History has witnessed to itself many\nwomen. In each era, thousands of women with different types and manners have\ncome into existence. However, some of them have stood out among the others, and\nsome others have somehow ended up in off beam and have left a dark account.\nSome have become fair role models among the women of their time, or even for\nall ages, and some other have become great examples to be avoided. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking at the outstanding women of\nhistory, the names of four great ladies become distinctive. The Great Prophet\nof Islam (PBUH&HP) reveals the name of these four ladies, in his glorious\nwords:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe most\nexcellent women of all times consist of, Maryam\/Mary daughter of Imran, Asiah\ndaughter of Muzahim, Khadijah daughter of Khuwaylid, and Fatimah (PBUH)\ndaughter of Muhammad (PBUH&HP).\u201d (1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, God, in the 10th\nverse of the Surah of Tahrim, points to two women as examples of infidel women:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAllah sets\nforth an example for those who disbelieve, the wife of Nuh\/Noah and the wife of\nLout\/Lot. They were under two of our righteous servants, but they both betrayed\ntheir husbands.\u201d (2)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what really makes these four\nladies the most excellent of all women? Is it because they are wives to great\npersons? It must not be the case. The husband of Asiah (PBUH) was a ruthless\nand infidel person like the Pharaoh. On the other hand, the Holy Quran points\nto two sinister women that both were wives to divine Prophets. So what is the\nsecret of greatness of these or viciousness of those women? Analyzing the\nbiography of the four foremost excellent women, one main reason of their\nsuperiority becomes clear, furthermore it can lead us to the reason why the two\nothers, pointed by the Holy Quran, are examples of vicious women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The biographies of these ladies reveal\nthat one of the main causes of their brilliancy is their faith in God, and\nobedience and their unconditional support for the true leader of their time.\nThe pages of history clearly testify that Asiah (PBUH) toward Prophet Moses,\nLady Maryam (PBUH) toward Prophet Jesus (PBUH), Lady Khadijah (PBUH) toward the\nGreat Prophet of Islam (PBUH&HP), and Lady Fatimah toward Amir al-Mu\u2019minin\n(PBUH) all had complete conformity, obedience, and unreserved support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s now set aside the care and\nsupport of the other three ladies to the leader of their times. The joint life\nof Lady Khadijah (PBUH) and the Prophet of Allah (PBUH&HP) is, from the\nvery beginning until the end, indicative of luminous aspects of the personality\nof this Quraishi lady. A lady whom, in spite of the significant rank she\nenjoyed among the Arabs, being the richest person in the Arabian peninsula,\nbecame the target of harsh laments by the ignorant women with pre-Islamic\ntraits, to the extent which at the time of giving birth to Lady Fatimah (PBUH)\nrudely left her and did not help her. But such pressures that only rooted in\nLady Khadijah\u2019s (PBUH) embracing of the Islamic faith, and her marriage to the\nGreat Prophet (PBUH&HP), never made her hesitant in her decision, and she\nalways remained in the line of supporters of the Prophethood and Islam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
An example of such supports was the\ntime, which the Muslims were under severe economical sanctions from the\ninfidels, and had to stay in the defile (Shi\u2019b) of Abi-Talib, under harshest\nconditions in the hot desert. Lady Khadijah (PBUH), around the age of sixty,\nwas definitely not in an age to be able to easily bear the hardships of those\ndays. However, the fact is that she was a caring reliever for the Great Prophet\n(PBUH&HP), and it was she that in those condition offered her entire wealth\nto the Great Prophet (PBUH&HP) so purely that at the end of her life she\npassed away while almost at complete poverty that she could not afford to have\neven grave clothes (shroud)\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, a strong faith in God, and her\ndevotion to her true leader, was the most important reasons that made her bear\nthe hardships so easily, and made her one of the four foremost superior ladies\nof all times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Selection taken\nfrom the book \u201cLady Khadijah (PBUH), the Wife of the Prophet; the Example of\nAltruism and Resistance\u201d, by Muhammad Muhammadi Ishtehardi)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roshd offers its condolences on the\ntenth of Ramadan, the anniversary of demise of the example of altruism and\nresistance, the true defender of the Prophet of Islam (PBUH&HP), the mother\nof the pious, Lady Khadijah (PBUH) to all Muslims and especially to you, dear\nfriend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Footnote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Shia\nreferences: I\u2019lam al-Wara be A\u2019lam al-Huda, p. 148<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sunni references: Sahih al-Tirmadhi,\nvol. 1, p. 31 \u2013 Musnad Ahmad Hanbal, vol. 3, p. 135 \u2013 Tafsir Ibn Jarir, vol. 3,\np. 180 \u2013 Mustadrak, al-Sahihain, vol. 3, p. 157 \u2013 Osd al-Ghaabah, vol. 5, p.\n437 \u2013 Al-Isti\u2019aab, vol. 2, p. 720 and p. 750 \u2013 Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, vol. 12, p.\n441 \u2013 Kanz al-Ummal, vol. 6, p. 227<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. The Holy\nQuran, (66:10)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
History has witnessed to itself many women. In each era, thousands of women with different types and manners have come into existence. However, some of them have stood out among the others, and some others have somehow ended up in off beam and have left a dark account. Some have become fair role models among […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28421,28248],"tags":[24035,24039,17941,24036,18914,17922,24037,24038,24034,18418,19592],"class_list":["post-4752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lady-khadijah-pbuh","category-occasional-letters","tag-2008-09-11","tag-asiah","tag-different","tag-era","tag-history","tag-lady-khadijah","tag-left","tag-maryam","tag-obedience-prerequisite-to-prosperity","tag-occasion-letters","tag-women"],"yoast_head":"\n