Maria the Copt: Muhammad's Slave Concubine
One of the most revealing episodes in Islamic history concerns Maria al-Qibtiyya (Maria the Copt), a Christian slave given to Muhammad as a gift. Her story provides crucial insight into Islamic teachings on slavery, concubinage, and the treatment of captive women. While often glossed over in modern Islamic apologetics, the classical sources preserve detailed accounts of how Muhammad acquired and used Maria as a sexual slave, and how this created conflict within his household.
The Historical Account
In the sixth year after the Hijra (628 CE), Muhammad sent letters to various rulers inviting them to Islam. Al-Muqawqis, the Byzantine governor of Egypt, responded by sending gifts including two Coptic Christian slave girls—Maria and her sister Sirin. According to Ibn Sa'd's biographical compilation, Muhammad took Maria as his concubine and gave Sirin to the poet Hassan ibn Thabit.
"Al-Muqawqis sent two slave girls, one was Maria and the other was her sister Sirin, along with a eunuch and gifts. The Messenger of Allah took Maria as a concubine and gave Sirin to Hassan ibn Thabit." (Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, Volume 1, Part 1, Page 134)
Maria was a Christian when she arrived in Medina. There is scholarly debate about whether she ever converted to Islam, with some sources suggesting she remained Christian throughout her time with Muhammad. What is undisputed is that she became pregnant by Muhammad and bore him a son named Ibrahim, who died in infancy.
The Hafsa Incident and Quranic Revelation
The most significant incident involving Maria is preserved in multiple hadith collections. Muhammad had sexual relations with Maria in the house (or on the day) of his wife Hafsa. When Hafsa discovered this, she was deeply upset. To placate her, Muhammad swore an oath that he would abstain from Maria and told Hafsa to keep the matter secret. However, Hafsa told Aisha about it, which led to a domestic crisis.
"The Prophet was staying privately with Maria in Hafsa's house. Hafsa came and found them together. She said to the Prophet: 'You do this in my house and on my day?' He said: 'Be quiet, for she is forbidden to me, and I shall not go near her.' Then the Prophet said: 'Do not tell Aisha.' But she went and told her." (Tafsir al-Jalalayn on Surah 66:1-4)
This domestic dispute prompted the revelation of Surah 66:1-5, which begins: "O Prophet, why do you prohibit what Allah has made lawful for you, seeking to please your wives?" The passage goes on to threaten Muhammad's wives with divorce and replacement if they continue to cause him difficulty.
"O Prophet, why do you prohibit what Allah has made lawful for you, seeking to please your wives? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. Allah has already ordained for you the dissolution of your oaths. And Allah is your protector, and He is the Knowing, the Wise." (Quran 66:1-2)
The classical commentators are explicit that this passage concerns Muhammad's oath to abstain from Maria. Al-Tabari, Ibn Kathir, and al-Jalalayn all identify Maria as the subject of this revelation. The passage essentially grants Muhammad divine permission to break his oath and continue sexual relations with his slave concubine, despite his wives' objections.
Islamic Law on Slave Concubinage
Maria's status in Muhammad's household exemplifies the Islamic institution of "milk al-yamin" (those whom your right hand possesses). This legal category, mentioned repeatedly in the Quran, refers to slaves and captives with whom sexual relations are permissible without marriage.
"And those who guard their chastity except from their wives or those their right hands possess, for indeed, they will not be blamed." (Quran 23:5-6; also 70:29-30)
The Quran explicitly permits Muslim men to have sexual relations with female slaves and captives, in addition to their wives (up to four). This permission is not conditional on the slave's consent, conversion to Islam, or any form of marriage contract. Classical Islamic jurisprudence developed elaborate rules governing these relationships, but the fundamental principle remained: ownership of a woman grants sexual access to her.
Sahih Muslim preserves hadith about captured women that make this brutally clear:
"We went out with Allah's Messenger on the expedition to the Bi'l-Mustaliq and took captive some excellent Arab women; and we desired them, for we were suffering from the absence of our wives, (but at the same time) we also desired ransom for them. So we decided to have sexual intercourse with them but by observing azl (coitus interruptus). But we said: We are doing an act whereas Allah's Messenger is amongst us; why not ask him? So we asked Allah's Messenger, and he said: It does not matter if you do not do it, for every soul that is to be born up to the Day of Resurrection will be born." (Sahih Muslim 1438a)
This hadith reveals that the companions saw no need to ask Muhammad whether they could have sex with captive women—that was assumed. They only asked about the permissibility of using coitus interruptus, which might reduce the women's value if they wished to sell them later.
