Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah
5. Muslim women
~ 75 ~
passed on by ‘Ali, the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-
law.) The special historical status that both Khadijah
and Mary enjoyed was due to their both having
given themselves up entirely to God: they both
subordinated their own wills to that of the
Almighty.
In the case of Khadijah, she was chosen by God to
be the life partner of the final Prophet, Muhammad,
because the circumstances of his life were such that
he needed someone of superlative virtue, who
would put herself and her property entirely in his
hands without ever raising her voice in complaint.
She did, indeed, give up everything — her life, her
property, her leisure and her comfort - for the sake
of the Holy Prophet. Although her life, as a result,
was one of severe affliction, she was never heard to
protest. It was these qualities then that made her
worthy in the eyes of God to become the life
companion of His Final Prophet. What was the
underlying cause of her superiority? Here are two
parts of the
hadith
which throw some light on this.
‘Aishah says that the only other wife of the Prophet
that she ever felt envious of was Khadijah, even
