Why did the Prophet, peace be upon him, not marry Lady Maria al-Qibtiyya, may Allah be pleased with her, despite Islam's prohibition of slavery, and the presence of other concubines he had whom he did not marry?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
It is incorrect to say that Islam prohibited slavery. Rather, it encouraged emancipation and opened its doors to it. As for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, taking Maria the Copt and other slave women as concubines without marrying them, this is because the Sacred Law prohibited marrying slave women unless one could not afford to marry a free woman and feared falling into sin. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did marry Safiyyah and Juwayriyah after emancipating them.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/128285
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 128285
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- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Read the full answer on Ftawy