بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْم
اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِيْنَ وَ الصَّلوٰةُ وَ السَّلَامُ عَلىٰ اَطْيَبِ خَلْقِ اللهِ نَسَبًا وَ حَسَبًا وَ صَهْرًا , سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلىٰ آلِهِ وَ صَحْبِهِ وَ بَارِكْ وَ سَلِّمْ
After the blessed marriage of the Prophet ﷺ and Sayyidah Khadijah رضی الله عنها, their blessed home flourished with love, purity, tranquillity and stability. It was the first home to be established upon piety, completely free from idol worship, pagan rituals and the ignorant practices that swept across the people of Makkah. Their blessed household was a model of understanding and co-operation, with the selfless essence of pure love at the forefront of everything. They had become an embodiment of the blessed verse:
وَمِنْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦٓ أَنْ خَلَقَ لَكُم مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَزْوَٰجًۭا لِّتَسْكُنُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهَا وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَكُم مَّوَدَّةًۭ وَرَحْمَةً ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍۢ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
“And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed, in that are signs for a people who give thought.” (Surah Al-Room 30:21)
The Prophet ﷺ as a Husband & Father
As a husband, the Prophet ﷺ was pro-active around the house. He ﷺ assisted his wife, catered for his family, mended his own shoes and more, without ever falling short in his responsibility to provide for and shelter his family. He ﷺ made his family and household a priority in his life as they deserved, putting them first before his own self.
The Prophet ﷺ was kind, gentle and friendly with his wives and his entire family, treating them with love and affection. He ﷺ was playful and easy-going as well as firm and protective. He embodied his responsibility as a husband and father. He would accommodate the needs of his family and exercise patience with them. The Prophet ﷺ would adorn himself and purify himself for his blessed wives in the home. He ﷺ would greet his family with love when leaving and entering the home. He ﷺ would kiss his wives when bidding farewell. He would kiss his children and play with them. He ﷺ gave great importance to the treatment of one’s family and instructed the Sahaabah:
خَيْرُكُمْ خَيْرُكُمْ لِأَهْلِهِ وَأَنَا خَيْرُكُمْ لِأَهْلِي
“The best of you are the best to their families, and I am the best to my family” (Tirmidhi)
Sayyidah Khadijah رضی الله عنها as a Wife & Mother
As one of the wealthiest and most successful traders in Makkah, Sayyidah Khadijah رضی الله عنها never allowed the hours required for her work, nor the lure of success to distract her from her family, whom she dearly loved. She would always fulfil her responsibility to her husband and her family before anything else, she made it clear that there was nothing in this world she loved more than Muhammad ﷺ, and her children. Her wealth, and her success meant nothing to her in comparison to her love for her family. She was ready to deplete every penny she earned just to see them smile.
Together they had become a force for good, aiding the community and assisting the weak and impoverished. The Prophet ﷺ, Sayyidah Khadijah رضی الله عنها, and their blessed family were ready to stay hungry, but give preference to the poor and needy, to their neighbours, to the travelling wayfarer, and even a small animal in need.
The Blessed Family of the Prophet ﷺ
Along with the Prophet ﷺ and Sayyidah Khadijah رضی الله عنها, the children of Sayyidah Khadijah رضی الله عنها from her previous marriages were also a part of this beautiful new home. The Prophet ﷺ loved and cared for them, standing in the position of a father, which they did not have for all these years. This included two boys: Hind ibn Abi Halah, Halah ibn Abi Halah, and one girl: Hind ibn Ateeq. They dearly loved the Prophet ﷺ, with Hind ibn Abi Halah giving us one of the best narrations describing the beautiful form of Our Beloved Prophet ﷺ.
