The Age of Khadījah 

Hammad Rahman

Abstract

Controversy surrounding the age of Khadījah bint Khuwaylid  has recently gained

traction in the public. While the traditional view maintains that she was 40 years old at the

time of her marriage and 65 at the time of her death, alternative opinions suggest she was

28 at marriage and died in her fifties. This paper critically examines the evidence cited by

both sides and presents a comprehensive analysis of the primary sources. It concludes

that the traditional position is the most substantiated and historically consistent.

Introduction

The question of Khadījah bint Khuwaylid’s  age at the time of her marriage to the

Prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬has become a focal point of current discourse in Islamic historical

studies. While the traditional narrative states that she was 40 years old at the time of

marriage, with her passing at 65, a minority of scholars argue that she was 28 at marriage

and died in her fifties. Far from being a trivial biographical detail, Khadījah’s  age reveals

critical insights into the social fabric of sixth-century Arabia, highlights the Prophet’s ‫ﷺ‬

counter-cultural life choices, and undermines modern caricatures that misrepresent his
early motivations. Through a careful analysis of both classical primary sources and

contemporary historical critiques, this paper argues that the traditional view—that

Khadījah  was 40 at the time of her marriage—is both the most historically substantiated

and the most widely accepted among early Muslim scholars.

Primary Evidence That Khadījah  Was 40 at the Time of Marriage or 65 at the Time of

Death

Several early historians report that Khadījah  was 40 years old when she married

the Prophet Muḥammad ‫ ﷺ‬and 65 at the time of her death. These reports are transmitted

through chains of narration that trace back to key figures, notably Hishām bin ʿUrwah,

Ḥakīm bin Ḥizām , Muḥammad bin Ṣāliḥ, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, and

Nafīsah bint Munayyah . Among these, Ḥakīm bin Ḥizām  and Nafīsah bint Munayyah

 stand out as primary sources, given their direct relationships with Khadījah .

1. Narration of al-Ḥākim (d. 405 AH)

Al-Ḥākim narrates:

Abū al-Walīd narrates from Aḥmad bin Ḥasan bin ʿAbd al-Jabbār, who narrates from

Muḥammad bin Isḥāq al-Musayyibī, who narrates from ʿAbdullāh bin Muḥammad bin Yaḥyā

bin ʿUrwah bin al-Zubayr, who narrates from Hishām bin ʿUrwah:

"Khadījah bint Khuwaylid passed away when she was 65 years old."1

1
al-Ḥākim, al-Mustadrak ʿalā al-Ṣaḥīḥayn, (Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1990), 3, 201.
Note: Hishām bin ʿUrwah (d. 146 AH) is not a primary source, but he benefited greatly from

his father, ‘Urwah bin Zubayr, who is regarded as the first specialist in the field of Sīrah.2

Note: Although al-Ḥākim records this narration in his al-Mustadrak, he himself personally

inclined toward the view that Khadījah  was 28 at the time of marriage.3

2. Narration of Ibn Saʿd (d. 230 AH)

Ibn Saʿd narrates:

Muḥammad bin ʿUmar narrates from Mughīrah bin ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Asadī, who narrates

from a member of his family:

"We asked Ḥakīm bin Ḥizām who was older, the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬or Khadījah? He

replied: ‘Khadījah was older than him by 15 years.’"4

Note: Muḥammad bin ʿUmar is famously known as al-Wāqidī, whose reliability has been

critically discussed by experts in the field of Jarḥ wa Taʿdīl. Further analysis regarding his

credibility is discussed in later sections.

