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KHADIJAH

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Students learn to:-

1(a) Explain Khadijah’s contribution to the development and expression of Islam

1(b) Analyse the impact of Khadijah on Islam

2(a) Describe and explain Islamic ethical teachings on bioethics

3(a) Describe the Hajj

3(b) Demonstrate how the Hajj expresses the beliefs of Islam

3(c) Analyse the significance of this practice for both the individual and the Muslim community

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KHADIJAH BINT KHUWAYLID

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• Khadijah came from one of the noblest and wealthiest families in Arabia and belonged to the clan of Assad of the tribe of Bane Quraish – was from Royal or noble blood.

• Was a distant relation (cousin) to Muhammad

• Her father was Khuwayled – a well-known and wealthy tradesman.

• She herself was an independent, self-assured business woman living in Makkah (Mecca).

• She was a widow. She was married twice but both her husbands had passed away leaving her very wealthy.

• Her title is ‘al-Kubra’ – The Grand, because she was very rich.

KHADIJAH- Background and Contribution

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• She helped Muhammad (and the spread if Islam) with her wealth.

• She was very kind and chaste (pure) woman. She had very good morals and manners.

• Khadijah was the most successful and richest woman in Makkah.

• She employed workers who took her goods to other cities for sale via the caravans.

KHADIJAH

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• Muhammad was not educated and did not have enough money to start his own business, so he worked for others as a trader.

• One time, when a business caravan was heading for Syria selling her goods, Khadijah was looking for an honest person who could take her items.

• When Hadrat Abu Talib (Muhammad’s uncle) heard about this, he encouraged Muhammad to take up this position. He said to Muhammad, “if you offer your services to Khadijah, she will definitely take you on due to your honesty.”

• Muhammad had the best of the characters. He was humble and hence did not feel comfortable in asking favours from others. So he replied, ‘Perhaps she may ask for my services herself.’

KHADIJAH

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• Khadijah also knew about the trustworthiness and honesty of Muhammad. She wanted Muhammad to take her sale items to Syria.

• She herself sent an invitation to Muhammad to trade on her behalf. She agreed to pay double commission to Muhammad. He accepted this invitation. Khadijah sent one of her servants to look after Muhammad. His name was Maysarah.

• In this trip, Muhammad made more profit than any other previous business trips by other traders. This was due to his honesty, trustworthiness and openness. Customers liked to buy from him because they knew he would not lie to them and they would get good products.

• When this caravan returned to Makkah, Maysarah narrated all that had happened during the trip to Khadijah.

• He confirmed Muhammad’s strong and high character, honesty, truthfulness, caring and being kind to others, having good decision making and business skills.

KHADIJAH

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Marriage of Muhammad to Khadijah

• Khadijah was married twice and both of her husbands had passed away leaving her very wealthy.

• Afterwards, some of the chiefs of Makkah wanted to marry her, but she always declined them because of their lack of good character.

• Khadijah was a woman of great intelligence and noble birth. When she heard about the good qualities of Muhammad, she thought that if she were to marry again, she would marry a person like Muhammad.

• She was not sure if Muhammad would want to marry an older woman like herself. So she sent her friend, Nafisah, to Muhammad to find out his opinion regarding marriage.

• Nafisah went to Muhammad and asked him: ‘Why don’t you marry?’ Muhammad replied: ‘I don’t have enough wealth to meet the expenses.’

• Nafisah said: ‘Don’t worry about the expenses. What would you say to a woman of beauty, wealth and position who is willing to marry you? Would you marry her?’ Muhammad replied: ‘Who is that woman?’ Nafisah said: ‘Khadijah.’

• Since Muhammad knew about the good character and noble birth of Khadijah, he said he was willing to marry her.

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Marriage of Muhammad to Khadijah

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• Khadijah was very pleased to hear this answer. She then sent a message to Muhammad asking him to meet her.

• When Muhammad visited her, she said: ‘Oh cousin, (Muhammad was a distant cousin of hers) I admire you because of your good position among your people, your honesty and good manners and because you are a man of your word.’

• Then she made her proposal to marry him. Muhammad was pleased with this proposal and he accepted it.

Marriage of Muhammad to Khadijah

• This was Muhammad’s first wife.• He was about 25 and Khadijah was around 40

years old. • From this marriage, Muhammad had 7 children:

three boys (who died at birth) and four daughters: Qasim Zainab Ruqayyah Umm Kalthoom Fatima Abdullah

• All four daughters lived on. But three of the daughters, Zainab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kalthoom passed away during the life of Muhammad.

