Maria al-Qibtiyyah

Maria al-Qibtiyyah (Maria the Copt) was a Coptic Egyptian woman who came to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as a gift from the Muqawqis, the ruler of Egypt, in response to the Prophet's letter inviting him to Islam. She and her sister Sirin were sent to Medina, and the Prophet accepted Maria as a concubine (umm walad), while giving Sirin to the companion Hassan ibn Thabit. Maria was a devout woman who had been raised in the Coptic Christian tradition. Islamic scholars note that she embraced Islam. She holds a unique place in the Prophet's household as the mother of his son Ibrahim — the only child born to him after Fatimah al-Zahra. Ibrahim was born in 8 AH / 630 CE and brought great joy to the Prophet ﷺ, who named him after his ancestor Ibrahim AS. However, Ibrahim died in infancy at approximately seventeen or eighteen months, and the Prophet ﷺ wept deeply at his death. It happened to coincide with a solar eclipse, and some companions said the sun had eclipsed in grief for Ibrahim — which the Prophet ﷺ gently corrected: 'The sun and moon do not eclipse for the death of anyone — but they are two signs of Allah. When you see them, pray.' Maria died in 16 AH / 637 CE, during the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab. Umar called on the companions to come out for her funeral prayer, and she was buried in al-Baqi. She is honored by Muslims as the mother of the Prophet's son and a woman of noble character.