Over the next ten years, their lives flourished together and their family grew, with the Prophet ﷺ and Sayyidah Khadijah رضی الله عنها being blessed with children of their own:
- Sayyidinaa Qaasim رضی الله عنه
He was the first child of the Prophet ﷺ. He brought great joy to the heart of the Prophet ﷺ. Through his birth the Prophet ﷺ had officially become a father, entering a new phase in his blessed life. The Prophet ﷺ was born in this world without his father, and thus could not be held in his arms. After all these years, the birth of Qaasim was a deep and emotional sentiment for Prophet ﷺ, experiencing this moment as a father, and holding his son in his arms. His birth also granted the Prophet ﷺ his Kunyah (Title/Appellation) of “Abul Qaasim” (The Father of Qaasim). However, after approximately two years, Qaasim passed away in infancy. The Prophet ﷺ saw his beloved wife in tears, as she held on to her innocent baby boy who was no longer breathing. After losing his father as an only son, the Prophet ﷺ had now lost his only son as a father. The Prophet ﷺ once again painfully returned to Jannah Al-Mu’alla, the Makkan cemetery where he witnessed his grandfather being buried when he was eight years old, whilst his heart felt the shattering pain of burying his pure baby boy. - Sayyidah Zaynab رضی الله عنها
She was their second child and their eldest daughter. After the pain of losing Qaasim, her upbringing brought joy and solace to their hearts. She was extremely beloved to her parents and grew up to be a reflection of her blessed mother. She would remind the Prophet ﷺ of Sayyidah Khadijah رضی الله عنها even after she passed away. When she grew up, she was the first to bless them with the happiness of a wedding in their home. She was married to Abul ‘Aas ibn Rabi’ رضی الله عنه who was also a family relative. She also gave the Prophet ﷺ his first grandchildren, her son ‘Ali and her daughter ‘Umamah. She faced struggles in the path of Allah سبحانه و تعالی, with her husband being forced away from her and even suffering a miscarriage due to the torture and oppression. She passed away during the final years of the Prophet’s ﷺ life in the eighth year after Hijrah (Migration) to Madinah Munawwarah. - Sayyidah Ruqayyah رضی الله عنها
She was their third child and second daughter. She grew up in the likeness of her parents and was dearly beloved to the Prophet ﷺ. As she grew older, she was married to Utbah, the son of the Prophet’s ﷺ uncle Abu Lahab. She was extremely forbearing and endured great tests for Islam, including an unjust divorce whilst she was still classed as a bride. Abu Lahab had ordered his sons to divorce the daughters of the Prophet ﷺ even before the marriage was consummated, as an act of rebellion against Islam and to punish his nephew for calling to the worship of Allah سبحانه و تعالی alone. She was later proposed to by – and married – the great companion Sayyidinaa Uthmaan ibn Affaan رضی الله عنه, one of the most handsome, wealthy and influential youths of Makkah. She migrated with her husband for the sake of Islam, and experienced the loss of an infant child. Her gentle heart bore great pain and sacrifice for Allah سبحانه و تعالی, until she passed away in the year 2 AH (After Hijrah) - Sayyidah Umm Kulthoom رضی الله عنها
She was their fourth child and third daughter. She grew up closely with her sister Ruqayyah رضی الله عنها, even marrying into the same family as her. She was married to Utaybah ibn Abi Lahab and was likewise oppressively divorced in the same manner. She spent the longest period supporting her father in the Prophetic ﷺ household. After her sister passed away, Sayyidinaa Uthmaan relieved the heart of the Prophet ﷺ once again by marrying Sayyidah Umm Kulthoom رضی الله عنها. As Sayyidinaa Uthman loved, sheltered and cared for the pure, innocent heart of Umm Kulthoom رضی الله عنها in the same manner, he was blessed with the unique honor of Dhun-Nurain (The Bearer of Two Lights). He became the only man in all of creation to love and marry two daughters of a Prophet, and that too the daughters of the Greatest Prophet ﷺ. She passed away during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ in the year 9 AH. - Sayyidah Faatimah Al-Batool Az-Zahra رضی الله عنها
