3.5 Marriage to Khadija They sat in her house and Mohamed related the strange and beautiful things he had seen on this successful journey. Mohamed was twenty-three years old, very handsome, with dark, bright eyes, jet-black hair and beard, and long, thick lashes. His manner was refined, his speech elegant yet unaffected. He was neither too tall nor too short. He came from a long line of men who had been rulers of Mecca, feared and respected. There was in his bearing that which inspired respect, and in his eyes that which made him obeyed in spite of his modesty. Khadija was moved by his description of what he saw and what he had done for her and she soon realized that the emotion she felt was love-she who had spurned all the greats of the Quraysh! She confided in her friend, Nafisa, and Nafisa went to sound out Mohamed on the subject. "Why don't you get married?" she asked. "Because I do not have the means," said Mohamed. "Supposing you had the means, would you refuse beauty, ability, wealth, and honor?" asked Nafisa. "But who could that be?" he said. "Khadija," Nafisa said. Mohamed was rather surprised for he knew that Khadija had refused men of great importance. He liked Khadija, liked her very much, but marriage had not occurred to him. Now he gave his joyous consent. So a day was fixed when he came with his uncles to Khadija's house. Her people were also present and her uncle gave the bride away. Mohamed paid her a dowry of twenty bakras, according to the custom of the Arabs.