Maria al-Qibtiyya

Template:Short description Template:Infobox person Template:Transliteration, better known as Template:Transliteration or Template:Transliteration (Template:Langx), or Maria the Copt, died 637, was an Egyptian woman who, along with her sister Sirin bint Shamun, was given as a slave to the Islamic prophet Muhammad in 628 by Al-Muqawqis, a Christian governor of Alexandria, during the territory's Sasanian occupation. It is a subject of speculation if she married Muhammad or continued to be a concubine. She spent the rest of her life in Medina, and had a son, Ibrahim, with Muhammad. The son died in his infancy, aged 2, and she died almost five years later.<ref>Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad, p. 653.</ref>

Al-Maqrizi says that she was a native of Hebenu (Template:Langx, Template:Langx Alábastrōn pólis, Template:Langx), a village located near Antinoöpolis.<ref name=":02">Template:Cite book</ref>

Biography

In the Islamic year 6 AH (627–628 CE), Muhammad is said to have had letters written to the great rulers of the Middle East, proclaiming the continuation of the monotheistic faith with its final messages and inviting the rulers to join. The purported texts of some of the letters are found in Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari's History of the Prophets and Kings. Tabari writes that a deputation was sent to an Egyptian governor named as al-Muqawqis. Maria was a slave who was offered as a gift of goodwill to Muhammad in reply to his envoys inviting the governor of Alexandria to Islam.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":1">Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad, p. 499.</ref>

Tabari recounts the story of Maria's arrival from Egypt:

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The death of Ibrahim caused Muhammad to weep.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Status as a wife or concubine

Muhammad's earliest biographers, Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, and al-Tabari mentioned Mariyah as Muhammad's wife in their sirah.<ref>Ibn Ishaq. The Life of Muhammad. A translation of Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah, page 653.</ref><ref>Bewley/Ibn Sa'd 8:148-151.</ref><ref>The History of Al-Tabari, vol. 9, page 137, 141; vol. 39, page 193-195.</ref>

Ibn Kathir states in his sirah that Muhammad married Mariyah:

Maria al-Qibtiyya (may Allah be pleased with her) is said to have married the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and certainly everyone gave her the same title of respect as the Prophet's wives, 'Umm al Muminin' 'Mother of the Believers'.Template:PbMuhammad must have come in contact with many of these Copts and listened to their stories. Muhammad's friendship to Christians of Coptic faith is reflected in many aspects of his life. He is known to have had cordial relations with the Negus of Abyssinia, as indicated by the fact that he advised his followers at a time of persecution to flee there. He married a Coptic wife named Mariya, and he is reported to have advised his followers to be especially kind to the Copts of Egypt, considering them his in-laws.{{#if:|

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Muhammad married Mariyah al-Qibtiyya, as narrated in Sahih Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn:

"It is reported from 'Abdullah al-Zubairi who said: that after this the Noble Prophet (ﷺ) married (tazawwaju) Mariah daughter of Sham'un. This is the same Mariyah who was sent by Maqauqis, the ruler of Alexandria to the Prophet as a gift"{{#if:|

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Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya is another scholar and biographer of Muhammad who writes a sirah called Zad al-Ma'ad where he mentioned Mariyah as a slave girl.<ref>Zad al-Ma'ad/Provisions Of The Afterlife, page- 30</ref> Some Islamic scholars point to a different Asbāb al-nuzūl (circumstance of revelation) for the above incident, saying it was only caused by Muhammad drinking honey, as narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari by Muhammad's wife Aisha:<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to stay (for a period) in the house of Zaynab bint Jahsh (one of the wives of the Prophet ) and he used to drink honey in her house. Hafsa bint Umar and I decided that when the Prophet (ﷺ) entered upon either of us, she would say, "I smell in you the bad smell of Maghafir (a bad smelling raisin). Have you eaten Maghafir?" When he entered upon one of us, she said that to him. He replied (to her), "No, but I have drunk honey in the house of Zaynab bint Jahsh, and I will never drink it again."{{#if:|

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Like Rayhana bint Zayd, there is some debate between historians and scholars as to whether Mariyah ever became Muhammad's wife or remained a concubine.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> An indication that she was a concubine is that when she bore her son to Muhammad, she was set free.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Ibn 'Abbas said: When Maria gave birth to Ibrahim the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, 'Her son has set her free.'<ref>Al-Andalusi, Ibn Hazm, al-Muhalla bil Athar, (Beirut: Dar al-Fekr, n.d.) Vol.7, 505; Vol.8, 215; Ibn Hazm termed it 'sahih al-sanad' and 'jayyid al-sanad.' Ibn Hazm has the report with an isnad different from that with Ibn Majah etc. Some scholars have differed with Ibn Hazm and pointed out hidden defects in its isnad – see, al-Fasi, Ibn al-Qattan, Bayan al-Wahm wa Iham fi Kitab al-Ahkam, (Riyadh: Dar al-Tayba, 1997) Vol.2, 84-86 – it is, however, supported by a statement of 'Ubaidullah b. Abi Ja'far al-Kinani that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to Maria, the mother of Ibrahim, 'Your son has set you free.' See, al-Baihaqi, Abu Bakr, al-Sunan al-Kubra, (Beirut: DKI, 2003) Hadith 21788</ref> {{#if:|

