mlks19 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 11:57:02 -0000
Subject: A True Love Story
A True Love Story
By: Hesham Hassaballa
She was one of the noblest women around, coming from a very prominent
family. She was also quite beautiful and the holder of a considerable
amount of wealth, being a prominent businesswoman. To marry her would
have been a great feat for any man, and indeed, quite a few of the
most prominent and wealthy men in society had asked for her hand.
Yet, she rejected them all; already being a widow, she had lost the
desire to marry again.
Until he came into her life. He was young man of 25, and although he
was also of a noble family, he was an orphan and was not a man of
many means. He had made a meager living tending sheep in the hills
surrounding the city. Yet, he had an impeccable moral character, and
he was widely known as one of the most honest men around. That is
what attracted her to him: she was looking for someone honest who
could conduct business for her, as she - a woman in a fiercely
patriarchal society - could not do it herself. So, he started
working for her.
After he came back from his first business trip, she asked her
servant, whom she sent with him, about him and his conduct. The
servant amazed her by his report: this young man was the kindest,
gentlest man he had ever met. Never did he treat the servant harshly,
as many others do. Yet, there was more: as they traveled in the heat
of the desert, the servant noticed that a cloud had followed them the
entire time, shading them from the blazing sun. The businesswoman was
quite impressed with her new employee.
Not only that, this new employee proved to be an astute businessman
in his own right. He took his employer's merchandise, sold it, and
with the profits bought other merchandise that he sold again, thus
profiting twice. All this was enough for her: the embers of love in
her heart that were once extinguished re-kindled again, and she
resolved to marry this young man, who was 15 years younger than she.
So, she sent her sister to this young man. She asked him, "Why are
you not married, yet?"
"For lack of means," he answered.
"What if I could offer you a wife of nobility, beauty, and wealth?
Would you be interested?" she told him.
He replied in the affirmative, but when she mentioned her sister, the
young employee chuckled in amazement.
"How could I marry her? She has turned down the most noble men in the
city, much wealthier and prominent than me, a poor shepherd," he
said.
"Don't you worry," the sister replied, "I'll take care of it."
Not long after, the wealthy businesswoman married her young employee,
and it was the beginning of one of the most loving, happiest, and
sacred marriages in all of human history: that of Prophet Muhammad
and Khadijah, the daughter of Khuwaylid. When they were married, the
Prophet was 25 years old, and Khadijah was 40. Yet, that did not
bother the Prophet one bit. He loved her so deeply, and she loved him
as deeply. They were married for 25 years, and she bore him seven
children: 3 sons and 4 daughters. All of the sons died in young age.
Khadijah was a source of immense love, strength, and comfort for the
Prophet Muhammad, and he leaned heavily on this love and support on
the most important night of his life.
While he was meditating in cave of Hira, the Angel Gabriel came to
the Prophet Muhammad and revealed to him the first verses of the
Qur'an and declared to him that he was to be a Prophet. The
experience terrified the Prophet Muhammad, and he ran home, jumping
into Khadijah's arms crying, "Cover me! Cover me!" She was startled
by his terror, and after soothing and comforting him for a while,
the Prophet was able to calm down and relate to her his experience.
The Prophet feared he was losing his mind or being possessed.
Khadijah put all his fears to rest: "Do not worry," she said, "for by
Him who has dominion over Khadijah's soul, I hope that you are the
Prophet of this nation. Allah would never humiliate you, for you are
good to your relatives, you are true to your word, you help those who
are in need, you support the weak, you feed the guest and you answer
the call of those who are in distress." She then took him to her
cousin, Waraqah ibn Nawfal - a scholar well-versed in the
Judeo-Christian scripture - and he confirmed to the Prophet that his
experience was Divine and he was to be the Last Prophet.
After his ministry began, and the opposition of his people became
harsh and brutal, Khadijah was always there to support the Prophet
Muhammad, sacrificing all of her wealth to support the cause of
Islam. When the Prophet and his family was banished to the hills
outside of Mecca, she went there with him, and the three years of
hardship and deprivation eventually led to her death. The Prophet
Muhammad mourned her deeply, and even after her death, the Prophet
would send food and support to Khadijah's friends and relatives, out
of love for his first wife.
Once, years after Khadijah died, he came across a necklace that she
once wore. When he saw it, he remembered her and began to cry and
mourn. His love for her never died, so much so, that his later wife
A'isha became jealous of her. Once she asked the Prophet if Khadijah
had been the only woman worthy of his love. The Prophet replied: "She
believed in me when no one else did; she accepted Islam when people
rejected me; and she helped and comforted me when there was no one
else to lend me a helping hand."
Much has been made and said about Prophet Muhammad's multiple
marriages. There are many who smear the Prophet as a womanizing
philanderer, citing his multiple marriages. This is absolute
propaganda. As a response to those who malign the Prophet , IF the
Prophet were anything of the sort, he would have taken advantage of
his youth to do such a thing. But he did not! At a time when it was a
common custom to have multiple wives, the Prophet did not marry
anyone else while he was with Khadijah.
It was only after Khadijah died, may God be pleased with her, that he
married other women. Most of these wives were widows, whom the
Prophet married to care after them, or they were the
daughters of prominent Arab chieftains, so that the Prophet could
form a cohesive Muslim society out of a fiercely tribalistic (and
barbaric) Arab culture. The smears against the Prophet fall flat on
their faces once the light of truth shines brightly upon them.
In a song about the Prophet and Khadjiah, Muslim rappers Native Deen
sing: "We look for stories of love in places dark and cold/When we
have a guiding light for the whole world to behold." Many of what we
call "love stories" today are nothing more than stories of lust and
desire, physical attraction disguised as love.
Yet, I can find no love story more powerful, more spiritually
uplifting, more awe inspiring as that of the Prophet Muhammad and
Khadijah. It is a shining example of what an ideal marriage is, and
if I ever claim that I love my wife, I must gauge my actions with
that of the Prophet. As the country commemorates Valentine's Day, and
everywhere we turn this month, "love is in the air," I cannot help
but reflect upon, what is to me, the greatest of all love stories:
that of Muhammad and Khadijah. Even with all of its amazing and
creative talent, Hollywood could not have come up with a story
greater than this.
Hesham A. Hassaballa is a physician and writer based in Chicago. You
can visit his blog at www.drhassaballa.com.
ABDUL WAHID OSMAN BELAL
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