Maria al-Qibtiyya
Encyclopedia
Maria al-Qibtiyya (alternatively, "Maria Qupthiya"), or Maria the Copt, (died 637) was an Egypt
ian Coptic Christian
slave who was sent as a gift from Muqawqis
, a Byzantine
official, to the Islam
ic prophet Muhammad
in 628. Some sources say she became his wife, taking the title "Mother of the Believers" (Arabic: Ummahat-al-Mu'min
een). One source, Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya claims that she was only a concubine. She was the mother of Muhammad's son Ibrahim
, who died in infancy. Her sister, Sirin
, was also sent to Muhammad. Muhammad gave her to his follower Hassan ibn Thabit
. Maria never remarried after Muhammad's death in 632, and died five years later. Her birthdate is unknown. No primary source mentions her age.
, proclaiming the new faith and inviting the rulers to join. What purports to be texts of some of the letters are found in Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari
's History of the Prophets and Kings, which was written some 250 years after the events it chronicled. Tabari writes that a deputation was sent to an Egyptian governor named as al-Muqawqis.
Tabari recounts the story of Maria's arrival from Egypt:
mosque
, and each of his wives had her own mud-brick room, built in a line next to his. Maria, however, was lodged in a house on the edge of Medina. Maria is also not listed as a wife in one of the earliest sources, such as Ibn Hisham
's notes on Ibn Ishaq
's Sira. Muslim sources are unanimous in saying that she was accorded the same honor and respect given Muhammad's wives, pointing out that she was given the same title as Muhammad's wives – "Mother of the Believers."
who was named after the prophet Ibrahim (Muhammad's paternal greatest-grandfather known, Muhammad is mentioned that he is a grandson of Ismail ) The boy died about six years old, in the laps of his own father (according to tradition), while his father was sobbing on him. This wasn't new to Muhammad, because he had previous sons dead before. According to tradition, Allah
didn't make Muhammad's sons live for long so there will be no next prophet, and to complete the prophecy of Muhammad being "The Last of the Prophets"
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian Coptic Christian
Coptic Christianity
The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is the official name for the largest Christian church in Egypt and the Middle East. The Church belongs to the Oriental Orthodox family of churches, which has been a distinct church body since the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451, when it took a different...
slave who was sent as a gift from Muqawqis
Muqawqis
Al-Muqawqis is mentioned in Islamic history as a ruler of Egypt, who corresponded with the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He is often identified with Cyrus, Patriarch of Alexandria, who administered Egypt on behalf of the Byzantine Empire. However, this identification is challenged as being based on...
, a Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
official, to the Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
in 628. Some sources say she became his wife, taking the title "Mother of the Believers" (Arabic: Ummahat-al-Mu'min
Mu'min
Mūʾmin is an Arabic Islamic term frequently referenced in the Qur'an, literally meaning "believer", and denoting a person that has complete submission to the Will of Allah, and has faith firmly established in his heart, i.e...
een). One source, Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya claims that she was only a concubine. She was the mother of Muhammad's son Ibrahim
Ibrahim ibn Muhammad
Ibrahim ibn Muhammad was the male child of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Maria al-Qibtiyya. He was born in the last month of the year 8 AH. The child was named after Abraham, the common ancestor of both Arabs and Jews...
, who died in infancy. Her sister, Sirin
Sirin (Islamic history)
Sîrîn bint Sham'ûn was an Egyptian Coptic Christian who became one of Muhammad's slaves. She and her sister Maria al-Qibtiyya were sent to Muhammad as gifts from the Sassanid official Muqawqis in 628. Muhammad married Maria and Sirin was married to his follower, the poet Hassan ibn Thabit. Hassan...
, was also sent to Muhammad. Muhammad gave her to his follower Hassan ibn Thabit
Hassan ibn Thabit
Hassan ibn Thabit was an Arabian poet and one of the Sahaba, or companions of Muhammad. He was born in Yathrib , and was member of the Banu Khazraj tribe. According to tradition, he was the court poet to Muhammad.-Life:...
. Maria never remarried after Muhammad's death in 632, and died five years later. Her birthdate is unknown. No primary source mentions her age.
Year of the deputations
In the Islamic year 6 AH (627 – 628 CE), Muhammad is said to have had letters written to the great rulers of the Middle EastMiddle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, proclaiming the new faith and inviting the rulers to join. What purports to be texts of some of the letters are found in Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari
Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari
Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari was a prominent and influential Sunni scholar and exegete of the Qur'an from Persia...
's History of the Prophets and Kings, which was written some 250 years after the events it chronicled. Tabari writes that a deputation was sent to an Egyptian governor named as al-Muqawqis.
Tabari recounts the story of Maria's arrival from Egypt:
Concubine Status
Multiple Scholars and authors have mentioned Maria al-Qibtiyya as one of the concubines (out of four) of Prophet Muhammad.Maria in Muhammad's household
Muhammad lived in a mud-brick dwelling next to the MedinaMedina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
, and each of his wives had her own mud-brick room, built in a line next to his. Maria, however, was lodged in a house on the edge of Medina. Maria is also not listed as a wife in one of the earliest sources, such as Ibn Hisham
Ibn Hisham
Abu Muhammad 'Abd al-Malik bin Hisham , or Ibn Hisham edited the biography of Muhammad written by Ibn Ishaq. Ibn Ishaq's work is lost and is now only known in the recensions of Ibn Hisham and al-Tabari. Ibn Hisham grew up in Basra, Iraq, but moved afterwards to Egypt, where he gained a name...
's notes on Ibn Ishaq
Ibn Ishaq
Muḥammad ibn Isḥaq ibn Yasār ibn Khiyār was an Arab Muslim historian and hagiographer...
's Sira. Muslim sources are unanimous in saying that she was accorded the same honor and respect given Muhammad's wives, pointing out that she was given the same title as Muhammad's wives – "Mother of the Believers."
Issue
Maria and Muhammad had one son, IbrahimIbrahim ibn Muhammad
Ibrahim ibn Muhammad was the male child of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Maria al-Qibtiyya. He was born in the last month of the year 8 AH. The child was named after Abraham, the common ancestor of both Arabs and Jews...
who was named after the prophet Ibrahim (Muhammad's paternal greatest-grandfather known, Muhammad is mentioned that he is a grandson of Ismail ) The boy died about six years old, in the laps of his own father (according to tradition), while his father was sobbing on him. This wasn't new to Muhammad, because he had previous sons dead before. According to tradition, Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
didn't make Muhammad's sons live for long so there will be no next prophet, and to complete the prophecy of Muhammad being "The Last of the Prophets"