Mariya Qibtiya (rta): Hajar (as) of the Muslim Ummah

By

Sadaf Azhar – Assistant Editor Hiba Magazine

After the treaty of Hudaibiyah, the Prophet (sa) focused on the propagation of Islam to other rulers of neighbouring areas. Egypt was then under the governorship of the Moqawqis, the Byzantine representative. Historians think he was Cyrus of Alexandria, a Patriarch in the Greek Orthodox Church and the Arabs call him Juraij.

In 8^th Hijri, the Prophet sent Hateb ibn Abi Baltah (rta) with a letter inviting Al Moqawqis to Islam. The ruler had deeply studied the scripture and was aware that the arrival of a Prophet was predicted in the scriptures. When he received the letter, he realized its veracity but found it surprising that the Prophet (sa) had appeared in the deserts of neglected Arabia, and not in the area of Ash Shaam as he expected.

Moqawqis did not accept Islam, but honored the Prophet (sa) by sending two respected Coptic bondwomen- Mariya and Sireen, a male servant Maroob, some garments and a mule for riding. He indicated that he wanted to be on good terms with the Prophet (sa).

Who was Mariya (rta)?

Mariya bint Shamoon (rta) is also known as the ‘Gift of Egypt’ or Mariya al Qibtiya, or Mariya the Coptic. She belonged to an indigenous Egyptian Christian family of Coptic slaves that had a high status in the Egyptian society. The Coptic Christians had a simple, devotional belief system that did not have the complicated theology of the Byzantines. She hailed from Zawyatul Amwaat in Egypt.

Mariya (rta) was beautiful, intelligent and sincerely righteous. Scholars have pondered over the meaning of her name and have concluded that it might be a Hellenized version of Maryam. 

How did Mariya (rta) accept Islam?

During the journey back to Madinah with the Moqawqis’s gifts, Hateb (rta) invited them to Islam. He introduced Allah (swt) and the character of the Prophet (sa), drawing parallels with their common Prophet Ibrahim (as) and his bondwoman Hajar (as). By the time they reached Madinah, the three Egyptians had become Muslims.

Hajar (as) of the Ummah

Hateb (rta) told them that they were not the first women to travel this route- Hajar (as) preceded them. Like Hajar (as), Mariya was gifted to a Prophet a bondwoman and like her, she suffered displacement and distress when she had to travel away from her homeland, Egypt, to the Arabian Peninsula.  Later, like Hajar (as), Mariya became the mother of a Prophet’s (sa) son.

Mariya’s (rta) status

When she finally arrived in Madinah, she greeted the Messenger of Allah (sa) with Salaam. She became his bondswoman.

The Prophet (sa) elevated her status, telling the Muslims of Madinah: “You are soon going to conquer Egypt and its currency is Qiraat. When you conquer it, be good to its people because they have blood ties with you.” Scholars say this refers to both Hajar (as), who is the mother of Ismail (as), the ascendant of the Prophet (sa) and to Mariya (rta), the mother of Ibrahim, the Prophet’s (sa) son.

Initially, Mariya (rta) was provided a home by Harith ibn Numan (rta) or by Umm Sulaiyam (rta). Then the Prophet (sa) provided her a home in Al Aliya near Quba, in the prime real estate of date palms. She observed Hijab and the Prophet (sa) would visit her and had special affection for her.

Slandered by the hypocrites

Like Ayesha (rta), the hypocrites spread rumours about Mariya’s (rta) chastity, coupling her name with that of her fellow-Egyptian, Maboor. The Prophet (sa) sent Ali (rta) to investigate and Ali (rta) asked: “O Prophet (sa), do you want me to go out like a heeded blade (kill the man) or are you sending me to witness what one who is absent can’t investigate?”

The Prophet (sa) insisted that Ali (rta) should merely observe. Ali (rta) confirmed that the accusations were baseless. The Prophet (sa) praised Allah (swt) for protecting his household and he refused to respond to the claims of hypocrites at all, preferring to protect Maboor’s self-respect.

Her brief joy as Umm Ibrahim

Mariya (rta) became pregnant when the Prophet (sa) was 61 years old- a miraculous Rizq of Allah (swt). She concealed the pregnancy initially for fear of jealousy and the hypocrites’ accusation.

One day, the Prophet (sa) was in the Masjid when Jibreel (as) descended and addressed him as ‘Father of Ibrahim’, and asked him to visit his wife, Mariya. Thus, the Prophet (sa) named his son Ibrahim and this was the only child of the Prophet (sa), who was born in the fully established Muslim state. Mariya (rta) was now addressed as Umm Ibrahim.

Mariya (rta) had delivered the child and all the women wanted to nurse the child as was the Arab custom. The Prophet (sa) chose Umm Saif (rta) as wet-nurse, the wife of Abu Saif (rta), a blacksmith.

The Prophet (sa) loved Ibrahim deeply and the whole community celebrated his birth. The Prophet (sa) would hug and kiss him and carry him around. Ibrahim lived a full year and a half, deeply bonded with his blessed father (sa).

When the Messenger (sa) returned from the Conquest of Makkah, Jibreel (as) told him to go visit Ibrahim who had been sick. The Prophet (sa) left in a hurry and the companions followed him.

The Prophet (sa) asked for his son Ibrahim. Ibrahim was beathing his last, and the Prophet (sa) held him close, prayed for him and kissed him, crying. Ibrahim died in his arms, leaving the Prophet (sa) and Mariya (rta) heartbroken.

Abdur Rahman ibn Awf (rta) was shocked at the sight of the Prophet (sa) weeping and exclaimed: “You too, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet (sa) replied: “Verily the eyes shed tears and the heart grieves but we do not say except what is pleasing to Allah and we are grieving over you, O Ibrahim.”

The sun eclipsed the day that Ibrahim died and people attributed it to Ibrahim’s death. Even though he was overcome by grief, the Prophet (sa) prayed the eclipse prayers and refuted: “The sun and the moon are two signs from the signs of Allah that do not eclipse because of the death of anyone or the birth of anyone.”

He carried his own son’s dead body to the Baqi, prayed Janazah over it and placed it in the grave.

Why has not Mariya (rta) narrated many Ahadeeth?

She entered the life of the Prophet (sa) very late, at a time when the Prophet (sa) travelled a lot, and she died just three and a half years after the Prophet (sa).

Mariya (rta) attended the Janazah of the Prophet (as). She has in her Meezan both the death of her son and her husband. After the Prophet’s (sa) death, she lived a very quiet life of worship and passed away during the caliphate of Umar (rta). He prayed her Janazah and buried her himself.

Years later at the conquest of Egypt, Caliph Omar (rta) asked Amr ibn Al Aas (rta) to address the Egyptians: “He, the Prophet (sa) made it known to us that we would one day open Egypt and he told us to be gentle with you because of our blood relations.”