The Prophet's marriage to Khadija

The Prophet married Khadija bint Khuwaylid two months after his return from Syria on her trading venture; he was twenty-five and she was forty. He gave her a dower of twenty young she-camels, and the contract was attended by the Banu Hashim and the chiefs of Mudar. ^{1 2 3 4} She was the first woman he married, and he took no other wife while she lived. ¹

After the journey to Syria, Khadija saw in her wealth a trustworthiness and blessing she had not seen before. Her servant Maysara told her what he had seen of his character and manners, and she found what she had been seeking. Leading men and chiefs were eager to marry her, but she refused them. ^{5 2} She confided what was in her heart to her friend Nafisa bint Munya, who went to him and sounded him out about marrying Khadija. He agreed and spoke to his uncles, and they went to Khadija's uncle and asked for her hand, and the marriage was arranged. ^{1 2}

The contract was attended by the Banu Hashim and the chiefs of Mudar, two months after his return from Syria, and he gave her a dower of twenty young she-camels. ^{1 2 4} She was then forty years old, and was at that time the most distinguished woman of her people in lineage, wealth and good sense. She was the first woman he married, and he took no other wife while she lived. ^{1 3}

All of the Prophet ﷺ's children by her were born to him except Ibrahim. She first bore him al-Qasim, by whom he was known as Abu al-Qasim, then Zaynab, Ruqayya, Umm Kulthum, Fatima, and Abdullah, called al-Tayyib and al-Tahir. ^{1 6 7} All his sons died in childhood. As for the daughters, all of them lived to see Islam, embraced it and emigrated, and death reached them in his lifetime, except Fatima, who lived six months after him. ^{1 8}

• The author notes that the sources differ slightly on the order of the children, and records the view he judges preferable. ¹
• In the book's wording the proposal was made to Khadija's uncle, whom it does not name. The biographical books differ over whether it was her uncle or her father who gave her in marriage.
• The year on the event card is derived from his age and the Year of the Elephant.