2
Shiblī Nu‘mānī, Sīrah al-Nabī, (Maktabah Islāmiyyah, 2012), 1, 47.

3
Al-Ḥākim, al-Mustadrak ʿalā al-Ṣaḥīḥayn, (Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1990), 3, 201.

4
Ibn Saʿd, al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā, (Dār Ṣādir, 1968), 8, 15.
3. Second Narration of Ibn Saʿd

Ibn Saʿd narrates:

Muḥammad bin ʿUmar narrates from Muḥammad bin Ṣāliḥ and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān bin ʿAbd

al-ʿAzīz:

"Khadījah passed away ten days into Ramaḍān, three years before the Hijrah, at the age of

65."5

Note: Muḥammad bin Ṣāliḥ and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz are both students of

Imam al-Zuhrī. They are contemporaries of Muḥammad bin Isḥāq and are considered

authorities in Sīrah.6

4. Third Narration of Ibn Saʿd

Ibn Saʿd narrates:

Muḥammad bin ʿUmar reports from Mundhir bin ʿAbdullāh al-Ḥizāmī, who narrates from

Mūsā bin ʿUqbah, who narrates from Abū Ḥabībah, the freed slave of al-Zubayr:

5
Ibid., 8, 18.

6
Shiblī Nu‘mānī, Sīrah al-Nabī, (Maktabah Islāmiyyah, 2012), 1, 44.
"I heard Ḥakīm bin Ḥizām say: ‘Khadījah passed away in the month of Ramaḍān during the

tenth year of Prophethood at the age of 65.’”7

Note: Mūsā bin ʿUqbah is a contemporary of Muḥammad bin Isḥāq, both having studied

under Imam al-Zuhrī. Many scholars, including Imam Mālik, prefer Mūsā bin ʿUqbah’s

narrations for their authenticity.8

4. Fourth Narration of Ibn Sa‘d

Ibn Saʿd narrates:

Muḥammad bin ʿUmar reports from Mūsā bin Shaybah, who narrates from ʿUmayrah bint

ʿUbaydullāh bin Kaʿb bin Mālik, who narrates from Umm Saʿd bint Saʿd bin al-Rabīʿ, who

narrates from Nafīsah bint Munayyah:

"The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬married her when he was 25 years old, and Khadījah was 40

years old. She was born 15 years before the Year of the Elephant."9

Note: Nafīsah bint Munayyah  was a close confidante of Khadījah  and the one who

conveyed her marriage proposal to the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬.10

7
Ibn Saʿd, al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā, (Dār Ṣādir, 1968), 8, 17.

8
Shiblī Nu‘mānī, Sīrah al-Nabī, (Maktabah Islāmiyyah, 2012), 1, 43-44.

9
Ibn Saʿd, al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā, (Dār Ṣādir, 1968), 1, 105.

10
Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, al-Iṣābah fī Tamyīz al-Ṣaḥābah, (Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1994), 8, 336.
5. Report of al-Balādhurī (d. 279 AH)

Al-Balādhurī narrates from Walīd bin Ṣāliḥ, who reports from al-Wāqidī, from Mundhir bin

ʿAbdullāh, from Mūsā bin ʿUqbah, from Ḥakīm bin Ḥizām:

"The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬married my aunt Khadījah when she was 40 years old, and he

was 25 years old. She was two years older than me. I was born 13 years before the Year of

the Elephant and witnessed the Sacrilegious War when I was 33 years old."11

Historians Who Opine That Khadījah Was 40

Several historians explicitly stated, agreed with the opinion, or exclusively

mentioned the opinion that Khadījah  was 40 years old at the time of her marriage to the

Prophet Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬. They have done so based on their analysis of primary sources and

their scholarly judgment.

1. Ibn Saʿd (d. 230 AH)

Ibn Saʿd narrates:

"Muḥammad bin ʿUmar said: We, along with the scholars, say that Khadījah was born 15

years before the Year of the Elephant, and that she was 40 years old when she married the

Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬.”12

11
Al-Balādhurī, Ansāb al-Ashrāf, (Dār al-Fikr, 1996), 1, 98–99.

12
Ibn Saʿd, al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā, (Dār Ṣādir, 1968), 8, 17.
2. Al-Balādhurī (d. 279 AH)

Al-Balādhurī writes:

"The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬married Khadījah when he was 25 years old and she was 40

years old, and that is well established among the scholars."13

3. Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr (d. 463 AH)

Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr affirms:

"Khadījah passed away at the age of 65."14

4. Ibn al-Athīr (d. 630 AH)

Ibn al-Athīr states:

"Her age was 40, and she lived with him for twenty-four years."15

5. Muḥammad al-Barī (d. 646 AH)

Muḥammad al-Barī writes:

"Khadījah passed away at the age of 65 in the month of Ramaḍān. She was buried in Ḥajūn.

