The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page cxli
GENERAL INTRODUCTION sworn to do against the Prophet, and forced him to do as the Prophet suggested (Hishām). Holy Prophet's Marriage to Khadijah When the Prophet was about twenty-five years old, his reputation for integrity and fellow-feeling had spread over the whole of the town. People would point admiring fingers at him and say, here was a man who could be trusted. This reputation reached the ears of a rich widow who approached the Prophet's uncle, Abū Ṭālib, to let his nephew lead a trading caravan of hers to Syria. Abū Ṭālib mentioned this to the Prophet and the Prophet agreed. The expedition met with great success and brought unexpected profits. The rich widow, Khadijah, was convinced that the success of the caravan was due not only to the conditions of the market in Syria, but also to the integrity and efficiency of its leader. She interrogated her slave, Maisarah, on this subject, and Maisarah supported her view and told her that the honesty and sympathy with which this young leader of the caravan had managed her affairs would not be shown by many persons. Khadijah was much impressed by this account. She was forty years of age and had already been widowed twice. She sent a woman friend of hers to the Prophet to find out whether he would be persuaded to marry her. This woman went to the Prophet and asked why he had not married. The Prophet replied he was not rich enough to do so. The visitor suggested whether he would agree, if a rich and respectable woman were found whom he could marry. The Prophet asked who this woman could be, and the visitor said she was Khadijah. The Prophet apologized, saying that Khadijah was too highly placed for him. The visitor undertook to deal with all difficulties. In that case, said the Prophet, there was nothing for him to say but to agree. Khadijah then sent a message to the Prophet's uncle. Marriage between the Prophet and Khadijah was settled and solemnized. A poor man orphaned in childhood had his first peep into prosperity. He became rich. But the use he made of his riches is an object lesson to all mankind. After the marriage Khadijah felt that she was rich and he was poor and that this inequality between them would not make for happiness. So she proposed to make over her property and her slaves to the Prophet. The Prophet, making sure that Khadījah was in earnest, declared that as soon as he had any of Khadijah's slaves, he would set them free. And he did so. Moreover, the greater part of the property which he received from Khadijah he distributed among the poor. Among the slaves whom he thus set free was one Zaid. He appeared to be more intelligent and more alert than others. He belonged to a respectable family, had been kidnapped as a child and sold from place to place until he reached Mecca. CXV