The Rank of Imam
Ali (A.S.) as Indicated in the Sayings of The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)
It was not only at Ghadir Khumm that the Messenger of God, peace and blessings
be upon him and his family, proclaimed 'Ali, peace be upon him, to be the
leader of the Muslims and his successor, officially and in the presence of the
people. In the third year of his mission, when he was commanded to proclaim his
prophethood openly, he appointed 'Ali, peace be upon him, as his successor. It
is known that for the first three years of his prophetic mission, the Most
Noble Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, did not make
his summons public, instead calling people to Islam in secret. It was in the
third year of his mission that he was instructed to invite his relatives to
Islam openly. [1]
He thereupon instructed 'Ali, peace be upon him, to invite forty of the leading
personages of Quraysh to a banquet, and forty of the Prophet's relatives
accepted.
At their very first session, the nonsensical ravings of Abu Lahab, his raging
anger and unbridled arrogance, caused the meeting to break up in confusion. The
following day, when again everyone was gathered in accordance with the
instructions of the Most Noble Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and
his family, first food was served to the guests, and then it was time for
spiritual nourishment. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his
family, stood up among his relatives, praised and supplicated the Creator, and
said:
"I swear that there is none worthy of worship other than the One God, and
that I am His envoy to you and the entirety of mankind. I have brought you the
means of felicity in both worlds. My Lord has commanded me to summon you to the
religion of Islam, and I give you glad tidings that whoever among you accepts
my summons the soonest and aids me in my mission will be my brother (akhi), my
legatee (wasiyyi) and my successor (khalifati)."
Those words greatly disturbed those present at the gathering, for their pride
was offended, and it almost seemed that the voice of truth and the summons of
prophethood would remain unheeded. Suddenly 'Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be upon
him, arose and cried out: "O Muhammad, I believe in the oneness of God and
your messengerhood and I distance myself from the idol worshippers."
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, ordered 'Ali,
peace be upon him, to sit down. He then repeated twice more his earlier
proclamation, but those words of truth made no impact on the hearts of those
gathered in that assembly. No one apart from 'Ali, peace be upon him, responded
to the call of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family.
''Ali's acceptance of that summons and his declaration of agreement with the
Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, came at a time when he
was just entering manhood. While everyone else sat voiceless and silent, he
arose courageously and affirmed his acceptance of the Prophet's call a second
time. Thereupon the Prophet turned to the assembly and said:
"'Ali is my brother and legatee and my successor among you. Obey him,
follow him, and pay heed to his words." [2]
The reaction of the assembled guests was extremely hostile, for they wished to
strip this declaration by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his
family, of its effect, and they therefore stood up and quit the meeting in the
most unworthy and discourteous fashion. This event constitutes one of the
plainest and most significant chapters in history, and none of the well known
historians has ever seen fit to deny its occurrence, Not even the most
narrow-minded among them have been able to excise this historic occurrence from
their writings.
At that delicate and dangerous juncture, when the Prophet, peace and blessings
be upon him and his family, found himself alone in pursuing his great and
glorious goal, he needed a helper and ally capable of supporting him powerfully
and historically. Such a person could only be one who was prepared to devote
himself fully to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family,
and who had attained the highest degree of sincerity, courage, and obedience to
God, so that once he came to exercise the office of successor, he would be a
mirror reflecting all the knowledge, wisdom and moral purity of the Prophet,
peace and blessings be upon him and his family.
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, knew that although
some of his relatives might accept his call and come to embrace Islam, none
among them would be prepared to commit himself to active collaboration or to
confront the various forces arrayed against him, the idolators of Arabia and
the People of the Book. Such a commitment would necessarily involve a
protracted and merciless struggle against all sectors of Arab society, for none
of them was prepared to tolerate the summons to change their beliefs and
abandon their idols. The suggestion that they should do so could not fall to
arouse their intense hostility, so that a conflict was completely inevitable, a
conflict that would lead to the destruction of the possessions of anyone who
allied himself with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his
family.
Someone who was ready to make himself a protective shield for the Prophet,
peace and blessings be upon him and his family, under those unfavorable
conditions and even to risk him own life had to be an extraordinary individual.
Without doubt there was none among the relatives of the Prophet, peace and
blessings be upon him and his family, who possessed the necessary qualities
apart from 'Ali, peace be upon him, who was indeed destined to demonstrate in
the bitter and punishing events that were to occur extraordinary and even
unique qualities of heroism and devotion.
The significance of the proclamation made by the Messenger of God, peace and
blessings be upon him and his family, on that day is thus clear. It permits us
to understand why he undertook to name as his successor and legatee the one and
only person who promised him full collaboration.
Taking into consideration the Qur'anic verse, "The Prophet says nothing
out of mere fancy, and whatever he utters is the fruit of revelation from his
Lord,"(53:3-4) we must conclude that on that very day, during the earliest
part of his mission the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his
family, clearly and unmistakably appointed 'Ali, peace be upon him, to be
leader and guide of the people after his death.
The traditions in which this occurrence is recorded furthermore indicate that
the question of succession was the direct prerogative of God and the Messenger,
peace and blessings be upon him and his family, and that the people cannot
resolve so momentous a matter in accordance with their own wishes. Indeed, the
question was of such significance that the Imamate was proclaimed together with
prophethood on one and the same occasion, in a gathering attended by the
foremost relatives of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his
family.
Ibn Hisham, the well known historian, writes:
"'Ali b. Abi Talib was the first man to believe in the Prophet, peace and
blessings be upon him and his family, to pray together with him, and to affirm
the veracity of that which God gave him, although on that day he was a ten year
old child." [3]
Anas b. Malik remarks: "The Prophet began his mission on Monday, and 'Ali
embraced Islam on Tuesday." [4]
Ibn Majah in his al-Sunan and al-Hakim in his al-Mustadrak record 'Ali, peace
be upon him, to have said:
"I am the servant of God and the brother of His Messenger. I am the
supremely veracious one, and none but a liar shall say the same after me. I
made the prayer seven years before anyone else did." [5]
The Most Noble Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his family,
emphasized on various occasions that the question of leadership of the ummah
pertained to God alone, and that he played no role in this respect.
al-Tabari records the following in his history:
"A tribal chief by the name of al-Akhnas made his allegiance and obedience
to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, conditional on
the leadership of the ummah being assigned to him after the death of the
Prophet The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, responded:
'This is a matter that belongs to God; He will appoint to this office whomever
He deems fit' The chief in question was disappointed and he sent a message to
the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, saying that it was
unacceptable that he should toil and exert himself only to see the leadership
go elsewhere." [6]
Can it then be permissible to prefer a leader chosen by the people to the one
selected by God and His Messenger, or to place that lofty personage under the
authority of someone else, obliging him to obey him and follow his command? The
Qur'an clearly proclaims: "None has free choice when confronted with the
command of God and His Messenger. Whosoever disobeys the command of God and His
Messenger falls prey to obvious misguidance." (33:34)
When, therefore, God selects a certain person to be the guide and leader of the
people, that person is the caliph." even if the Muslim community does not
make it possible for him to exercise governmental authority. It is the same as
in., the case of prophethood: if God appoints a person as prophet, that person
is a prophet, even if people do not believe in him and refuse to obey him.
Another precious utterance in which the Messenger of God, peace and blessings
be upon him and his family, emphasizes to the Islamic ummah that 'Ali, peace be
upon him, is their leader and ruler is the hadith known as the "hadith of
the Rank" (hadith al-manzilah). The circumstances under which it arose are
the following:
One day the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, learned
that the armies of Byzantium were mobilizing for an attack on Madinah in the
hope of gaining a swift victory. Upon hearing this, he ordered precautions to
be taken and with a single order he was able to assemble a large force of
Muslims to confront the enemy.
