Close your eyes and picture a big, busy city in the desert long, long ago. The city was called Makkah. The sun was hot, the streets were full of camels, and over one special house flew a green cloth, high on the roof, like a little flag.
That flag meant something kind. It said, if you are hungry, come here. If you are poor, come here. In this house, you will be helped. The house belonged to a woman named Khadijah (radiyallahu anha), and the people of Makkah had a special name for her. They called her the pure one, because she never told lies and never said an unkind word about anyone.
Khadijah was clever and hard-working. She had the biggest line of camels in the whole city, carrying goods far away to sell. She needed an honest helper to travel with them, and everyone pointed to the same young man. They called him the trustworthy one. His name was Muhammad, and one day he would be the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
He did his work so honestly and so beautifully that Khadijah wanted to marry him. When she told him why, she did not talk about money. She said, I chose you because of your good heart and your truthful words. So they were married, and their home was full of love.
The years went by softly. Then one day, something new happened. The Prophet ﷺ liked to go up to a quiet cave on a mountain to sit and think about Allah. The climb was long, and dear Khadijah would walk all that way herself to bring him food and water.
One evening he came home from that cave shaking, like a leaf in the wind. He was frightened by something wonderful and enormous he had seen. Cover me, cover me, he said. And Khadijah wrapped him up warm and safe and held him close until he was calm again.
He whispered that he was afraid. But Khadijah was not afraid at all. She spoke gently and surely. No, she said. Never. Allah would never let you down. You are kind to your family, you always tell the truth, you help people who are struggling. And she was right.
Soon Allah gave the Prophet ﷺ a message for all people. You are the very first person I am telling, he said to her. And Khadijah answered without waiting even one moment. And I am the very first to believe you.
And so it was. Out of everyone in the whole world, Khadijah was the first to believe. The first to say yes. The first to stand beside the Prophet ﷺ when no one else had.
She gave everything she had to help him, her time, her kindness, and her money, and she never once complained. Allah loved her so much that He sent her His own greeting of peace, and the happy news of a beautiful home waiting for her in Paradise, a home made of a single shining pearl, quiet and cozy, where no one is ever tired again.
When Khadijah grew old, she went home to Allah. The Prophet ﷺ missed her for the rest of his life, and he never, ever forgot her. He would smile and say, she believed in me when no one else did.
So snuggle down now, little one. Somewhere there is a home of pearl, soft and warm, waiting for a brave and gentle heart. And Allah, who never lets anyone down, is watching over you too. Goodnight.