Muḥammad bin ʿUmar al-Wāqidī and others mentioned this."16

13
Al-Balādhurī, Ansāb al-Ashrāf, (Dār al-Fikr, 1996), 1, 98.

14
Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, al-Istīʿāb fī Maʿrifat al-Aṣḥāb, (Dār al-Jīl, 1992), 1, 38.

15
Ibn al-Athīr, Usd al-Ghābah fī Maʿrifat al-Ṣaḥābah, (Dār al-Fikr, 1989), 6, 85.

16
Muḥammad al-Barī, al-Jawharah fī Nasab al-Nabī wa Aṣḥābih al-ʿAsharah, (Dār al-Rifāʿī, 1983), 2, 61.
6. Al-Nawawī (d. 676 AH)

Al-Nawawī writes:

"It is mentioned in Tārīkh Dimashq that she passed away in Ramaḍān, the tenth year of

Prophethood, at the age of 65."17

7. Ibn Manẓūr (d. 711 AH)

In his abridgment of Tārīkh Dimashq, Ibn Manẓūr narrates:

"Ḥakīm bin Ḥizām said: The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬married Khadījah when she was 40 years

old, and he was 25 years old. She was two years older than me. She was born 15 years

before the Year of the Elephant and I was born 13 years before the Year of the Elephant.

Khadījah passed away in Ramaḍān, the tenth year of Prophethood, at the age of 65."18

8. Ibn Sayyid al-Nās (d. 734 AH)

Ibn Sayyid al-Nās states:

"She married the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬when he was 25 years old, and she was 40 years

old. She was born 15 years before the Year of the Elephant."19

9. Al-Dhahabī (d. 748 AH)

Al-Dhahabī writes:

17
Al-Nawawī, Tadhīb al-Asmāʾ wa al-Lughāt, (Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah), 2, 341.

18
Ibn Manẓūr, Mukhtaṣar Tārīkh Dimashq, (Dār al-Fikr, 1984), 2, 274.

19
Ibn Sayyid al-Nās, ʿUyūn al-Athar, (Dār al-Qalam, 1993), 1, 61.
"Al-Zubayr (d. 256 AH) said: She married the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬when she was 40 years old and

remained with him for 24 years."20

10. Al-Maqrīzī (d. 845 AH)

Al-Maqrīzī reports:

"Al-Zubayr bin Bakkār (d. 256 AH) said: Khadījah was known before Islam by the nickname

al-Ṭāhirah. Her mother was Fāṭimah bint Zāʾidah al-ʿĀmiriyyah. She was first married to

Abū Hālah, then to ‘Atīq bin ʿĀbid, then to the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬. He married her when he was 25

years old, and she was 15 years older than him."21

11. Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī (d. 852 AH)

Ibn Ḥajar states:

"Al-Wāqidī says: 'According to us there is a consensus, and I narrate via several chains that

she married him when she was 40 years old.'"22

12. Al-Ṣāliḥī al-Shāmī (d. 942 AH)

Al-Ṣāliḥī al-Shāmī writes:

"Muḥammad bin ʿUmar al-Aslamī said: She passed away on the tenth of Ramaḍān at the

age of 65."23

20
al-Dhahabī, Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, (Dār al-Ḥadīth, 2000), 1, 266.

21
Al-Maqrīzī, Imtāʿ al-Asmāʾ, (Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1999), 6, 25.

22
Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, al-Iṣābah fī Tamyīz al-Ṣaḥābah, (Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1994), 8, 101.

