 Today, when we analyze the history of certain individuals, when we look at their biographies, when we admire their achievements and how they have impacted certain human beings, how they have been the role models for certain individuals, we come to the conclusion that the real crux of the matter is that Allah SWT would elevate the status of certain individuals in the eyes of people if during their lifetime they dedicated themselves to His cause and they were individuals keen to purify themselves and seek proximity to Allah SWT, yes? So the hadith famously says, Whomsoever submits to Allah, man akhlasa lillahi rafa'ahullah, Whomsoever does everything for Allah, Allah elevates His status. Now question arises here, what was the most powerful tenets and the qualities in the illustrious life of the honorable lady Khadija Tulkubra, peace and blessings be upon her, that made her stand out, that made the prophet of Islam weep every time she is mentioned. This honorable lady, after she married the holy prophet, some ladies of Quraish came and began to gossip, they said that Muhammad married Khadija because of her wealth and he is going to take her wealth by force, she came out in Mecca next to the holy Ka'ba, she had someone with her who would make this announcement, he made this announcement, he said, Ya Ma'shar Quraish on behalf of Sayyeda Khadija, Ya Ma'shar Quraish, O people of Quraish, this is the announcement that you must hear, every wealth that I have, every camel that I have, every possession that I have, I am willingly and happily and totally my decision giving it to my husband Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. It is not easy when it comes to this particular area, why? Because many of us say I have worked very hard to accumulate my wealth, I don't want to give it away very easily, yes? That is why most people ask this thick question, they say, you know, when it comes to my wasiya, I am able to leave a third of my wealth only towards any project or anything that I desire and two thirds of my wealth has to go to the inheritance, yes? Those who inherit my wealth, the people ask, but you know, can we give more than a third? Well you can, in dunya, you are free to give all your wealth away whilst you are alive, yes? Before you leave this world. But most of us still feel that sense of, no, I want to keep it just in case. And that scaremongering and that fear that exists in our hearts is shaytanic, yes? Shaytan desires us to hold on to the wealth that we have and not to spend it in the right way and not necessarily to give it away in fear of being in poverty or fear of needing it somehow in certain places. Therefore, what we find is that Khadija, one of her important qualities that made her an individual who attained the spirituality is that she broke these shackles and these chains associated with materialism and wealth, yes? This is of the greatest of importance. Why? Because today we have narration after narration that comes forward and says to us from the Ahlul Bayt that the closest position the human being has or can attain with Allah is when they serve others and improve the lives of others and respond to the need of others. There are books, there are chapters in our hadith books, which are entitled Bab Qadha-u-Hajat-il-Mu'min, yes? The chapter related to the merits of fulfilling the need of other believing brothers and sisters, yes? As well as helping people of the community and society by in dajj. What does that actually entail? That entails one to break that association and that desire and that deep love that the Quran says we have with our wealth and to sacrifice it for the sake of Allah. It's a painful process, but a process that makes us travel far as far as and indeed quick towards Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala as far as spirituality can say. That's why the Quran says If you want virtue, if you want righteousness, you will never reach it until you give from that which you desire the most, which that which you hold on to most and you do not wish to, what? Give away. When it comes to this notion, we have to be inspired from the personality of Sayyidah Khadija, why? Because this honorable lady could have said, by the way, I'll give you half of my wealth, I'll give you some of my wealth, yes? Why did she give every single dirham that she had for the sake of Allah? Because she was a visionary, yes? She recognized that by doing this, she will remain what an individual that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will praise in the Quran and mankind will come for thousands of years and will remember her. We find there is a need to look at the spirituality of Sayyidah Khadija. How did she come about when it comes to this particular status and these virtues? The first thing that we must understand in this particular regard, seeking inspiration from the life of this honorable lady, is that she dissociated herself from the chains and the slavery of wealth. Please understand this point. Khadija, peace be upon her, was amongst the most affluent and wealthy women in Arabia, no doubt, yes? That she was known to be an individual who was what? A truly successful businesswoman, yes? Yet when it came to the religion of Islam, when it came to sacrifice, when it came to disassociating herself from her wealth, she not only did it where people would say that she gave a bit, she gave everything she had for the sake of Allah to the extent that when she was about to