Passing Away of the First Lady of Islam
By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz
Heartfelt condolences to you on a very doleful day. Today we join in grief of the Noblest Lady of all times, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA), who became orphan on the 10th of Ramadhan at a very tender age, with the passing away of her beloved mother, Hazrat Khadija (SA). So exalted was the position of this lady in the sight of God that as long as she was alive, no other spouse was taken by Prophet Muhammad (SAWA). Thus, today is the sad day in the annals of history when the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger became a widower in his middle age after spending a quarter century of marital bliss with Hazrat Khadija (SA).
Before we present you a special programme in this regard, here is a passage to contemplate upon that shows the exalted status of the First Lady of Islam in the Divine Court.
"O Muhammad! Khadijah is coming to your presence; convey salutations of Allah to her and give her glad tidings that Allah has made a house for her in Paradise wherein there is neither grief nor sorrow.”
These were the words of Archangel Gabriel to the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger regarding his loyal and virtuous wife, Hazrat Khadijah the Omm al-Momineen or the Mother of all True Believers (SA). Accordingly, the Prophet of Islam conveyed to her the Almighty’s greetings and the devoted lady thanked God Almighty, glorified Him as the Source of all peace, serenity, and salutations, and prostrated to Him out of gratitude.
Every year on the 10th of Ramadhan our grief is renewed for Hazrat Khadijah (SA). Her departure from the mortal world, shortly after easing of the 3-year economic-social boycott imposed by the Arabs on the Prophet of Islam, was a great blow for the loving husband. It was also an irreparable loss for the orphaned daughter that the virtuous mother having died in a state of poverty after having spent all her proverbial wealth to feed, clothe, and shelter the persecuted Muslim community, was leaving behind no money for even a shroud, let alone inheritance for little Fatema az-Zahra (SA).
The aggrieved husband, who was not destined to find a worthy replacement for Khadijah (SA) – despite taking several women as spouses in the last ten years of his life out of social necessity –dug the grave personally. He then descended into it to smooth the earth and bless it, wrapped his faithful wife in the heavenly shroud brought by Archangel Gabriel, and laid her to eternal rest, while their only surviving child watched with tears rolling down her cheeks; nearby stood in profound grief the Prophet’s dear ward and teenaged cousin Ali ibn Taleb (AS).
After performing the last rites, the widowed Prophet consoled his orphaned daughter and for a while became speechless to her question: O Father, where has my mother gone? He broke his silence when Gabriel descended, and revealed the following Divine commandment to him:
"Your Lord commands you to inform Fatema that He sends His blessings upon her and says: Your Mother is in a house of brocade, its corners are made of gold, and its poles are of rubies. It is located between the houses of Asiya bint Muzahem (the tyrant Pharaoh’s virtuous wife) and Maryam bint Imran – the Virgin Mother of Prophet Jesus (AS).”
Little Fatema (SA) was a picture of profound patience, and expressing gratitude in the Divine Court, she said: "Surely Allah is Salaam (that is, Eternal Peace), and peace is from Him and to Him.”
Omm al-Momineen Hazrat Khadija (SA), needs no introduction. Daughter of the wealthy monotheist merchant, Khuwailed ibn Assad, she was linked by five generations to the same pedigree as that of the Prophet’s clan of Qoraiysh. Known for her wisdom, knowledge, dignity, excellent temperament and spotless character, she was acclaimed as "Tahera” (or the Pure and Chaste) even in those pre-Islamic days. Her trade caravans that plied the routes from Mecca to Yemen, Syria and other far off places, earned her the epithet "Maleekat-al-Arab” which means the Richest Lady of all Arabia.
On hearing of the reputation of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) – who had not yet been commanded by God to announce his universal mission of Islam – she entrusted him with management of her trade affairs. Impressed by the 25-year old youth’s honesty in discharging his duties and having confirmed his scrupulous handling during a trade trip abroad, through her servants in the caravan that he was really "as-Sadeq” (or the Truthful) and "al-Ameen” (or the Trustworthy), she proposed marriage to him.
The Prophet consulted his uncle and guardian Hazrat Abu Taleb (AS), and soon the nuptials were solemnized with great rejoicing, to the extent that for over a month the whole of Mecca was entertained to a daily feast.
The two made an excellent "made-for-each-other pair” and fifteen years later when Divine revelation dawned upon the husband the dedicated wife immediately believed in his mission as the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger to mankind. Thereafter, she spent all her wealth in the propagation of Islam.
