Eternal Love

Have you ever wondered what true love looks like after loss?

Not just the immediate grief, but the enduring devotion that continues for years, even decades?

The Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ love for Khadijah (RA) after her passing gives us one of history's most beautiful examples of a love that transcends.

Most of what we know about Khadijah (RA) comes from Aisha (RA), who never even met her.

Aisha (RA) once confessed, "I was never jealous of a woman the way that I was jealous of Khadijah, and I never even met her."

This jealousy wasn't unfounded, thirteen years after Khadijah's death, the Prophet ﷺ still mentioned her every single day.

Despite all his responsibilities leading a growing community and facing constant challenges, he never let a morning pass without remembering her, praising her virtues, and recalling their life together.

One day, as the Prophet ﷺ was reminiscing about Khadijah (RA) at length, Aisha (RA) became overwhelmed with jealousy.

She stood up and said something she would immediately regret: "Hasn't Allah given you someone better than a toothless old woman from Quraish?"

Aisha (RA) herself narrates what happened next, and her honesty in sharing this story speaks volumes about her own character.

She says the Prophet's ﷺ face changed in a way that only happened when revelation was descending, his complexion altered, his hair stood on end, and anger was visible in his features.

Yet even in his anger, he didn't belittle Aisha.

Instead, he stood up and declared: "I swear by Allah, Allah did not replace her with someone better than her. She believed in me when no one else believed in me. She considered me truthful when everyone else considered me to be a liar. She spent her money on me when others held back. And Allah gave me children through her."

Aisha (RA) immediately understood that Khadijah (RA) was off-limits.

A line never to be crossed again.

The Prophet's ﷺ devotion to Khadijah (RA) extended far beyond words.

Whenever he slaughtered an animal, he would set aside portions of the meat and instruct, "Go, send it to the friends of Khadijah."

Years after her death, he still honored her friendships, maintaining connections with people simply because they had been dear to her.

When Hala, Khadijah's sister, would visit, the Prophet ﷺ would hear her voice from another room and excitedly look around, saying, "Oh Allah, let it be Hala!"

Her voice resembled Khadijah's; that similarity alone was enough to make his heart leap with longing.

Aisha (RA) noted that they would sit together and remember Khadijah (RA) for hours and hours.

The Prophet ﷺ treasured any memory, any connection to her.

On one occasion, an elderly woman came to their home, and the Prophet ﷺ treated her with extraordinary kindness and hospitality.

He emptied out the entire house to give her gifts and provisions, showing her a level of generosity that seemed unusual even by his standards.

Puzzled, Aisha (RA) later asked about this special treatment.

He simply replied, "She used to visit us in the days of Khadijah."

Perhaps one of the most touching displays of his enduring love came after the conquest of Makkah.

When finally given everything he had been denied for so long, victory, exoneration, the keys to the city that had once driven him out, where did the Prophet's ﷺ heart turn?

While being invited to stay in the finest homes, the residence of Abbas, the mansion of Abu Sufyan, and other luxurious accommodations, the Prophet ﷺ said, "Take me to her grave and pitch a tent there."

He didn't even visit their former home; he wanted to be close to her.

The Prophet ﷺ often spoke of Khadijah (RA) as a divine blessing in his life: "I swear that I was blessed with her love. Allah blessed me with her love. Her love was a gift to me. It was rizq (provision)."

Many of us speak this way about things we feel we didn't deserve, blessings that came to us not through our own merit but through Allah's pure generosity.

That's how the Prophet ﷺ always described Khadijah: "I don't know how I got it. Allah blessed me with that love. I needed that love."

It was as if he was saying that of all Allah's gifts to him, her love was among the most precious, something he recognized he needed, something he couldn't have earned on his own, something he remained grateful for until his dying day.

When we reflect on the Prophet's ﷺ final moments, as his soul ascended from Aisha's (RA) lap with Jibreel (AS) into the realm of souls, we can only imagine who he most wanted to see first.

After years of longing, perhaps his reunion with Khadijah (RA) was among the first joys of his afterlife.

As we conclude this journey through the extraordinary life of Khadijah (RA), we are left with a legacy that shines until today.

She stands as the embodiment of what it means to believe when belief seems impossible, to sacrifice when comfort beckons, to love when hardship tests that love.

Her story is timeless, whispering to each of us that behind every great achievement lies someone who believed first, someone who said "yes" when the world said "no."

In the garden of Islam, she is the first flower that bloomed, making possible the vast garden that would follow.

Her wealth built the earliest foundations, her wisdom steadied the Prophet ﷺ in his moments of doubt, her love sustained him through persecution, and her memory inspired him until his final breath.

In honoring Khadijah (RA), we honor not just the past, but the best within ourselves, the capacity to support without condition, to give without expectation, to love without limit.

May we carry her example in our hearts, may we embody her courage in our actions, and may Allah reunite us all with her and her beloved in the highest gardens of Paradise.

If this series has touched your heart or deepened your understanding of this remarkable woman, please like, comment, or share it with anyone who might find it valuable.

We're considering compiling this series into a small booklet for our readers, so if that's something you'd be interested in, please let us know!