It may surprise many people to learn that Mary
is one of the most esteemed and respected women in Islam and that the Quran
gives her great importance. Maryam is the name of chapter 19 of the
Quran, and Chapter 3 is Aali Imran, named after her family. Islam
holds the entire family of Imran in very high regard. The Quran tells us
that:
“God chose Adam and Noah, the family of Abraham and the family of Imran
over all others of world’s of mankind and jinn.” (Quran 3:33)
God choose Adam and Noah individually, but He chose
the family of Abraham and the family of Imran.
“Offspring of one another.” (Quran 3:34)
The family of Imran are from the descendents of
Abraham, the family of Abraham are from the descendants of Noah and Noah is
from the descendents of Adam. The family of Imran also includes many
people known and respected in the Christian traditions – Prophets Zachary and
John (known as the Baptist), Prophet and Messenger Jesus and his mother, Mary.
God chose Mary above all the women of the world.
He said:
“And when the angels said: ‘O Mary! Verily, God has chosen
you, purified you,and chosen you above the women of the worlds of mankind and
jinn.’” (Quran 3:42)
Ali ibn Abu Talib said:
“I heard the Prophet of God saying Mary, the daughter
of Imran was the best among women.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
In Arabic the name Maryam means the maidservant
of God, and as we shall see, Mary, the mother of Jesus, was dedicated to God
even before she was born.
The Birth of Mary
The Bible is unable to give us any details of Mary’s
birth; however, the Quran informs us that the wife of Imran dedicated her
unborn child to the service of God. Mary’s mother, the wife of Imran, was
Hannah[1].
She was the sister of Prophet Zachary’s wife. Hannah and her husband
Imran had believed they would never have children, but one day Hannah made a
sincere and heartfelt supplication to God begging for a child, and vowing that
her offspring would serve in God’s House in Jerusalem. God heard Hannah’s
supplication and she fell pregnant. When Hannah realised the glorious
news she turned to God and said:
“O my Lord! I have vowed to You what is in my womb to be
dedicated for Your services, so accept this, from me. Verily, You are the
All-Hearer, the All-Knowing.” (Quran 3:35)
There are lessons to be learned from Hannah’s vow to
God, one of which is caring for the religious education of our children.
Hannah was not thinking in terms of this world at all, she was trying to ensure
that her child was close to God and in His service. These chosen friends
of God, such as family of Imran, are the parents whom we should take as our
role models. God says many times in the Quran that He is the One who
supplies provision for us, and He warns us to save ourselves and our families
from the fires of Hell.
In her supplication, Hannah asked that her child be free
from all worldly work. By promising that her child would be the servant
of God, Hannah was securing her child’s freedom. Freedom is a quality of
life that every human being strives to attain, but Hannah understood that true
freedom comes from complete submission to God. This is what she aspired
to for her yet unborn child. Hannah wanted her child to be a free person,
a slave to no man and no desire, but a slave only to God. In due time,
Hannah gave birth to a girl, again she turned to God in prayer and said:
“‘O my Lord, I have delivered a female child,’ and the male is not like
the female, and I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge with You for her and
her offspring from Satan, the outcast.” (Quran 3:36)
Hannah named her child Mary. With reference to
her vow to God, Hannah now found herself facing a dilemma. Serving in the
House of Prayer was not acceptable for women. Mary’s father, Imran had
died before she was born, so Hannah turned to her brother in law,
Zachary. He comforted Hannah and helped her to understand that God knew
that she had delivered a girl. This girl child, Mary, was from the best
of creation. Prophet Mohammad mentioned[2]
that whenever a child is born Satan pricks him or her and therefore the
child cries loudly. This is a sign of the great enmity between mankind
and Satan; however there were two exceptions to this rule. Satan pricked
neither Mary nor her son Jesus[3],
due to the supplication of Mary’s mother.
When the time came for Mary to go into the House of
Prayer, everybody wanted to take care of this pious daughter of Imran. As
was the custom of the time, the men drew lots for the privilege, and God
ensured that her guardian was Prophet Zachary.
“So her Lord accepted her with goodly acceptance, and made her grow in
a good manner, and put her under the care of Zachary.” (Quran 3:37)
Prophet Zachary served in the House of God and was a
wise and knowledgeable man devoted to teaching. He had a private room
built for Mary so that she was able to worship God and go about her daily
duties in private. As her guardian, Prophet Zachary visited Mary daily,
and one day he was surprised to see fresh fruit in her room. It is said
that in winter she would have the fresh fruits of summer and in the summer she
would have the fresh fruits of winter. [4]
Prophet Zachary inquired about how the fruit got there, to which Mary
replied, it was indeed God Who provided her sustenance. She said:
“It is from God. Verily, God provides sustenance to whom He wills
without limit.” (Quran 3:37)
Mary’s devotion to God was at that time unparalleled,
but her faith was about to be tested.
Esteemed and loved by all Muslims and known as
a pious and devout woman, Mary, the mother of Jesus was chosen above all other
women. Islam rejects the Christian notion that Jesus is part of a trinity
that is God, and denies emphatically that either Jesus or his mother, Mary, are
worthy of worship. The Quran categorically states that there is no god
but God.
