Who was the dearest of people to the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, in general, and have the people of knowledge agreed that Khadijah, may God be pleased with her, was the dearest of his wives to him, followed by Aisha?

It is not permissible to delve into determining what was most beloved to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in an absolute sense without religious texts and without distinguishing between men and women, companions and the People of the Household. Evidence indicates that the most beloved of men to him was Abu Bakr al-Siddiq. As for women, many texts have been narrated concerning the virtues of Aisha, Khadijah, and Fatima, and they do not agree on preferring one over the other. The best approach is to attribute virtue to all of them and to preserve their exalted status without making comparisons.