23
Al-Ṣāliḥī al-Shāmī, Subul al-Hudā wa al-Rashād fī Sīrat Khayr al-ʿIbād, (Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah), 2, 434.
13. Diyār Bakrī (d. 966 AH)

Diyār Bakrī cites al-Ṭabarī:

"She was 64 years and six months old at the time of her death."24

14. Al-Zarqānī (d. 1122 AH)

Al-Zarqānī notes:

"As narrated by al-Wāqidī with his chain to Ḥakīm bin Ḥizām, she passed away in Ḥajūn at

the age of 65."25

15. Muḥammad Sulaymān (d. 1348 AH)

Muḥammad Sulaymān writes:

"He married her before Prophethood, and she was 40 years old."26

16. Muḥammad Abū Shuhbah (d. 1403 AH)

Muḥammad Abū Shuhbah notes:

"The age of Muḥammad ‫ ﷺ‬was 25, and her age was 40 or slightly more."27

Note: This list is representative but not exhaustive.

24
Diyār Bakrī, Tārīkh al-Khamīs fī Aḥwāl Anfus al-Nafīs, (Dār Ṣādir), 1, 301.

25
Al-Zarqānī, Sharḥ al-Zarqānī ʿalā al-Mawāhib al-Ladunniyyah bi al-Minaḥ al-Muḥammadiyyah, (Dār al-Kutub

al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1996), 4, 374.

26
Muḥammad Sulaymān, Raḥmah li al-ʿĀlamīn, (Dār al-Salām), 399.

27
Muḥammad Abū Shuhbah, al-Sīrah al-Nabawiyyah ʿalā Ḍawʾ al-Qurʾān wa al-Sunnah, (Dār al-Qalam,

2006), 1, 223.
Primary Evidence That Khadījah  Was 28 at the Time of Marriage

Some historians have transmitted reports suggesting that Khadījah  was 28 years old

at the time of her marriage. However, the chains supporting this position are notably

weaker compared to those affirming the traditional view.

1. Report in al-Ḥākim

Al-Ḥākim narrates:

Abū Bakr Muḥammad bin Aḥmad bin Bālawīh narrates from ʿAbdullāh bin Aḥmad bin

Ḥanbal, from Aḥmad bin Muḥammad bin Ayyūb, from Ibrāhīm Ibn Saʿd, from Muḥammad

bin Isḥāq:

"Abū Ṭālib and Khadījah bint Khuwaylid both passed away in the same year, three years

before the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬migrated to Madīnah. Khadījah was buried in Ḥajūn, with the Prophet

‫ ﷺ‬lowering her into her grave himself. The day he married her, she was 28 years old."28

Important Note:

• The chain of narration ends with Muḥammad bin Isḥāq (d. 150 AH), who is not a

primary source.

• It is significant that Ibn Hishām, who transmits from Ibn Isḥāq extensively, does not

mention this view in Sīrah Ibn Hishām.

28
Al-Ḥākim, al-Mustadrak ʿalā al-Ṣaḥīḥayn, (Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1990), 3, 200.
2. Report from Ibn Saʿd

Ibn Saʿd narrates:

Hishām bin Muḥammad bin Sāʾib narrates from his father (Muḥammad bin Sāʾib al-Kalbī),

from Abū Ṣāliḥ, from Ibn ʿAbbās:

"Khadījah was 28 years old the day she married the Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬.”29

Important Note:

• Both Hishām bin Muḥammad and his father Muḥammad bin Sāʾib al-Kalbī are

considered weak narrators (matrūk — abandoned) in the science of ḥadīth

transmission.30 Therefore, this chain is extremely weak and cannot be relied upon

for establishing historical certainty.

Historians Who Opine That Khadījah  Was 28

A small number of classical historians have expressed the view that Khadījah  was

28 years old at the time of her marriage. Their opinions are based on individual reports or

personal analysis, but they lack the widespread acceptance seen with the traditional view.