At the same time, a report reached the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him
and his family, that the Hypocrites were also gathering their forces with the
aim of causing disorder in the city during the anticipated absence of the
Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, by killing and
inciting people to violence.
The Most Noble Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his family,
appointed 'Ali, peace be upon him, to guard the city on his behalf, and he
ordered that he should remain in Madinah until he returned, administering the
affairs of the Muslims. When the Hypocrites realized that their treacherous
plans had been divulged, they began spreading idle rumors in the hope of
weakening 'Ali's position. They hinted that the Prophet, peace and blessings be
upon him and his family, was angry with 'Ali, peace be upon him, and that it
was for this reason that he had not been permitted to accompany him on a major
military expedition.
'Ali, peace be upon him, was greatly troubled and saddened by the circulation
of these rumors, and he hastened to the presence of the Prophet, peace and
blessings be upon him and his family, who had already left Madinah. He told him
what had happened, and with a single historic sentence he clarified the special
position of 'Ali, peace be upon him, once and for all:
"Are you not content that your relation to me shall be like the relation
of Harun to Musa, excepting only that there shall be no prophet after me?"
At the end of this hadith there is a sentence that many Sunni scholars have
recorded in their books:
"It is not fitting that I should depart without your being my deputy and
successor." [8]
Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas, who was an obstinate enemy of 'Ali peace be upon him,
mentions the same hadith in order to demonstrate his high standing.
When Mu'awiyah wanted to have the people of Makkah swear allegiance to Yazid,
he convened an assembly of some of the Companions at the place known as
al-Nadwah. He began by condemning and criticizing 'Ali, peace be upon him, expecting
Sa'd to agree with him at least on this point. But contrary to his
expectations, Sa'd turned to Mu'awiyah and said: "Whenever I recall three
luminous moments in the life of 'Ali, peace be upon him, I wish from the bottom
of my heart that they had been mine. The first of the three came on that day
when the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said
to 'Ali, peace be upon him, 'Your relation to me shall be like the relation of
Harun to Musa, excepting only that there shall be no prophet after me.'
"The second came on the plain of Khaybar when the Prophet, peace and
blessings be upon him and his family, said: 'Tomorrow I will entrust the banner
to one who loves God and His Prophet and whom God and His Prophet love. He will
be the conqueror of Khaybar, for he never turns his back on the enemy.'
"The third was on the day when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon
him and his family, disputed with the Christians of Najran. He gathered 'Ali,
Fatimah, Hasan and Husayn, peace be upon them all, around him, and presented
them to the divine presence, saying, 'O Lord, these are the people of my
house.'" [9]
In the hadith comparing his relation with 'Ali to that of Musa (Moses) with
Harun (Aaron), the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, had
implicitly designated 'Ali as his brother, assistant and general deputy as well
as leader of the ummah, and the fact that he excepted only prophethood
indicates the comprehensive nature of the station he awarded to 'Ali, peace be
upon him.
If we refer to the Qur'an, we will see that God Almighty granted all the
requests Musa made on him, and it was in accordance with one such request that
He appointed Harun the helper, assistant, deputy and successor of Musa among
his people, and even made him a prophet. [10] Since Harun was the leader of all
the Bani Isra'il, the situation of 'Ali, peace be upon him, was analogous. Just
like the Most Noble Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his family,
he was the ruler of all the Muslims, and his acting on his behalf as his deputy
when he was not present was therefore entirely natural, a consequence of his
comprehensive deputyship. Likewise, the deputyship exercised by Harun when Musa
went to the place of assignation was not temporary in nature.
Someone might be of the view that 'Ali's deputyship was restricted to the
period that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, was
absent from Madinah, so that the hadith under discussion cannot be taken as
having general significance or as evidence that he was the Prophet's successor.
To this we answer that whenever the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him
and his family, left the Islamic capital, he would always appoint someone to
act as his deputy. If by comparing 'Ali, peace be upon him, to Harun, the
Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, had intended nothing
more than the usual appointment of a deputy, restricted in his authority to
Madinah for the period of the Prophet's absence, why did he not use a similar
expression for those other favored Companions he would appoint as deputy? Why
did he not use the same or similar words to describe the services they
rendered?
History provides no evidence that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him
and his family, uttered these words with respect to anyone but 'Ali, peace be
upon him. The simple truth of the matter is that the Prophet, peace and
blessings be upon him and his family, made use of the occasion to proclaim the
virtues of 'Ali, to appoint him as his successor, and to make plain that he was
his sole legatee. If the Prophet had intended to appoint him only as his deputy
for a limited time, it would have made no sense for prophethood to be excluded
from the prerogatives of his office. The meaning then would have been something
improbable like the following: "'Ali, stand ill as my deputy for a while
until I return, but you will not be a prophet after me." The exception
made of prophethood makes sense only if the various powers and attributes of Harun
should continue to pertain to 'Ali after the death of the Prophet.
Moreover, this expression was used by the Prophet in appointing 'Ali as his
successor on other occasions as well, not simply when assigning him deputyship
in Madinah, as history bears witness. For example, in the earliest days of the
Hijrah, when the Prophet caused every Muslim to conclude a pact of brotherhood
with another Muslim, 'Ali hastened sorrowfully to the presence of the Prophet
and said: "How is it that you have assigned every Muslim a brother, but
have not chosen anyone to be my brother?" In the presence of a group of
Companions, the Prophet then replied: "I swear by the Lord Who sent me
with the message of truth, I delayed the matter only in order to make you my brother.
You are to me as Harun was to Musa, excepting only that there shall be no
prophet after me. You are my heir and my brother. " [11]
This hadith demonstrates among other things that the barring of 'Ali from
prophethood was not because of any unfitness on his part, but only to the fact
that Muhnammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, was the Seal of
the Prophets. Had prophethood not been sealed with him, 'Ali would doubtless
have been a prophet.
The Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, called
'Ali, peace be upon him, his brother on a number of occasions.
Thus we read in the Sirah of al-Halabi:
"After the Prophet concluded pacts of brotherhood among the Companions
(for example between Abu Bakr and 'Umar, Usayd b. Hudayr and Zayd b.
al-Harithah, Abd al-Rahman bn 'Awf and Sa'd b. al-Rabi', and Abu 'Ubaydah and
Sa'd b. Mu'adh), he took 'Ali by the hand and proclaimed, 'This is my brother.'
Thereafter 'Ali and the Messenger of God were brothers." [12]
On another occasion, when discussing a matter that concerned 'Ali, his brother
Ja'far, and Zayd b. al-Harithah, the Prophet addressed ''Ali as follows:
"As for you, O 'Ali, you are my brother and comrade." [13]
On yet another occasion he said: "You will be my brother and companion in Paradise." [14]
Let us now see what is meant by brotherhood in this context.
In order to abolish and obliterate all forms of tribal distinction and
privilege which were contrary to the norms of divine justice, the Prophet
undertook a number of necessary measures, above all by establishing a special
type of brotherhood among the Muslims after the migration to Madinah. It was
his wish to bring a comprehensive brotherhood into being in the Islamic ummah,
not as an abstract idea but as a palpable and objective reality. By the coming
together of two adoptive brothers, who were not linked by any ties of blood or
kinship but only by closeness to God and belief in the truths of His religion,
the new brotherhood of Islam began to blossom in a practical form. Spiritual
brotherhood became the equivalent of genealogical kinship. The links between
two adoptive brothers, each hailing from a different tribe and town,
contributed moreover to a general expansion of friendship and affection between
all the members of the two different tribes, so that a network of deep
spiritual and emotional links came into being.
