7.1.2 Death of Khadijah رضي الله عنها

The Passing of the First Beloved

The death of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid رضي الله عنها was not an isolated family tragedy, but a turning point in the Seerah. It came at a time when the Prophet ﷺ was already carrying the heavy burden of public rejection in Makkah, and it removed one of his greatest earthly supports. To understand this event is to understand how deeply love, loyalty, and faith were woven into the Prophet’s life and mission.

Timing within the Year of Sorrow

Khadijah رضي الله عنها passed away in Makkah during the same period in which Abu Talib died. This overlapping of losses is why that period is known as ʿĀm al‑Ḥuzn, the Year of Sorrow. The Prophet ﷺ had already spent more than ten years calling his people openly and patiently, facing their insults and plots. In the middle of that long struggle, he lost the woman who had been with him from the very beginning of revelation, who had believed in him when the rest of Makkah doubted.

Many scholars mention that her death occurred shortly after the end of the boycott in Shiʿb Abī Ṭālib, and before the journey to Ṭāif. Exact dates differ, but it is generally placed around the tenth year of Prophethood. By that time, she had shared every stage of his mission in Makkah, from the first trembling return from Ḥirā to the years of persecution, and now she departed when his need for outward support still seemed very great.

Her Illness and Final Days

The sources do not give long medical descriptions of her illness. What is mentioned instead is the context of exhaustion and hardship. For years, Khadijah رضي الله عنها had carried emotional, financial, and physical burdens for Islam. She had spent generously of her wealth for the Prophet ﷺ and his followers, and she had endured the severe difficulties of the boycott in the valley of Abī Ṭālib. Food had been scarce, provisions cut off, and believers had survived on the bare minimum.

Many scholars therefore connect her final illness to years of strain and deprivation. Her body had borne what her heart was willing to sacrifice. Within this setting she approached the end of her life, still firm in faith, still honored in the sight of Allah.

Although exact wording of her final conversations is not firmly established in the most authentic reports, the overall picture is clear. She left this world as a believer in the mission of her husband, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and she departed with his love and concern surrounding her. There is no report of any complaint or regret from her, only a dignified completion of a life lived for Allah.

The Grief of the Prophet ﷺ

The Prophet ﷺ felt her death deeply. She was not only his wife, but also his closest human companion in the early years of revelation. She had stood between him and despair when he first came down from Ḥirā, trembling and unsure of what had happened. She had reassured him with words that history has preserved, and that still testify to her insight and certainty:

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: أَوَّلُ مَا بُدِئَ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنَ الْوَحْيِ الرُّؤْيَا الصَّادِقَةُ فِي النَّوْمِ... فَرَجَعَ بِهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَرْجُفُ فُؤَادُهُ، فَدَخَلَ عَلَى خَدِيجَةَ بِنْتِ خُوَيْلِدٍ فَقَالَ: زَمِّلُونِي زَمِّلُونِي... فَقَالَتْ خَدِيجَةُ: كَلَّا، أَبْشِرْ فَوَاللَّهِ لَا يُخْزِيكَ اللَّهُ أَبَدًا، إِنَّكَ لَتَصِلُ الرَّحِمَ، وَتَصْدُقُ الْحَدِيثَ، وَتَحْمِلُ الْكَلَّ، وَتَقْرِي الضَّيْفَ، وَتُعِينُ عَلَى نَوَائِبِ الْحَقِّ

Aishah رضي الله عنها said:
“The beginning of the revelation to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was the true dream in sleep... He returned with it while his heart was trembling, and he entered upon Khadijah bint Khuwaylid and said: ‘Cover me, cover me’... Then Khadijah said: ‘No, rejoice, by Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep the ties of kinship, you speak the truth, you bear the burdens of others, you are generous to the guest, and you help in all matters of truth.’”
(Sahih al Bukhari)

The woman who had said those words at the beginning of revelation was now gone. When she died, the Prophet ﷺ did not only lose a wife; he lost the person who had been the first to believe him, the first to calm his fears, and the first to give everything for his mission.

The sorrow of the Prophet ﷺ did not contradict his patience or submission to Allah. He did not object to Allah’s decree, but he wept, he remembered her with gratitude, and he continued to mention her virtues many years after her passing. Sorrow in the heart and tears in the eyes were part of his perfected humanity.

Her Station and the Prophet’s Lasting Love

The Prophet ﷺ spoke of Khadijah رضي الله عنها with a tenderness that did not fade with time. Long after she died, he still honored her memory so much that some of his later wives felt jealous of a woman they had never met. Aishah رضي الله عنها described how often he mentioned Khadijah and how strongly he defended her honor.

