Qaratis

Qaratis, also known as Umm Harun ( ar, أم هارون) or Umm al-Wathiq () was the of the eighth Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tasim, and mother of his successor, al-Wathiq.

Life

Qaratis was a Byzantine Greek woman. 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.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Qaratis
842 deaths
9th-century women from the Abbasid Caliphate
Concubines of the Abbasid caliphs
Year of birth unknown
Converts to Islam from Christianity
Mothers of Abbasid caliphs
9th-century Byzantine women