“Such is God, your Lord! None has the right to be worshipped but He,
the Creator of all things. So worship Him ...” (Quran 6:102)
Muslims are required, however, to believe in and love
all of the Prophets, including Prophet Jesus, who holds a special place in the
Islamic creed. His mother, Mary, holds a place of honour. As a
young woman, Mary went into the House of Prayer in Jerusalem, her entire life
dedicated to the worship and service of God.
Mary Hears the News of Jesus
While she was in seclusion from everybody, a man
appeared before Mary. God said:
“She screened herself from them; We sent to her Our Spirit, and he
appeared before her in the form of a man in all respects.” (Quran 19:17)
Mary was afraid and tried to flee. She appealed
to God saying:
“Verily! I seek refuge with the Most Gracious (God) from you, if
you do fear God.” The angel said: “I am only a Messenger from your Lord
to you, announcing the gift of a righteous son.” (Quran 19:18-19)
Mary was amazed and puzzled by these words. She
was not married, rather a virgin who kept chaste. She asked incredulously:
“‘O my Lord! How will I have a son when no man has touched
me?’ He said, “So (it will be): for God creates what He wills; when
He has decreed something, He says to it only ‘Be’ – and it is.” (Quran 3:47)
God created Adam from the dust of the earth, without
either mother or father. He created Eve from Adam's rib; and Jesus, He
created without a father, but with a mother, the pious Virgin Mary. God,
who has only to say ‘Be’ to a thing in order to bring it into existence,, blew
the spirit of Jesus into Mary via the Angel Gabriel.
“And We breathed into it[5]
through Our Spirit, and she testified to the truth of the Words of her Lord
...” (Quran 66:12)
Although the stories of Mary in the Quran and in the
Bible have many aspects in common, the view that Mary was betrothed or married
is totally rejected by Islam. Time passed, and Mary became afraid of what
the people around her would say. She wondered how they could possibly
believe that no man had touched her. The majority of scholars in Islam agree
that the duration of Mary’s pregnancy was normal. [6]
Then, as the time came for her to give birth, Mary decided to leave
Jerusalem, and travelled towards the city of Bethlehem. Even though Mary
must have recalled the words of God, for her faith was strong and unwavering,
this young woman was anxious and uneasy. But the angel Gabriel reassured
her:
“O Mary, Verily God gives you glad tidings of a word from Him,
whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary – held in honour
in this world and the Hereafter and will be one of those who are near to
God.” (Quran 3:45)
Jesus is Born
The pains of childbirth drove her to clutch at the
trunk of a date-palm tree and she cried out in anguish:
“Would that I had died before this, and had been forgotten and out of
sight!” (Quran 19:23)
Mary delivered her child right there, at the foot of
the date tree. She was exhausted after the birth, and filled with distress and fear,
but nevertheless she heard a voice calling out to her. .
“Grieve not! Your Lord has provided you a stream of clear water
under you; and shake the trunk of palm tree towards you; it will let fall fresh
ripe dates upon you. So eat and drink and be glad...” (Quran 19:24)
God provided Mary with water, as a stream suddenly
appeared beneath the place she was sitting. He also provided her with
food; all she had to do was shake the trunk of the date tree. Mary was
scared and frightened; she felt so weak, having just given birth, so how could
she possibly shake the immense trunk of a date tree? But God continued to
provide Mary with sustenance.
The next event was indeed another miracle, and as
human beings we learn a great lesson from this. Mary didn’t need to shake
the date tree, which would have been impossible; she only had to make an effort.
As she attempted to follow God’s command, fresh ripe dates fell
from the tree and God said to Mary: “…eat, drink and be glad.” (Quran
19:26)
Mary now had to take her new born child and go back to
face her family. Of course she was afraid, and God knew this well.
Thus He directed her not to speak. It would not have been possible
for Mary to explain how she had suddenly become the mother of a new born child.
Since she was unmarried, her people would not believe her
explanations. God said:
“And if you see any human being, say: ‘Verily! I have vowed a
fast unto the Most Gracious (God) so I shall not speak to any human being this
day.’” (Quran 19:26)
Mary came to her people carrying the child, and they
immediately began accusing her; they exclaimed “What have you done? You
are from a good family, and your parents were pious.”
As God had directed her, Mary did not speak, she
merely pointed to the baby in her arms. Then Jesus, son of Mary,
spoke. As a newborn baby, Jesus, the Prophet of God performed his first
miracle. By the permission of God he said:
“Verily! I am a slave of God. He has given me the Scripture
and made me a Prophet; and He has made me blessed wheresoever I be, and has
enjoined on me prayer, and alms, as long as I live, and to be dutiful to my
mother, and made me not arrogant, unblest. And peace be upon me the day I
was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!” (Quran
19:30-34)
Mary is referred to in the Quran (5:75) as a siddqa
(truthful one) but the Arabic word siddiqa implies more then just
speaking the truth. It means that one has achieved a very high level of
righteousness. It means that one is truthful, not only with themselves
and those around them, but also with God. Mary was a woman who fulfilled
her covenant with God, Whom she worshiped with full submission. She was
pious, chaste, and devout; the woman chosen above all
other women to be the mother of Jesus was Mary, the daughter of Imran.
[5] This is explained in commentaries as an
opening in her garment, though the verse itself speaks of “her chastity” (i.e.
guarding herself from opening up to marriageable men). Thus God blew into
what she guarded by means of the angel Gabriel.
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