The Status of Maria's Son
When Maria gave birth to Ibrahim, Islamic law provided that she could not be sold while Muhammad lived, and upon his death would be automatically freed (this status is called "umm walad" or "mother of a child"). This gave slave concubines who bore children a measure of security, though they remained slaves during their master's lifetime.
Muhammad showed great affection for Ibrahim, visiting him daily while he was nursed by a blacksmith's wife in the hills outside Medina. When the child died at 16 or 18 months old, Muhammad wept openly—a display of emotion that surprised some companions who had heard him prohibit excessive mourning.
"Ibrahim died and the Prophet wept. Abdur-Rahman bin Auf said: 'You weep while you forbid weeping?' He said: 'I did not forbid weeping; I forbade two foolish and sinful kinds of voices: a voice at the time of a calamity, tearing collars and beating the chest and wailing; and the voice of Shaytan (singing).'" (Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 1, Book 6, Hadith 1594)
Maria lived for several years after Muhammad's death, dying during the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab around 637 CE.
Modern Islamic Apologetics
Contemporary Muslim apologists often try to soften the reality of Muhammad's relationship with Maria by claiming she was his "wife" rather than his concubine. However, the classical sources are consistent in referring to her as a slave concubine (surriyya), not a wife (zawja). No marriage contract, mahr (bride price), or other requirements of Islamic marriage are mentioned in connection with Maria in any authentic source.
Some apologists argue that slavery in Islam was "different" and more humane than other forms of slavery. While Islamic law did provide certain protections for slaves not found in some other systems, it nonetheless maintained the fundamental principle that human beings could be owned as property and that ownership of women granted sexual access. No amount of regulation changes the moral reality of enslavement and sexual coercion.
Others point out that slavery was nearly universal in the 7th century and argue that Islam should not be judged by modern standards. This argument fails on multiple grounds. First, if Islam claims to provide timeless moral guidance from God, it should transcend rather than merely reflect the practices of 7th-century Arabia. Second, Muhammad's treatment of Maria is not merely a historical curiosity—it established precedents in Islamic law that were followed for centuries and that some modern Islamists seek to revive. Third, the Bible presents slavery as a result of human sin and points toward liberation (as seen in the Exodus and in Paul's letter to Philemon), whereas the Quran and hadith actively regulate and perpetuate the institution.
Biblical Contrast: The Dignity of Women
The biblical vision of sexuality stands in stark contrast to the Islamic model exemplified in Muhammad's relationship with Maria. In Scripture, sexual intimacy is reserved for the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman.
"Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24)
This creation ordinance is consistently affirmed throughout Scripture. Jesus reaffirms it explicitly, emphasizing the permanent, exclusive nature of the marriage bond (Matthew 19:4-6). The New Testament repeatedly condemns sexual immorality (porneia), a term that encompasses all sexual activity outside of marriage.
"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God." (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5)
In the book of Philemon, Paul addresses the institution of slavery indirectly by appealing to Philemon to receive back his runaway slave Onesimus "no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother" (Philemon 1:16). While the New Testament does not call for immediate abolition of slavery (which was economically entrenched in the Roman world), it plants seeds that would eventually grow into the abolitionist movement. The gospel message that all are equal before God and that Christ died for all undermines the very foundation of slavery.
Most fundamentally, Christianity presents God as the one who liberates slaves rather than regulating their enslavement. The Exodus is the foundational narrative of the Old Testament—God hears the cry of the oppressed and delivers them. This theme continues in the New Testament, where Jesus proclaims, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed" (Luke 4:18).
Questions to Consider
- If Muhammad is the moral exemplar for all times and places, what does his keeping of a slave concubine teach Muslims about the treatment of enslaved women?
- How can Muslims claim that their prophet respected women when he exercised sexual rights over a woman who was given to him as property and had no choice in the matter?
- The Quran devotes an entire passage (66:1-5) to defending Muhammad's right to have sex with his slave despite his wives' objections, even threatening the wives with divorce. What does this reveal about the Quran's priorities?
- If Islam provides timeless moral guidance, why does it regulate slavery rather than prohibit it?
- How do Muslims reconcile the claim that Islam honors women with the legal provision allowing unlimited concubines in addition to four wives?
- Given that ISIS and other groups have revived the practice of sex slavery based on Islamic texts and precedent, can Muslims honestly say this is "un-Islamic" when it follows Muhammad's own example?
- What does it say about a religion that its founder had to receive a divine revelation giving him permission to break an oath so he could continue having sex with his slave?