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?
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