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Anas said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had a female-slave (amat) with whom he had intercourse, but 'Aishah and Hafsah would not leave him alone until he said that she was forbidden for him. Then Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, revealed: "O Prophet! Why do you forbid (for yourself) that which Allah has allowed to you.' until the end of the Verse."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>{{#if:|

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The 'female-slave' referred to in this narration was Maria, the Copt, as specified in a hadith attributed to Umar and classified as sahih by Ibn Kathir, which names her Umm Ibrahim (the mother of Ibrahim).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In a report from Ibn 'Abbas and 'Urwah b. al-Zubair concerning the same incident, Muhammad said to Hafsa:

I make you witness that I my concubine (surriyyati) is now forbidden unto me.<ref>Reported by Ibn 'Abbas: Al-Tabari, Ibn Jarir, Jami' al-Bayan fi Tafsir al-Qur'an, (Beirut: al-Resalah Publishers, 2000) Vol.23, 477-478; al-Baihaqi, Abu Bakr, al-Sunan al-Kubra, (Beirut: DKI, 2003) Hadith 15075; Ibn al-Jawzi, Abu al-Farj, al-Tahqiq fi Ahadith al-Khilaf, (Beirut: DKI, 1415 AH) Vol.2, 379; It comes through an isnad involving 'Atiyah al-'Awfi and his descendants. Though criticized otherwise, the tafsir reports through this isnad are accepted since they are known to have been transmitted in writing. See, al-Turifi, 'Abdul 'Aziz, al-Taqrir fi Asanid al-Tafsir, (Riyadh: Dar al-Minhaj, 2011) 67-68</ref>{{#if:|

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Some Islamic scholars point to a different Asbāb al-nuzūl (circumstance of revelation) for the above incident, saying it was only caused by Muhammad drinking honey, as narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari by Muhammad's wife Aisha:<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to stay (for a period) in the house of Zaynab bint Jahsh (one of the wives of the Prophet ) and he used to drink honey in her house. Hafsa bint Umar and I decided that when the Prophet (ﷺ) entered upon either of us, she would say, "I smell in you the bad smell of Maghafir (a bad smelling raisin). Have you eaten Maghafir?" When he entered upon one of us, she said that to him. He replied (to her), "No, but I have drunk honey in the house of Zaynab bint Jahsh, and I will never drink it again."{{#if:|

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Al-Tabari lists Maria as both one of Muhammad's wives and his slave, perhaps using "wife" in the sense of one whom Muhammad slept with and who mothered his child.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Mariyah the Copt was presented to the Messenger of God, given to him by al-Muqawqis, the ruler of Alexandria, and she gave birth to the Messenger of God's son Ibrahim. These were the Messenger of God's wifes.{{#if:|

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The Prophet admired Umm Ibrahim ["Mother of Ibrahim," Mariyah's title], who was fair-skinned and beautiful. He lodged her in al-'Aliyah, at the property nowadays called of Umm Ibrahim. He used to visit her there and ordered her to veil herself, [but] he had intercourse with her by virtue of her being his property...<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>{{#if:|

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One hadith attributed to Mus'ab b. 'Abdullah al-Zubairi states that the two were married,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> though another rendering of the hadith by Mus'ab's nephew Zubair b. al-Bakkar makes no mention of marriage.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Abu ‘Ubaydah said about Muhammad:

He had four [concubines]: Mariyah, who was the mother of his son Ibraaheem; Rayhaanah; another [a third] beautiful slave woman whom he acquired as a prisoner of war; and a slave woman who was given to him by Zaynab bint Jahsh."<ref>Zaad al-Ma’aad, 1/114</ref>{{#if:|

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See also

• List of non-Arab Sahaba

References

• Ibn Ishaq (2007). Sirat Rasul Allah. Alfred Guillaume (Translation). Oxford University Press.
• Ibn Sa'd (2001). Kitāb al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kabīr. Oxford University Press.
• Tabari (1997). Vol. 8 of the Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk. State University of New York Press.
• R. H. Charles (1963). Vitae Adae et Evae. The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha (Vol. 2). Oxford University Press.

Further reading

• Template:Cite book