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'. Maria was born in upper Egypt of a Coptic father and Greek
mother and moved to the court of the Muqawqis when she was still very
young. She arrived in Medina to join the Prophet's household just after
the Prophet returned from the treaty with Quraish which was contracted
at al-Hudaybiyya. Maria gave birth to a healthy son in 9 AH, the same
year that his daughter Zaynab died, and the Prophet named his new son
Ibrahim, after the ancestor of both the Jews and the Christians, the
Prophet from whom all the Prophets who came after him were descended.
Unfortunately, when he was only eighteen months old, Ibrahim became
seriously ill and died. Even though he knew that his small son would go
to the Garden, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) could not help shedding some tears. When some of his
Companions asked him why he was weeping, he replied, "It is my
humanness."
As Ibrahim's body was being buried, the sun was eclipsed
and it grew dark and gloomy. Some people thought this was connected
with Ibrahim's death, but the Prophet soon clarified this. "The sun and
the moon are two of Allah's signs," he said, "they are not eclipsed
because of anyone's birth or death. When you see these signs, make
haste to remember Allah in prayer." Although the kafirun used to mock
the Prophet Muhammad because he had no sons, and say that he was 'cut
off' , Allah made it clear in the following surah that the station of
the Prophet Muhammad was far above that of any other man;
In the name of Allah, The Merciful, the
Compassionate: Surely We have given you AL Khawthar, so pray to your
Lord and offer sacrifice. Surely he who mocks you is the one cut off.
(Quran 108:1-3)
Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but
he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets, and Allah has
knowledge of all things. (Quran 33:40)
Maria was honored and respected by the Prophet and
his family and Companions. She spent three years of her life with the
Prophet, until his death, and died five years later in 16 AH, (may Allah
be pleased with her) For the last five years of her life, she remained a
recluse and almost never went out except to visit the grave of the
Prophet or her son's grave. After her death, Umar ibn al Khattab led
the prayer over her and she was buried in al Baqi.
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