The Messenger’s Marriage to Khadijah

The printed heading begins the account of the Messenger’s marriage to Khadijah. The following digital line is corrupted in both the KetabOnline transcription and the same-edition Shamela copy, including an empty note marker. Its wording is not reconstructed. The legible continuation says that Abu Talib feared she might marry someone else; Khadijah learned of the conversation between the Messenger and his uncle, then sent for him again, already knowing his truthfulness and trustworthiness.

Her paternal uncle Hamzah ibn Abd al-Muttalib—may Allah have mercy on him—went with him until they entered upon Khuwaylid ibn Asad and asked for her in marriage; the Messenger married her. Ibn Hisham said: The Messenger of Allah gave her a dowry of twenty young she-camels. She was the first woman he married, and he married no other woman while she lived, may Allah be pleased with her.

[1] Another report says the person who went with the Messenger was Abu Talib, who delivered the marriage address. It may be that Abu Talib and Hamzah both went with him, and Abu Talib delivered the address because he was older than Hamzah. See Sharh al-Mawahib and al-Rawd al-Unuf. [2] Al-Zuhri says that Khuwaylid finalized the marriage while drunk, then denied it when he sobered up before consenting and confirming it. A man of Makkah composed: “Do not reject Muhammad, O Khadijah; he is a star shining like the two bright stars.” Other accounts say Khuwaylid had already died, and that Khadijah’s uncle ‘Amr ibn Asad gave her in marriage; another says her brother ‘Amr ibn Khuwaylid did so. See Sharh al-Mawahib and al-Rawd al-Unuf. [3] The wording may suggest that al-Tahir and al-Tayyib were two separate sons, but the well-known view is that they were titles of Abdullah. See Zad al-Ma‘ad, al-Rawd al-Unuf, and al-Ma‘arif. [4] Reports differ about al-Qasim’s death in the pre-Islamic period. Al-Suhayli cites al-Zubayr saying that al-Qasim died as an infant. The Messenger later entered upon Khadijah while she wept and said, “The little milk of al-Qasim has flowed.” When she wished he had lived long enough to be fully weaned, he told her, “If you wish, I will let you hear his voice in Paradise.” She replied that she believed Allah and His Messenger. This report indicates that al-Qasim may not have died before Islam.