The couple became parents of several children including son Qasem, from whom the Prophet derived his agnomen (kunya) Abu’l-Qasem, but all died in infancy except the youngest daughter Fatema az-Zahra (SA), who was conceived after the Prophet’s return from Me’raj (or ascension to the highest point in the heavens and back to Planet Earth in the twinkling of an eye) and his tasting of the fruits of paradise. That is one of the reasons God has referred to Hazrat Fatema (SA) as "Kowthar” (or Spring of Perpetual Abundance) in the Holy Qur’an.
Islam will always remain indebted to Hazrat Khadijah (SA). Her house was the cradle of Islam, and it was she who nursed and reared Islam for over ten years till she closed her eyes forever on the 10th of Ramadhan.
As her future son-in-law, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), who grew up in her house as the Prophet’s ward, said decades later in one of his famous sermons titled "al-Qas’iah” (Sermon 191 of the famous book Nahj al-Balagha):
"In those days Islam did not exist in any house except that of the Prophet of Allah and Khadijah, while I was the third after these two. I used to see and watch the effulgence of Divine Revelation, and breathed the fragrance of Prophethood.”
After her passing away, life would never be the same for the Prophet, though he would marry nine wives in the last ten years of his life in Medina – out of social necessity and to break the customs of Jahiliyya. This is evident by the famous hadith mentioned in the book "Sahih Bukhari” of our Sunni brethren when a certain wife tried to taunt him for always cherishing the memory of the Late Khadija (SA), and calling herself a better one. The Prophet felt annoyed and said:
"By God, the Almighty did not grant me a better wife than her. She believed in me when the people used to mock at me and she acknowledged me when the people denied me. She shared her wealth and property with me, and she bore me children which I was not destined to have through other women.”
Even after a millennium and four centuries after her death, although the Godless Wahhabis destroyed her holy tomb in 1925, Khadijah (SA) reigns supreme. In every era and place, it was her offspring, who rose to the defence of Islam, as is evident by the tragic martyrdom of her grandson, Imam Husain (AS) in Karbala.
In our own times, the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), who delivered Iran from domestic despotism and US hegemony and revived Islam, was a descendant of Hazrat Khadijah (SA). And so is the present Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
We offer heartfelt condolences on the passing away of Hazrat Khadijah (SA), and this time to her virtuous descendant, the Lord of the Age, Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance to rid the planet of all vestiges of oppression and corruption by establishing the global government of peace, prosperity and justice.
Heartfelt condolences to you on a very doleful day. Today we join in grief of the Noblest Lady of all times, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA), who became orphan on the 10th of Ramadhan at a very tender age, with the passing away of her beloved mother, Hazrat Khadija (SA). So exalted was the position of this lady in the sight of God that as long as she was alive, no other spouse was taken by Prophet Muhammad (SAWA). Thus, today is the sad day in the annals of history when the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger became a widower in his middle age after spending a quarter century of marital bliss with Hazrat Khadija (SA).
Before we present you a special programme in this regard, here is a passage to contemplate upon that shows the exalted status of the First Lady of Islam in the Divine Court.
"O Muhammad! Khadijah is coming to your presence; convey salutations of Allah to her and give her glad tidings that Allah has made a house for her in Paradise wherein there is neither grief nor sorrow.”
These were the words of Archangel Gabriel to the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger regarding his loyal and virtuous wife, Hazrat Khadijah the Omm al-Momineen or the Mother of all True Believers (SA). Accordingly, the Prophet of Islam conveyed to her the Almighty’s greetings and the devoted lady thanked God Almighty, glorified Him as the Source of all peace, serenity, and salutations, and prostrated to Him out of gratitude.
Every year on the 10th of Ramadhan our grief is renewed for Hazrat Khadijah (SA). Her departure from the mortal world, shortly after easing of the 3-year economic-social boycott imposed by the Arabs on the Prophet of Islam, was a great blow for the loving husband. It was also an irreparable loss for the orphaned daughter that the virtuous mother having died in a state of poverty after having spent all her proverbial wealth to feed, clothe, and shelter the persecuted Muslim community, was leaving behind no money for even a shroud, let alone inheritance for little Fatema az-Zahra (SA).
The aggrieved husband, who was not destined to find a worthy replacement for Khadijah (SA) – despite taking several women as spouses in the last ten years of his life out of social necessity –dug the grave personally. He then descended into it to smooth the earth and bless it, wrapped his faithful wife in the heavenly shroud brought by Archangel Gabriel, and laid her to eternal rest, while their only surviving child watched with tears rolling down her cheeks; nearby stood in profound grief the Prophet’s dear ward and teenaged cousin Ali ibn Taleb (AS).