leave this world, she had no kafan to cover her body. Such was the devotion that she had to Allah. Now, why is this important on the journey to spirituality? Why is this crucial? Because the Khunan comes forward and says, wa tu habbun al-malah hubban jamma. You and I love wealth. It's intrinsic. It is part and parcel of our innate nature that we desire to accumulate and to possess, yes? When you come to Hadith, for example, we are told from one of the Ya'imah that when the first coin was struck, first coin was used in the history of mankind, Iblis picked it up, kissed it, placed it on his forehead and said, I love you because through you, I will be worshipped, yes? Now, the religion of Islam comes forward and says, it is not one that espouses and teaches us to abandon the search to accumulate wealth or to be wealthy. The message of Islam is very clear. You and I must possess the wealth, we must not be possessed by the wealth. That is a big difference, a huge distinction that the religion of Islam comes forward and develops. In which way? In the idea that you and I needed to survive. The idea that you and I required to live a dignified life that Allah SWT wants us to. But the problem occurs when we consider it our objective in life and it becomes our number one goal and it is to accumulate and to have as much wealth as possible. And by the way, the more we own, the more greedy we become and the more we'd like to own more, yes? It is like what salt, sea water that we drink, yes? We become even more and more thirsty. What were the great achievements of Sayyidah Khadija and others with regards to this wealth? Is they recognize the very delicate formula that exists after contemplating from the Holy Quran and this requires your attention. Therefore you would be able to conclude how this honorable lady became so successful. We are told that Allah SWT has created us with the power known as Al-Quwatu Al-Fatriah, the innate nature which He has created us with which points towards God, yes? Fittrata Allahi, Fattara al-Nasa alaihiha, no doubt, yes? That's the first. Yet He has also given us Al-Quwatu Al-Shahwaniya or Al-Shahwiyya, this is the power of desire, yes? Shahuwa. And you and I require Shahuwa to reproduce, to survive the fight of light response. In other words, when we are in fear to protect ourselves, so Shahuwa in essence, desire is not a bad thing. And we must not present it as a bad thing. Allah has blessed it in our existence because we need it. However, where does the problem lie? The problem lies in that we choose to be shahuwa driven, not fitra driven. There is a very important difference. And those who are successful in the eyes of Allah are fitra driven, not shahuwa driven. What does this mean? That means in their lives everything is dictated by the innate nature, by the fitra, by the call towards Tawheed and monotheism, by the urge to follow and to obey the commands of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, assaddan, but holy prophet. As opposed to the notion that we follow our desire and eat and do whatever our desire tells us. Therefore we become shahuwa driven. And the more shahuwa driven, desire driven we become, the more overpowering it becomes over the fitra, the more that weakening of the heart and its connection with Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, we can begin to feel or perhaps we can begin to ignore in our lives. We are told in a very nice statement, we are told that when you give for the sake of Allah, you may be sorting out the dunya of someone, but they are sorting out your Akhira. They are sorting out your Akhira, it's Tawfeek. Allah Ta'baraka wa ta'ala blessed Khadija with wealth, but she never abused it. She recognized that it was interested to her by the Almighty Subhanahu wa ta'ala. Therefore she placed it in its right position, yes? She invested it for her Akhira. She gave every single gold coin and silver coin for the spreading of the teaching of the religion of Islam. And in addition to this, her qualities of spirituality were enhanced by her patience, yes? That she was attacked, she was ridiculed, she defended the holy prophet during this process of at least 10 or 11 years until she left this world after the prophet of Islam received the first revelation. Number two, number three, she was an individual who was a supportive loyal wife, yes? She did not turn away from the holy prophet of Islam when she came back from the receiving of the revelation, right? And at the same time she would stand with courage, it would be only her, yes? Amir al-Mu'mineen and the prophet, and later joined by Zaid ibn Haritha who would perform Salah in Masjid al-Haram and people would come and pelt them, people would throw excrements upon them, but she would not be dismayed, yes? Her stance, her bravery is one that made Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala praise her. In which way? We are told that the prophet of Islam was visited by Jibra'il who told him Allah sends his Salam upon Khadija. Khadija is told, Allah sends his Salam. Look at her response. She says, Allah is Salam. He is Salam. And Salam goes back to him and Salam comes from him, yes? Means peace, tranquility, yes? That is the position and the maqam of this honorable lady, yes? That the Ahlul Bayt would mention and would shower praise upon throughout the centuries in order for people to keep remembering her and for her to be a shining example on the role model for both men and women.