• Only Fatima lived on after the death of Muhammad and helped support his task of preaching Islam. She died six months after Muhammad. 1

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Marriage of Muhammad to Khadijah

Fatima was to become one of the Four Perfect Women

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Khadijah - and Muhammad’s revelations

• For the first 15 years of their marriage, they lived happily together

• The angel Gabriel (Jibril) appeared to Muhammad when he was about 40 years old

• Muhammad went home and told Khadijah what had occurred.

• Khadijah was not afraid because she realized that something amazing had happened to her husband

• To help Muhammad feel more at ease, she took him to see her cousin Waraqa Ibn Mawfal who had read the books of the Jews and the Christians and told Muhammad that he was to be the last Prophet

• This pleased Khadijah greatly as she now had a better understanding of what had happened to her husband.

• Khadijah thus became the first person to “convert” to Islam by publically proclaiming, “... that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger.”

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The difficult years

• For the next few years Muhammad himself was subjected to much persecution and harassment by the Quraysh: they were trying to drive him out to prevent him from spreading his message.

• Quraysh was the name of the tribe to which Muhammad and Khadijah belonged.

• Those who had embraced Islam were enslaved and tortured by those opposed to Muhammad’s teachings

• Khadijah spent all her money (as Allah wanted) to help free these slaves and to feed and shelter the growing Muslim community.

• Even though their marriage was happy, their struggle to promote Islam was difficult as it was met with solid resistance

• She comforted Muhammad and together, they formed a formidable team striving together in the cause of Allah.

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Khadijah’s death

• Khadijah died aged about 65?

• Even though he married several more times, (he chose to have several wives – as was allowed), Muhammad never stopped loving Khadijah

• He loved each wife – but Khadijah was special

• When Aisha (Muhammad’s 3rd wife) heard him speak of Khadijah, she was jealous: “The prophet would not leave home without praising Khadijah.”

• Muhammad once said of Khadijah, “She believed in me when no one else did; she accepted Islam when people rejected me; she helped and comforted me when there was no one else to lend me a helping hand.”

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Khadijah summed up• She was the first ever person - and the first woman - to

accept Islam as a way of life• She has been a great role model throughout time for all

Muslims. She showed how to be a perfect wife, woman,

mother and follower of Islam She was thus the ideal woman

• She contributed to Muslim society and community As a wealthy businesswoman, she took care of her

father’s business She chose an honest and trustworthy man for her

husband She stood by her husband during the early days of

his prophethood she accepted without question that he was the

prophet She accepted his revelations without questioning

them or their sources• She produced and raised beautiful faithful and sincere

children

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Khadijah’s contributions to the development of Islam

• She was the first believer. When the prophet was given his revelations, he was terrified and on his return, Khadijah was there to comfort him.

• She also was a good wife and mother. During their married life, Mohammed loved her and she supported him. She consoled him when nobody else would. She remained the only wife of Muhammad until her death at the age of 65.

• When the prophet Muhammad proclaimed his mission as the messenger of Allah, and told the Arabs not to worship idols, he was persecuted everywhere he went. Khadijah supported him in many ways.

• The polytheists made many attempts to stifle his voice forever. In those times of stress and distress, Khadijah was a bastion of strength for him.

• She and his uncle, Abu Talib protected and supported him. Thanks to them, the polytheists could not disrupt the prophet Muhammad's work of preaching and propagating Islam.

• Khadijah made thus the most important contribution to the survival and propagation of Islam.

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KHADIJAH

1st Muslim

Lived her faith

Role model

Contributions to Islamic

society

Managed her

father’s business

Contributed to the

development of Islam

wealthy

Mother

Supportive wife

Stood by Muhamma

d in the early years

Accepted Muhammad’s revelations

without question

Ideal daughter

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COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS – Khadijah

Use your resource booklet to answer the following questions in your exercise book.1. What tribe was Khadijah from, what was her occupation, and how

successful was she in this? 2. What evidence is there even before her marriage to Muhammad, that

Khadijah was a “Pure One” (Tahra)? 3. Why did she decide to marry Muhammad? 4. What support did she give her husband after his first revelation and then

his second? 5. What support did she give him during the difficult years following the first 2

revelations? 6. What high praise did Muhammad give about Khadijah to his later wife

Aisha? 7. What unique message was Khadijah given by the Angel Jibril? 8. What quote from the Qur’an sums up the responsibilities of a wife, and

were amply demonstrated by Khadijah herself? 9. What was the “Year of Sorrow”? 10.Which of her daughters continued to develop the Muslim religion after

Khadijah’s death? 11.What is the oldest reference in the Hadith to the 1st Revelation of

Muhammad and what did it specifically say here about Khadijah? 12.Who are the other women that the Muslim religion recognises as pure? 13. In what 3 ways can individual Muslim adherents today use Khadijah life as

a role model?