The brotherhood of the Most Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and
his family, and 'Ali, peace be upon him, had come into being no less than ten
years before the Hijrah, when the Prophet convened a gathering of his relatives
at his house in order to request their aid. The Prophet's purpose in
establishing this fraternal link with 'Ali was without any doubt different from
the goal of creating closeness between two tribes or the people of two cities
that he pursued in Madinah, not least because no such gap or difference
separated him from 'Ali. They were already related to each other as cousins and
firm, strong ties already existed between them.
The reason for the brotherhood between the Prophet and 'Ali must therefore have
been spiritual and intellectual affinity, a mutual inward attraction. It was
'Ali who more than anyone else resembled the great founder of Islam with
respect to his spiritual qualities and knowledge, his devotion and insight. The
brotherhood of the Prophet with 'Ali had therefore a special significance that
extended beyond this world to the plain of resurrection and the realm of the
hereafter. Thus al-Hakim records in his al-Mustadrak the following remark
addressed to 'Ali by the Messenger of God, handed down by two separate
authentic chains of transmission: "You are my brother in this world and
the hereafter." [15]
One day when Abu Bakr, 'Umar and Abu 'Ubaydah were present, the Prophet placed
his hand on the shoulder of 'Ali and said: "O 'Ali, you are the first
person who accepted Islam and believed in me; you are to me as Harun was to
Musa." [16]
Once 'Umar saw a man insulting 'Ali b. Abi Talib. 'Umar told him: "You are
a hypocrite, for I heard the Messenger of God say to 'Ali, 'Only 'Ali is to me
as Harun was to Musa, excepting only that there shall be no prophet after
me."' [17]
A point to be noted in this tradition is that since the Arabic particle innama
(only) implies exclusivity, the Prophet cannot have meant 'Ali's deputyship to
be temporary, for he also appointed others as his deputies from time to time.
'Umar's words also imply that he understood the Prophet's declaration to make
'Ali his equal in all respects except prophethood, for he told the man who
insulted 'Ali, "You are a hypocrite." His hypocrisy was indeed worse
than open unbelief.
However high be the rank of a believer, to insult him entails neither unbelief
nor hypocrisy. 'Umar and many of the Companions used to insult each other, but
no one ever interpreted this kind of behavior as entailing unbelief or
hypocrisy. However, insulting the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and
his family, does indeed entail unbelief, and it can therefore be said that 'Umar
b. al-Khattab understood the words of the Prophet to mean that 'Ali, peace be
upon him, had the same rank as the Prophet himself.
The hadith of the Ark (hadith al-safinah) is one more of the well-known and
universally accepted traditions found in the books of celebrated Sunni scholars
that establish the worthiness of the Prophet's family for assuming the
leadership and direction of the Islamic ummah, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari relates the
Prophet to have said: "The People of my Household are for you like the Ark
of Nuh (Noah). Whoever embarks on it will be saved and whoever turns away from
it will be drowned." [18]
With these words the Prophet depicts clearly the rank of his family and their
fundamental role in guiding mankind and giving direction to the Islamic ummah.
He warns against the perilous consequences of abandoning the lofty persons of
his house, a course that will lead whoever chooses it to darkness and
misguidance.
The sense of comparing the People of the House (Ahl al-Bayt) to the Ark of Nuh
is that whoever follows their guidelines in fulfilling his religious duties and
whose acts conforms to their commands is guaranteed salvation from the awesome
punishment that awaits on the Day of Judgement Whoever rebels and disobeys, who
distances himself from that axis of orientation, is like the one who sought
refuge from the dreadful tempest on the mountaintops instead of in the Ark of
Nuh. The only difference is that the latter met his death by drowning, while
the former will be submerged in the torment of hellfire and eternal perdition.
The Most Noble Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, said
in description of the People of his House:
"The People of my House are like the stars that help men find their way on
sea and dry land and deliver them from misguidance and errance." [19]
He said further. "Whoever seeks refuge with the People of my House will be
safe from misguidance and ruin, and whoever opposes them will fall prey to
discord and divergence and join the party of Satan." [20]
From the traditions just cited can be deduced also the dimensions of the House,
for whoever is exposed to the possibility of committing error and sin, of
deviating from the clear guidelines laid down by the Prophet, peace and
blessings be upon him and his family, will never be able to save others from
falling into the pit of misery and misguidance or to bring about that radical
change in modes of thought, feeling and social organization that is needed to
ensure eternal felicity.
It would be possible to object to the Shi'ah or to condemn them for the path
they have elected only if their obedience to the People of the Prophet's House
were inspired by something other than his instructions and recommendations.
Such, however, is not the case.
When the first caliph appointed the second caliph as his successor, what word
or sentence did he use? Did he use more than one sentence to indicate that the
office of caliphate and leadership of the Muslims that he had exercised now
fell to the lot of 'Umar? By contrast, there are numerous expressions and
sentences from the Prophet, clear and explicit in meaning, concerning 'Ali; do
they not suffice to prove his leadership and succession? The words of the
Prophet are far clearer and more explicit than those used by the first caliph;
are they not enough to prove at least the claim of 'Ali to religious
leadership? Fair-minded and intelligent people can judge for themselves.
The scholars and leading figures of the Sunni community have regarded it as
necessary to follow the views and teachings of the founders of the four schools
of Sunni law, even though there is no hadith from the Messenger of God, peace
and blessings be upon him and his family, enjoining such obedience. We can
therefore discern no adequate reason for these same scholars to ignore the
teachings of the People of the Prophet's House, in the face of his clear
declaration that the Qur'an and the People of the House will remain
inextricably linked until the Day of Judgement. [21]
What is even more remarkable is that some of the founders of the four legal
schools were themselves students of the People of the House and benefited from
their erudition. A leading Sunni scholar remarks:
"All Islamic scholars, irrespective of the school to which they belong,
are unanimously agreed on the accomplishments and learning of Imam al-Sadiq,
peace be upon him. Sunni Imams who were his contemporaries studied with him and
derived knowledge from him. Malik learned from him, as did some of the
contemporaries of Malik such as Sufyan b.
'Uyaynah, Sufyan al-Thawri, and many others. Abu Hanifah, whose lifetime more
or less corresponded to that of Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, studied
religious knowledge with him and regarded him as the most learned man of the
age." [22]
Ibn Hajar, another Sunni scholar, relates Imam al-Shafi'i to have said:
"The Household of the Prophet is my means of salvation, and they are my
means of drawing near to the Prophet. It is my hope that for their sake the
record of my deeds will be given into my right hand on the Day of
Judgement." [23]
Again al-Shafi'i said: "O People of the Prophet's House, love for you has
been made obligatory by God through mention in the Qur'an. Sufficient cause of
pride it is for you that whoever fails to invoke blessings on you in his prayer
will fail to have his devotions (salat) accepted." [24]
Unlike the views of the mujtahids who founded the four Sunni schools, there is
no contradiction or divergence among the teachings of the People of the House,
for they were not engaged in independent reasoning on the ordinances of
religion. Their teachings are identical with those of the Prophet, peace and
blessings be upon him and his family, of which the Imams of the People of the
House were infallibly aware. The utterances of the Imams cannot therefore be
placed on the same level as the views of the founders of the four Sunni
schools.
