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Marriage of the Prophet (s) with Khadija (a)

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The Marriage of the Prophet (s) with Khadija (a) refers to the matrimonial union between Prophet Muhammad (s) and Khadija (a), which took place approximately fifteen years before the mission of the Prophet (s). According to the most famous opinion, the Prophet (s) was twenty-five years old and Khadija (a) was forty years old at the time of marriage.

The acquaintance between the Prophet (s) and Khadija (a) occurred following Khadija's trade journey to Levant; the Prophet (s) traded with Khadija's capital during this journey, and upon his return and after Khadija (a) learned of his honesty and good character, she became interested in marriage. Some sources have considered Khadija's wealth as the motive for this marriage, but researchers consider this view inconsistent with the Sira of the Prophet (s) and Khadija's direct proposal.

The Prophet (s) and Khadija (a) had three children named Qasim, Fatima al-Zahra (a), and 'Abd Allah. Some sources also consider Zaynab, Ruqayya, and Umm Kulthum as daughters of the Prophet (s), while Shi'a scholars believe that Khadija (a) had not married before the Prophet (s) and these three were her adopted daughters.

According to historical sources, Khadija's dowry was reported to be twelve uqiyya (each uqiyya equal to forty dirhams), twenty young camels, or five hundred dirhams.

First Marriage of the Prophet (s)

Khadija (a) was the first wife of the Prophet (s)[1] and lived with him for twenty-five years.[2] Their marriage is considered to have taken place about fifteen years before the Bi'tha, or slightly earlier.[3] According to some reports, this marriage took place on Rabi' al-Awwal 10 of the year twenty-five Am al-Fil, and Abu Talib recited the marriage sermon.[4]

Mahr

It is stated in Ansab al-Ashraf by al-Baladhuri (d. 279/892) that the Prophet (s) set twelve uqiyya as Khadija's dowry.[5] Other sources mention the Mahr as twenty young camels[6] or five hundred dirhams.[7] Al-Fadl b. al-Hasan al-Tabrisi (d. 548/1153) also considered this amount for the dawry of all the wives of the Prophet (s).[8]

Khadija's Proposal and Motive for Marriage

The acquaintance between the Prophet (s) and Khadija (a) occurred during Khadija's trade caravan to Levant. The Prophet (s) traded with Khadija's capital at the suggestion of Abu Talib and Khadija's invitation.[9] Maysara, Khadija's servant, spoke of the Prophet's honesty and good character to Khadija after returning from the journey.[10] Khadija became interested in the Prophet (s) and sought his opinion about marriage through intermediaries. The Prophet (s) agreed, and Abu Talib and Hamza b. Abd al-Muttalib proposed to Khadija (a) on behalf of the Prophet (s) from her uncle 'Amr b. Asad.[11]

According to another narration, Khadija (a) herself directly proposed to the Prophet (s) after the caravan returned from Levant, stating that she desired this union due to his kinship, trustworthiness, good character, and truthfulness.[12] Some sources also mention a woman as an intermediary for this marriage.[13] Some sources have narrated a story that Khadija (a) used wine to gain her father Khuwaylid's consent for this marriage.[14] Researchers consider this narration fabricated and state that if it were true, the marriage should have been declared void at that time.[15] It is also suggested that these narrations might have been fabricated by the enemies of Banu Fatima, as the Imams of the Shi'a were born from this marriage.[16]

Some have considered Khadija's wealth as the motive for this marriage, while some researchers consider this view inconsistent with the Sira of the Prophet (s) and Khadija's direct proposal to the Prophet (s).[17] Abbas Zaryab Khoei (d. 1994), a researcher of Islamic history, also believes that the inclination of a woman like Khadija (a) to marry the Prophet (s) indicates his prominent social status and reputation for trustworthiness and honesty.[18]

Age of the Prophet (s) and Khadija (a) at Marriage

According to the famous opinion of historians, the Prophet (s) was twenty-five years old[19] and Khadija (a) was forty years old[20] at the time of their marriage. However, historical sources mention Khadija's age between twenty-one and forty-six years[21] and the Prophet's age between twenty-one and thirty-seven years.[22] Sayyid Ja'far Shahidi (d. 2008), a Shi'a historian, suggested that, considering the number of children, Khadija's age might have been less than forty years.[23] Also, according to Sayyid Ja'far Murtada al-'Amili (d. 2019), a researcher of Islamic history, most historians have confirmed the age of twenty-eight for Khadija (a) at the time of marriage.[24]

Had Khadija (a) Married Before the Prophet (s)?

