EXCHANGES WITH THE ANGEL

From the time of the Damascus journey to the time that he returned as God’s Messenger from the Mount of Light with the first revelation, Khadija meticulously cared for her husband. When, from time to time, he would tire of Mecca and head for the lonely places in the wilderness, she would follow him, considering it a good deed to accompany him. When she stayed in Mecca and his return was delayed, she would get some supplies and take them to God’s Messenger in the high mountains.

On a day like this, she met Gabriel in human form. A stranger she had not seen before asked her about the Last Messenger. She got very worried that this stranger could be someone that wanted to harm her husband. When she arrived and recounted the meeting to the Prophet, however, she was met with his sweet smile. When the Prophet told her that the person she had seen was Gabriel, she was relieved.

While the leadership of Mecca had officially declared opposition to the Prophet, Khadija was his constant supporter and source of help. When they wanted to make him lose his sense of peace, he would find solace next to her; and when they made attempts on his life, he would find security next to her. From time to time, she used her intelligence to find inventive ways to support him. For instance, once she wanted to prove wrong some ignorant people who asserted that the one who came to him was the devil and not an angel. So, she said to her husband, “Cousin! When Gabriel comes to you again, will you let me know?” He accepted, and the next time Gabriel came, the Prophet called Khadija to him.

He said, “Gabriel is here; he is next to me.” Khadija did not waste any time. She ran up to the Prophet and made a request: she wanted him to sit on her knee. The Prophet was not going to hurt her feelings by denying her. When he had done so, she asked him, “Do you see (Ga- briel)?” to which she received a favorable reply. She asked him to sit on her other knee, then on her lap, always asking, “Do you still see him?” And each time she would receive confirmation. Then she took off her head covering and drew him close to her bosom, and asked, “Do you see him now?” But this time he said no.

Now she had proven her point. Khadija said, “May good tidings be to you! Be assured: I swear by God that this is an angel and not the devil. If it had been the devil, it would not have felt shame and left us.”49

Yet another day, she was on her way to take food and drink to her beloved, as we have previously mentioned. At that time, Gabriel was with the Prophet. As she drew near, he turned to the Prophet and said, “That is Khadija coming, bearing food and drink. When she comes to you, tell her that her Lord greets her, and convey my greeting, too, to her. At the same time, give her good tidings that she will be granted a castle made of pearls in Heaven, where there is neither disturbance nor fatigue.”

When she arrived and he mentioned the holy greetings brought by Gabriel, she did not change her attitude, and with the same sense of nobility, she replied, “God is Peace, and He is the source of all peace! May God’s peace and blessings be upon you, O Messenger of God. May peace be upon all who hear greetings except Satan. And may greetings be to Gabriel.”50