Khadija

Khadija was the first wife of the Prophet ﷺ and the first person to believe in him. A respected merchant of Mecca, she married him before the revelation and was his greatest support during the difficult early years of prophethood.

Khadija was a prosperous and honoured merchant of Mecca, known for her virtue. Impressed by the honesty of Muhammad ﷺ who led her caravans, she proposed marriage to him. He was twenty-five, she approximately forty; they remained together for twenty-five years, and he took no other wife during her lifetime.

When the first revelation descended in the Cave of Hira and the Prophet ﷺ returned shaken and trembling, it was Khadija who reassured him and believed without hesitation — becoming the very first Muslim woman. She spoke these words that have remained famous: God will never humiliate you, for you honour family ties, you carry the burden of the weak, you give to the destitute.

She placed her wealth and her heart at the service of the new faith, supporting the persecuted believers. Her death, in the same year as that of Abu Talib — the 'Year of Sorrow' — was an immense loss for the Prophet ﷺ, who always kept for her a particular tenderness and gratitude.

On the number of wives: contrary to a common misconception, Islam does not permit an unlimited number of wives. For believers, the Quran sets a maximum of four, subject to the condition of equal treatment, and recommends taking only one if there is fear of injustice (Surah an-Nisa, 4:3). The Prophet ﷺ held a special status (Surah al-Ahzab, 33:50); God then forbade him from marrying additional women (33:52), thus fixing the number of his wives. Khadija is designated as 'the best of women' of this community in hadith (Bukhari no. 3432, from Ali). The hadith also names them together: 'It suffices you among the women of the world: Maryam, Khadija, Fatima and Asiya, wife of Pharaoh' (Tirmidhi, from Anas — authenticated).

Khadija teaches the power of support in times of trial. The first to believe when all doubted, she shows that sincere backing, at the right moment, can carry the greatest missions. Her immediate faith remains a model of discernment and loyalty.