The Life of Khadijah (ra)
by Khadijah Al-Hashim

The first woman to follow the religion of Islam was Khadijah ul-Kubra'. Every Muslim knows who she was and what a role-model she was and continues to be. We also know that she was according to the Prophet (saw), one of the four greatest women from among the whole earth.

Khadijah was born in the year 555 C.E. (Christian era). Her parents were Khuwailid and Fatimah bint Zaidah. By the time she reached the age of forty she had attained quite a reputation for herself. She was known as a wealthy, noble, fine-natured business woman.

Khadijah heard about Mohammed's (saw) reputation for being an honest and upright young man. She sent him a proposal to ask him to handle some of her business affairs. On the return from one trip to Syria, he reported a profit that doubled that which anyone else had done for her. Needless to say, that impressed her greatly!

Khadijah's satisfaction with her new employee was soon to turn into love. Despite their age difference of 15 years, she desired to marry him. She confided this desire to he friend, Nufaysah, who in turn approached Mohammed (saw). This confused him. How could such a noble woman, who had turned down the marriage proposals of the noblest and wealthiest Quraysh men, desire to marry him?! Mohammed uncle Abu Talib and Khadijah's uncle 'Umar ibn Asad sat down to arrange the completion of the marriage. Little did any of them know just what the future had in store for this new couple!

Allah bestowed upon them six children. They were given two boys, Qasim and 'Abdullah, but neither survived infancy. They were also given four daughters, Zainab, Ruqaiyyah, Umm Kulthum, and Fatimah.

Mohammed would often go to Mount Hira for meditation. On returning one day, Khadijah could see he was quite shaken and upset. She inquired about this and he told her what had happened. She found out that today had been unlike any other in that, today, he had been given revelations from God! He had thought that he was possessed and was going mad. Khadijah tried to console her terrified husband by saying:

"Rejoice, O son of my uncle, and be of good heart. Surely by Him in whose hand is my soul, I have hope that you will be the prophet of this people. You have never done any wrong to anyone. You are kind to others and you help the poor. So Allah will not let you down."

He then asked for a blanket and she quickly fulfilled his request. Shortly thereafter, he fell asleep. when Mohammed woke, Khadijah took him to her cousin, Waraqah bin Nawfal. He was Christian and quite knowledgeable of the scriptures of the Torah and Bible. He confirmed Mohammed's prophethood and said:

"This is the same one who keeps the secrets (angel Gabriel) whom Allah had sent to Moses. I wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people would turn you out."

Just a few months later Gabriel came again and ordered him to start warning the people. Khadijah supported him in this by financially supporting the family and his teaching. She was also content to raise the children and handle the family affairs so that he could preach.

During the next 10 years, she proved herself to be a loving wife. She supported him when nobody else would. She consoled him when rough time hit them. She comforted and encouraged him when the Quraish did all they could to stop him from preaching. She remained the only wife of Mohammed until her death at the age of 65. She died on 10 Ramadan 620 C.E. in the 10th year of prophethood. Long after her death, Mohammed(SAW) remembered and honored her often.

There is a lesson in Khadijah's life. She accepted and started working for the religion of Islam after the first revelation. This not only made her the first Muslim but also a role-model for women today. She led the example of a good, loving wife. She also showed us how to forget the desires of this life and work only for the good of Islam. Khadijah(RA) truly was a righteous woman.

Source: http://www.islamfortoday.com/khadijah.htm

America represents ‘true’ Islamic principles

"America may be the most Islamic country in the world. With our Bill of Rights and our national history, we have struggled to implement the central Islamic principle which commands pluralism in matters of gender, race, national origin and religion."

- By Tammam Adi and Patricia Adi.

Afghanistan's Taliban government has outlawed work and education for women in the name of Islam. Is this based on Islamic scripture? Definitely not.

The prophet of Islam, Muhammad, was hired by a businesswoman named Khadija. She later proposed to him and they had a happy marriage which lasted until she died. And Muhammad said, "Seeking knowledge is a religious duty for every Muslim man and woman." The Prophet also said, "The best of you is the one who treats his wife best."

