Khadija
was the first wife of the prophet. She was known for her imposing personality, her independence, both socially and economically since she earned her own living through trade, and the freedom which she insisted upon in her choice of husband. She exercised this freedom in choosing to marry Mohammed who was fifteen years younger than her. She sent a woman, called Nefissa, as her emissary to him. In the book .El Tabakat El Kobra which contains the first comprehensive history of the Arab nation, the author, Mohammed Ibn Saad, reports Nefissa the emissary as having said, .She sent me to him secretly and told me to propose that he marry her. And he did.. Khadija had for some years employed Mohammed to take care of her trading interests and manage her affairs. It was thus that she came to know him well.
