Noura Erfani, cultural researcher
To speak of the dawn of Islam without speaking of Lady Khadijah (pbuh) is to miss the very cornerstone of the faith’s foundation. Khadijah (pbuh) was not merely the wife of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), nor simply the first woman to embrace Islam. She was the faith’s first protector, its primary financier, its emotional anchor, and the spiritual companion to the Messenger of God (pbuh). Yet, as Imam Khamenei has noted, her story has too often been overshadowed, her true magnitude overlooked.
When the divine revelation descended upon Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), it was Khadijah (pbuh) who set aside her immense wealth, her unparalleled status, and her personal comfort to become his first and most unwavering supporter. In her, we see a woman who could have remained a jewel of Meccan society, but who instead chose to become the cornerstone of a new civilization. Her journey from the Princess of Quraysh to the Mother of Believers was not paved with silk and gold, but with hunger, sacrifice, and a faith that shone brighter than any worldly crown.
A defiance of jahiliyyah
Lady Khadijah (pbuh) was born into a society steeped in what the Quran calls jahiliyyah, or the Age of Ignorance. In that time, daughters were buried alive, women were denied inheritance, and a wife was seen as little more than property. Yet, Khadijah (pbuh) defied this system. She expanded her business empire, managing caravans across Arabia. It was said that her trade caravans equaled the caravans of all other Quraysh traders combined. Her success earned her the title Sayyidat Quraysh [the Princess of Quraysh]. Even more significant was her other title: Al-Tahira [The Pure One]. This name was a direct reflection of her unimpeachable character. In a commercial environment where judgments were often arbitrary and bribery was commonplace, Khadijah (pbuh) was renowned for her absolute integrity, fair trading practices, and honesty.
Long before Islam, Khadijah (pbuh) was already practicing rights that Islam would later codify. This includes the right to own property, conduct trade, and to lead with dignity. She was wealthy, yet wealth did not enslave her.[1] Rather, it gave her the means to do good. By her independence and success, she shattered the stereotype of women as weak or dependent. She embodied a “third model” of womanhood: active in society, modest in conduct, and spiritually elevated.
The first believer: conviction rooted in purity and insight
The story of the first revelation is the story of a seismic encounter between the mortal and the divine. After weeks of solitude in the Cave of Hira on the mountain of Jabal al-Nour, Muhammad (pbuh), the trustworthy merchant known throughout Mecca as al-Amin, was confronted by an experience that shattered the boundaries of his reality.
When Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) returned from the cave, shaken by the weight of revelation, it was Khadijah’s heart that became his first sanctuary. She did not offer mere spousal comfort or dismiss his experience as a dream. She listened, and then she confirmed him. Her acceptance of Islam was the conscious decision of a discerning soul. For fifteen years she had witnessed his impeccable honesty, his kindness, and his truthfulness. She knew, better than anyone else, that a man who had never uttered a falsehood to his fellow human beings could not possibly fabricate a lie about God.
As Imam Khamenei notes, “Her heart was attracted to him and she began to believe in him.… Later on, she stood by her faith.” Her conviction gave the Prophet (pbuh) an assurance he needed to continue his mission at a time when many stood against him.
Wealth, comfort, and life sacrificed “before the victory”
It is often said simply that Khadijah “spent her wealth” for Islam. But this phrase hardly captures the magnitude of her sacrifice. The Quran tells us:
“Those of you who spent [their means] and fought before the victory are not equal [to others]. They are greater in rank than those who have spent and fought afterwards” (57:10).
Khadijah (pbuh) was the very embodiment of this verse. She gave not when the banner of Islam was flying high, but when the believers were few, mocked, and persecuted. She did not give a portion of her wealth. She gave all of it. Her sacrifice culminated in the three-year boycott at the Valley of Shiʿb Abi Talib. With the Muslims isolated, food was scarce, and hunger gnawed at every family. Khadijah (pbuh) gave the last of her wealth to sustain the believers. She endured the pangs of hunger herself, until she had nothing left but faith. She gave her wealth, her comfort, and ultimately her life for the mission of Islam. Imam Khamenei compares her sacrifice to that of Imam Hassan (pbuh), who on multiple occasions gave away half or all of his wealth. Such total selflessness is among the greatest virtues in Islamic tradition.
