Age of Khadījah رضي الله عنها at Marriage ─ 28 or 40 Years?
Compiled by: Abu Abdul Aziz Muhammad Yusuf Madani
✦ Introduction
The first and most important marriage of the Prophet ﷺ was with Khadījah رضي الله عنها. In popular sīrah works, different ages are reported for her at the time of marriage. Likewise, some narrations are cited regarding the Prophet’s ﷺ abstention from sins before prophethood. This article presents a critical review of both issues in light of hadith scholarship.
✦ Reports
➊ Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtoom states:
“Khadījah رضي الله عنها was forty years old at the time of marriage, while the Prophet ﷺ was twenty-five.”
(Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtoom, p. 93, 634)➋ Regarding pre-prophethood events, one narration says:
“Two times acts of Jāhiliyyah came to my mind, but Allah protected me each time.”
(Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtoom, p. 96–97)✦ Research and Analysis
▣ Age of Khadījah رضي الله عنها at Marriage
• Imam al-Bayhaqi (Dalā’il an-Nubuwwah 2/70) quotes al-Hākim: She passed away at the age of 65 or 50.
• Ibn Kathīr (Al-Bidāyah wan-Nihāyah 2/295, 5/293): At marriage, her age was also reported as 35 or 25.
• Ibn ‘Asākir (Tārīkh Dimashq 4/193–194): From Ḥakīm ibn Ḥizām comes the report of forty, and from Ibn ‘Abbās the report of twenty-eight.
• Dr. Akram al-‘Umari (As-Sīrah as-Saḥīḥah 1/111): Since Khadījah bore two sons and four daughters for the Prophet ﷺ, the view of twenty-eight years is stronger, as women usually lose childbearing capacity after fifty.
▣ Narration on Abstention from Sin Before Prophethood
• In Ibn al-Athīr: The Prophet ﷺ said: “Two times acts of Jāhiliyyah came to my mind, but Allah protected me.”
→ Declared ṣaḥīḥ by al-Hākim and al-Dhahabi, but Ibn Kathīr (Al-Bidāyah 2/278) graded it da‘eef.
→ Shaykh al-Albani (Al-Difā‘ ‘an al-Ḥadīth an-Nabawī wa as-Sīrah, p. 41):
- The isnād is weak.
- Al-Hākim’s authentication is lenient; he is known for grading fabricated reports as sound in Al-Mustadrak.
- The chain contains majhool narrators.
- This report cannot be authentically attributed to the Prophet ﷺ; it may have been a personal statement of ‘Ali رضي الله عنه.
✦ Conclusion
① The popular view that Khadījah رضي الله عنها was forty years old at marriage is widespread, but the stronger research indicates she was twenty-eight years old.
② The Prophet’s ﷺ protection from sin before prophethood is certain, but the specific narration cited to describe this is weak and not authentically mرفوع.
③ Researchers (Ibn Kathīr, Akram al-‘Umari, al-Albani) clarified that these reports, though widespread among the public, are not reliable by hadith standards.
Therefore, the most correct view is that Khadījah رضي الله عنها was likely 28 years old at marriage, and the Prophet’s ﷺ purity and protection from sins was by Allah’s safeguard, not reliant upon weak narrations.