Was Khadijah bint Khuwaylid a Catholic?

Answer 1

No, there were few or no Catholics in Arabia at that time. The few Christians who did live there belonged to the Nestorian sect. However, there is no evidence that Khadijah was ever a Nestorian.

Ahmad ibn Hanbal in volume 4 of his Musnad tells us that Khadijah was originally a polytheist. She worshipped the pagan goddess Al-Uzza (a kind of Arabian Minerva) every day until at least 605.

Eventually she abandoned Al-Uzza and decided there was only one God. But there is no record that she converted to Christianity, or to any other religion, until 610, when she became the first Muslim.

It is certain that Khadijah knew some monotheists and was influenced by their ideas. Her cousin Waraqa was some kind of Christian. She would also have met Jews (with their emphasis on prophets and a holy book), Zoroastrians (with their graphic descriptions of Heaven and Hell) and Sabians (who had ritual washings, five prayers a day and a month of fasting). Her husband Muhammad was friends with Zayd ibn Amr, who believed in only one God but did not follow any particular religion. People have also suggested that the couple knew some Ebionites, but there is no proof of this.

However, simply because Khadijah knew people from these groups does not prove that she joined them. Probably she did not have any formal affiliation to any group between forsaking the cult of Al-Uzza and joining Islam.

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Sure, Khadijah (God be pleased with her) was not Catholic but she was influenced with monotheism as her cousin. Neither Khadijah nor her Cousin believed in Jesus as God or son of God. Neither Khadijah nor Muhammad bowed to any idol or believed in any idol. Many old narrations and sources are doubtful and one should be careful when using them as references to be sure of their authenticity.