1. Al-Dulabī (d. 310 AH)

Al-Dulabī writes:

29
Ibn Saʿd, al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā, (Dār Ṣādir, 1968), 8, 16–17.

30
Al-Dhahabī, Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, (Dār al-Ḥadīth, 2000), 8, 281.
"It has reached me that the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬married Khadījah for twelve ūqiyyah of

gold, and she was 28 years old."31

2. Al-Ḥākim (d. 405 AH)

Al-Ḥākim states:

"The opinion that she was 65 years old is strange. According to me, she never reached the

age of sixty."32

3. Al-Bayhaqī (d. 458 AH)

Al-Bayhaqī mentions:

"Khadījah reached the age of 65. It is also mentioned that she reached her fifties, and that

is more correct."33

4. Akram Ḍiyāʾ al-ʿUmarī (Contemporary)

Akram Ḍiyāʾ al-ʿUmarī writes:

"Ibn Isḥāq holds the view that Khadījah was 28 years old, and al-Wāqidī opines that she

was 40. Khadījah conceived two sons and four daughters with the Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬.

31
Al-Dulabī, al-Dhurriyyah al-Ṭāhirah, (al-Dār al-Salafiyyah, 1986), 29.

32
Al-Ḥākim, al-Mustadrak ʿalā al-Ṣaḥīḥayn, (Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1990), 3, 201.

33
Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, (Dār Hijr, 2003), 3, 464.
This supports Ibn Isḥāq’s report that she was 28 at the time of marriage, as women

generally reach menopause before fifty."34

Note: Along with Akram al-ʿUmarī, a few other contemporary figures—including Yāsir

Qādhī, ʿUthmān bin Farūq, and Muḥammad bin Muṣṭafā al-Dabīsī—have favored the view

that Khadījah  was 28 years old at the time of marriage.

Discussion and Analysis

Those who favor the view that Khadījah  was 28 years old cite two main arguments:

1. Preference for Ibn Isḥāq over al-Wāqidī:

They argue that Muḥammad bin Isḥāq is a stronger authority in the field of Sīrah

compared to Muḥammad bin ʿUmar al-Wāqidī, who is considered unreliable by

experts in Jarḥ wa Taʿdīl.35

2. Biological feasibility:

Contemporaries claim it is biologically unlikely for Khadījah  to have borne six

children after the age of 40, thus preferring the younger age based on fertility

considerations.

Response to the First Claim

34
Akram Ḍiyāʾ al-ʿUmarī, al-Sīrah al-Nabawiyyah al-Ṣaḥīḥah, (Maktabat al-ʿUlūm wa al-Ḥikam, 1994), 1, 113.

35
Al-Dhahabī, Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, (Dār al-Ḥadīth, 2000), 8, 158-165.
 It is true that Ibn Isḥāq is generally preferred over al-Wāqidī in terms of overall

credibility. The scholarly opinion regarding al-Wāqidī’s narrations is that his narrations are

very weak, but not fabrications. Imām al-Dhahabī, for example, concludes that while al-

Wāqidī may have weaknesses, he remains an essential authority in the field of history and

is not a fabricator.36 However, historical methodology demands more than just favoring

one narrator over another; it requires assessing the strength of chains of transmission,

the proximity of sources to the events they report, and the reception of the narration

by the scholars in the field.

In this regard, the evidence for Khadījah  being 40 is significantly stronger:

• The opinion that she was 40 is supported by multiple independent chains that

reach back to primary sources: Ḥakīm bin Ḥizām  and Nafīsah bint Munayyah .

• The widespread acceptance of the 40-year view by leading early scholars such as

Ibn Saʿd, al-Balādhurī, al-Zubayr, Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, al-Nawawī, Ibn Ḥajar al-

ʿAsqalānī, and others.

• Statements indicating near-consensus (ijmāʿ) during the early centuries, such as

that reported by al-Wāqidī and al-Balādhurī. This notion is also supported by the fact

that Mūsā bin ʿUqbah, Muḥammad bin Ṣāliḥ, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, and

Hishām bin ʿUrwah, who were all contemporaries of Ibn Isḥāq, held or narrated the

40-year view.

