Māriyya the Copt: gender, sex and heritage in the legacy of Muhammad's umm walad
This article concerns the figure of Māriyya al-Qib iyya, the Coptic slave of the Prophet Muhammad who became his umm walad (the mother of his child). It undertakes close readings of the evolving historical representations of Māriyya as found in a broad range of Muslim biographical, historical and li...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic/Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
[2010]
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| In: |
Islam and Christian-Muslim relations
Year: 2010, Volume: 21, Issue: 3, Pages: 221-243 |
| Further subjects: | B
wives of Muhammad
B Māriyya al-Qibṭiyya B umm walad B Māriyya the Copt B milk al-yamīn |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | This article concerns the figure of Māriyya al-Qib iyya, the Coptic slave of the Prophet Muhammad who became his umm walad (the mother of his child). It undertakes close readings of the evolving historical representations of Māriyya as found in a broad range of Muslim biographical, historical and literary texts from medieval to contemporary times. Rather than attempting a unified biography of Māriyya, this work examines representations of her for their disparities, contradictions and wider social implications. The contending portraits of Māriyya presented in the texts examined here serve three primary functions: 1) to uphold the moral purity of the Prophet Muhammad and the members of his household; 2) to instruct readers on the gender characteristics of men and women; and, 3) to advocate interfaith harmony between Muslims and Christians. Rather than conveying a clear and coherent summation of her life, these portraits of Māriyya reveal their authors' attempts throughout the centuries to defend the Prophet's character against Orientalist attacks, to inform readers on the essential gender attributes of the sexes, and to promote modern efforts toward peaceful Muslim-Christian relations. |
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| ISSN: | 0959-6410 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Islam and Christian-Muslim relations
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/09596410.2010.500475 |