Shuja al-Khwarazmi also known as Umm Jaʽfar ( ar, أم جعفر) or Umm al-Mutawakkil ( ar, أم المتوكل) was the Umm walad of eighth

Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...

caliph

al-Mu'tasim Abū Isḥāq Muḥammad ibn Hārūn al-Rashīd ( ar, أبو إسحاق محمد بن هارون الرشيد; October 796 – 5 January 842), better known by his regnal name al-Muʿtaṣim biʾllāh (, ), was the eighth Abbasid caliph, ruling f ...

and mother of

al-Mutawakkil Abū al-Faḍl Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad al-Muʿtaṣim bi-ʾllāh ( ar, جعفر بن محمد المعتصم بالله; March 822 – 11 December 861), better known by his regnal name Al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh (, "He who relies on God") was t ...

. Shuja was the concubine of Abbasid prince Muhammad. She entered the Harem probably in 819/820. She was raised in the Abbasid household before Abbasid prince Abu Ishaq Muhammad ibn Harun kept her as a concubine. She was related to Musa ibn Bugha the Elder. The meaning of her name was Brave and Courageous. She gave birth to Muhammad's son Jafar (future

Al-Mutawakkil Abū al-Faḍl Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad al-Muʿtaṣim bi-ʾllāh ( ar, جعفر بن محمد المعتصم بالله; March 822 – 11 December 861), better known by his regnal name Al-Mutawakkil ʿalā Allāh (, "He who relies on God") was t ...

). Al-Mutawakkil was born on February/March 822 to the Abbasid prince Abu Ishaq Muhammad (the future

) his concubine from

Khwarazm Khwarazm (; Old Persian: ''Hwârazmiya''; fa, خوارزم, ''Xwârazm'' or ''Xârazm'') or Chorasmia () is a large oasis region on the Amu Darya river delta in western Central Asia, bordered on the north by the (former) Aral Sea, on the ea ...

called Shuja. The Early life of Shuja is unclear because the Early life of Al-Mutawakkil is obscure, as he played no role in political affairs until the death of his older half-brother, al-Wathiq, in August 847. When her son became Caliph, he gave his mother Shuja, a degree of financial power to the extent that she had about 500,000

dinar The dinar () is the principal currency unit in several countries near the Mediterranean Sea, and its historical use is even more widespread. The modern dinar's historical antecedents are the gold dinar and the silver dirham, the main coin of ...

and several pieces of land; however, there is no mention in sources that she had any political power. Shortly after her son became Caliph Shuja decided to perform

hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...

. Shuja was generous, when she went on the pilgrimage, Al-Mutawakkil accompanied her to bid her goodbye. When she reached

Kufa Kufa ( ar, الْكُوفَة ), also spelled Kufah, is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000. Currently, Kufa and Najaf ...

she ordered that each of the Abbasid (descendants of Abbas) and the Talibid men (descendants of Abu Talib) were to receive one thousand

dinars The dinar () is the principal currency unit in several countries near the Mediterranean Sea, and its historical use is even more widespread. The modern dinar's historical antecedents are the gold dinar and the silver dirham, the main coin of ...

while every women was to receive five hundred dinars, while every men from Al-Muhajirin was to receive a hundred dinars, while every women was to receive ten dinars. She left behind fifty thousand dinars and more than a million dinar worth jewelry. Shuja died in June-July 861. Her wealth was inherited by her grandchildren.

Family

Shuja was related to several important

caliphs and princes:

References

Source

* * El-Azhari Taef El-Azhari, Shuja, p. 100". Queens, Eunuchs and Concubines in Islamic History, 661–1257. El-Azhari Taef El-Azhari * The rules about women. Jamal Al-Din Abi Al-Faraj Abdul Rahman. 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Shuja al-Khwarazmi 861 deaths Medieval slaves Concubines of the Abbasid caliphs 9th-century women from the Abbasid Caliphate 9th-century people from the Abbasid Caliphate Mothers of Abbasid caliphs