The First Believer
Before there was a mosque. Before there was a community. Before there was a call to prayer. There was one woman who heard the words اقرَأ بِاسمِ رَبِّكَ (Read, in the name of your Lord) — and believed.
Sayyida Khadija bint Khuwaylid (RA), known as Khadija al-Kubra (Khadija the Great) and Umm al-Mu’minin (Mother of the Believers), is one of the towering figures of Islamic history. She was the Prophet’s first and most beloved wife, the first person to accept Islam without a moment’s hesitation, and the woman without whose love, courage, and wealth the early Islamic mission might not have survived.
In the Bohra tradition, where the Prophet’s family — the Ahl al-Bayt — holds the highest reverence, Sayyida Khadija’s place is correspondingly exalted: she is the mother of Sayyida Fatima al-Zahra (AS), the daughter of the Prophet and the mother of all the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt. The entire chain of Imams from Imam Hasan (AS) through to Imam al-Tayyib (AS) flows through Sayyida Khadija (RA).
Her Life Before Prophethood
Sayyida Khadija (RA) was born in Mecca in approximately 555 CE, into the Qurayshi tribe of Banu Asad. She was a widow twice over by the time she encountered Muhammad (SAW), having been married to Ateeq ibn A’idh and then to Abu Halah ibn Zararah before his death. She had children from these earlier marriages.
In pre-Islamic Mecca, Sayyida Khadija (RA) was already distinguished:
As a businesswoman: She was among the most successful merchants of Mecca, sending trade caravans to Syria and Yemen. Her wealth and business acumen had made her independently prosperous. The Qurayshi men competed to work for her as trade agents, recognizing her commercial skill and integrity.
In character: Even before Islam, the Meccans called her “al-Tahira” (الطَّاهِرَة — the Pure One) for her moral character and generosity. She was known for giving generously to the poor, supporting widows and orphans, and treating her employees and servants with dignity.
Her Marriage to the Prophet (SAW)
Sayyida Khadija (RA) employed the young Muhammad (SAW) — then approximately 25 years old, and already known for his honesty and trustworthiness (the Meccans called him al-Amin — the Trustworthy) — as a trade agent to lead her caravan to Syria.
She sent a trusted companion, Maysara, with him. Maysara reported back extraordinary things: Muhammad (SAW) was a man of exceptional character, fair in dealing, and there were signs around him that suggested something beyond the ordinary.
Sayyida Khadija (RA) — approximately 40 years old at the time — proposed marriage to Muhammad (SAW). He accepted. The marriage was by all accounts one of deep love, partnership, and mutual respect. The Prophet (SAW) would say of her, even years after her death:
“She believed in me when the people disbelieved. She accepted my truthfulness when the people rejected it. She supported me with her wealth when the people withheld theirs. And Allah gave me children through her, not through any other wife.”
The First Moment of Revelation — and Khadija’s Response
In 610 CE, in Ghar Hira on Jabal Nur above Mecca, the Prophet (SAW) received the first revelation. The angel Jibrail (AS) appeared and commanded: “Read!” Three times, and the Prophet (SAW) — who had been meditating in solitude — was embraced tightly and then heard the opening words of Surah al-Alaq.
The Prophet (SAW) returned to his home trembling. He went to Sayyida Khadija (RA) and said: “Cover me, cover me.” She wrapped him in a cloak, held him, and comforted him. When he told her what had happened, she said the words that stand as one of the most beautiful affirmations of faith in all of Islamic history:
“By Allah, He will never disgrace you. You keep ties of kinship, bear the burden of those in difficulty, give generously to those who have nothing, honor the guest, and help those afflicted by hardship.”
Then she took him to her cousin Waraqa ibn Nawfal — a Christian scholar of the scriptures — who confirmed that what Muhammad (SAW) had experienced was the same revelation that had come to Moses and Jesus.
Sayyida Khadija (RA) was the first person to declare Shahadah. Before Abu Bakr, before Imam Ali (AS), before Zayd ibn Haritha — Khadija believed. The Prophet (SAW) said: “The best of its women [Paradise’s women] is Khadija bint Khuwaylid.”
Years of Support — The Mission’s Earliest Period
The early years of the Islamic mission (610–619 CE) were extraordinarily difficult. The Quraysh — the Prophet’s own tribe and family — rejected him, mocked him, and eventually began active persecution of the Muslim community.
