Sd. Maria the Coptic [AAH]

برهانيات كوم 

The Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] said (Be good to the Coptic as they have custody and relationship with us), Sahih Muslim.A gift from Egypt:In a village of upper Egypt, that is called Hafn and that was near to Ansta town on the eastern side of the Nile bank, close to the Ashmounians, Maria bent Shamon was born from a Coptic father and a Roman Christian mother. She spent her first life with them before she moved, in her early youth, with her sister, Sirin, to the palace of al-Muqawqas king of the Coptic. There she heard about the appearance of a prophet in the Arab island, inviting to a new religion from heaven. She was in the palace when came Hatib ibn Balta'a as a messenger from the Prophet [PPBUH] carrying a letter to al-Muqawqas. He was permitted to enter, so he delivered the message (in the name of Allah the Gracious the Merciful, from Mohammad ibn Abdullah to al-Muqawqas, king of the Coptic, peace be to who follows the right guidance. Then, I am calling you with the call of Islam; embrace Islam, you saved and Allah would give you your reword twice. But if you turned away, you would have the sin of the Coptic. O, people of the script, come to a common word between us and you: that we do not worship but Allah and we do not associating anything with Him. And that none of us take some of us as gods, other than Allah, and they turn away then say: Testify that we are Muslims).Al-Muqawqas read the letter then he carefully fold it with honor and put it in a box made of ivory and gave it to one of his girl servants. Then he turned to Hatib asking him to tell him about the Prophet [PPBUH] and to describe him. When Hatib did, al-Muqawqas though deeply then he said to Hatib "I used to know that one prophet is still to come, and I though that he would be sent from ash-Sham. It seems that he came from the land of Arabs. However the Coptic will not obey me", and he did not risk to be separated from his reign.Then he got his writer, and dictated to him "So, I have read your letter and understood whom you mentioned and what you called for in it. And I knew that a prophet is still left. I used to think that he would come from ash-Sham. I have honored your messenger, and I am sending you two girl servants who have great prestige among the Coptic, some cloth, a ride animal to ride, and peace be unto you". Al-Muqawqas gave the letter to Hatib asking him to keep what happened between them as a secret to prevent any of the Coptic from hearing a word of it.Hatib went back to the Prophet [PPBUH] with Maria and her sister, Sirin, a slave, a thousand weight of gold, twenty soft robes of Egypt textile, a Shahba -grey- mule (Daldal), some honey from Benha, and some aloes (wood), incense, and Musk.The two sisters felt expatriation for being separated from homeland, Hatib sensed what they felt of separation anxiety, so he talked to them about the inveterate history of his countries, then he continued with talking about the Prophet [PPBUH], the talk of a loving believer and a sincere follower, so the two youth were taken by what they heard, and their hearts were opened to Islam and its honorable Prophet.The convoy reached Medina on the seventh year of Hijra when the Prophet [PPBUH] has returned from Hudaibeya after he made a truce with Quraish. The Prophet [PPBUH] received the letter of al-Muqawqas and the gift of Egypt. He liked Maria and he was satisfied with her, and he gave her sister, Sirin, to his poet Hassan ibn Thabit.A year or so passed while Maria was happy with her share of the Messenger [PPBUH]. She rested in her stay under his care. She was satisfied to be veiled like the rest of the mother of believers. He was the master, friend, family, and homeland. Her worry became just to be the object of his favor and pleasing.At the beginning of Maria's second year with the Prophet [PPBUH], she felt the signs of hidden pregnancy. But she denied her feelings and hided what she had for a month or two while she was doubting the matter. Until the first signs materialized and became more obvious than to be accused, then she told her sister, Sirin, who confirmed the issue to her and told her that there is no doubt or delusion about it, and that it was a living fetus.She was filled with a dreamy joy until the Messenger [PPBUH] came, so she told him the secret of what she had inside. The Prophet [PPBUH] raised his face with bright lineaments, thanking his Creator for this beautiful consolation that He bestowed on His servant after he lost his dear daughter Zainab, and before her, her sisters Roqiya and Om-Kalthoum, and also Abdullah and Aboel-Qasim.Soon the glad tiding went through all sides of Medina; that the Chosen One [PPBUH] is expecting a new born of him from Maria, the Egyptian. The Prophet [PPBUH] feared for her, so he moved her to al-Aliya in Medina suburb to give her comfort, safety, health care, and her fetus health. He stayed up for her care and so did her sister Sirin. Until the it was time for the delivery on one night of Du'l-Hijja on the eighth year of Hijra.The Messenger [PPBUH] called for her midwife, the wife of Abo-Rafeethen he took a side of the home praying and asking Allah. When Om-Rafee came to him with the good news, he was so generous with her. He entered to Maria and congratulated her for her son, and carried him in his hand while he was so happy and he named him Ibrahim after the grandfather of the prophets.The Prophet [PPBUH] gave alms, to the poor people of Medina, the silver worth of the weight of the new born's hair. The Ansar competed to nurse him, so the Prophet [PPBUH] selected a wet nurse for him and gave her seven goats to feed him when her breast is low. He watched him grow day after day.But this happiness did not last except for one and part of year, then it was the ordeal of Ibrahim's sickness while he was less than two years old. His mother was so concerned and she call her sister and they stayed up around his bed nursing him. But life was extinguishing in him a bit by bit. The Prophet [PPBUH] came leaning on the hand of Abdel-Rahman ibn Ouf out of pain, then he carried his young boy from his mother's lap while he was giving up his last breathes. He put him on his lap while his heart was sad but he did not say except (O, Ibrahim, we do not spare you from Allah anything). Then he dropped out some tears, then he got hold of himself and said (O, Ibrahim, if it was not a command of truth and an honest promise and that our lasts would catch up with our firsts, we would have been more sorry for loosing you. We are sad because of you. The eye cries, the heart feels sad, but we do not say what displeases the Lord).Then he looked at Maria with kindness and pity and said to comfort her (Ibrahim is my son and he died while he is still breast feeding, and he has two nurses to to complete his feeding in paradise).Al-Fadl ibn Abbas came and he washed the little boy and the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] prayed for him. Then he carried him to al-Baqia and he put it with his hand in his grave, then he laid down the dirt on him and he wet it with water.The Prophet [PPBUH] carried big sorrow in his heart with patience, surrendering for Allah's judgment. But his days did not last long after Ibrhim in the tenth year of Hijra. In the beginning of Rabia al-Ula of the next year did not come until the Prophet [PPBUH] was sich the he joined his High Lord and he left Maria to live for five years after him, away from people until she did not meet but her sister Sirin, and she did not get out except to visit the tomb of the Beloved in Masjid or her son in Baqia. When she passed away on the year 16 of Hijra, the prince of believer Sd. Omar [AAH] prayed for her and buried her in Baqia.So Maria [AAH] had the distinctive feature of being the wife of the Prophet [PPBUH] and the mother of his son Ibrahim [PBUH].This was quoted from the book of "the biography of the ladies of the prophecy house" by Dr. Aisha Abdel-Rahman. Edited by al-Mohebba fe-AllahTranslated by Said