In view of all this, how can it be justified to ignore and neglect the
teachings of the People of the House?
[1] See Qur'an, 26:214.
[2] Ahmad b. Hanbal, al-Musnad, Vol. I, pp. 111, 159. Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil,
Vol. II, p.22; al-Tabari, al-Tafsir, Vol. II, p. 216; Abu al-Fida', al-Tarikh,
Vol. I, p. 119; al-Ganji, Kifayatal-Talib, p.89. al-Nasa'i, al-Khasa'is, p. 18;
al-Halabi, al-Sirah, Vol. I, p.304; Ibn Abi 'l-Hadid, Sharh, Vol. III, p. 255;
al-Suyuti, Jam' al-Jawami', Vol. VI, p. 408; al-Khifaji, Sharh al-Shifa', Vol.
III, p. 37.
[3] Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah, Vol. I, p.245.
[4] al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, Vol. III, p. 312.
[5] Ibn Majah, al-Sunan, Vol. I, p. 44; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, Vol. III, p.
112.
[6] al-Tabari, Tarikh, Vol. II, p. 172.
[7] al-Bukhari, al-Sahih, Vol. III, p.58; Muslim, al-Sahih, Vol. II, p. 323;
Ibn M'ajah, al-Sunan, Vol. I, p. 28; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, Vol. III, p. 190;
Ibn Hajar, Sawa'iq, p. 30; al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-'Ummal, Vol. VI, p.
152; al-Qunduzi, Yanabi' al-Mawaddah, p. 240; al-Nasa'i, al-Khasa'is ., p.7;
Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabaqat, Vol. III, p.24.
[8] al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, Vol. III, p. 63; al-Nasa'i, al-Khasa'is ., p. 63;
al-Hamawini, Fara'id al-simtayn, Vol. I, p. 328 al-Dhahabi, Talkhis
al-Mustadrak, Vol. III, p. 132; Ahmad b. Hanbal, al-Musnad, Vol. I, p. 331;
al-Khwarazmi, al-Manaqib, p. 72; al-Ganji, Kifayat al-Talib, p. 116; Ibn
Asakir, al-Tarikh al-Kabir, Vol. I, p. 203; al-Biladhuri, Ansab al-Ashraf, Vol.
II, p. 106; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah, Vol. VII, p. 338; al-'Asqalani, al-Isabah,
Vol. II, p.509.
[9] Muslim, al-Sahih, Vol. VII, p. 120; Ibn 'Asakir, al-Tarikh al-Kabir, Vol.
I, p. 334; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah, Vol. VII, p. 341; al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz
al-'Ummal, Vol. XIII, p. 163; Ibn Majah, al-Sunan, Vol. I, p.58; al-Nasa'i,
al-Khasa'is, p.50; al-Qunduzi, Yanabi' al-Mawaddah, p. 51.
[10] See Qur'an, 20:29-32.
[11] al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-'Ummal, Vol. V, p.31.
[12] al-Halabi, al-Sirah, Vol. II, p. 97. Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah, Vol. I, p.505.
[13] Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabaqat, Vol. VIII, p. 114.
[14] Ibn 'Abd al-Barr, al-Isti'ab, Vol. II, p. 460; al-Khatib al-Baghdadi,
Tarikh Baghdadi, Vol. XII, p. 268; al-Firuzabadi, Fada'il al-Khhamsah, Vol. I,
p.114.
[15] al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, Vol. III, p. 414; al-Tirmidhi, Jami' al-Sahih,
Vol. V
[16] al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-'Ummal, Vol. VI, p. 395.
[17] Ibn , Asakir, al-Tarikh al-Kabir, Vol. I, pp. 360-61; al-Khatib al-Baghdadi,
Tarikh Baghdad, Vol. VII, p.453.
[18] al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-'Ummal, Vol. I, p. 250; Ibn Hajar,
al-Sawa'iq, p. 75; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, Vol. III, p. 343; al-Qunduzi,
Yanabi' al-Mawaddah, p. 257. Ibn al-Sabbagh, al-Fusul al-Muhimmah, p. 10;
al-Sabban, Is'af al-Raghibin, p. 111; al-Shiblanji, Nur al-Absar, p. 114.
[19] Ibn Hajar, al-Sawa'iq, p. 140; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, Vol. III, p. 149.
[20] Ibn Hajar, al-Sawa'iq, p. 140; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, Vol. III, p. 149.
[21] Ahmad b. Hanbal, al-Musnad, Vol. V, p. 181.
[22] Shaykh Muhammad Abu Zahrah, al-Imam al-Sadiq, p.66.
[23] Ibn Hajar, al-Sawa'iq, p. 108. See too al-Firuzabadi, Fada'il al-Khamsah,
Vol. II, p.81.
[24] al-Shiblanji, Nur al-Absar, p. 104.
Islam did not rise except through Ali's sword and Khadija's wealth,
INTRODUCTION:
"Islam did not rise except through Ali's sword and Khadija's wealth,"
a saying goes. Khadija al-Kubra daughter of Khuwaylid ibn (son of) Asad ibn
Abdul-`Uzza ibn Qusayy belonged to the clan of Banu Hashim of the tribe of Banu
Asad. She was a distant cousin of her husband the Messenger of Allah Muhammad
ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul-Muttalib ibn Hashim ibn Abd Manaf ibn Qusayy, Allah's
peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny. Qusayy, then, is the ancestor of
all clans belonging to Quraysh. According to some historians, Quraysh's real
name was Fahr, and he was son of Malik son of Madar son of Kananah son of
Khuzaimah son of Mudrikah son of Ilyas son of Mazar son of Nazar son of Ma`ad
son of Adnan son of Isma`eel (Ishmael) son of Ibrahim (Abraham) son of Sam son
of Noah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon the prophets from among his
ancestors.
According to a number of sources, Khadija was born in 565 A.D. and died one
year before the Hijra (migration of the Holy Prophet and his followers from Mecca to Medina) in 623 A.D. at the age of 58, but some historians say that she lived to
be 65. Khadija's mother, who died around 575 A.D., was Fatima daughter of
Za'ida ibn al-Asam of Banu `Amir ibn Luayy ibn Ghalib, also a distant relative
of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Khadija's father, who died around 585 A.D.,
belonged to the Abd al-`Uzza clan of the tribe of Quraysh and, like many other
Qurayshis, was a merchant, a successful businessman whose vast wealth and
business talents were inherited by Khadija and whom the latter succeeded in
faring with the family's vast wealth. It is said that when Quraysh's trade
caravans gathered to embark upon their lengthy and arduous journey either to Syria during the summer or to Yemen during the winter, Khadija's caravan equalled the caravans of
all other traders of Quraysh put together.
Although the society in which Khadija was born was a terribly male chauvinistic
one, Khadija earned two titles: Ameerat-Quraysh, Princess of Quraysh, and
al-Tahira, the Pure One, due to her impeccable personality and virtuous
character, not to mention her honorable descent. She used to feed and clothe
the poor, assist her relatives financially, and even provide for the marriage
of those of her kin who could not otherwise have had means to marry.
