The best of the women of her time was Mary, daughter of ʿImran, and the best of the women of her time was Khadija, daughter of Khuwailid. Abu Kuraib said that Wakiʿ pointed towards the sky and the earth.  

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ وَابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ وَوَكِيعٌ وَأَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ ح وَحَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدَةُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ كُلُّهُمْ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ وَاللَّفْظُ حَدِيثُ أَبِي أُسَامَةَ ح وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ عَنْ هِشَامٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ جَعْفَرٍ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ عَلِيًّا بِالْكُوفَةِ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ خَيْرُ نِسَائِهَا مَرْيَمُ بِنْتُ عِمْرَانَ وَخَيْرُ نِسَائِهَا خَدِيجَةُ بِنْتُ خُوَيْلِدٍ قَالَ أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ وَأَشَارَ وَكِيعٌ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ  

There are many persons amongst men who are quite perfect but there are none perfect amongst women except Mary, daughter of 'Imran, Asiya wife of Pharaoh, and the excellence of 'A'isha as compared to women is that of Tharid over all other foods.  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَمَلَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ كَثِيرٌ وَلَمْ يَكْمُلْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ غَيْرُ مَرْيَمَ بِنْتِ عِمْرَانَ وَآسِيَةَ امْرَأَةِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَإِنَّ فَضْلَ عَائِشَةَ عَلَى النِّسَاءِ كَفَضْلِ الثَّرِيدِ عَلَى سَائِرِ الطَّعَامِ  

Messenger of Allah, lo. Khadija is coming to you with a vessel of seasoned food or drink. When she comes to you, offer her greetings from her Lord, the Exalted and Glorious, and on my behalf and give her glad tidings of a palace of jewels in Paradise wherein there is no noise and no toil. This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira through another chain of transmitters with a slight variation of wording.  

أَتَى جِبْرِيلُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هَذِهِ خَدِيجَةُ قَدْ أَتَتْكَ مَعَهَا إِنَاءٌ فِيهِ إِدَامٌ أَوْ طَعَامٌ أَوْ شَرَابٌ فَإِذَا هِيَ أَتَتْكَ فَاقْرَأْ عَلَيْهَا السَّلاَمَ مِنْ رَبِّهَا ﷻ وَمِنِّي وَبَشِّرْهَا بِبَيْتٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مِنْ قَصَبٍ لاَ صَخَبَ فِيهِ وَلاَ نَصَبَ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ فِي رِوَايَتِهِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ وَلَمْ يَقُلْ سَمِعْتُ وَلَمْ يَقُلْ فِي الْحَدِيثِ وَمِنِّي  

I said to 'Abdullah b. Abi Aufa: Did Messenger of Allah ﷺ give glad tidings of Paradise to Khadija? He said: Yes. He did give glad tidings to her of a palace of jewels in Paradise wherein there would be no noise and no toil.  

قُلْتُ لِعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي أَوْفَى أَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بَشَّرَ خَدِيجَةَ بِبَيْتٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ قَالَ نَعَمْ بَشَّرَهَا بِبَيْتٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مِنْ قَصَبٍ لاَ صَخَبَ فِيهِ وَلاَ نَصَبَ  

This hadith has been narrated on the a tliority of Ibn Abi Aufa through other chains of transmitters.  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِمِثْلِهِ  

'A'isha reported that Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) gave glad tidings to Khadija bint Khuwailid of a palace in Paradise.  

بَشَّرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ خَدِيجَةَ بِنْتَ خُوَيْلِدٍ بِبَيْتٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ  

Never did I feel jealous of any woman as I was jealous of Khadija. She had died three years before he (the Holy Prophet) married me. I often heard him praise her, and his lord, the Exalted and Glorious, had commanded him to give her the glad tidings of a palace of jewels in Paradise: and whenever he slaughtered a sheep he presented (its meat) to her female companions.  

مَا غِرْتُ عَلَى امْرَأَةٍ مَا غِرْتُ عَلَى خَدِيجَةَ وَلَقَدْ هَلَكَتْ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَنِي بِثَلاَثِ سِنِينَ لِمَا كُنْتُ أَسْمَعُهُ يَذْكُرُهَا وَلَقَدْ أَمَرَهُ رَبُّهُ ﷻ أَنْ يُبَشِّرَهَا بِبَيْتٍ مِنْ قَصَبٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَإِنْ كَانَ لَيَذْبَحُ الشَّاةَ ثُمَّ يُهْدِيهَا إِلَى خَلاَئِلِهَا  

Never did I feel jealous of the wives of Allah's Apostle ﷺ but in case of Khadija, although I did no, (have the privilege to) see her. She further added that whenever Messenger of Allah ﷺ slaughtered a sheep, he said: Send it to the companions of Khadija I annoyed him one day and said: (It is) Khadija only who always prevails upon your mind. Thereupon Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Her love had been nurtured in my heart by Allah Himself.  

مَا غِرْتُ عَلَى نِسَاءِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ إِلاَّ عَلَى خَدِيجَةَ وَإِنِّي لَمْ أُدْرِكْهَا قَالَتْ وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا ذَبَحَ الشَّاةَ فَيَقُولُ أَرْسِلُوا بِهَا إِلَى أَصْدِقَاءِ خَدِيجَةَ قَالَتْ فَأَغْضَبْتُهُ يَوْمًا فَقُلْتُ خَدِيجَةَ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنِّي قَدْ رُزِقْتُ حُبَّهَا  

This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Abu Usama up to the slaughtering of a sheep, but he. did not make mention of the subsequent words.  

حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامٌ بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ نَحْوَ حَدِيثِ أَبِي أُسَامَةَ إِلَى قِصَّةِ الشَّاةِ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرِ الزِّيَادَةَ بَعْدَهَا  

Never did I feel jealous of any wife amongst the wives of Allah's Apostle ﷺ as I feel in case of Khadija (though I had never seen her), for he praised her very often.  

مَا غِرْتُ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ عَلَى امْرَأَةٍ مِنْ نِسَائِهِ مَا غِرْتُ عَلَى خَدِيجَةَ لِكَثْرَةِ ذِكْرِهِ إِيَّاهَا وَمَا رَأَيْتُهَا قَطُّ  

'A'isha reported that Allah's Apostle ﷺ did not marry any other woman till her (Khadija's) death.  

لَمْ يَتَزَوَّجِ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ عَلَى خَدِيجَةَ حَتَّى مَاتَتْ  

O Allah, it is Hala, daughter of Khuwailid, and I felt jealous and said: Why do you remember one of those old women of the Quraish with gums red and who is long dead-while Allah has given you a better one in her stead?  

قَالَتِ اسْتَأْذَنَتْ هَالَةُ بِنْتُ خُوَيْلِدٍ أُخْتُ خَدِيجَةَ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَعَرَفَ اسْتِئْذَانَ خَدِيجَةَ فَارْتَاحَ لِذَلِكَ فَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ هَالَةُ بِنْتُ خُوَيْلِدٍ فَغِرْتُ فَقُلْتُ وَمَا تَذْكُرُ مِنْ عَجُوزٍ مِنْ عَجَائِزِ قُرَيْشٍ حَمْرَاءِ الشِّدْقَيْنِ هَلَكَتْ فِي الدَّهْرِ فَأَبْدَلَكَ اللَّهُ خَيْرًا مِنْهَا