’’وَعَنْ عَائِشَۃَ ؐقَاَلَتْ مَا غِرْتُ عَلیٰ اَحَدٍ مِّنْ نِّسَائِ النبّیِّ ﷺ مَا غِرْتُ عَلیٰ خَدِیْجَۃؐوَمَا رَأَیْتُھَا قَطُّ وَ لٰکِنْ کَانَ یُکْثِرُذِکْرَھَا وَ رُبَّمَا ذَبَحَ الشَّاۃَ ثُمَّ یَقْطَعُھَااَعْضَائً ثُمَّ یَبْعَثُھَا فِی صَدَائِقِ خَدِیْجَۃَؐ فَرُبَّمَا قُلْتُ لَہٗ کَأَنْ لَمْ یَکُنْ فِیْ الدُّنْیِاَ اِمْرَأَۃٌ اِلاَّ خَدِیْجَۃُ فَیَقُولُ اِنَّھَا کانَتْ وَ کانَتْ وَکَانَ لِیْ مِنْھَا وَلَدٌ (بخاری ومسلم )
Narrated Hazrat ‘Aisha ؐ: “I did not feel jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet as much as I did of Khadija though I did not see her, but the Prophet used to mention her very often, and whenever he slaughtered a sheep, he would cut its parts and send them to the women friends of Khadija ؐ. When I sometimes said to him, “(You treat Khadija in such a way) as if there is no woman on earth except Khadija ؐ,” he would say, “Khadija ؐ was such-and-such, and from her I had children.” (Bukhari & Muslim)
Explanation:
Through the traditions mentioned above, we come to know the excellence and noble status of the Holy Prophet ﷺ. Besides it, the loftiness of his characters for the perfections of which he was sent in this world is also from the same tradition appearing above.
- He was the embodiment of thanksgiving and expressing his gratitude. Never he forgot the favour done to him by anyone. As it also appears in the light of his injunction, “One who is not thankful to his fellow-being is also not grateful to Allah, the Almighty.
Though many years have been passed for the demise of Hazrat Khadijah ؐ and even her children were already married, and even the Holy Prophet ﷺ was bestowed with a beautiful wife, but it was his greatness and noble conduct that he never forgot his past days, be those were happy or sad ones. He always kept remembered his wife, Hazrat Khadijah ؐwho never ceased to co-operate her in each and every difficulty facing in his life. Despite the fast pacing time could neither let him lack in his moral sense nor forget his well-wisher and appreciably loyal wife.
- The Holy Prophet ﷺ never ceased to forged his well-wishers, rather he respected them from the bottom of his heart and expressed their gratitude with his blessed tongue. On the top of it, he made all his attempts to behave them in the same way as they did with him. When Hazrat Khadijah ؐ was no more, he took utmost care of her friends and proved his love and affection for her beloved through presenting them with different gifts.
- When it came to express gratefulness, the Holy Prophet ﷺ cared neither his enemy nor his friend. Even when his wife intended to turn the direction of his senses, he openly said about her, “In fact, Khadijah was an unparalleled woman. It is beyond the ability of anyone to reach the lofty pinnacle of her moral characters.”
- The Holy Prophet ﷺ not only remembered Hazrat Khadijah’s favours made to him a number of times in Madeenah, but also expressed them before the people time and again saying that when he was indigent and financially helpless, it was Khadijah who showered upon me all her wealth and co-operated me fully. It was she who accepted Islam and took fast hold to it till her last breath. Of course, she sacrificed her everything in the noble cause of the propagation of Islam.
He did not expressed his gratitude only to Hazrat Khaidjah ؐ but also to his sincere and devoted friend, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique ؓ. It is for this reason that he is reported to have repeatedly said that he could pay the debt of everyone’s favour except those of Hazrat Abu Bakr ؓ. Truly, the noble characters of the Holy Prophet ﷺ were the result of any self-interest or any temporary passion; rather he never forgot anyone even if he did a least favour to him and tried to return him with the best.
It is a weakpoint of human nature that he forgets his hard days just the moment he becomes prosperous. He forgets not only those hardships but also forgets those who did favours to him and extended a helping hand to him during his hard days. On the contrary, Allah, the Almighty has saved the Holy Prophet ﷺ against the weak points of this kind. The way he appreciated Hazrat Khadijah ؐwhile she was alive, in the same way he did not cease to remember her magnanimity, generosity, sacrifices, selflessness and loyalty. It is the same fact that has been acknowledged even by Hazrat Ayisha ؐ as also appears through the tradition narrated on her authority.
The way the Holy Prophet ﷺ supported others in their hardships, loved the orphans and helped the helpless and widows, in the same way, he would never forget those who did even a least favour to him. He did not lay this fact in dark being facile with view to hearten Hazrat Ayisha ؐ, rather, he always expressed it before her with an open mind as well as did his best to do something good to her friends in return to her favours.
May Allah, the Almighty, grant us ability to follow into the footprints of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, as a perfect model!