She said:

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ: مَا غِرْتُ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْ نِسَاءِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ مَا غِرْتُ عَلَى خَدِيجَةَ، وَمَا رَأَيْتُهَا، وَلَكِنْ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يُكْثِرُ ذِكْرَهَا، وَرُبَّمَا ذَبَحَ الشَّاةَ ثُمَّ يُقَطِّعُهَا أَعْضَاءً، ثُمَّ يَبْعَثُهَا فِي صَدَائِقِ خَدِيجَةَ، فَأَقُولُ: كَأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا امْرَأَةٌ إِلَّا خَدِيجَةَ، فَيَقُولُ: «إِنَّهَا كَانَتْ وَكَانَتْ، وَكَانَ لِي مِنْهَا وَلَدٌ»

Aishah رضي الله عنها said:
“I never felt jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet ﷺ as I felt jealous of Khadijah, although I never saw her. But the Prophet ﷺ used to mention her very often. Sometimes he would slaughter a sheep, then cut it into pieces, and send it to the friends of Khadijah. I would say, ‘It is as if there is no woman in the world except Khadijah!’ He would say: ‘She was such and such, and I had children from her.’”
(Sahih al Bukhari)

This continued honoring of her friends and her memory shows how much her death affected him, and how strong their bond had been. The Prophet ﷺ did not forget kindness. He did not close the chapter of her life after her death. Instead, her virtues remained alive on his tongue and in his actions.

In another report, when Aishah رضي الله عنها once spoke about Khadijah in a way that bothered him, he reminded her of who Khadijah really was in his life:

فَغَضِبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ حَتَّى رَأَيْتُهُ اغْتَاظَ، فَقَالَ: «وَاللَّهِ مَا أَبْدَلَنِي اللَّهُ خَيْرًا مِنْهَا، قَدْ آمَنَتْ بِي إِذْ كَفَرَ بِي النَّاسُ، وَصَدَّقَتْنِي إِذْ كَذَّبَنِي النَّاسُ، وَوَاسَتْنِي بِمَالِهَا إِذْ حَرَمَنِي النَّاسُ، وَرَزَقَنِيَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَلَدَهَا إِذْ حَرَمَنِي أَوْلَادَ النِّسَاءِ»

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ became angry until I saw the anger in his face. He said: ‘By Allah, Allah has not given me a better wife than her. She believed in me when people disbelieved in me. She considered me truthful when people denied me. She helped me with her wealth when people deprived me. And Allah granted me children from her, while He did not grant me children from any of my other wives.’”
(Ahmad)

Her death therefore meant the loss of a unique supporter. No one else had lived that exact combination of trust, sacrifice, and shared experience. His later wives, whom he also loved and honored, did not replace her specific role.

Her Special Glad Tidings from Allah

Her lofty status with Allah is especially clear from the glad tidings that came about her during her life, which also help us understand the meaning of her death. Jibril عليه السلام himself brought a salam from her Lord, and a description of her place in Paradise. Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrated:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: أَتَى جِبْرِيلُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، هَذِهِ خَدِيجَةُ قَدْ أَتَتْ مَعَهَا إِنَاءٌ فِيهِ إِدَامٌ أَوْ طَعَامٌ أَوْ شَرَابٌ، فَإِذَا هِيَ أَتَتْكَ فَاقْرَأْ عَلَيْهَا السَّلَامَ مِنْ رَبِّهَا وَمِنِّي، وَبَشِّرْهَا بِبَيْتٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مِنْ قَصَبٍ، لَا صَخَبَ فِيهِ وَلَا نَصَبَ

Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه reported:
“Jibril came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, here is Khadijah coming to you with a vessel containing food or drink. When she comes to you, convey to her salam from her Lord and from me, and give her the glad tidings of a house in Paradise made of hollowed pearl, in which there is no noise and no fatigue.’”
(Sahih al Bukhari, Sahih Muslim)

This hadith is very important in understanding her death. At the time of her passing, the Prophet ﷺ knew that his beloved wife had already been promised a place in Jannah. Her “house in Paradise” was described as free from two things she had known very well in this world: noise and fatigue. Her life had been filled with the noise of Makkan hostility and the fatigue of supporting the early Muslims. Her death, therefore, was her transfer from a life of hardship into an eternal home of peace.