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Review questions from your booklet1. Describe the cultural and religious conditions that

existed at the start of the 7th century in Arabia?2. What tribe did Khadijah come from? Why was it so

named?3. What was her occupation?4. Why was she known as the pure one?5. What attracted her to Muhammad?6. How did she support Muhammad in spreading his

message?7. What was the year of sorrow?8. Who are the four perfect women?9. What support did she give Muhammad after the first 2

revelations?10.What are 3 ways Muslims can model their lives on

Khadijah?11.How did Fatima continue the work of Muhammad and

Khadijah?12.How does Fatima describe Khadijah?13.What was her contribution to the development of Islam?14.What was her impact on the development of Islam?

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Analysis of the Impact of Khadijah on IslamWhat was Islam like before

Khadijah?

• There was no Islamic religion before Khadijah • Saudi Arabia had polytheistic nature gods and some

groups or individuals believed in one supreme god – Muhammad was one of these

• Before marrying Muhammad, and helping support him during his revelations, Khadijah lived a spiritual life and showed great compassion for others- this was in stark contrast to the lack of social justice in the community at the time- a time where the tribal nomadic lifestyle was breaking down and there was an increase in infant genocide, murder and mistreatment of women

• Pre Islamic society and its diverse expressions of religion was corrupt and in need of change

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Analysis of the Impact of Khadijah on IslamWhat did she do in her day and how

did people react to the changes she brought about?• See previous notes on her contribution• In her day, she and Muhammad were met with support

from those that embraced this new religious tradition but mostly negativity from the bulk of the community ( see previous notes)

• It was the notion that surrendering to this one God, Allah, meant total accountability in this life and the next for your actions, and the notion of an afterlife after death that most offended those who did not convert

• To be accountable meant they had to live a good life, not just make offerings to the gods and pray at shrines and that there be a heaven and hell was repugnant to them- eternity was not something they valued

• In addition to help others and not fight was again not met with favour by those who did not convert

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Analysis of the Impact of Khadijah on IslamWhat about the impact after her

death?

1. In the immediate few years after her death her impact was enormous, in helping firstly Muhammad, her own family and her own early community to continue to be first disciples, believing and enacting the preaching's of Muhammad

2. Those around her were motivated to continue her alms giving and social justice programme, and her own daughter Fatima looked after and supported her own husband , Ai Taliban her father Muhammad in the war they engaged in ( the Battle of Ehud) before their final return to Mekka and its conversion to the Muslim religion

3. In addition women especially were influenced by Khadijah's to be pure and supportive to husbands and children modelling the values implicit in Quran and Hadith and enacting the Pillars

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Analysis of the Impact of Khadijah on IslamWhat about in the many years

since?Ever since her death women have known how to be good Muslim disciple and wife and mother and some Islamic women have over the centuries contributed to social justice and education programmesFor example, during the 5th – 15th Centuries wealthy Islamic women funded projects and Zubadiah constructed mosques and houses for pilgrims on their way to Mekka for Hajj, and replenished the water supply to the well of ZamZamToday, many Islamic women head interfaith initiatives for peace and justice , such as the Muslim Women's National Network in AustraliaHowever, her impact today is much more that just with Muslim women- she assists all Muslims, especially new converts to be true disciples, carrying out the Pillars and living them also in the values they enact in their onw family and local communitesToday, all interfaith initiative and world comities for peace have representatives from the Islamic religion- a reflection of Khadijah’s life work

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Analyse Identify components and the relationship between them; draw out and relate implications

Describe Provide characteristics and features

Explain Relate cause and effect; make the relationships between things evident; provide why and/or how

http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/glossary_keywords.html

HSC KEY VERBS

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Typical HSC exam questions – note the Key Verbs

1. Explain the contribution to the development and expression of Islam by a significant person or school of thought other than Muhammad?

2. Explain and analyse the contribution of one significant person or school of thought other than Muhammad to Islam?

3. Describe the effect of Khadijah on the development of Islam

4. Explain the contribution of Khadijah to the development and expression of Islam?

5. Analyse the impact of Khadijah on Islam?