A Great Lady

A Great Lady When I was just a little girl I asked my mother what will I be Will I be pretty, will I be rich? This was what she said to me O my daughter! O my daughter! You will be pretty You will be rich And you will be much more than pretty and rich (inshaAllah) O my Mother! What more will I want to be? This was what she said to me Let me tell you about a great lady Who you must strive to be She was beautiful She was rich She was intelligent She was pure She was religious She was sought for by men But she liked this one man So she sent her close friend

"What is it that stop you from getting married?" asked the friend to the man He answered, "I have no means to marry" "What if the person who is interested in you have no problem with these?" "Who is she?" he excitedly inquired "Khadija binti Khuwaylid," she answered "How could such a marriage be mine? She is so far above me," he said. When he came to Khadija, she said these O son of my uncle! I love you for your kinship with me For that you are ever be the center Not being partisan among the people I love you for your sincerity, integrity and character I love you for your trustworthiness I love you for your truthfulness in speech. He married her with a dowry of 20 camels Their love for each other ran deep She produced a merry and content household But he also found love of seclusion So he retreated to a cave one month a year She packed him food and supplies She went with him sometimes At other times, she went to him to replenish his supplies He saw the burden on her to travel the treacherous trip So they met in between The prayed together at a nearby masjid Afterwards they parted until they meet again.

Fifteen years later, One day in the cave, he felt the presence of another being He held him in his arms in a tight embrace He asked him to read, which he didn't know how To Khadija he rushed with his heart trembling, "Cover me! Cover me!" "O Khadija, what has happened to me? I fear for myself" She replied, "Never! I swear by Allah! Allah will never disgrace you, You keep good relations with your kith and kin, You help the poor and the destitute, You serve your guests generously You assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones." That was Jibril with a message from Allah She didn't doubt him at all She believed in his Prophethood She preached alongside him the Message She gave it all Her riches, her comfort, her life For the sake of Allah Her greatness was shown by Allah One day, Jibril came to him and said, "This is Khadija, coming to you with some type of food and drink. When she comes, give her greeting from her Lord and me And give her the good news that she will have a house in Paradise, a house of brilliant pearls where there will be no clamor or toil"

Allah's gladtiding is not surprising For she served her husband well Always quick to please him And she raised very amazing people The fruits of her labor were wondrous Umm Kalthum, Ruqayyah, the faithful, courageous daughters of Islam Faatimah, the First Lady in Paradise Ali bin Abi Talib, one of the four righteous Caliph And the gallant and righteous Zayd ibn Haritha, his "adopted" son Just to name a few Not a day that passed except he remembered her As if there was no woman on earth except her Whenever he slaughtered a sheep He sent them to her women friends Out of great love and respect for her He said, "The best woman in her time was Maryam, The best woman of my nation is Khadija" "She had faith in me when everyone did not believe me." Indeed, she occupied a very special place in his heart to his end May peace and blessings upon the Prophet, his family and his Companions by Aisha Othman