The glad tidings from Allah and Jibril عليه السلام also show that her status was not only high in the heart of the Prophet ﷺ, but also in the sight of her Lord. This adds another dimension to the Prophet’s sorrow. When he grieved, he was grieving for a servant of Allah who had given everything for His cause, and who had now been honored by being taken back to Him.

Her Burial in Makkah

Khadijah رضي الله عنها was buried in Makkah, in the cemetery of al‑Ḥajūn, which is known today as al‑Muʿallā. She died before the obligation of the five daily prayers in their current form, before the formal legislation of funeral prayer, and before the migration to Madinah. So the detailed rites that later became standard for Muslim burials were not yet all present.

What is clear is that she was buried with respect in the land where she had lived, believed, and struggled. Her grave remained in Makkah while Islam spread across other lands. When the Prophet ﷺ eventually migrated to Madinah, he left behind the city of his first years of revelation, the grave of his beloved wife, and the memory of their shared sacrifices. Her resting place in al‑Ḥajūn stands as a reminder that some of the greatest sacrifices in the Seerah were made by people who never lived to see Islam in its full outward strength.

The Trial of Losing a Supporter

Her death was a very real test. For years, when the Prophet ﷺ returned home from the insults and injuries of Quraysh, the house of Khadijah رضي الله عنها had been a place of comfort. Now that door was closed. The emotional shelter which Allah had given him in her person was taken away, at the same time that Abu Talib’s protective shield in the political realm was also removed.

From the outside, this looked like a moment of intense vulnerability. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was facing a hostile city, with fewer worldly supports than before. Yet it was precisely from this low point, after the death of Khadijah and Abu Talib, that Allah began to open new doors, such as the journey to Ṭāif and later the path to Madinah.

Her passing therefore forces the student of Seerah to see how Allah’s wisdom operates. A great blessing was taken, and this caused deep sorrow, but it was also part of a larger plan in which the Prophet ﷺ would be shifted from dependence on particular individuals to a broader community and, finally, to the direct divine support that would accompany him into Hijrah and beyond.

Honor in Revelation and Scholarship

The Quran does not mention her by name, but her life embodies many of the values praised in the Book of Allah. When Allah describes the early believers as those who give of their wealth and themselves for His cause, Khadijah رضي الله عنها stands among the foremost.

Allah says:

وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ

“And the first and foremost of the Muhajirun and the Ansar, and those who follow them with excellence, Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him.”
(Quran 9:100)

Khadijah رضي الله عنها was among the very first of the believers, in fact the very first adult to accept Islam. Her death closed the chapter of the earliest inner circle of faith. Scholars of hadith and Seerah consistently include her among the greatest women in history. The Prophet ﷺ mentioned that many men reached perfection, but only a few women did. He said:

كَمُلَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ كَثِيرٌ، وَلَمْ يَكْمُلْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ إِلَّا آسِيَةُ امْرَأَةُ فِرْعَوْنَ، وَمَرْيَمُ بِنْتُ عِمْرَانَ، وَخَدِيجَةُ بِنْتُ خُوَيْلِدٍ

“Many men attained perfection, but among the women none attained perfection except Asiyah the wife of Pharaoh, Maryam daughter of ʿImran, and Khadijah bint Khuwaylid.”
(Reported in various forms, graded hasan by many scholars)

To say that she “attained perfection” in this hadith is to say that her faith, character, and submission reached a very high level of completeness. Her death, therefore, was the departure of one of the greatest women that ever walked the earth.

The Meaning of Her Death for the Seerah

The passing of Khadijah رضي الله عنها marks the end of the earliest Makkan phase in which the Prophet ﷺ bore his mission supported at home by a single extraordinary partner. After her death, the structure of his life would change. Other marriages would follow, the community would grow more diverse, and new forms of hardship and support would appear.

Yet nothing erased what she had been. The Prophet’s continued remembrance of her, his protection of her honor, his kindness to her friends, and his detailed mention of how she believed in him and supported him preserved her place in the living memory of the Ummah. For the student of Seerah, her death is a moment to pause and recognize the cost that was paid in the private world of the Prophet’s home, alongside the more public events of boycott, persecution, and migration.

Above all, her departure shows that even the most beloved souls are taken, and that true success lies in how they lived and how they met their Lord. Khadijah رضي الله عنها lived as the first believer in Muhammad ﷺ, and she died with the salam of her Lord conveyed to her in this world, and the promise of a home in Jannah where there is no noise and no fatigue.