When you think of women’s rights, you probably don’t think of Islam. And yet—Islam gave women rights more than 1,000 years before the West: the right to earn, to inherit, to own property, to lead a business, to refuse a marriage, even to initiate divorce. It’s all there, documented in the Quran.

At the heart of that revolution was Khadija bint Khuwaylid.

She wasn’t just Prophet Muhammad’s first wife—she was his boss, his greatest supporter, and the first person to believe in his message. A self-made powerhouse who ran one of Mecca’s most successful trading empires, Khadija shattered expectations. She chose love over status, faith over comfort, and became the bedrock of a spiritual movement that now shapes the lives of over two billion people.

But if Islam began with a woman like this—why does the dominant view of it today feel so… patriarchal? So sexist? I ask her that directly.

Her answer surprised me.

In this conversation, Khadija speaks not only as a historical figure but as a voice for women today—about reclaiming power, overcoming prejudice, and remembering what faith was meant to be before it was distorted by fear and control.

What we explore:

• How Islam’s original message empowered women

• Her radical love story with Muhammad

• The loneliness of being first—and the fire it forged in her

• Why the modern image of Islam so often contradicts its origins

• Her message for women today who feel silenced, unseen, or small

If you think you know Islam… or if you’ve written it off completely… this one might just crack something open.

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