An Examination of the Character of Her Highness Khadīja (s) From the Orientalists’ Viewpoint 

The life of Her Highness Khadīja (s) is among the subjects that some orientalists have dealt with. Individuals such as Fatemeh Marnisi in the book “Veiled Women and Elite of the Cloak,” Nabiya Abbott in the article “The Status of Women at the Dawn of Islam,” and Barbara Freyer Stowasser in the articles “Wives of the Prophet” and “Khadijah” in the Encyclopedia of the Quran in Leiden have discussed aspects of this prominent figure within their discussions on women in Islam. Relying on the Sunnī narrations, they point out the virtues of this figure and depict her as a person with profound thought and a strong supporter of the Prophet (s). Nonetheless, all foregoing authors have asserted that she was old when she married the Prophet (s), was a widow before marrying him, had some children from her previous marriages, and had a huge wealth as a result of her previous marriages. In line with depicting Khadīja (s) as a character supporting the Prophet (s), they weaken the prophetic status of the Prophet (s), and introduce him as a helpless person and an unsuccessful prophet had she not supported him. Despite their reference to numerous resources, these authors have made mistakes incongruent with historical facts. This is because of their reference to Sunnī resources and their incomplete exploration of historical works. This paper, with descriptive-analytical, aims at first presenting their points and then analyzing the sublime character of Khadīja (s) and proving that she had never got married before the Prophet (s) and was not old at the time of marrying him. She was the guardian of the children of her sister “Hāla,” and her huge wealth was not the heritage received from her previous husbands; rather, it was the outcome of the efforts and strength of this brilliant lady.