The rise of the Muslimah entrepreneur

Innovation for female entrepreneurs of today is about breaking barriers, it's about providing digital solutions that make people's lives easier. For us mothers out there, it is about creating a better world out there for our children because they are our future. 

For us mothers, it is about being able to provide for our families, sustaining them. As mothers, it is in our nature to be entrepreneurs simply because we share all the characteristics of an entrepreneur; there are times when we have to take risks, look at the finer details, solve problems, think of a super creative idea every 30 minutes, practicing patience when there is barely any left to give, multitasking and stealing all your free time to catch up with emails. Of course, I have just described a full-blown entrepreneur!

Mompreneur, fempreneur, female entrepreneur and all these relevantly “new” terms on the market has us drawing inspiration from recent entrepreneurs who are making it big. But what about our beloved Khadija (RA)?

Who is Khadija (RA)?

Trade and commerce have always been a part of Islam, women entrepreneurship dates back to Khadija (RA), the beloved prophets (PBUH) first wife. Khadija (RA) was the first woman to accept Islam and one of the most respected female entrepreneurs of her time. One of her many nicknames among the people was Khadija Al-Kubra (Khadija the Great). She was intelligent and exquisite in character, it is no wonder she was the most beloved of the prophet’s wives. 

She inherited a business as well as skills from her father and drove the business to even higher success. She conducted business in a time where society was severely patriarchal and dangerous for a woman to conduct business in. As a result, she hired trustworthy men to explore the trade routes and so she was able to build a business larger than all of the Quraysh trades combined. She prided herself on conducting business that was fair in trade and offered high-quality goods. 

Khadija (RA) was someone who knew her way around the business yet she never compromised her modesty or integrity in order to succeed in a male-dominated world. Khadija was the ideal wife and mother and she was a great leader with phenomenal skills as a businesswoman. She devoted herself to the needy and was always willing to help and serve others. 

Khadija (RA) is considered a remarkable woman in history with all that she achieved and all that she has left behind. Khadija (RA) continues to inspire many women in today’s society especially with the rise in entrepreneurship among Muslim women. 

So, when looking at the next female entrepreneur for inspiration look no further than our very first women in history to accept Islam and follow in her footsteps, she is the definition of the female entrepreneur.