Khawla al-Hanafiyya
Khawla al-Hanafiyya (Arabic: خولة الحنفية, romanized: Khawla al-Hanafīyya), was a wife of the fourth caliph Ali (r. 656–661) and mother of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya (c. 637–700), who became the leader of the Alids, after his half-brother Husayn's death.
| Khawla al-Hanafiyya | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consort of the Rashidun caliph | |||||
| Tenure | 656–661 | ||||
| Born | Sindh (disputed) | ||||
| Spouse | Ali (m. likely 632) | ||||
| Issue | Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya | ||||
| |||||
| Tribe | Hanifa (by birth) Hashim (by marriage) | ||||
| Father | Ja'far ibn Qays | ||||
Life
Khawla belonged to the Banu Hanifa, hence the nisba ('onomastic') al-Hanafiyya. Her father was Ja'far ibn Qays, a prominent member of the Banu Hanifa. However, there are reports claiming Khawla was black-skinned, a native of Sindh, and a servant of the Banu Hanifa, rather than a member herself.[1]
Following the Islamic prophet Muhammad's death, most of the Banu Hanifa became apostates, believing in the divinity of their chief Musaylima, a claimant of prophethood. Caliph Abu Bakr (r. 632–634) dispatched an army under Khalid ibn al-Walid to Yamama, the headquarters of the Banu Hanifa. During the Ridda Wars, Khalid defeated Musaylima's troops at the Battle of Yamama, and members of the Banu Hanifa were subsequently enslaved, Khawla among them.[1] Afterward, Ali purchased her, then set her free, and later also married her. She bore a son Muhammad, who was named after her.[2]
See also
References
- Khallikan 1843, p. 574.
- Ahmed 2011, p. 186.
Bibliography
- Ahmed, Asad Q. (2011). The Religious Elite of the Early Islamic Ḥijāz: Five Prosopographical Case Studies (Illustrated ed.). Occasional Publications UPR. ISBN 978-1900934138. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- Khallikan, Ibn (1843). Ibn Khallikan's Biographical Dictionary. Oxford University: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland.