The Life of the Prophet Muhammad by Ibn Kathir - Volume 1 of 4

IMAM ABU AL-FIDA' ISMA~L IBN KATH~R 191
(SAAS) to two boys and four girls. These were al-Qsim, 'Abd Allah, Fatima,
Umm Kulthiim, Zaynab, and Ruqayya."
Al-Zubayr b. Bakkar said, "It was 'Ahd Allah who was known as 'al-Tayyib'
(the good) and 'al-Tahir' (the pure). He was given these appellations because he
was born after the call to prophethood. His other sons died before his mission.
All his daughters were horn prior to the call to the prophethood, and emigrated
with him (SAAS)."
Ibn Hisha stated, "Ibrahim was born to Maria the Copt who was presented
to the Prophet (SAAS) by al-Muqawqis, governor of Alexandria; she was from
(the Upper Egypt town of) Kiirat Andg'."
We will discuss the wives and children of the Messenger of God (SAAS) in a
separate section at the end of this biography, if God Almighty wills it; and in
Him we bust.
Ihn Hishzm said, "The Messenger of God (SAAS) was 25 years of age when he
married Khadija, according to the account of several scholars, including Abii
'Amr al-Madani."
Ya'qiib b. Sufyan stated, "I wrote down, from Ibrahim b. al-Mundhir, the
following: Wmar h. Ahii Bakr al-Mu'ammili related to me that more than one
authority related to him that 'Amr b. Asad married Khadija to the Messenger of
God (SAAS) when he was 25 years of age and Quraysh were building the kacba."
Similarly, al-Bayhaqi transmitted from al-Haim that the age of the
Messenger of God (SAAS) when he married Khadija was 25 and that she was
then 35. It is also said that she was 25.
Al-Bayhaqi stated, in a chapter entitled: "The employment the Messenger of
God had before he married Khadija" as follows:
"Abii 'Ahd All& the hzfi~;z narrated to us, quoting Abii Bakr b. 'Abd All&,
quoting al-Hasan b. Sufym; and Suwayd b. Sa'id related to us, quoting 'Amr b.
Abu Yahya h. Sa'id al-Qurashi, from his grandfather Sa'id, from Abii Hurayra
who said that the Messenger of God (SAAS) stated, 'God never sent anyone to
be a prophet without his having been a shepherd for sheep.' His Companions
asked him, 'And you too, 0 Messenger of God?' He replied, 'I shepherded them
for Meccans at al-Qamif.'"
Al-Bukhm related it from Ahmad h. Muhammad the Meccan, from 'Amr b.
Yahya.
Thereafter al-Bayhaqi related the same tradition by way of al-Rahi'b. Badr, a
weak link, from Abii al-Zubayr, from Jabir who said that the Messenger of God
(SAAS) said, "My wage from Khadija for two expeditions was a young shecamel."
Al-Bayhaqi related, through Hammad h. Salama, from 'Ali b. Zayd, from
'Ammzr b. Abii 'Ammar, from Ibn 'Abhs who said, "Khadija's father married