The Mother of the Prophet’s Household
Khadijah (pbuh) is often remembered as the mother of Fatimah Zahra (pbuh), and thus the grandmother of eleven Imams. Imam Khamenei reminds us of this often-overlooked truth: Khadijah’s home was the cradle of the Ahl al-Bayt[2] (pbut). She raised the first Imam, Imam Ali (pbuh), as her own child for years and gave birth to the mother of the rest. She was, in every sense, the Mother of Believers, her womb and her arms nurturing the very line of Imams that would preserve Islam.
By this measure, she was the mother not of eleven, but of all twelve Imams. Furthermore, by bringing the Prophet (the vessel of Revelation) and the young Ali (the future gate of the city of knowledge) together in their formative years, Khadijah (pbuh) curated the environment for the transmission of divine knowledge and prophetic character. Her home became a spiritual sanctuary, establishing the foundational link between Prophethood and the Imamate.
The honor and rank of Lady Khadijah’s and the Prophet’s (pbuh) household is not esteemed solely by the Shia. The great Sunni scholar Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, in his commentary on the Quranic verse, “Indeed, Allah desires to remove all impurity from you, O Ahl al-Bayt” (33:33), writes: “The origin and root of the Ahl al-Bayt (pbut) is Lady Khadijah al-Kubra (pbuh). This is because al-Hasan and al-Hussain (pbut) are from Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (pbuh), and Fatimah is the daughter of Khadijah al-Kubra. Moreover, Ali (pbuh) was raised and nurtured in Khadijah’s home, and later her daughter Fatimah married Ali. It is thus clearly evident that the foundation and source of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt (pbut) traces back to Lady Khadijah.”[3]
A marriage encapsulated by love and respect
The Quran says:
“And of His signs is that He created for you spouses from among yourselves, that you may take comfort in them, and He placed love and mercy between you” (30:21).
Khadijah (pbuh) and Muhammad (pbuh) exemplified this verse. She was his haven of tranquility and his spring of mercy. Their union was remarkable from its very inception, challenging the social conventions of Arabia at the time. It was Khadijah, a widely respected and prosperous businesswoman, who recognized the Prophet’s noble character and initiated the proposal to him. Impressed by his virtues, she confided in her friend, Nafisa, who acted as an intermediary to approach Muhammad (pbuh). When he expressed hesitation due to his modest financial means, Nafisa conveyed that Khadijah (pbuh) was a woman with the means to provide for herself.
This reversal of norms, where an established woman proposed to a man of more modest means, set the foundation for a relationship built on mutual admiration rather than societal expectation. For the twenty-five years of their marriage, which endured until Khadijah’s passing, the Prophet (pbuh) took no other wife. This period can be described as one of profound love, peace, and companionship that laid the foundation for the difficult years of prophethood to come.
The Prophet later said of her:
“She believed in me when people disbelieved in me, she affirmed my truth when people denied me, she supported me with her wealth when people deprived me, and Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, granted me children through her when He withheld children from [all] other women.”[4]
She was his fortress in the storm, and he never ceased to honor her memory. His later wife, Aisha, noted that she never felt as jealous of any wife as she did of Khadijah, even though she had never met her.
A timeless role model for women and men
Khadijah’s life challenges every false stereotype of women. She was modest yet powerful, wealthy yet humble, a wife and mother yet a leader in society. She showed that true dignity lies in faith, service, and sincerity.
Imam Khamenei emphasizes that Lady Khadijah’s greatness is often overlooked, but she is in truth a role model for all times. She is the answer to two false images of women throughout the ages: against the ancient ignorance that treated women as burdens and buried daughters alive, and the modern ignorance that commodifies women. Khadijah (pbuh) embodied a third way – a path of purity and independence, rooted in faith and service.
For this, she is counted among the four greatest women in history, alongside Maryam (pbuh), Asiyah (pbuh), and Fatimah (pbuh).[5] The Prophet (pbuh) reported that God Himself promised her a palace in Paradise “where there will be no noise and no fatigue.”[6]
Her legacy is not one of passive support. Her contribution to the foundation of Islam was active, strategic, and decisive. She wielded her intellect, her influence, and her immense wealth as powerful tools to protect a divine message and build a new world. Her sacrifice was not a silent act of charity. It was a choice that roared louder than any sword.
(The views expressed in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of Khamenei.ir.)
[1]Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 16, pp. 21-22
[2] Nahj al-Balaghah, Sermon 192
[3] Fath Al Bari, Vol. 7, p. 169
[4] Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 16, p. 12
[5] Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 458
[6] Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 16, p. 12