36
Ibid., 8, 165.
 • In contrast, the view that she was 28 relies primarily on a single strong chain ending

with Ibn Isḥāq, without connecting to a primary source. According to al-Dhahabī,

those narrations in which Ibn Ishāq is the sole narrator are considered munkar

(anomalous).37

• The other chain claiming a marriage age of 28 passes through the narrators Hishām

bin Muḥammad al-Kalbī and his father, both of whom are matrūk (abandoned) and

therefore unreliable.

Thus, to characterize the 28-year view as equally credible on the basis of narrator

preference is an overstatement.

Response to the Second Claim: Fertility and Menopause

Those favoring the younger age argue that it is improbable for a woman to bear multiple

children after 40. However, this assumption is not supported by empirical biological data:

• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the average age of menopause

ranges between 45 and 55 years,38 making it biologically possible for a woman in

her early fifties to conceive.

37
Ibid., 6, 496.

38
World Health Organization, Research on the Menopause in the 1990s: Report of a WHO Scientific Group,

(1996).
 • Research shows that genetics, socioeconomic status, and other factors can

influence the timing of menopause.39

Historical proofs also counter the claim:

• Al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī records that Hind bint Abī ʿUbaydah conceived after the age

of sixty, which was noted by al-Zubayr bin al-Bakkār to be particularly common

among Quraysh women.40

• It is unanimous amongst historians that Khadījah  held a high socioeconomic

status, hence likely having a later menopause.41

Note: From an epistemological standpoint, the threshold for dismissing or overriding

traditional narrations must be clearly defined. In the Islamic tradition, historical reports—

particularly those supported by credible chains of transmission and rooted in early

scholarship—are treated with deference unless contradicted by definitive evidence.

Scientific improbability alone does not suffice to overturn such narrations; rather, it is only

when a claim is shown to be scientifically impossible—that is, in direct violation of

natural law or empirical certainty—that reevaluation becomes necessary. If a traditional

39
Jiao, J., et al., Age at natural menopause and associated factors with early and late menopause among

Chinese women in Zhejiang province: A cross-sectional study, PLoS ONE, 19(7), 1–16, (2024).

40
Al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī, Tārīkh Baghdād, (Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1997), 13, 28.

41
Al-Zarqānī, Sharḥ al-Zarqānī ʿalā al-Mawāhib al-Ladunniyyah bi al-Minaḥ al-Muḥammadiyyah, (Dār al-Kutub

al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1996), 4, 365.

abandon it; instead, we recognize that improbability does not equate to impossibility. In

such cases, epistemic weight is given to the records preserved by early scholars and

transmitted through verified sources, as they represent a historically grounded form of

knowledge that should not be undermined by conjectural scientific generalizations.

Conclusion

A thorough analysis of the available historical data clearly supports the traditional

view that Khadījah bint Khuwaylid  was 40 years old at the time of her marriage to the

Prophet Muḥammad ‫ﷺ‬, and 65 at the time of her death. This position is supported by

multiple chains of transmission that link directly to primary sources, such as Ḥakīm bin

Ḥizām  and Nafīsah bint Munayyah . These reports were transmitted by scholars

across generations, including al-Balādhurī, al-Zubayr, Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, Ibn al-Athīr, Ibn

Sayyid al-Nās, al-Nawawī, Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, and al-Zarqānī—many of whom were

experts in both ḥadīth and history.

While Muḥammad bin Isḥāq is a major authority in the field of Sīrah, his opinion that

Khadījah  was 28 years old at the time of marriage is unsubstantiated. It is not directly

transmitted from a primary source, and the chain that does attribute this opinion to a

Companion is extremely weak, containing unreliable narrators.

Biological arguments against the traditional age do not hold up against historical

data or scientific evidence. Women, particularly those of Quraysh lineage and high

socioeconomic status, have been known to conceive well into their fifties. Studies confirm
that menopause is highly variable, and examples from Islamic history—including

pregnancies after age 60—make the claim of infertility at 40 implausible.