In fact, singing under the balcony of the beloved, kissing a lady's hand, kneeling before the fiancee and other European gallantries were inspired by the Islamic treatment of women in the Middle Ages.

The abuse of women in some Islamic countries is therefore clearly unIslamic. What the Taliban are doing with women is merely an authoritarian measure they claim is based on Islam. It has as little to do with Islam as a burning cross has to do with Jesus.

The Quran states that women have the same rights as they have duties. Men and women are addressed as equal in many verses. Spousal disputes are resolved by mediation and although the fathers are responsible for child support and alimony, the Quran prohibits using children to harrass divorced fathers or mothers.

Another example is the Shiite "Islamic revolutionaries" of Iran, who call America "the Great Satan." In many Muslim countries ruled by more or less undemocratic governments, there is propaganda against America as an enemy of Islam. Some American "experts" claim that Islam is hostile to the American way of life.

But the Islamic scripture, the Quran, proclaims just the opposite. "O humanity, I have created you all from one man and one woman and spread you out into races and nations so that you recognize each other as members of one family. The only difference between you is the one God will make in the hereafter, based on your faith and behavior."

In Islamic Spain, Muslims, Christians and Jews lived as brothers and sisters in one society. Spanish Muslims implemented another Quranic verse, "There should be no compulsion in religion" (freedom of religion). This period, from the 8th to the 15th centuries, is remembered as the Golden Age of religious tolerance.

What we hear today, instead of religious pluralism, is the polarization of some authoritarian governments, which use an "us versus them" mentality to rally unhappy people around an oppressive government.

Fundamentalist and radical "Islamic" organizations and governments are a result of authoritarian thinking that has nothing to do with the religion of Islam and its holy books.

The Quran says, "Do not spy on each other" (protection from illegal search). "Do not pressure clerks or witnesses" (no coerced testimony, no self-incrimination but also no subpoenas). The Islamic burden of proof must stand up to many rigorous tests before a guilty verdict is pronounced. For example, prosecutors must bring good eyewitnesses or they will be punished. Muslim judges have to encourage the accused to recant their confessions. These practices, which are aimed at protecting the innocent and giving the guilty maximum rights, fly in the face of what we hear about "Islamic justice," with military tribunals, summary executions, and so on.

Of course, authoritarian governments and the "Muslim" organizations they foster keep misquoting the Quran and using it out of context. And you can get away with misquoting and misusing any holy book if there is no free press and no public discussion.

Authoritarianism has been ruling Muslim populations for centuries. Colonialism followed during the last two centuries. The peoples' attempts to be free and democratic have been crushed over and over. Defeatism and despair are widespread. Poverty and fear are everywhere. Without help from powerful nations, it is very unlikely that people will be able to free themselves, as the example of Iraq and Afghanistan shows.

When a friend of ours was visiting his relatives in Indonesia, he asked a Muslim scholar about the "true Islam" as opposed to the many misrepresentations of Islam. The scholar answered, "If you want to know what true Islam is, go back to America and ask the people there. Americans are the ones who know best what true Islam is about."

America may be the most Islamic country in the world. With our Bill of Rights and our national history, we have struggled to implement the central Islamic principle which commands pluralism in matters of gender, race, national origin and religion. An American-born Islamic scholar believes that the visions of some of our founding fathers were inspired by Islamic history.

It is ironic that in 1492, the Spanish monarchy not only conquered the last Islamic-pluralistic city-state of Granada, but also sent Christopher Columbus to discover the New World, where a second great pluralistic society took root.

Reprinted with permission. Copyright 2001, The Register-Guard.

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Tammam Adi Ph.D is the Director of the Islamic Cultural Center of Eugene, Oregon, USA. Originally from Syria, he is a computational linguist specializing in Arabic.

taadi@earthlink.net

Read other articles by Tammam Adi here.

Source: http://www.islamfortoday.com/adi05.htm