The demise of Lady Khadījah
On the 10th of Ramaḍān (619 A.D.) the honorable wife of Prophet Muhammad and the Mother of all Faithful (Umm al-Muˈminīn) lady Khadījah, passed away. She was the greatest supporter of Islam in its earliest days. She was the mother of Lady Fāṭimah, the grandmother of the beloved grandchildren of the Prophet, al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn who are to be the foremost of the youths in Paradise. Her status was such that the Angel Gabriel used to bring greetings for her from Almighty Allah. (al-Sīrah al-Nabawīyyah, by Ibn-e- Hishām, vol. 1, p. 241)
The Prophet loved lady Khadījah so dearly that after her death he used to remember her often. ʹĀyisha, one of the wives of the Prophet, says that whenever a goat was slaughtered, the Prophet would send some meat to Khadījah's friends; when she remarked about this on one occasion he told her, ‘I have great regard for her friends, as she has a special place in my heart’”. (Usd al-Ghābah, vol. 5, p. 539) ʹĀyisha also narrates that whenever the Prophet spoke of Khadījah he would talk at great length and praise her qualities, and pray for her forgiveness. (Siyar ʹAlām al-Nubalā, vol. 2, p. 82) Also she narrates that the Prophet said, "I have not yet found a better wife than her. She had faith in me when everyone, even members of my own family and tribe did not believe me, and accepted that I was truly a Prophet and a Messenger of Allah. She converted to Islam, spent all her wealth and worldly goods to help me spread this faith specially at a time when the entire world seemed to have turned against me and persecuted me. And it is through her that Allah blessed me with children." (Bihār al-Anwār, vol. 16, p. 8; vol. 43, p.131)
Lady Khadījah passed away just three years before the Hijrah (the Prophet’s emigration to Medina) at the age of sixty-five, having given almost twenty-five years to Muhammad and the cause of Islam. When she passed away, the Prophet was heartbroken at the loss of a dedicated companion who stood by him during the most difficult period of his life. Her grave was prepared at a place called Ḥujūn, near Mecca. The Prophet stepped into her grave to lay in it for a few moments before he put the body of his beloved wife in there.
