As for Khadījah, ‘Alī, and Zayd, they were members of the Prophet’s household—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and lived in his home. Khadījah was told of his experience when revelation came upon him unexpectedly, and she affirmed his truthfulness from the outset, before he was commanded to convey the message. This was before belief in him became obligatory, for it becomes obligatory only when he conveys the message. Thus, among men, Abū Bakr was the first to affirm his truthfulness after belief in him became obligatory. The Prophet was not obliged to call ‘Alī to faith, since ‘Alī was a child and was not yet held accountable.

It has not been reported that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—commanded ‘Alī to believe and conveyed the message to him before commanding Abū Bakr to believe and conveying it to him. Rather, ‘Alī was in the Prophet’s home—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—so he may have believed in him when he heard him telling Khadījah, even though the Prophet had not conveyed the message to him.

For, as recorded in the two Sahīh collections (1), he said:

“O people, I came to you and said, ‘I am the Messenger of Allah to you,’ but you said, ‘You are lying,’ whereas Abū Bakr said, ‘You have spoken the truth.’”

The apparent meaning of these words indicates that everyone to whom he conveyed the message initially accused him of lying, except Abū Bakr.

It is well known that Khadījah, ‘Alī, and Zayd were in his home. Khadījah did not accuse him of lying, so she was not included among those to whom the message had been conveyed.