Khadijah's departure left a huge vacuum in the Prophet’s life. She was his closest companion for 25 years, the last ten of which were full of trials and difficulties, yet she remained his comforter and supporter in the face of every hardship. He could not have wished for more loyal support. She gave him that sort of loyalty, coupled with wise counsel and resourceful practical help. Hence, his sadness at her loss was profound.

It was another woman companion of his, Khawlah bint Hakim, who realized that something should urgently be done to provide the Prophet with home comfort. She went to him and suggested that he needed someone to give him companionship and look after him at home. She said that he needed a wife. Apparently, she repeated this suggestion more than once. The Prophet asked her whether she had anyone in mind. She asked: “Would you prefer a mature woman who has had a previous marriage or a virgin?” He asked her whom she had in mind. She said: “The mature woman is Sawdah: a wise lady whose children no longer need much attention, and the virgin is Aishah, daughter of your close companion, Abu Bakr.” The Prophet thought a little before saying to her: “Take my proposal to both of them.”

Reports speak about the respective ages of the two women Khawlah proposed, making Aishah a very young girl, aged six, and Sawdah an elderly woman. Some even suggest that Sawdah was 80 or close to it. None of these reports carry much weight, as there was no authority in Arabia which recorded births and deaths. Nor did the Arabs have a calendar by which to date events. Besides, if we consider how the proposal came about, we are bound to reject such suggestions of the ages of the two prospective wives out of hand. The lady who proposed them appears a woman of insight, realizing that a man with such an important public role, meeting such stiff opposition as the Quraysh handed out to him, needed comfort and solace, as well as care and companionship. Neither an elderly woman nor a young girl could provide him with that. We will mention some of the pointers to Aishah’s real age when we discuss her marriage to the Prophet.

In the case of Sawdah, however, we know that she was a woman who was readily acceptable to a man in the Prophet’s position. He was 50 and had four daughters, two of whom were married. Sawdah had five children through her earlier marriage to Al-Sakran ibn Amr. She accompanied her husband when they joined the first immigration by the Prophet’s companions to Abyssinia. She gave the Prophet no children, which suggests that she was probably close to the end of her reproductive stage. This should make her around 40 or a couple of years older.

Khawlah carried the Prophet’s proposal to Sawdah, saying: “Guess how much blessing and happiness God is about to give you, Sawdah!” When she realized what news Khawlah brought her, Sawdah trembled as she reflected that she was about to be married to God’s last messenger. She readily accepted and asked Khawlah to go in and put the matter to her father, Zam’ah ibn Qays. As the old man was informed, He said: “Muhammad ibn Abdullah is an honorable man of great integrity and we will be honored by such a marriage.”