After performing the last rites, the widowed Prophet consoled his orphaned daughter and for a while became speechless to her question: O Father, where has my mother gone? He broke his silence when Gabriel descended, and revealed the following Divine commandment to him:
"Your Lord commands you to inform Fatema that He sends His blessings upon her and says: Your Mother is in a house of brocade, its corners are made of gold, and its poles are of rubies. It is located between the houses of Asiya bint Muzahem (the tyrant Pharaoh’s virtuous wife) and Maryam bint Imran – the Virgin Mother of Prophet Jesus (AS).”
Little Fatema (SA) was a picture of profound patience, and expressing gratitude in the Divine Court, she said: "Surely Allah is Salaam (that is, Eternal Peace), and peace is from Him and to Him.”
Omm al-Momineen Hazrat Khadija (SA), needs no introduction. Daughter of the wealthy monotheist merchant, Khuwailed ibn Assad, she was linked by five generations to the same pedigree as that of the Prophet’s clan of Qoraiysh. Known for her wisdom, knowledge, dignity, excellent temperament and spotless character, she was acclaimed as "Tahera” (or the Pure and Chaste) even in those pre-Islamic days. Her trade caravans that plied the routes from Mecca to Yemen, Syria and other far off places, earned her the epithet "Maleekat-al-Arab” which means the Richest Lady of all Arabia.
On hearing of the reputation of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) – who had not yet been commanded by God to announce his universal mission of Islam – she entrusted him with management of her trade affairs. Impressed by the 25-year old youth’s honesty in discharging his duties and having confirmed his scrupulous handling during a trade trip abroad, through her servants in the caravan that he was really "as-Sadeq” (or the Truthful) and "al-Ameen” (or the Trustworthy), she proposed marriage to him.
The Prophet consulted his uncle and guardian Hazrat Abu Taleb (AS), and soon the nuptials were solemnized with great rejoicing, to the extent that for over a month the whole of Mecca was entertained to a daily feast.
The two made an excellent "made-for-each-other pair” and fifteen years later when Divine revelation dawned upon the husband the dedicated wife immediately believed in his mission as the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger to mankind. Thereafter, she spent all her wealth in the propagation of Islam.
The couple became parents of several children including son Qasem, from whom the Prophet derived his agnomen (kunya) Abu’l-Qasem, but all died in infancy except the youngest daughter Fatema az-Zahra (SA), who was conceived after the Prophet’s return from Me’raj (or ascension to the highest point in the heavens and back to Planet Earth in the twinkling of an eye) and his tasting of the fruits of paradise. That is one of the reasons God has referred to Hazrat Fatema (SA) as "Kowthar” (or Spring of Perpetual Abundance) in the Holy Qur’an.
Islam will always remain indebted to Hazrat Khadijah (SA). Her house was the cradle of Islam, and it was she who nursed and reared Islam for over ten years till she closed her eyes forever on the 10th of Ramadhan.
As her future son-in-law, the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), who grew up in her house as the Prophet’s ward, said decades later in one of his famous sermons titled "al-Qas’iah” (Sermon 191 of the famous book Nahj al-Balagha):
"In those days Islam did not exist in any house except that of the Prophet of Allah and Khadijah, while I was the third after these two. I used to see and watch the effulgence of Divine Revelation, and breathed the fragrance of Prophethood.”
After her passing away, life would never be the same for the Prophet, though he would marry nine wives in the last ten years of his life in Medina – out of social necessity and to break the customs of Jahiliyya. This is evident by the famous hadith mentioned in the book "Sahih Bukhari” of our Sunni brethren when a certain wife tried to taunt him for always cherishing the memory of the Late Khadija (SA), and calling herself a better one. The Prophet felt annoyed and said:
"By God, the Almighty did not grant me a better wife than her. She believed in me when the people used to mock at me and she acknowledged me when the people denied me. She shared her wealth and property with me, and she bore me children which I was not destined to have through other women.”
Even after a millennium and four centuries after her death, although the Godless Wahhabis destroyed her holy tomb in 1925, Khadijah (SA) reigns supreme. In every era and place, it was her offspring, who rose to the defence of Islam, as is evident by the tragic martyrdom of her grandson, Imam Husain (AS) in Karbala.
In our own times, the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA), who delivered Iran from domestic despotism and US hegemony and revived Islam, was a descendant of Hazrat Khadijah (SA). And so is the present Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
We offer heartfelt condolences on the passing away of Hazrat Khadijah (SA), and this time to her virtuous descendant, the Lord of the Age, Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance to rid the planet of all vestiges of oppression and corruption by establishing the global government of peace, prosperity and justice.