The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 148
Seal of the Prophets - Volume I 148 two or three other trade expeditions to other regions as well. Marriage to Ḥaḍrat Khadījah ra Ḥaḍrat Khadījah ra was a widow with children and had married two times, however both of her husbands had passed away. She was a very revered, wealthy, and noble woman. Due to her noble character she was given the title Ṭāhirah , 1 which became very well known and was recognized throughout Makkah. 2 It is for this reason that many people of Makkah presented proposals of marriage to her, but she declined them all. When she had the opportunity to deal with Muḥammad sa she witnessed his great moral qualities, and capabilities, and also found her slave Maysarah satiated with praise for him; she sent a marriage proposal to Muḥammad sa herself. After consulting with Abū Ṭālib, Muḥammad sa accepted this proposal. The relatives of Muḥammad sa and Ḥaḍrat Khadījah ra were gathered and the marriage vows were taken at a dowry of five hundred Dirham. At that time Muḥammad sa was 25 years of age and Ḥaḍrat Khadījah ra was of 40. In other words, Ḥaḍrat Khadījah ra was 15 years older than Muḥammad sa. At the time of the marriage of Ḥaḍrat Khadījah ra her father Khuwailid bin Asad had passed away, so her uncle ‘Umar bin Asad took part in the marriage on his behalf. 3 Children of Muḥammad sa All the children of Muḥammad sa were from Khadījah ra , except Ibrahīm as who was conceived by Māriyah Qibṭiyyah ra , during the latter age of Muḥammad sa. From Ḥaḍrat Khadījah ra , Muḥammad sa was given three sons named Qāsim as , Ṭāhir as and Ṭayyab as. In some narrations, a young boy named ‘ Abdullāh as is also mentioned. However, it is a generally accepted notion that ‘Abdullāh as was the second name given to Ṭayyab as. Among his daughters were Zainab ra , Ruqayyah ra , Ummi Kulthūm ra and Fāṭimah ra. All the children of Muḥammad sa from his wife Khadījah ra , were born prior to his claim to prophethood and thus according to the Arabian custom, Muḥammad sa received 1 The Pure (Publishers) 2 Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Muḥammad bin ‘Abdul-Bāqī Az- Zarqānī, Volume 1, Bābu Tazawwujihī ‘Alaihis-Salām min Khadījata binti Khuwailid, p. 373, Dārul- Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 3 * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Part 1, Dhikru Tazwīji Rasūlillāhi sa Khadījata binti Khuwailid , pp. 62-63, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Ar-Rauḍul-Anf, By Imām Abul-Qāsim ‘Abdur-Raḥmān Suhailī, , Volume 1, pp. 324-325, Bābu Ḥadīthi Tazwīji Rasūlillāhi sa Khadījata ra , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)