By 585 A.D., Khadija was left an orphan. Despite that, and after having married
twice- and twice lost her husband to the ravaging wars with which Arabia was
afflicted- she had no mind to marry a third time though she was sought for
marriage by many honorable and highly respected men of the Arabian peninsula
throughout which she was quite famous due to her business dealings. She simply
hated the thought of being widowed for a third time. Her first husband was Abu (father
of) Halah Hind ibn Zarah who belonged to Banu `Adiyy, and the second was Ateeq
ibn `Aaith. Both men belonged to Banu Makhzoom. By her first husband, she gave
birth to a son who was named after his father Hind and who came to be one of
the greatest sahabah (companions of the Holy Prophet). He participated in both
battles of Badr and Uhud, and he is also famous for describing the Prophet's
physique; he was martyred during the Battle of the Camel in which he fought on
the side of Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as), although some historians say that he
died in Basrah. All biography accounts describe Hind as an outspoken orator, a
man of righteousness and generosity, and one who took extreme caution while
quoting the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). Besides him, Khadija gave birth by Abu
Halah to two other sons: al-Tahir, and, of course, Halah, who is not very well
known to historians despite the fact that his father is nicknamed after him.
Who were Khadija's children by her second husband? This is another controversy
that revolves round the other daughters or step-daughters of the Prophet (pbuh)
besides Fatima (as). These daughters, chronologically arranged, are: Zainab,
Ruqayya, and Ummu Kulthoom. Some historians say that these were Khadija's
daughters by her second husband, whereas others insist they were her daughters
by Muhammad (pbuh). The first view is held by Sayyid Safdar Husayn in his book
The Early History of Islam wherein he bases his conclusion on the contents of
al-Sayyuti's famous work Tarikh al-khulafa wal muluk (history of the caliphs
and kings). We hope some of our Muslim sisters who read this text will be
tempted to research this subject. Here is a brief account of Khadija's
daughters:
Zainab, their oldest, was born before the prophetic mission and was married to
Abul-`As ibn al-Rabee`. She had accepted Islam before her husband, and she
participated in the migration from Mecca to Medina. She died early in 8 A.H.
and was buried in Jannatul Baqee` where her grave can still be seen defying the
passage of time. Ruqayya and Ummu Kulthoom married two of Abu Lahab's sons. Abu
Lahab, one of the Prophet's uncles, stubbornly and openly rejected his nephew's
preaching; therefore, he was condemned in the Mecci Chapter 111 of the Holy
Qur'an, a chapter named after him. Having come to know about such a
condemnation, he became furious and said to his sons, "There shall be no
kinship between you and me unless you part with these daughters of
Muhammad," whereupon they divorced them instantly. Ruqayya married the
third caliph `Uthman ibn `Affan and migrated with him to Ethiopia in 615 A.D.,
five years after the inception of the prophetic mission, accompanied by no more
than nine others. That was the first of two such migrations. After coming back
home, she died in Medina in 2 A.H. and was buried at Jannatul Baqee`. `Uthman
then married her sister Ummu Kulthoom in Rabi` al-Awwal of the next (third)
Hijri year. Ummu Kulthoom lived with her husband for about six years before
dying in 9 A.H., leaving no children.
One particular quality in Khadija was quite interesting, probably more so than
any of her other qualities mentioned above: she, unlike her people, never
believed in nor worshipped idols. There was a very small number of Christians
and Jews in Mecca, and a fairly large number of Jews in Medina. Waraqah ibn
Nawfal, one of Khadija's cousins, had embraced Christianity and was a pious
monk who believed in the Unity of the Almighty, just as all early Christians
did, that is, before the concept of the Trinity crept into the Christian faith,
widening the theological differences among the believers in Christ (as). He
reportedly had translated the Bible from Hebrew into Arabic. His likes could be
counted on the fingers of one hand during those days in the entire populous
metropolis of Mecca, or Becca, or Ummul-Qura (the mother town), a major
commercial center at the crossroads of trade caravans linking Arabia with
India, Persia, China, and Byzantium, a city that had its own Red Sea port at
Shu`ayba.
Most importantly, Mecca housed the Ka`ba, the cubic "House of God"
which has always been sought for pilgrimage and which used to be circled by
naked polytheist "pilgrims" who kept their idols, numbering 360 small
and big, male and female, inside it and on its roof-top. Among those idols was
one for Abraham and another for Ishmael, each carrying divine arrows in his
hands. Hubal, a huge idol in the shape of a man, was given as a gift by the
Moabites of Syria to the tribesmen of Khuza`ah, and it was Mecca's chief idol.
Two other idols of significance were those of the Lat, a grey granite image
which was the deity of Thaqif in nearby Taif, and the Uzza, also a block of
granite about twenty feet long. These were regarded as the wives of the
Almighty... Each tribe had its own idol, and the wealthy bought and kept a
number of idols at home. The institute of pilgrimage was already there; it
simply was not being observed properly, and so was the belief in Allah Whom the
Arabs regarded as their Supreme deity. Besides Paganism, other "religions"
in Arabia included star worship and fetishism.
The Jews of Medina had migrated from Palestine and settled there waiting for
the coming of a new Prophet from the seed of Abraham (as) in whom they said
they intended to believe and to be the foremost in following, something which
unfortunately did not materialize; on the contrary, they joined ranks with the
Pagans to fight the spread of Islam. Only a handful of them embraced Islam,
including one man who was a neighbor of Muhammad (pbuh); he lived in the same alley
in Mecca where Khadija's house stood; his wife, also Jewish, used to collect
dry thorny bushes from the desert just to throw them in the Prophet's way.
Since Khadija did not travel with her trade caravans, she had always had to
rely on someone else to act as her agent to trade on her behalf and to receive
an agreed upon commission in return. In 595 A.D., Khadija needed an agent to
trade in her merchandise going to Syria, and it was then that a number of
agents whom she knew before and trusted, as well as some of her own relatives,
particularly Abu Talib, suggested to her to employ her distant cousin Muhammad
ibn Abdullah (pbuh) who, by then, had earned the honoring titles of al-Sadiq,
the truthful, and al-Amin, the trustworthy. Muhammad (pbuh) did not have any
practical business experience, but he had twice accompanied his uncle Abu Talib
on his trade trips and keenly observed how he traded, bartered, bought and sold
and conducted business; after all, the people of Quraysh were famous for their
involvement in trade more than in any other profession. It was not uncommon to
hire an agent who did not have a prior experience; so, Khadija decided to give
Muhammad (pbuh) a chance. He was only 25 years old. Khadija sent Muhammad
(pbuh) word through Khazimah ibn Hakim, one of her relatives, offering him
twice as much commission as she usually offered her agents to trade on her
behalf. She also gave him one of her servants, Maysarah, who was young,
brilliant, and talented, to assist him and be his bookkeeper. She also trusted
Maysarah's account regarding her new employee's conduct, an account which was
most glaring, indeed one which encouraged her to abandon her insistence never
to marry again.
Before embarking upon his first trip as a businessman representing Khadija,
Muhammad (pbuh) met with his uncles for last minute briefings and
consultations, then he set out on the desert road passing through Wadi al-Qura,
Midian, and Diyar Thamud, places with which he was familiar because of having
been there at the age of twelve in the company of his uncle Abu Talib. He
continued the lengthy journey till he reached Busra (or Bostra) on the highway
to the ancient city of Damascus after about a month. It was then the capital of
Hawran, one of the southeastern portions of the province of Damascus situated north of the Balqa'. To scholars of classic literature, Hawran is known by
its Greek name Auranitis, and it is described in detail by Yaqut al-Hamawi,
Abul-Faraj al-Isfahani, and others. Arab trade caravans used to go there quite
often and even beyond it to Damascus and Gaza, and few made it all the way to
Mediterranean shores to unload their precious cargoes of Chinese paper and silk
textiles bound for Europe.
