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Umm walad of Abbasid caliph al-Mutasim and mother of al-Wathiq
Qaratis
, also known as
Umm Harun
(
Arabic
:
?? ?????
) or
Umm al-Wathiq
(
?? ??????
) was the
umm walad
of the eighth Abbasid caliph
al-Mu'tasim
, and mother of his successor,
al-Wathiq
.
Life
[
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]
Qaratis was a
Byzantine Greek
woman.
[1]
[2]
She entered the
caliphal harem
probably in 811. She was raised in the Abbasid household before being given as a
concubine
to the young Abbasid prince Abu Ishaq Muhammad ibn Harun. It is unknown if she was converted to Islam before or after entering harem. Qaratis was slightly younger than Abu Ishaq Muhammad.
Qaratis gave birth to two sons, Abu Ja'far Harun (the future al-Wathiq) and Muhammad. Abu Ja'far Harun was born on 17 April 812 (various sources give slightly earlier or later dates in 811?813), on the road to
Mecca
.
The elder son of Qaratis was nominated heir by al-Mu'tasim. After the death of al-Mu'tasim on 5 January 842, her son ascended smoothly to the throne without any opposition by his brothers. Qaratis also became the head of the Abbasid household. Shortly after al-Wathiq's succession, Qaratis decided to go to
Hajj
.
Qaratis accompanied al-Wathiq's half-brother Ja'far (the future caliph
al-Mutawakkil
) on the Hajj in 842, but she died on the way at
al-Hirah
, on 16 August 842 (A.H. 227). She was buried in
Kufa
.
References
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]
Sources
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