Umm al-Muminin Mariya al-Qibtiya
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Umm al-Muminin Mariya al-Qibtiya (Mother of the Believers Mariya the Copt) is a biographical monograph by Khalid al-Hamudi tracing the life of Mariya al-Qibtiya, the concubine (surriyya) of the Prophet Muhammad and mother of his son Ibrahim.
Content and Structure
The book presents the biography of Mariya across sequential thematic sections:
- Diplomatic Mission and Lineage: Beginning with "Hiwar ma'a al-Muqawqis" (Dialogue with al-Muqawqis), the work narrates the diplomatic exchange between the ruler of Egypt and the Companion Hatib ibn Abi Balta'a, who delivered the Prophet's letter calling al-Muqawqis to Islam. In "Nasabuha" (Her Lineage), it records al-Muqawqis's gifts sent with Hatib, including Mariya, her sister Sirin, one thousand mithqals of gold, twenty soft Egyptian garments, a mule named Duldul, a donkey named 'Ufayr or Ya'fur, and an elderly eunuch named Mabur. It notes that Mariya's father, Sham'un, was from the Coptic nobility and her mother was of Roman origin, while her reported hometown was Ansina in Upper Egypt.
- Journey and Settlement in Medina: In "Fi al-Tariq ila al-Madina" (On the Road to Medina), the text relates how Hatib comforted Mariya and Sirin on their journey from Alexandria and persuaded both to accept Islam before reaching Medina, whereas Mabur remained upon his faith until he later accepted Islam in Medina. Under "Fi al-Madina" (In Medina) and "wa Sirin" (And Sirin), it recounts the Prophet's reception of the delegation, his taking Mariya as a concubine and housing her at al-'Aliya (al-'Awali) in the outskirts of Medina, and the marriage of Sirin to the poet Hassan ibn Thabit, with whom she bore Abd al-Rahman ibn Hassan.
- Birth of Ibrahim and Domestic Trials: In "Umm Ibrahim" (Mother of Ibrahim), it describes Mariya's pregnancy in early 8 AH and the birth of Ibrahim towards the end of that year, noting that the Prophet gifted a slave to the one who brought him the glad tidings, entrusted the child for suckling to Umm Burda bint al-Mundhir ibn Zayd ibn al-Najjar, and declared: لقد أعتقها ولدها ("Her son has freed her"). In "Mariya al-Sabira" (The Patient Mariya), the author addresses the jealousy of the Prophet's wives and the incident involving Aisha and Hafsa that led the Prophet to temporarily forbid Mariya to himself, prompting the revelation of Surat al-Tahrim: يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِىُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَآ أَحَلَّ ٱللَّهُ لَكَ ۖ تَبْتَغِى مَرْضَاتَ أَزْوَٰجِكَ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ ("O Prophet, why do you prohibit [yourself from] what Allah has made lawful for you, seeking the approval of your wives? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful").
- Bereavement and Later Life: In "Al-Hikma al-Rabbaniyya" (The Divine Wisdom) and "Al-Mawkib al-Hazin" (The Sorrowful Procession), the text details Ibrahim's illness and death after sixteen months, the Prophet's mourning, and the funeral procession to al-Baqi' accompanied by al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib and Umar ibn al-Khattab. The closing sections, "Ba'da al-Nabi" (After the Prophet) and "Al-Wafah" (Death), record that Caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar maintained stipends for her from the treasury (bayt al-mal) and visited her until she fell ill with fever and died in 16 AH, whereupon Umar led the funeral prayer and she was buried in al-Baqi'.
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