Khadija bint Huwaylid ar. خدیجة بنت خویلد born in 555 was the first wife of Prophet Muhammad. She was the daughter of Huwaylid ibn Asad and belonged to the tribe of Benu Hashim.

Most sources indicate that she was an ambitious, strong-willed woman. She refused to marry a relative, because she wanted to be the one to choose a partner. Khadija was the daughter of a merchant who turned the family business into a trading empire.

She did business from Mecca, and her work required numerous caravans to transport goods.

She heard of a man, young Muhammad, who had a reputation for being very honest and hardworking, and so after meeting him, he was hired to take over one of her caravans.

Khadija admired his perseverance, and as time passed, she was so impressed with him that she decided to remarry.

But this is more than a love story! This is the origin of the second largest religion in the world, Islam. She was then 40 years old, while her future husband was 25.

Khadija was an extraordinary woman. She loved the Noble Prophet until her death and was his first follower. “Who should I turn to?” he asked her one day during one of the long conversations during which every time the angel Jibril would appear to him.

Khadija said excitedly: “You can turn to me first, because I trust you!”

The Prophet was delighted and called Khadija to recite the Shahadat. Khadija believed! (Taberi, History, 2: 209).

He never married another woman while she was alive, and even after her death he never forgot or stopped loving her.

Their marriage lasted twenty-five years. There are many touching traditions that show how the Prophet was deeply affected and moved to tears when he heard the voice of her sister Hala, which was so similar to Khadija’s or when he saw something that once belonged to her.