In these years, Sayyida Khadija (RA) was the Prophet’s anchor:
Financial: She gave her entire wealth to the cause of Islam. The money that fed the early Muslims, that purchased the freedom of enslaved converts who were being tortured, that kept the Prophet’s mission alive — it came largely from Sayyida Khadija’s (RA) wealth. By the time of her death, she had spent it all.
Emotional: The Prophet (SAW) faced years of rejection, ridicule, and grief. Sayyida Khadija (RA) was his constant support — listening, comforting, encouraging. The house he returned to was a house of love and certainty.
Spiritual: She never doubted him. In a world that called him mad, a liar, a sorcerer — she knew him as al-Amin, the trustworthy one, and believed his message with her whole heart.
The Year of Sorrow — Khadija’s Wafat
In 619 CE (approximately year 10 of the prophethood), the Prophet (SAW) suffered two devastating losses within weeks of each other: his uncle Abu Talib — who had protected him politically — and his wife Sayyida Khadija (RA).
The Prophet (SAW) called 619 CE “Aam al-Huzn” (عَامُ الحُزن — the Year of Sorrow).
Sayyida Khadija (RA) passed away in Ramadan, approximately at the age of 65. She was buried in Jannat al-Mualla in Mecca — the sacred cemetery where she has lain for 1,400 years.
After her death, the Prophet (SAW) would remember her constantly. His later wife Sayyida Aisha (RA) said she was never jealous of any of the Prophet’s wives — except Khadija, whom she never met, because the Prophet (SAW) mentioned her so often and with such love. When any gift of meat arrived, the Prophet (SAW) would say: “Send some to the friends of Khadija.”
Jannat al-Mualla — Her Resting Place
Jannat al-Mualla (جَنَّةُ المُعَلَّى — the Elevated Garden) is the ancient cemetery of Mecca, located approximately 700 m north of Masjid al-Haram. Buried here alongside Sayyida Khadija (RA) are:
- Sayyida Aminah bint Wahb — the Prophet’s mother (though some sources place her burial at al-Abwa)
- Abd al-Muttalib — the Prophet’s grandfather
- Abu Talib — the Prophet’s uncle, protector, and father of Imam Ali (AS)
- Sayyida Amina — the mother of Sayyida Fatima al-Zahra’s maternal line
- Other members of the Prophet’s family
For Bohras performing Hajj or Umrah, Jannat al-Mualla is among the most moving ziyarat of the Mecca visit. The graves here — including that of the woman without whom Islam might not have survived its first years — deserve salaam, Fatiha, and tears.
السَّلَامُ عَلَيكِ يَا سَيِّدَةَ خَدِيجَةَ أُمَّ المُؤمِنِين السَّلَامُ عَلَيكِ يَا مَن آمَنتِ وَصَدَّقتِ وَأَيَّدتِ بِمَالِكِ وَنَفسِكِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنكِ وَجَزَاكِ عَنِ الإِسلَامِ خَيرَ الجَزَاء
Peace be upon you, O Lady Khadija, Mother of the Believers. Peace be upon you, O one who believed, affirmed, and supported with your wealth and yourself. May Allah be pleased with you and reward you on behalf of Islam with the best of rewards.
Her Legacy — The Imam Chain Flows Through Her
Sayyida Khadija (RA) and the Prophet (SAW) had several children; most died young. The one who survived and whose descendants carry the Prophetic legacy is Sayyida Fatima al-Zahra (AS).
The entire chain of Imams: Imam Ali (AS) × Sayyida Fatima (AS) → Imam Hasan (AS), Imam Husain (AS) → … → Imam al-Tayyib (AS)
All these Imams are Sayyida Khadija’s (RA) grandchildren and descendants. The walayat that every Bohra mumin gives to the Imam, the chain that the Dai continues — it all flows through the womb of Khadija al-Kubra.
She was not merely the Prophet’s wife. She was the first mumin, the first to sacrifice everything for the message, and the biological and spiritual ancestor of the entire Imam chain. Her place in the Bohra heart is irreplaceable.
اللَّهُمَّ ارحَمهَا وَارضَ عَنهَا وَاجعَلهَا فِي أَعلَى دَرَجَاتِ الجَنَّة O Allah, have mercy on her, be pleased with her, and place her in the highest ranks of Paradise.