Lubana bint Ali ibn al-Mahdi
Lubāna bint ʿAlī ibn al-Mahdī (Arabic: لبانة بنت علي بن المهدي) was an Abbasid princess, Arabic poet and the principal wife of caliph al-Amin. She was the daughter of Ali, a son of the third Abbasid caliph, al-Mahdi.
| Lubana bint Ali ibn al-Mahdi لبانة بنت علي بن المهدي | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consort of the Abbasid caliph | |||||
| Tenure | 24 March 809 – 27 September 813 | ||||
| Born | c. 787/789 Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate | ||||
| Died | Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate | ||||
| Burial | Baghdad | ||||
| Spouse | Al-Amin | ||||
| |||||
| House | Abbasid | ||||
| Father | Ali ibn al-Mahdi | ||||
| Religion | Islam | ||||
Ancestry
Her grandfather was al-Mahdi and her grandmother was Abbasid princess Raitah bint al-Saffah. She was the niece of Caliphs Musa al-Hadi and Harun al-Rashid.
Her grandfather al-Mahdi married Raitah as his first wife after his return from Khurasan.[1] She was the daughter of Caliph as-Saffah and his wife Umm Salamah, a Makhzumite.[2] She gave birth to two sons, Ubaydallah and Ali ibn al-Mahdi.[1]
Biography
Lubana was the daughter of Abbasid prince Ali ibn al-Mahdi and granddaughter of al-Mahdi. During the ending years of Harun al-Rashid's long reign many marriages took place between different members of Abbasid dynasty. Al-Amin is recorded as having two wives, Arib bint al-Ma'muniyyah, and Lubana bint Ali ibn al-Mahdi was noted for her exceptional beauty.[3] Lubana was the member of influential Abbasid dynasty. She married Al-Amin when she was seventeen or eighteen years old. This marriage was political important for Al-Amin because his half brother had married Umm Isa daughter of Caliph Al-Hadi. She was respected by her mother-in-law Zubaidah bint Ja'far. Lubana was also an Arabic poet.
However, Al-Amin died before the consummation of his marriage to Lubanah; her attested poetry includes a lament for his death: 'Oh hero lying dead in the open, betrayed by his commanders and guards. I cry over you not for the loss of my comfort and companionship, but for your spear, your horse and your dreams. I cry over my lord who widowed me before our wedding night'.[4]
Her husband was killed in 813, Very little is known about Lubana bint Ali ibn al-Mahdi after Al-Amin's death. She died in 820s.
Caliphs related to her
The caliphs who were related to her are:
| No. | Caliph | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Al-Mansur | Great-grandfather |
| 3 | Al-Mahdi | Grandfather |
| 4 | Al-Hadi | Uncle |
| 5 | Harun al-Rashid | Father-in-law |
| 6 | Al-Amin[5] | Husband |
| 7 | Al-Ma'mun | Brother-in-law |
| 8 | Al-Mu'tasim[6][7] | Brother-in-law |
References
- Abbott 1946, p. 25.
- Abbott 1946, p. 11.
- Classical Poems by Arab Women: A Bilingual Anthology, ed. and trans. by Abdullah al-Udhari (London: Saqi Books, 1999), p. 120; ISBN 086356-047-4.
- Guthrie, Shirley (2013-08-01). Arab Women in the Middle Ages: Private Lives and Public Roles. ISBN 9780863567643.
- Gabrieli 1960, p. 437.
- Bosworth 1993, p. 776.
- Masudi 2010, p. 222.
Sources
- al-Masudi. The Meadows of Gold, The Abbasids. transl. Paul Lunde and Caroline Stone, Kegan Paul, London and New York, 1989.
- Abbott, Nabia (1946). Two Queens of Baghdad: Mother and Wife of Hārūn Al Rashīd. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-86356-031-6.
- Rekaya, M. (1991). "al-Maʾmūn". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam. Volume VI: Mahk–Mid (2nd ed.). Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 331–339. ISBN 978-90-04-08112-3.
- Gabrieli, F. (1960). "al-Amīn". In Gibb, H. A. R.; Kramers, J. H.; Lévi-Provençal, E.; Schacht, J.; Lewis, B. & Pellat, Ch. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam. Volume I: A–B (2nd ed.). Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 437–438. OCLC 495469456.