Islamic Perspectives - Muslim Journals Arab News
& Information - By Adil Salahi Perhaps nothing is more important to a person who
is charged with bringing about a fundamental change in
the life of his community than having a settled and
happy family life. When the home front is established
on sound basis and characterized by love and care
between all its members, the head of the family can
evaluate matters in public life more accurately. This
will help him to address problems and define
priorities. By contrast, if his family life is plagued
with problems, or mistrust, or lack of mutual care,
his vision of public life will be impaired. How can he
bring about the desired change, or establish proper
reforms? Long before the beginning of his mission, Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) enjoyed a very happy and
settled family life. His wife, Khadijah, belonged to a
distinguished family from the Quraysh. She was wealthy
and in her womanly prime. She was a mature woman who
had had a previous marriage and given birth to two
children. Although it is commonly thought that she was
forty years of age at the time of her marriage to
Prophet Muhammad, this is far from certain. On the
contrary, the fact that she gave Muhammad six children
over a period of ten years suggests that she was much
younger. According to a report by Ibn Abbas, she was
no more than 28 at the time when Muhammad married her. It was Khadijah who proposed marriage to Prophet
Muhammad. She was a woman of sound judgment, and she
discovered all his good qualities. Most important to
her were the facts that he was true to his trust,
always speaking the truth. Moreover, she made certain
that he had no design to lay his hand on her wealth.
On the contrary, he was content with what he lawfully
earned. Yet when they were settled in their home, she
discovered in him more of his fine qualities: his
kindness, humility, care for the weak and vulnerable
and his keen sense of fairness. She was later to
describe him in the following terms: “By God, you are
faithful to your trust, kind to your kinsfolk and you
always tell the truth.” Numerous are the reports that tell us of the care
each of the two spouses took of the other. Yet this
was manifest throughout their marriage. During the few
years that preceded the first divine revelations,
Prophet Muhammad used to seek solitude in a cave in a
mountain close to Makkah. He would take food and water
to drink, sufficient for a few days. He would then
return home to replenish his stock. When he was late
on one occasion, she sent some of her servants to look
for him. She told him that she was worried. Later,
during his mission, he would go out to speak to people
in Makkah, telling him about his message and that God
wanted them to believe in His oneness. He would try to
convince everyone of the truth of his message. But he
often received the same type of stubborn rejection. He
might be at his task for the best part of the day,
then he would go home tired, exhausted and full of
sorrow. As soon as he got home, he was always sure to
be received by a caring, loving wife who comforted and
encouraged him, so as to start again on the following
day, full of vigor and enthusiasm. Comments 💬 التعليقات |
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