She رضی الله عنها was their fifth child and their youngest daughter. She bore the name of the Prophet’s ﷺ paternal grandmother (Fatimah bint Amr), her maternal grandmother (Faatimah bint Zaa’idah, the mother of Sayyidah Khadijah رضی الله عنها), as well as Prophet’s ﷺ dear aunt and mother-figure Sayyidah Faatimah bint Asad رضی الله عنها. She was immensely close to her beloved father and the dearest to him. She was married to Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib رضی الله عنه and gave birth to three boys and two girls. Her sons were Sayyidinaa Hassan رضی الله عنه, Sayyidinaa Hussain رضی الله عنه and Sayyidinaa Muhsin رضی الله عنه. Her daughters were Sayyidah Umm Kulthoom رضی الله عنها and Sayyidah Zaynab رضی الله عنها. She was the only child to live throughout the life of the Prophet ﷺ, and passed away approximately six months after the Prophet ﷺ. - Sayyidinaa Abdullah رضی الله عنه
He was their sixth child and their youngest. He was extremely beloved to his parents and bore the name of the Prophet’s ﷺ father. He was born around the time of receiving Nuboowwah, either just before or shortly after (Ibn Saa’d). He was the first son that was born after the demise their first child Qaasim رضی الله عنه and was lovingly called Al-Tayyib and Al-Taahir (The Absolute Pure). His innocent smile, his pure eyes and his adorable hands and feet were a joyful solace that the Prophet ﷺ could come home to amidst the painful struggle of his mission. However, Abdullah رضی الله عنه too passed away in infancy, deeply paining the heart of the Prophet ﷺ and Sayyidah Khadijah رضی الله عنها, as he ﷺ buried another child with his own hands.
All of the children of the Prophet ﷺ were born from Sayyidah Khadijah رضی الله عنها, except for Sayyidinaa Ibraahim رضی الله عنه who was born towards the final years of his ﷺ life in the year 8 AH. In addition to their blessed children, the household of the Prophet ﷺ and Sayyidah Khadijah رضی الله عنها was also a home to:
- Sayyidinaa ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib رضی الله عنه
He was the son the Prophet’s ﷺ beloved uncle Abu Taalib and his dear aunt Sayyidah Faatimah bint Asad رضی الله عنها. The Prophet ﷺ was extremely fond of Sayyidinaa ‘Ali رضی الله عنه and raised him in his home with love and care. - Sayyidinaa Zayd ibn Haarithah رضی الله عنه
During the corrupt and oppressive landscape of Jaahiliyyah, slave-traders and child-traffickers were rampant throughout the world and free to do as they pleased, even holding an open-stall in the marketplaces to auction and sell ‘children’ as commodities. Due to this practice, Sayyidinaa Zayd رضی الله عنه was kidnapped as a child and eventually sold as a slave in the vicinity of Makkah. His parents were absolutely distraught and his father Haarithah wandered the vast Arabian deserts in an endless search for his son. Eventually Sayyidah Khadijah رضی الله عنها was ‘gifted’ this slave-child as the people of Makkah saw them as commodities of trade and house-hold accessories, not as human beings or children. The blessed of heart of the Prophet ﷺ and Sayyidinaa Khadijah رضی الله عنها were completely averse to such evil practices. They were champions for the liberation of slaves. In the later years of Nuboowwah, the Prophet ﷺ instructed the freedom and liberation of slaves as an essential act of Islam, even making it an obligation to free a multiple of slaves every time a penalty was required for violations such as breaking the compulsory fasts of Ramadhan.
Thus the Prophet ﷺ and Sayyidah Khadijah رضی الله عنه took Sayyidinaa Zayd into their home and nurtured him like their own children. They embraced a scared, innocent boy that had been kidnapped from his parents, and gave him a home, a place to belong and feel cared for. They raised him as an adoptive son and showered him with such love, that years later when his father finally found him, he could not bear to separate from the Prophet ﷺ, choosing him over his own parents. The Prophet ﷺ would state for years to come that Sayyidinaa Zayd رضی الله عنه was the “most beloved of people” to him ﷺ (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
May Allah سبحانه و تعالی bless Our Beloved Master Muhammad ﷺ, his pure wives, his blessed off-spring and his pure blood-line, and allow us to be connected with them in this world and in Jannah. Ameen Yaa Rabbal ‘Aalameen!
Join us tomorrow for our next article: “Rebuilding the Kaa’bah”