Therefore, both the historical record and empirical considerations point decisively

to the traditional view. The notion that Khadījah  was 40 years old when she married the

Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬remains the most credible and widely accepted position within Islamic

scholarship.

Hammad Rahman

Director of Seerah Institute

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 References

Akram Ḍiyāʾ al-ʿUmarī, al-Sīrah al-Nabawiyyah al-Ṣaḥīḥah, (Maktabat al-ʿUlūm wa al-

Ḥikam, 1994), 1, 113.

Al-Balādhurī, Ansāb al-Ashrāf, (Dār al-Fikr, 1996), 1, 98.

Ibid., 1, 98-99.

Al-Dhahabī, Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ, (Dār al-Ḥadīth, 2000), 1, 266.

Ibid., 6, 496.

Ibid., 8, 158-165.

Ibid., 8, 165.

Ibid., 8, 281.

Al-Dulabī, al-Dhurriyyah al-Ṭāhirah, (al-Dār al-Salafiyyah, 1986), 29.

Al-Ḥākim, al-Mustadrak ʿalā al-Ṣaḥīḥayn, (Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1990), 3, 201.

Ibid., 3, 200.

Al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī, Tārīkh Baghdād, (Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1997), 13, 28.

Al-Maqrīzī, Imtāʿ al-Asmāʾ, (Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1999), 6, 25.

Al-Nawawī, Tadhīb al-Asmāʾ wa al-Lughāt, (Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah), 2, 341.

Al-Ṣāliḥī al-Shāmī, Subul al-Hudā wa al-Rashād fī Sīrat Khayr al-ʿIbād, (Dār al-Kutub al-

ʿIlmiyyah), 2, 434.
Al-Zarqānī, Sharḥ al-Zarqānī ʿalā al-Mawāhib al-Ladunniyyah bi al-Minaḥ al-

Muḥammadiyyah, (Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1996), 4, 365.

Ibid., 4, 374.

Diyār Bakrī, Tārīkh al-Khamīs fī Aḥwāl Anfus al-Nafīs, (Dār Ṣādir), 1, 301.

Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, al-Istīʿāb fī Maʿrifat al-Aṣḥāb, (Dār al-Jīl, 1992), 1, 38.

Ibn al-Athīr, Usd al-Ghābah fī Maʿrifat al-Ṣaḥābah, (Dār al-Fikr, 1989), 6, 85.

Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, al-Iṣābah fī Tamyīz al-Ṣaḥābah, (Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1994),

8, 101.

Ibid., 8, 336.

Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, (Dār Hijr, 2003), 3, 464.

Ibn Manẓūr, Mukhtaṣar Tārīkh Dimashq, (Dār al-Fikr, 1984), 2, 274.

Ibn Saʿd, al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrā, (Dār Ṣādir, 1968), 1, 105.

Ibid., 8, 15.

Ibid., 8, 16–17.

Ibid., 8, 17.

Ibid., 8, 18.

Ibn Sayyid al-Nās, ʿUyūn al-Athar, (Dār al-Qalam, 1993), 1, 61.

menopause among Chinese women in Zhejiang province: A cross-sectional

study, PLoS ONE, 19(7), 1–16, (2024).

Muḥammad Abū Shuhbah, al-Sīrah al-Nabawiyyah ʿalā Ḍawʾ al-Qurʾān wa al-Sunnah,

(Dār al-Qalam, 2006), 1, 223.

Muḥammad Sulaymān, Raḥmah li al-ʿĀlamīn, (Dār al-Salām), 399.

Shiblī Nuʿmānī, Sīrah al-Nabī, (Maktabah Islāmiyyah, 2012), 1, 43-44.

Ibid., 1, 44.

Ibid., 1, 47.

World Health Organization, Research on the Menopause in the 1990s: Report of a WHO

Scientific Group, (1996).