Maryam, the Mother of Jesus
Another outstanding woman worthy of mention is Mary, the mother of Jesus. Her name occurs thirty-four times in the Quran, and an entire chapter—Chapter 19—is named after her. No other woman is mentioned by name even once. This highlights the unique importance accorded to Mary. The following is a translation of what the Quran says about her:
Remember when the wife of ‘Imran said, “My Lord, I have dedicated what is in my womb entirely to Your service. So accept this from me. You are the One who hears and knows all.” When she gave birth, she said, “My Lord, I have given birth to a girl,” God knew very well what she had given birth to: a male is not like a female, “I have named her Mary and placed her and her children in Your protection from the rejected Satan.” Her Lord graciously accepted her and made her grow in goodness and entrusted her to the care of Zachariah. Every time Zachariah visited her in her chamber he found some provision with her. He asked, “Mary, where did this provision come from?” She replied, “This is from God. God provides for whoever He wills without measure.” (3:35-37)
What was this provision? It was the provision of wisdom and the realization of God. When Mary devoted her life to God, He opened before her the doors to the treasures of wisdom and the realization of God. The Quran goes on to say:
The angels said, ‘Mary, God has selected you and purified you. He has selected you over all the women of the world. O Mary! Remain truly devout to your Sustainer, and prostrate yourself in worship, and bow down with those who bow down [before Him].’ This is an account of the unseen, which We reveal to you. You were not with them when they drew lots as to which of them should be Mary’s guardian and you were not with them when they disputed with one another. When the angels said, ‘O Mary, your Lord gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, honoured in this world and in the next and one of those who are granted nearness to God. And he shall speak to men in his cradle, and as a grown man, and shall be one of the righteous.’ ‘Lord,’ she said, ‘how can I have a child when no man has touched me?’ [The angel] replied, ‘Thus it is: God creates what He wills: when He wills a thing He need only say, “Be,” and it is. (3:42-47)
People of the Book! Do not go to extremes in your religion. Say nothing but the truth about God. The Christ Jesus, son of Mary, was only a messenger of God and His word, conveyed to Mary, a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His messengers and do not say: “There are three [gods].” Desist, it will be better for you. Indeed, God is the one and only God. His Holiness is far above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And God is sufficient as a guardian. (4:171)
At another place the Quran states:
Recount in the Book how Mary withdrew from her people to an eastern place and kept herself in seclusion from them. We sent her Our angel, who presented himself to her as a full-grown human being. When she saw him, she said, ‘I seek refuge in the compassionate God from you; [do not come near] if you fear the Lord.’ ‘I am only the messenger of your Lord,’ he replied. ‘I shall bestow upon you the gift of a son endowed with purity.’ She said, ‘How can I have a son when no man has touched me; and neither have I been unchaste?’ [The angel] replied, ‘So shall it be; your Lord says, “This is easy for Me; and We shall make him a sign to people and a blessing, from Us. This has been decreed.”’ So she conceived him and withdrew with him to a distant place. The pains of labour drove her to the trunk of a date-palm. She said, ‘Oh, if only I had died before this and passed into oblivion!’ But a voice called out to her from below, ‘Do not despair. Your Lord has provided a brook that runs at your feet, and if you shake the trunk of this palm-tree, it will drop fresh ripe dates on you. Eat and drink and rejoice. And if you see any human being say, “I have vowed a fast [of silence] to the Gracious God, and will not speak with any human being today.”’ Carrying her child, she brought him to her people. They said, ‘O Mary, you have indeed done something terrible! Sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, nor was your mother an unchaste woman!’ She pointed to the child. They said, ‘How shall we talk to someone who is a child in the cradle?’ [But] he said, ‘I am God’s servant. He has given me the Book and made me a prophet; He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and has enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving throughout my life. He has made me dutiful towards my mother, and He has not made me arrogant or wicked. Blessed was I on the day I was born, and blessed I shall be on the day I die and on the day I am raised to life again.’ Such was Jesus, the son of Mary. That is the whole truth, about which they still dispute: it does not befit the majesty of God that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! He is far above that: when He decrees something, He says only, ‘Be!’ and it is. (19:16-35)
The Quran also states: We made the son of Mary and his mother a sign and gave them shelter on a peaceful hillside watered by a fresh spring. (23:50)
It further says: [God gave another example in the story of] Mary, ‘Imran’s daughter, who preserved her chastity and We breathed Our spirit into her; she testified to the words of her Lord and His Scriptures, and was truly devout. (Quran, 66:12)
Maryam is a Syriac name meaning “exalted.” Mary, the mother of Jesus, was born into a Jewish family. God’s special care was evident in many remarkable events throughout her life. She was born in answer to the special prayer of a righteous woman, and her entire upbringing and education took place in the Temple. From early childhood, she was dedicated to the service of the Temple. While living there, her devotional life and her words reflecting her realization of God led everyone to regard her as a woman of exceptional spiritual stature. Her purity was so firmly established that no one could reasonably doubt her chastity.
It was this woman whom God chose to become the mother of Jesus—a woman who had no husband and whose child would have no human father. She conceived by the direct command of God and, when the appointed time came, gave birth to a perfectly healthy child. For a chaste woman like Mary, becoming the mother of a child without a human father was an extremely delicate and distressing ordeal. Therefore, God sent His angel to reassure her and protect her from becoming overwhelmed at that critical moment. God also miraculously provided her with food and water outside the town.
This extraordinary arrangement was probably connected with the special role that Jesus was destined to play among the Jews. Jesus was the last prophet sent to the Children of Israel. Until that time, God’s prophets had continued to arise from among the Israelites. However, by the time of Jesus, their moral decline had reached its final stage. God intended to send the last Israelite prophet in the person of the Messiah and thereby signify that the Israelites had been removed from their position as bearers of the divine message to humankind.
The Messiah’s birth without a father was probably intended to show the Jews that their degeneration had become so widespread that there was no longer a single man among them worthy of becoming the father of one who was to be a prophet. It was probably to express this reality that the Messiah was born to his mother without a father. The Jews knew very well that Mary had spent her entire life in the Temple, in full view of the people, and that she was, beyond all doubt, a woman of impeccable character. Yet their moral decline had reached such a point that when Jesus was born to Mary without a human father, they accused her, saying, “you have indeed done something terrible.” (Quran, 19:27)
God also arranged matters in such a way that the Jews could have no doubt that Jesus had been born through the Word of God and that he was a prophet. While Jesus was still an infant in Mary’s arms, he spoke clearly to the people that he had been born directly through the word of God. He declared that he was a servant of God, that he had been appointed as a prophet, and that he had a divinely ordained mission to fulfill among them.
Jesus was also granted extraordinary miracles. The Quran describes these miracles, or signs, in the following words:
“He will make him a messenger to the Children of Israel. He will say: ‘I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I will make the shape of a bird out of clay for you and then breathe into it and, by God’s leave, it will become a living bird. And by God’s leave I will heal the blind and the leper and bring the dead to life. I will tell you what you eat and what you store up in your homes. Surely in this there is a sign for you, if you are believers.’” (Quran, 3:49)
The Quran says of Mary that because she chose a life of purity, God strengthened her with His Spirit. This historical example shows that when a woman or a man lives a life of complete purity, that person becomes worthy of God’s special favour. Mary received this favour in a unique form, while others may receive it in ways suited to their own circumstances.