What items did Muhammad (pbuh) carry with him to Busra, and what items did he
buy from there? Meccans were not known to be skilled craftsmen, nor did they
excel in any profession besides trade, but young Muhammad (pbuh) might have
carried with him a cargo of hides, raisins, perfumes, dried dates, light weight
woven items, probably silver bars, and most likely some herbs. He bought what
he was instructed by his employer to buy: these items may have included
manufactured goods, clothes, a few luxury items to sell to wealthy Meccans, and
maybe some household goods. Gold and silver currency accepted in Mecca included
Roman, Persian, and Indian coins, for Arabs during those times, including those
who were much more sophisticated than the ones among whom Muhammad (pbuh) grew
up such as the Arabs of the southern part of Arabia (Yemen, Hadramout, etc.),
did not have a currency of their own; so, barter was more common than cash. The
first Arab Islamic currency, by the way, was struck in Damascus by the Umayyad
ruler Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (697-698 A.D.) in 78 A.H., 36 years after the establishment
of the Umayyad dynasty (661-750).
The time Muhammad (pbuh) stayed in Busra was no more than a couple of months
during which he met many Christians and Jews and noticed the theological
differences among the major Christian sects that led to the disassociation of
the Copts, the Syrian (Chaldean) Nestorian, and the Armenian Christians from
the main churches of Antioch (Antakiya), Rome, and Egyptian Alexandria. Such
dissensions and differences of theological viewpoints provided Muhammad (pbuh) with
plenty of food for thought; he contemplated upon them a great deal. He was seen
once by Nestor the monk sitting in the shade of a tree as caravans entered the
outskirts of Busra, not far from the monk's small monastery. "Who is the
man beneath that tree?" inquired Nestor of Maysarah. "A man of
Quraysh," Maysarah answered, adding, "of the people [the Hashemites]
who have guardianship of the Sanctuary." "None other than a Prophet
is sitting beneath that tree," said Nestor who had observed some of the
signs indicative of Prophethood: two angels (or, according to other reports,
two small clouds) were shading Muhammad (pbuh) from the oppressive heat of the
sun. "Is there a glow, a slight redness, around his eyes that never parts
with him?" Nestor asked Maysarah. When the latter answered in the
affirmative, Nestor said, "He most surely is the very last Prophet;
congratulations to whoever believes in him."
One of Muhammad's observations when he was in that Syrian city was the
historical fact that a feud was brewing between the Persian and Roman empires,
each vying for hegemony over Arabia's fertile crescent. Indeed, such an
observation was quite accurate, for after only a few years, a war broke out
between the then mightiest nations on earth that ended with the Romans losing
it, as the Holy Qur'an tells us in Chapter 30 (The Romans), which was revealed
in 7 A.H./615-16 A.D., only a few months after the fall of Jerusalem to the
Persians, just to win in a successive one.
Only four years prior to that date, the Persians had scored a sweeping victory
over the Christians, spreading their control over Aleppo, Antioch, and even Damascus. Muhammad (pbuh) was concerned about either of these two empires extending its
control over the land inhabited by Muhammad's Pagan fiercely independent Pagan
people. The loss of Jerusalem, birthplace of Christ Jesus son of Mary (as), was
a heavy blow to the prestige of Christianity. Most Persians were then following
Zoroastrianism, a creed introduced in the 6th century before Christ by Zoroaster
(628-551 B.C.), also known as Zarathustra, whose adherents are described as
worshippers of the "pyre," the holy fire. "Persia," hence, meant "the land of the worshippers of the pyre, the sacred fire."
Modern day Iran used to be known as "Aryana," land of the Aryan
nations and tribes. Not only Iranians, but also Kurds, and even Germans, prided
in being Aryans, (Caucasian) Nordics or speakers of an Indo-European dialect.
Some Persians had converted to Christianity as we know from Salman al-Farisi
who was one such adherent till he fell in captivity, sold in Mecca and freed to
be one of the most renown and cherished sahabis and narrators of hadith in
Islamic history, so much so that the Prophet of Islam (pbuh) said, "Salman
is one of us, we Ahl al-Bayt (People of the Household of Prophethood)."
The war referred to above was between the then Byzantine (Eastern Roman)
emperor Heraclius (575 - 641 A.D.) and the Persian king Khusrau (Khosrow)
Parwiz (Parviz) or Chosroes II (d. 628 A.D.). It was one of many wars in which
those mighty nations were embroiled and which continued for many centuries. Yet
the hands of Divine Providence were already busy paving the path for Islam: the
collision between both empires paved the way for the ultimate destruction of
the ancient Persian empire and in Islam setting root in that important part of
the world. Moreover, Muhammad's (and, naturally, Khadija's) offspring came to
marry ladies who were born and raised at Persian as well as Roman palaces. Imam
Husain ibn Ali ibn Abu Talib (as), Muhammad's grandson and our Third Holy Imam,
married the daughter of the last Persian emperor Jazdagird (Yazdegerd) III son
of Shahryar and grandson of this same Khusrau II. Jazdagerd ruled Persia from
632-651 A.D. and lost the Battle of Qadisiyyah to the Muslim forces in 636,
thus ending the rule of the Sassanians. Having been defeated, he fled for Media
in northwestern Iran, homeland of Persian Mede tribesmen, and from there to
Merv, an ancient Central Asian city near modern day Mary in Turkmenistan (until
very recently one of the republics of the Soviet Union), where he was killed by
a miller. The slain emperor left two daughters who, during their attempt to
escape, following the murder of their father, were caught and sold as slaves.
One of them, Shah-Zenan, ended up marrying our Third Holy Imam Husain ibn Ali
ibn Abu Talib (as), whereas her sister married the renown scholar and acclaimed
muhaddith (traditionist) Muhammad son of the first Muslim caliph Abu Bakr.
Shah-Zenan was awarded a royal treatment and was given a new name in her own
Persian mother tongue: Shahr Banu, which means "mistress of the ladies of
the city." The marriage between her and Imam Husain (as) produced our
Fourth Holy Imam (Zainul-Abidin, or al-Sajjad) Ali ibn al-Husain ibn Ali ibn
Abu Talib (as).
The profits Khadija reaped from that trip were twice as much as she had
anticipated. Maysarah was more fascinated by Muhammad (pbuh) than by anything
related to the trip. Muhammad (pbuh), on the other hand, brought back his
impressions about what he had seen and heard, impressions which he related to
his mistress. You see, those trade caravans were the only links contemporary
Arabs had with their outside world: they brought them the news of what was
going on beyond their drought-ridden and famine-stricken desert and sand dunes.
Waraqah ibn Nawfal, like Bahirah, the monk who had seen and spoken to Muhammad
(pbuh) when Muhammad (pbuh) was a lad, adhered to the Nestorian Christian sect.
He heard the accounts about the personality and conduct of young Muhammad
(pbuh) from both his cousin Khadija and her servant Maysarah, an account which
caused him to meditate for a good while and think about what he had heard.
Raising his head, he said to Khadija, "Such manners are fit only for the
messengers of God. Who knows? Maybe this young man is destined to be one of
them." This statement was confirmed a few years later, and Waraqah was the
very first man who identified Muhammad (pbuh) as the Messenger of Allah
immediately after Muhammad (pbuh) received the first revelation at Hira cave.
