The Secret Life of Bibi Khadijah ('alayha salam)
Original Ismaili Poetry and Resources on the Spiritual Status of Hazrat Khadijah⁽ᶜ⁾ in the Religion of Truth
Abstract
This article explores Ismaili esoteric perspectives on Hazrat Khadijah’s⁽ᶜ⁾ profound spiritual role in relation to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). It introduces the poem “The Secret Life of Bibi Khadijah”, inspired by Rashida Noormohamed-Hunzai’s groundbreaking work which portrays Bibi Khadijah⁽ᶜ⁾ as far more than a devoted wife or the first believer. According to Ismaili ta’wili (esoteric) teachings, particularly as expounded by the Fatimid Ismaili hujjat Ja‘far bin Mansur al-Yaman, Hazrat Khadijah⁽ᶜ⁾ held one of the highest ranks within the religious hierarchy (hudud-i din) or Da‘wa (Summons) of her time. As such, she played an indispensable role in the Prophet’s spiritual journey, guiding him before the advent of his prophethood. The article highlights how her exalted status as hujjat (proof; enlightened sage) of the Imam of her time, positioned her as an initiatrix and spiritual leader, beyond conventional Islamic narratives.
Through the lens of Ismaili ta’wil, the article uncovers how Hazrat Khadijah’s⁽ᶜ⁾ title, “seal of the forty ranks”, reveals the esoteric significance of the Prophet receiving his prophethood at the age of 40, aligning with the completion of the 40 hudud. The article also briefly explores the concept of zill-i mamdud (extended shadow), a Qur’anic metaphor for spiritual light and bounty. It explains Hazrat Khadijah’s⁽ᶜ⁾ participation in this extended shadow as an exalted soul connected to the pure Imams and the matters of Imamat. This spiritual connection solidifies the Ismaili view of Bibi Khadijah⁽ᶜ⁾ as an essential figure and a model for all followers of the Imam in the Ismaili understanding of esoteric religious leadership and spiritual elevation.
In the poem below, “The Secret Life of Bibi Khadijah”, originally composed in 2020 in honor of the beloved wife and loyal supporter of our Holy Prophet Muhammadﷺ, the present writer’s aim was to creatively convey — in the form of rhyming theosophical poetry — the unique, esoteric Ismaili view of Hazrat Khadijah’s⁽ᶜ⁾ spiritual status and her actual and practical role in the religious, spiritual and intellectual life of the divinely selected final Prophet. Inspiration for the poem arrived after having read the work of one of world’s most knowledgeable Ismaili scholars and dedicated teachers of Shi‘i esoterism, al-Wa‘izah Rashida Noormohamed-Hunzai, whose 2008 article, “Hazrat Khadijatu’l-Kubra⁽ᶜ⁾”, which made a lasting impression on the present writer, will be introduced and discussed, briefly, below the image of the poem that is indeed inspired and informed by the content of al-Wa‘izah’s article.
Al-Wa‘izah Rashida Noormohamed-Hunzai’s groundbreaking article, written in English, benefits from an earlier study, in Urdu, by her husband, Dr. Faquir Muhammad Hunzai, a highly respected author, authority and professor of Ismaili studies and a specialist in the tradition of Ismaili Ta’wil (esoteric interpretation or revelatory hermeneutics). In addition to their professional and academic work, these two exemplary representatives of the living tradition of spiritual and intellectual Ismailism continue to serve the Imam of the time by providing authentic, higher level religious education on a voluntary basis directly to the worldwide Ismaili Jamat.
In al-Wa‘izah Rashida’s article, we are made aware of a remarkable — in fact, radical (in the sense of being completely different from what is ordinarily conveyed) — classical Ismaili teaching or view on Bibi Khadijah⁽ᶜ⁾ which, for most of us, or more likely almost all of us, is a teaching hitherto unheard of and thus, an example of Ismaili literature that is literally incredible (in its exact meaning of so extraordinary that it is difficult to believe). Indeed, the early Ismaili Da‘wa (Institution or Mission of religious teaching) recorded and preserved a discourse that presents Hazrat Khadija⁽ᶜ⁾ in a substantially different and — in keeping with the purpose of the Imam’s “Rightly Guiding Mission” (Da‘wat-i Hadiyyah) — brighter light than other similar sources. While all Islamic accounts of the Prophet’s first wife (his one and only ‘Ride or Die’ while she was alive) are, without question, positive and highly favorable depictions of the “Mother of Believers”, as she is often designated, none of these — other than her unique Ismaili representation — do justice to her actual and elevated spiritual status, exalted position in the Da‘wa, and critical role in the Prophet’s life. Therefore, all of the ‘extra-Ismaili’ sources — however well-intentioned — come up short when it comes to revealing, fully and completely, Bibi Khadijah’s⁽ᶜ⁾ true reality and role, which, as we will see shortly, was indispensable in the spiritual life of the Holy Prophetﷺ.