She was born in Makkah, and grew up in a noble home. Her father died during the Al-Fijaar war.
Before marrying the Prophet, , she was married to two Arab leaders. The first was Abu Haalah ibn Zuraarah ibn An-Nabbaash from Banu Tameem, who was the father of her daughters Hind and Haalah. The second was ‘Ateeq ibn ‘Aa'ith ibn ‘Umar ibn Makhzoom, who was the father of her daughter Hind bint ‘Ateeq.
Khadeejah, may Allah be pleased with her, had a successful business and her commercial caravans between Makkah and Madeenah were continuous. By virtue of this, she added wealth and esteem to her nobility such that she became one of the few Makkan merchants.
Khadeejah, may Allah be pleased with her, would also hire men and give them money to invest it for her in trade. The Prophet, , was one of those who dealt with her in such a manner. She sent him in the company of her slave Maysarah to Ash-Shaam (greater Syria) on a business trip. When they came back, Maysarah told her about the manners of the Prophet,
, and his honesty and purity. He also told her of the blessings which Allah The Almighty caused to appear at his hands so that her business multiplied in profit. As a result, she wanted him as a husband. Soon afterwards, Hamzah ibn ‘Abd Al-Muttalib, may Allah be pleased with him, met her uncle ‘Amr ibn Asad ibn ‘Abd Al-‘Uzzaa asking for her hand to his nephew Muhammad,
. Their marriage was consummated fifteen years before he was commissioned as a prophet , when he,
, was twenty five years old and Khadeejah, may Allah be pleased with her, was forty.
The couple led a good and happy life, and Allah The Almighty endowed them with six children: Al-Qaasim, ‘Abdullaah, Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthoom and Faatimah, may Allah be pleased with them.
Khadeejah, may Allah be pleased with her, loved the Prophet, , very much and would do whatever pleased him. She even gave him her servant Zayd ibn Haarithah, may Allah be pleased with him, when she saw his fondness for him.
When the Prophet, , was commissioned to bear and proclaim the message (Bi‘thah), she played an important role in supporting him by virtue of her sound reason and strong character.
One of the first examples of this is that when the Prophet, , saw Jibreel (Gabriel), may Allah exalt his mention, for the first time, he was terrified. He went to Khadeejah, may Allah be pleased with her, and said: "Cover me! Cover me!"When his fear had subsided, he said:"I feared that something terrible would happen to me."Khadeejah, may Allah be pleased with her, replied,"Never! By Allah, Allah will never fail you. You maintain the ties of kinship, you speak the truth, you help the poor and the destitute, you serve your guests generously, and you assist those who are afflicted with misfortune."[Al-Bukhari]
She then took him to her uncle, Waraqah ibn Nawfal, who assured him that Allah The Almighty had chosen him to be the seal of messengers, may Allah exalt their mention.
When she came to know of this, she did not hesitate for a moment to accept his Da‘wah (call), thus becoming the first person to have faith in and believe in him. She supported him in the course of his Da‘wah, solaced him and made difficult matters easy to him. Consequently, she got a great reward for that - the Prophet, , gave her the glad tidings that she would have a house in Paradise built of pearls wherein there will be neither noise nor fatigue. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
As a sign of his gratitude to her, the Prophet, , never married another wife during her lifetime. When she died, he grieved greatly for her. He would mention her name frequently and compliment her generously. He also acknowledged his love for her and her excellence over the other Mothers of the Believers, saying: "I have been endowed with her love." [Muslim]
He also said: "She believed in me when other people disbelieved in me, trusted me when other people called me a liar, supported me with her money when other people deprived me - and Allah The Almighty blessed me with children from her while He prevented me of from having children with other women." [Ahmad]
These words provoked the intense jealousy of ‘Aa'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her.
Moreover, the Prophet, , was very faithful to her - to the extent that he would be extremely generous and kind to her friends, even after her death. When Jaththaamah Al-Muzaniyyah, may Allah be pleased with her, came to visit the Prophet,
, he received her well and welcomed her warmly. ‘Aa'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, remarked, "O Messenger of Allah. You receive this old woman in this way?” The Prophet,
, replied:"She would visit us during the lifetime of Khadeejah. Maintaining good relations is a part of faith." [Al-Haakim]
Whenever the Prophet, , would slaughter a goat, he would say: "Send it [a portion of its meat] to the friends of Khadeejah." [Muslim]
Also, the Prophet, , would remember the voice of Khadeejah, may Allah be pleased with her, whenever he heard the voice of her sister Haalah, may Allah be pleased with her, and this was a source of comfort for him. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Moreover, the Prophet, , pointed out her excellence when he said: "The best women in Paradise are Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid, Faatimah bint Muhammad, 'Aasiyah bint Muzaahim – Pharaoh's wife, and Maryam [Mary] bint ‘Imraan.” [Ahmad]
He also said that Khadeejah, may Allah be pleased with her, was the best woman on earth during her time when he said: "Maryam the daughter of 'Imraan was the best among the women [of the world at her time] and Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid is the best amongst the women [of the world during her time]."[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Khadeejah, may Allah be pleased with her, died three years before the Hijrah (emigration) and the ascension of the Prophet, , to the heavens, at sixty five years of age. She was buried in Al-Hajoon, leaving behind a great legacy and an eventful life which history could never forget.
May Allah The Almighty be pleased with her!