The trip's measure of success encouraged Khadija to employ Muhammad (pbuh)
again on the winter trip to southern Arabia, i.e. Yemen, the land that
introduced the coffee beans to the rest of the world, the land where the renown
Ma'rib irrigation dam was engineered, the land of Saba' and the renown Balqees,
the Arabian Queen of Sheba (Saba') of Himyar, who married King Solomon
(Sulayman the wise, peace be upon him), in 975 B.C. (after the completion of
the construction of the famous Solomon's Temple [1]),
the land of natives skilled in gold, silver and other metal handicrafts, not to
mention their ingenuity in the textile industry and domestic furniture..., and
it may even be the land that gave Arabic its first written script which, as
some believe, was modelled after written Amheric, then the official language in
Ethiopia and its colonies. Yemen, at that time, was being ruled by an Ethiopian
regent. This time Khadija offered Muhammad (pbuh) three times the usual commission.
Unfortunately, historians do not tell us much about this second trip except
that it was equally profitable to both employer and employee. Some historians
do not mention this trip at all.
Khadija was by then convinced that she had finally found a man who was worthy
of her, so much so that she initiated the marriage proposal herself. Muhammad
(pbuh) sat to detail all the business transactions in which he became involved
on her behalf, but the wealthy and beautiful lady of Quraysh was thinking more
about her distant cousin than about those transactions. She simply fell in love
with Muhammad (pbuh) just as the daughter of the Arabian prophet Shu`ayb had
fallen in love with then fugitive prophet Moses (as). Muhammad (pbuh) was of
medium stature, inclined to slimness, with a large head, broad shoulders and
the rest of his body perfectly proportioned. His hair and beard were thick and
black, not altogether straight but slightly curled. His hair reached midway
between the lobes of his ears and shoulders, and his beard was of a length to
match. He had a noble breadth of forehead and the ovals of his large eyes were
wide, with exceptionally long lashes and extensive brows, slightly arched but
not joined. His eyes were said to have been black, but other accounts say they
were brown, or light brown. His nose was aquiline and his mouth was finely
shaped. Although he let his beard grow, he never allowed the hair of his
moustache to protrude over his upper lip. His skin was white but tanned by the
sun. And there was a light on his face, a glow, the same light that had shone
from his father, but it was more, much more powerful, and it was especially
apparent on his broad forehead and in his eyes which were remarkably luminous.
By the time he was gone, Khadija sought the advice of a friend of hers named
Nufaysa daughter of Umayyah. The latter offered to approach him on her behalf
and, if possible, arrange a marriage between them. Nufaysa came to Muhammad
(pbuh) and asked him why he had not married yet. "I have no means to marry,"
he answered. "But if you were given the means," she said, "and
if you were bidden to an alliance where there is beauty and wealth and nobility
and abundance, would you not then consent?" "Who is she?!" he
excitedly inquired. "Khadija," said Nufaysa. "And how could such
a marriage be mine?!" he asked. "Leave that to me!" was her
answer. "For my part," he said, "I am willing." Nufaysa
returned with these glad tidings to Khadija who then sent word to Muhammad (pbuh)
asking him to come to her. When he came, she said to him:
O son of my uncle! I love you for your kinship with me, and for that you are
ever in the center, not being a partisan among the people for this or for that.
And I love you for your trustworthiness, and for the beauty of your character
and the truth of your speech.
Then she offered herself in marriage to him, and they agreed that he should
speak to his uncles and she would speak to her uncle `Amr son of Asad, since
her father had died. It was Hamzah, despite being relatively young, whom the
Hashemites delegated to represent them on this marriage occasion, since he was
most closely related to them through the clan of Asad; his sister Safiyya had
just married Khadija's brother `Awwam. It was Abu Talib, Muhammad's uncle, who
delivered the marriage sermon saying,
All praise is due to Allah Who has made us the progeny of Ibrahim (Abraham),
the seed of Isma`eel (Ishmael), the descendants of Ma`ad, the substance of
Mudar, and Who made us the custodians of His House and the servants of its sacred
precincts, making for us a House sought for pilgrimage and a shrine of
security, and He also gave us authority over the people. This nephew of mine
Muhammad (pbuh) cannot be compared with any other man: if you compare his
wealth with that of others, you will not find him a man of wealth, for wealth
is a vanishing shadow and a fickle thing. Muhammad (pbuh) is a man whose
lineage you all know, and he has sought Khadija daughter of Khuwaylid for
marriage, offering her such-and-such of the dower of my own wealth.
Nawfal then stood and said,
All praise is due to Allah Who has made us just as you have mentioned and
preferred us over those whom you have indicated, for we, indeed, are the
masters of Arabs and their leaders, and you all are worthy of this (bond of
marriage). The tribe (Quraysh) does not deny any of your merits, nor does
anyone else dispute your lofty status and prestige. And we, furthermore, wish
to be joined to your rope; so, bear witness to my words, O people of Quraysh! I
have given Khadija daughter of Khuwaylid in marriage to Muhammad ibn Abdullah
for the dower of four hundred dinars.
Then Nawfal paused, whereupon Abu Talib said to him, "I wished her uncle
had joined you (in making this statement)." Hearing that, Khadija's uncle
stood and said, "Bear witness, O men of Quraysh, that I have given Khadija
daughter of Khuwaylid in marriage to Muhammad ibn Abdullah."
These details and more are recorded in Ibn Hisham's Seera. After his marriage,
Muhammad (pbuh) moved from his uncle's house to live with his wife in her house
which stood at the smiths' market, an alley branching out of metropolitan
Mecca's long main bazaar, behind the mas`a, the place where the pilgrims
perform the seven circles during the hajj or `umra. In that house Fatima (as) was born and the revelation descended upon the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) many
times. This house, as well as the one in which the Prophet of Islam (pbuh) was
born (which stood approximately 50 meters northwards), were both demolished by
the ignorant and fanatical Wahhabi rulers of Saudi Arabia last year (1413
A.H./1993 A.D.) and turned into public bathrooms. The grave sites of many
family members and companions of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) were all demolished by
the same Wahhabis in 1343 A.H./1924 A.D. against the wish and despite the
denunciation of the adherents of all other Muslim sects and schools of thought
world-wide.
The marriage was a very happy one, and it produced a lady who was one of the
four perfect women in all the history of mankind: Fatima daughter of Muhammad
(pbuh). Before her, Qasim and Abdullah were born, but they both died at
infancy.
By the time Khadija got married, she was quite a wealthy lady, so wealthy that
she felt no need to keep trading and increasing her wealth; instead, she
decided to retire and enjoy a comfortable life with her husband who, on his
part, preferred an ascetic life to that of money making. The Messenger of Allah
(pbuh) had no desire to accumulate wealth; that was not the purpose for which
he, peace and blessings of Allah upon him and his progeny, was created. He was
created to be savior of mankind from the darkness of ignorance, idol worship,
polytheism, misery, poverty, injustice, oppression, and immorality. He very
much loved to meditate, though his meditation deepened his grief at seeing his
society sunk so low in immorality, lawlessness, and the absence of any sort of
protection for those who were weak and oppressed. Khadija's period of happiness
lasted no more than 15 years after which her husband, now the Messenger of Allah
(pbuh), started his mission to invite people to the Oneness of God, to equality
between men and women, and to an end to the evils of the day. Muhammad (pbuh)
was forty years old when the first verses of the Holy Qur'an were revealed to
him. They were the first verses of Surat al-Alaq (chapter 96), and they were
revealed during the month of Ramadan 13 years before the Hijra, at the cave of
Hira in Jabal al-Noor (the mountain of light), his favorite place for isolation
and meditation, a place which is now visited by many pilgrims. Muhammad (pbuh)
went back home heavy-hearted, profoundly perplexed, deeply impressed by the
sight of arch-angel Gabriel and by the depth of meaning implied in those
beautiful words:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Proclaim (or read)! In the Name of your Lord and Cherisher who created
(everything). (He) created man of a (mere) clot of congealed blood. Proclaim!
