His two concubines: Maria and Rayhana

He had two concubines. The first: Maria bint Cham’oun, the Copt, gifted by the lord of Alexandria, Jourayj ibn Matna, with her sister Sirine, a eunuch named Mabour, and the mule Douldoul. He chose Maria for himself, fair and white, of the village of Hafn in the district of Ansina: Mouawiya later exempted that village from tribute in her honour, because she had borne Ibrahim. Sirine was given to the poet Hassan ibn Thabit, to whom she bore Abd al-Rahman.

Talk arose of Mabour’s visits to the two sisters, before his castration was discovered. When Maria bore Ibrahim, the Prophet said: "her child has freed her"; the boy was born at Dhoul-Hijja of year eight, the head shaved on the seventh day, its weight in silver given in charity, the hair buried in the earth; the wives grew jealous. Once, in jealousy, she was accused of a Copt who visited her: he handed Ali the sword with orders to kill him if he found him with her; Ali asked: shall I be the red-hot blade that turns not aside, or does the witness see what the absent sees not? "The witness sees what the absent sees not"; Ali found the man among the palms, discovered his impotence, and the Prophet said: "praise to Allah who turned harm from our household."

The second: Rayhana bint Zayd, of the Banu Nadir or the Banou Qorayza, a captive of the siege of Qorayza, whom he chose for himself from each spoils. He offered her Islam and then marriage; she refused, holding to Judaism, and he kept her as a concubine. Ibn Sa’ya had her counselled by Ibn Sa’ya: "she will believe"; the sandals of Ibn Sa’ya came bringing the news of her conversion and the Prophet rejoiced. By the Waqidi’s account she left him the choice: to free and marry her, or keep her in his possession; she preferred remaining in his possession, saying it was lighter for him and for her, and he left her his concubine until his death. Other versions make her freed then married with a dower of twelve ounces, veiled, with her allotted share; az-Zouhri has her freed and returned to her people. She died, by some, before him; by others, on his return from the farewell pilgrimage, buried at al-Baqi’; his association with her lasted until death parted them in the month of Rabi’ al-Awwal of year eleven, as said before.