MOSQUE AND MASHRABAH OF UMM IBRAHIM (MARIYA THE COPT)
The house of Mariya the Copt, mother of the son of the Prophet ﷺ.
A Gift from Egypt
In the 6th year of the Hijrah, after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the Prophet ﷺ sent messengers to the kings and emperors of the world. Among them was Al-Muqawqis, the Byzantine governor of Egypt.
Al-Muqawqis did not convert, but he welcomed the messenger favorably. And he sent gifts to the Prophet ﷺ. Among these gifts were two young Coptic women — sisters: Mariya and Sirin.
Mariya became a concubine of the Prophet ﷺ and was later freed. Sirin was given by the Prophet ﷺ to his poet Hassan ibn Thabit.
The Birth of Ibrahim
In the 8th year of the Hijrah, Mariya gave birth to a son of the Prophet ﷺ. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ named him after his ancestor Ibrahim.
He was the only son of the Prophet ﷺ born in Medina. All his other children were born in Mecca, from Khadijah (رضي الله عنها).
At the birth of Ibrahim, the Prophet ﷺ was filled with immense joy. He said: "A child has been born to me this night, and I have named him after my father Ibrahim." (Sahih Muslim no. 2315)
The Garden House
The house of Mariya was located in a peripheral neighborhood called Al-'Awali (the heights). The Arabic term mashrabah specifically refers to an elevated place surrounded by greenery, like a terrace-garden.
The Prophet ﷺ would regularly visit Mariya and her son there.
The Tragic Death of Ibrahim
Ibrahim died at about 18 months of age, in the 10th year of the Hijrah. The Prophet ﷺ entered his room while he was dying. He took him in his arms. And tears flowed down his face.
Abdul-Rahman ibn 'Awf (رضي الله عنه), who was present, said to him: "Even you, O Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet ﷺ replied: "O Ibn 'Awf, this is mercy. The eye weeps, the heart is saddened, and we only say what pleases our Lord. O Ibrahim, indeed we are saddened by your separation." (Sahih al-Bukhari no. 1303 · Sahih Muslim no. 2315)
The Coinciding Eclipse
On the day of Ibrahim's death, a solar eclipse occurred. People said: "The sun has eclipsed for the death of Ibrahim." The Prophet ﷺ stood up and firmly denied this superstition: "The sun and the moon are two signs among the signs of Allah. They do not eclipse for the death of anyone nor for their life. When you see that, hasten to prayer." (Sahih al-Bukhari no. 1043 · Sahih Muslim no. 901)
This is the rationality of Islam. The Prophet ﷺ refused to attribute the death of his own son to a cosmic sign.