Main article: Children of Prophet Muhammad (s)

All the children of the Prophet (s) except Ibrahim were from Khadija (a).[25] Sources mention six children for them: Fatima al-Zahra (a), Qasim, 'Abd Allah, Zaynab, Ruqayya, and Umm Kulthum.[26] Some historical sources report that Khadija (a) had married twice before marrying the Prophet (s).[27] Based on this, Zaynab, Ruqayya, and Umm Kulthum are sometimes considered Khadija's daughters and the Prophet's adopted daughters. However, a number of Shi'a scholars believe that Khadija (a) was a virgin at the time of marriage to the Prophet (s),[28] and Zaynab, Ruqayya, and Umm Kulthum were the daughters of Khadija's sister, not Khadija herself.[29]

Notes

  1. ↑ Dīnawarī, al-Maʿārif, p. 132.
  2. ↑ Āyatī, Tārīkh-i Payāmbar-i Islām, p. 57.
  3. ↑ Murādī, "Khadīja", vol. 22, under the entry.
  4. ↑ Maqrīzī, Imtāʿ al-asmāʿ, vol. 1, p. 17.
  5. ↑ Balādhurī, Ansāb al-ashrāf, vol. 1, p. 97.
  6. ↑ Āyatī, Tārīkh-i Payāmbar-i Islām, p. 56.
  7. ↑ Istarābādī, Āthār-i Aḥmadī, p. 72.
  8. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Iʿlām al-warā, vol. 1, p. 275.
  9. ↑ Ibn Saʿd, al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, vol. 1, pp. 103–105.
  10. ↑ Ḥalabī, al-Sīra al-Ḥalabiyya, vol. 1, p. 193.
  11. ↑ Ibn Saʿd, al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, vol. 1, pp. 103–105; ʿĀmilī, al-Ṣaḥīḥ min sīrat al-Nabī al-aʿẓam, vol. 2, p. 189.
  12. ↑ Ibn Hishām, al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya, vol. 1, p. 122.
  13. ↑ Ḥalabī, al-Sīra al-Ḥalabiyya, vol. 1, p. 199; Subḥānī, Furūgh-i abadiyyat, vol. 1, p. 193.
  14. ↑ Ḥalabī, al-Sīra al-Ḥalabiyya, vol. 1, p. 193.
  15. ↑ Zaryāb Khūyī, Sīra-yi Ḥaḍrat-i Rasūl, p. 96.
  16. ↑ Zaryāb Khūyī, Sīra-yi Ḥaḍrat-i Rasūl, p. 96.
  17. ↑ Qadrdān Qarāmalikī, Pāsukh bi shubahāt-i kalāmī, pp. 33–34.
  18. ↑ Zaryāb Khūyī, Sīra-yi Ḥaḍrat-i Rasūl, pp. 95–96.
  19. ↑ Yaʿqūbī, Tārīkh al-Yaʿqūbī, vol. 2, p. 20; Bukhārī, al-Tārīkh al-ṣaghīr, vol. 1, p. 43; Ibn Hishām, al-Sīra al-Nabawiyya, vol. 1, p. 121; Ḥalabī, al-Sīra al-Ḥalabiyya, vol. 1, p. 193.
  20. ↑ Balādhurī, Ansāb al-ashrāf, vol. 1, p. 98; Ibn Saʿd, al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, vol. 1, p. 105.
  21. ↑ Maqrīzī, Imtāʿ al-asmāʿ, vol. 1, p. 17; Ṭahmāz, al-Sayyida Khadīja, pp. 37–39.
  22. ↑ Ṭahmāz, al-Sayyida Khadīja, p. 36; Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, al-Istīʿāb, vol. 4, p. 1818.
  23. ↑ Shahīdī, Tārīkh-i taḥlīlī-yi Islām, p. 42.
  24. ↑ ʿĀmilī, al-Ṣaḥīḥ min sīrat al-Nabī al-aʿẓam, vol. 2, p. 200.
  25. ↑ Dīnawarī, Al-Maʿārif, 1992, p. 132.
  26. ↑ Ibn Saʿd, al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, vol. 1, p. 106; Bukhārī, al-Tārīkh al-ṣaghīr, vol. 1, p. 43.
  27. ↑ Dīnawarī, al-Maʿārif, p. 133; Ḥalabī, al-Sīra al-Ḥalabiyya, vol. 1, p. 193.
  28. ↑ Ibn Shahrāshūb, Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, vol. 1, p. 206; ʿĀmilī, al-Ṣaḥīḥ min sīrat al-Nabī al-aʿẓam, vol. 2, pp. 207–213.
  29. ↑ Kūfī, al-Istighātha, vol. 1, p. 68; ʿĀmilī, al-Ṣaḥīḥ min sīrat al-Nabī al-aʿẓam, vol. 2, p. 208.

References

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