And your Lord is the Most Bountiful Who taught (the use of) the pen, Who taught
man that which he knew not... (Qur'an, 96:1-5)
He felt feverish, so he asked to be wrapped and, once he felt better, he
narrated what he had seen and heard to his faithful and supportive wife.
"By Allah," Khadija said, "Allah shall never subject you to any
indignity..., for you always maintain your ties with those of your kin, and you
are always generous in giving; you are diligent, and you seek what others
regard as unattainable; you cool the eyes of your guest, and you lend your
support to those who seek justice and redress. Stay firm, O cousin, for by
Allah I know that He will not deal with you except most beautifully, and I
testify that you are the awaited Prophet in this nation, and your time, if
Allah wills, has come."
After a short while, Khadija told her husband about the prediction of the
Syrian monk Buhayra regarding Muhammad's Prophethood, and about her dialogue
with both her servant Maysarah, who had informed her of what Bahirah (or
Buhayrah) had said, and with her cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal. She then accompanied
her husband to Waraqah's house to narrate the whole incident. "Let me hear
it in your own words," Nawfal said to Muhammad (pbuh), adding, "O
noble master!" Having heard the Prophet's words, Nawfal took his time to
select his words very carefully; he said, "By Allah, this is the
prediction which had been conveyed to Moses (as) and with which the Children of
Israel are familiar! [Moses] had said: `O how I wish I could be present when
Muhammad (pbuh) is delegated with Prophethood to support his mission and to
assist him!'"
It was only natural for Khadija to receive her share of the harassment meted to
him by none other than those who, not long ago, used to call him al-Sadiq,
al-Amin. Khadija did not hesitate to embrace Islam at all, knowing that her
husband could not have put forth any false claim. Yahya ibn `Afeef is quoted
saying that he once came, during the period of jahiliyya (before the advent of
Islam), to Mecca to be hosted by al-Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib, one of the
Prophet's uncles mentioned above. "When the sun started rising," says
he, "I saw a man who came out of a place not far from us, faced the Ka`ba
and started performing his prayers. He hardly started before being joined by a
young boy who stood on his right side, then by a woman who stood behind them.
When he bowed down, the young boy and the woman bowed, and when he stood up
straight, they, too, did likewise. When he prostrated, they, too,
prostrated." Then he expressed his amazement at that, saying to al-Abbas:
"This is quite strange, O Abbas!" "Is it, really?" retorted
al-Abbas. "Do you know who he is?" al-Abbas asked his guest who
answered in the negative. "He is Muhammad ibn Abdullah, my nephew. Do you
know who the young boy is?" asked he again. "No, indeed,"
answered the guest. "He is Ali son of Abu Talib. Do you know who the woman
is?" The answer came again in the negative, to which al-Abbas said,
"She is Khadija daughter of Khuwaylid, my nephew's wife." This
incident is included in the books of both Imam Ahmad and al-Tirmithi, each detailing
it in his own Sahih. And she bore patiently in the face of persecution to which
her revered husband and his small band of believers were exposed at the hands
of the polytheists and aristocrats of Quraysh, sacrificing her vast wealth to
promote Islam, seeking Allah's Pleasure.
Among Khadija's merits was her being one of the four most perfect of all women
of mankind, the other three being: Fatima daughter of Muhammad (pbuh), Maryam
bint `Umran (Mary daughter of Amram), mother of Christ (as) and niece of
prophet Zakariyya and Ishba (Elizabeth), and `Asiya daughter of Muzahim, wife
of Pharaoh. Prophet Zakariyya, as the reader knows, was the father of Yahya
(John the Baptist), the latter being only a few months older than prophet Jesus
(as). The Prophet of Islam (pbuh) used to talk about Khadija quite often after
her demise, so much so that his youngest wife, `Ayesha daughter of Abu Bakr,
felt extremely jealous and said to him, "... But she was only an old woman
with red eyes, and Allah has compensated you with a better and younger wife
(meaning herself)." This caused him (pbuh) to be very indignant, and he
said, "No, indeed; He has not compensated me with someone better than her.
She believed in me when all others disbelieved; she held me truthful when others
called me a liar; she sheltered me when others abandoned me; she comforted me
when others shunned me; and Allah granted me children by her while depriving me
of children by other women." Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Abu Hatim, al-Dulabi,
al-Tabari, and many others, all quote `Ayesha saying: "One day, the
Messenger of Allah (pbuh) mentioned Khadija affectionately, so I was carried
away by jealousy and said about her what I should not have said. It was then
that his face changed color in a way I never saw it change except when he
(pbuh) was receiving revelation, so I realized what I had done and felt
overwhelmed by regret to the extent that I could not help uttering these words:
`O Lord! If You remove the anger of Your Messenger right now, I pledge not to
ever speak ill of her as long as I live.' Having seen that, he forgave me and
narrated to me some of her merits." Both Muslim and Bukhari indicate in
their respective Sahih books that among Khadija's merits was the fact that the
Lord of Dignity ordered Jibraeel (Gabriel), peace be upon him, to convey His
regards to her. Gabriel said to Muhammad (pbuh): "O Muhammad! Khadija is
bringing you a bowl of food; when she comes to you, tell her that her Lord
greets her, and convey my greeting, too, to her." When he (pbuh) did so,
she said: "Allah is the Peace, and He is the source of all peace, and upon
Gabriel be peace." Khadija died of an attack of fever on the tenth or
eleventh day of the month of Ramadan, ten years after the start of the
Prophetic mission (in the year 619 A.D.), 24 years after her marriage with
Muhammad (pbuh), and she was buried at Hajun in the outskirts of Mecca. The
Messenger of Allah (pbuh) dug her grave and buried her... Funeral prayers
(salat al janaza) had not yet been mandated in Islam. It is reported that by
the time she died, her entire wealth had already been spent to promote Islam;
she left not a single gold dinar nor a single silver dirham, nor anything more
or less...
O
soul that are at rest! Return to your Lord,
well-pleased (with Him),well-pleasing (Him),
so enter among My servants, and enter into My garden.
(Qur'an, 89:27-30)
Notes:
[1] This temple was built by Solomon (Prophet
Sulayman) to express his gratitude for what the Almighty had granted him.
Solomon had in advance obtained his Lord's permission to erect it. A glimpse of
its grandeur is described in the Holy Qur'an in 27:44: "It was said to her
(to Balqees, the Queen of Sheba): Enter the palace; but when she saw it, she
deemed it to be a great expanse of water," that is, its marble floors
shone like glass, reflecting her image as water does. This temple was later
ordered by Solomon to be demolished in its entirety, and the claim of the Jews
that the al-Aqsa mosque is built on its very foundations is false. The Jews
plot to demolish the al-Aqsa mosque in order to rebuild Solomon's Temple. Jews intend to do so at the right time, when they realize that the Muslims of the
world, because of the weakness and hypocrisy of their rulers, are too weak to
stand between them and the achievement of their most vile goals, and when the
"Christian" West will be ready, more than now, to help them achieve
their objectives. The West has been supporting the Jews against the Muslims,
and there will never be any reversal to this trend... We are Allah's, and to
Him shall we return...