was successful), the servant talked about his amazing and kind character. The servant also mentioned that though they were traveling in the sultriness weather conditions of the desert, the shade seemed to shield them wherever Muhammad (PBUH) was. Khadija (RA) was very impressed with the young man’s success and character. As the days went by, Khadija (RA) grew fond of Muhammad (PBUH) and wanted to marry him.

Khadija (RA) sent her sister(some sources say her friend) to talk to the Prophet (PBUH). Her sister asked the Prophet why he was not married and he told her that he didn’t have the means to get married. So then Khadija’s sister asked him, “What if I suggest a women of beauty, wealth, nobility, and character?”

The Prophet (PBUH) then asked, “Who is she?”

“Khadija” Her sister said. Upon hearing her name the Prophet asked how could he be her husband when she turned down the noblest men of Quraysh.

Soon after that conversation the Prophet (PBUH) and Khadija (RA) got married.

Though some people were surprised by this marriage; after all she was a wealthy woman who was a widow with a son from a previous marriage, and he was a young man who did not have much. Many people were happy because two people with beautiful characters had decided to become life partners.

When the Prophet started going to Mount Hira, Khadija (RA) didn’t complain when he was out there for a long time. She would climb up the mountain at the age of 55 to give him food and comfort him. She was always there to encourage him while he was trying to figure things out.

After the first revelation in Mount Hira, the Prophet ran back to the house shivering and kept saying “cover me, cover me.” Khadija was there to console him. She was the first to listen to him and became the first person to accept Islam as her deen. She was the first there to support him as he took his role as the Prophet of our Ummah. She supported him emotionally and religiously. When the Prophet would get up and pray at night, she would be right there next to him praying and to reassure the Prophet (PBUH) she would tell him “Walahy Allah will not disgrace you, because you uphold the ties of kinship, you are good to your neighbor, you treat the orphans well, you take up the cause of the one who has been wrong.”

 

When people turned their back on the Prophet (PBUH) and gave him a hard time, Khadija was the rock of support. She would support the Prophet (PBUH) and the believers with her wisdom and money.  Throughout the course of events that took place, Khadija’s faith and love for Allah (SWT) kept growing. Khadija’s strong and loving character captured the heart of not only the Prophet (PBUH), but her character touched and inspired many people to enter the faith of Islam.

There was a boycott on the Prophet and whoever followed him, thus the believers could not get proper food. Khadija’s nephew would sneak them food but when Abu Jahal found out, he cut that route. Thus they lived on very little food and water, she used to eat leaves and due to those hard conditions of not eating properly Khadija became ill and died. The year the Khadija (RA) was known as the year of sorrow, it was also the year that the Prophet lost his uncle Abu Talib.
When Allah gave the Prophet (PBUH) the order of prayer it was after the Prophet (PBUH) had lost Khadija (RA), she was the person who was able to put him at ease and was always there for him when times got tough. Prayer was passed down so that the Prophet (PBUH) could have that comfort that he used to have.
 

Though Khadija had passed away early in Prophet Muhammad’s prophet hood, she remained forever in his heart. He used to cry upon seeing her sister who reminded him of her. He used to send gifts to her friends. Even Aisha (RA) used to get jealous of the love that he had for her. One day Aisha (RA) asked Prophet Muhammad why he was always mentioning the “Old Quryash Woman” and that Allah had granted better for him, the Prophet got upset and said, "Indeed Allah did not grant me better than her; she believed in me when no one else did; she accepted Islam when people rejected me; and she helped and comforted me when there was no one else to lend me a helping hand."

When talking about Khadija (RA) the Prophet used to say: " إنى قد رُزِقتُ حبها"
Which is translated to: “Khadijah’s love was given to me by Allah (SWT)

Khadija (RA) was a beautiful woman with the best character and full faith. She is the epitome of loyalty and through all the struggles that they faced she never stopped supporting the Prophet (PBUH). Though he married after her, the Prophet (PBUH) loved her all his life. He never forgot her and remained loyal to her.

There is so much that we can learn from their story. The idea of good character arises a lot in their story. They both had exceptional character which made them loved by people. Though the richest men proposed to Khadija (RA) she chose the man who was honest and trustworthy. This is something that we lack in today’s societies, people go after the wrong things they pick the material things. The material things can disappear in an instance but good character remains through think and thin.

If it wasn’t for good character than there wouldn’t have been the loyalty which became vital when the revelation came to the Prophet. Khadija did all that she could to help her husband out even when their circumstances became harsh. It is important to understand that life is full of ups and downs and it is important to help people especially those who matter when life goes off course.

As mentioned above the Prophet (PBUH) never forgot Khadija and he appreciated everything that she had done for him. Here is yet another important lesson to learn. Appreciation. We need to be more grateful and appreciative to those who help us out and to our Creator.

What are your thoughts and reflections after reading about one of the greatest love stories of all time?