QabasLesson 2 of 11
What does Islam say about Mary, the mother of Jesus?
The short answer
Mary (Maryam), the mother of Jesus, is one of the most honoured women in Islam. The Quran says Allah chose her, purified her and chose her above the women of the worlds, which many scholars explain as the women of her time, and a whole chapter of the Quran is named after her. She gave birth to Jesus as a virgin, by a miracle from Allah. The Prophet named her among the few women who reached perfection.
Written by Qabas and checked against Al-Mukhtasar in Interpreting the Noble Quran, Tafsir Ibn Kathir and the HadeethEnc.com explanations.
From the Quran
وَإِذۡ قَالَتِ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ يَٰمَرۡيَمُ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱصۡطَفَىٰكِ وَطَهَّرَكِ وَٱصۡطَفَىٰكِ عَلَىٰ نِسَآءِ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ﴿٤٢﴾ يَٰمَرۡيَمُ ٱقۡنُتِي لِرَبِّكِ وَٱسۡجُدِي وَٱرۡكَعِي مَعَ ٱلرَّٰكِعِينَ ﴿٤٣﴾
And [mention] when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed Allāh has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds. O Mary, be devoutly obedient to your Lord and prostrate and bow with those who bow [in prayer]."
Explanation of the verses
Remember, O Messenger, when the angels said to Mary (peace be upon her): Allah has chosen you because of the praiseworthy qualities you have. He has purified you from all defects, and chosen you over all the other women of your time.
O Mary, stand for long periods in prayer, prostrate to your Lord and bow down with His righteous servants who bow down to Him.
وَٱذۡكُرۡ فِي ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ مَرۡيَمَ إِذِ ٱنتَبَذَتۡ مِنۡ أَهۡلِهَا مَكَانٗا شَرۡقِيّٗا ﴿١٦﴾ فَٱتَّخَذَتۡ مِن دُونِهِمۡ حِجَابٗا فَأَرۡسَلۡنَآ إِلَيۡهَا رُوحَنَا فَتَمَثَّلَ لَهَا بَشَرٗا سَوِيّٗا ﴿١٧﴾ قَالَتۡ إِنِّيٓ أَعُوذُ بِٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ مِنكَ إِن كُنتَ تَقِيّٗا ﴿١٨﴾ قَالَ إِنَّمَآ أَنَا۠ رَسُولُ رَبِّكِ لِأَهَبَ لَكِ غُلَٰمٗا زَكِيّٗا ﴿١٩﴾ قَالَتۡ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِي غُلَٰمٞ وَلَمۡ يَمۡسَسۡنِي بَشَرٞ وَلَمۡ أَكُ بَغِيّٗا ﴿٢٠﴾ قَالَ كَذَٰلِكِ قَالَ رَبُّكِ هُوَ عَلَيَّ هَيِّنٞۖ وَلِنَجۡعَلَهُۥٓ ءَايَةٗ لِّلنَّاسِ وَرَحۡمَةٗ مِّنَّاۚ وَكَانَ أَمۡرٗا مَّقۡضِيّٗا ﴿٢١﴾
And mention, [O Muḥammad], in the Book [the story of] Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place toward the east. And she took, in seclusion from them, a screen. Then We sent to her Our Angel [i.e., Gabriel], and he represented himself to her as a well-proportioned man. She said, "Indeed, I seek refuge in the Most Merciful from you, [so leave me], if you should be fearing of Allāh." He said, "I am only the messenger of your Lord to give you [news of] a pure boy [i.e., son]." She said, "How can I have a boy while no man has touched me and I have not been unchaste?" He said, "Thus [it will be]; your Lord says, 'It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign to the people and a mercy from Us. And it is a matter [already] decreed.'"
Explanation of the verses
And mention, O Messenger, in the book revealed to you the story of Mary (peace be upon her), when she moved away from her family and stayed separately in a place to their east.
Thus, she made for herself a veil from the people which would cover her, so that they cannot see her when she is worshipping her Lord. Then I sent Gabriel (peace be upon him) to her, thus he appeared to her in the form of a perfectly-formed human. So she thought he has a malicious intention towards her.
So when she saw him in the form of a perfectly-formed human heading towards her, she said: “I seek protection of the Merciful from you that any harm should come to me from you, if you are pious and fear Allah”.
Gabriel (peace be upon him) said: “I am not a human. I am only a Messenger from your Lord who He has sent to you for me to give you a good pure child”.
Mary said surprisingly: “How can I have a child when neither a husband nor anyone else has come near me nor am I an adulteress that I should have a child?”
Gabriel said to her: “The matter is as you said, namely that no husband or anyone else has touched you nor are you an adulteress. However, your Lord said: ‘To create a child without a father is easy for Me. And it is so that the child granted to you is a sign for people of the power of Allah, and a mercy from Me to them, due to the good they will achieve through him. And the creation of this child of yours is a fixed decree from Allah and written in the Preserved Tablet’.
وَمَرۡيَمَ ٱبۡنَتَ عِمۡرَٰنَ ٱلَّتِيٓ أَحۡصَنَتۡ فَرۡجَهَا فَنَفَخۡنَا فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِنَا وَصَدَّقَتۡ بِكَلِمَٰتِ رَبِّهَا وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَكَانَتۡ مِنَ ٱلۡقَٰنِتِينَ ﴿١٢﴾
And [the example of] Mary, the daughter of ʿImrān, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into [her garment] through Our angel [i.e., Gabriel], and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient.
Explanation of the verses
And Allah also mentions an example for those who have faith in Him and His Messengers, in the condition of Mary the daughter of ‘Imrān who safeguarded her private parts from fornication, so Allah commanded Gabriel to blow into her due to which she fell pregnant through the power of Allah with Jesus the son of Mary, without a father. She also believed in the religions of Allah and the books revealed to His Messengers, and she was obedient to Allah by fulfilling His commands and refraining from the things He did not allow.
From the Sunnah
Abu Mūsa (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Many men attained perfection, but of women none attained perfection except Āsiyah, the wife of Pharaoh, and Maryam, the daughter of ‘Imrān. Indeed, the superiority of ‘Ā'ishah to other women is like the superiority of Tharīd to other meals."
Explanation
The men who attained religious and moral perfection are many. Some reached the common level of perfection such as scholars, righteous men, and pious allies of Allah. Others reached the most sublime levels of perfection such as the prophets. However, there are very few women who attained perfection; on top of which were Āsiyah bint Muzāhim, the wife of Pharaoh. Allah presented her as an example of perfect faith in the Qur'an: {And Allah presents an example of those who believed: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said: "My Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the wrongdoing people"} [Sūrat At-Tahrīm:11]. She believed in Mūsa (peace be upon him) when he overcame the magicians of Pharaoh. When Pharaoh found out about her conversion, he tortured her severely until she died adhering to her faith. The other perfect lady was Maryam, the daughter of ‘Imrān. Allah presented her as an example of chastity and perfect worship in the Qur'an. Finally, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said that the merit of ‘Ā'ishah over women is like the merit of Tharīd over all other food. Tharīd is the most delicious food for Arabs. It is made of bread and meat. So, ‘Ā'ishah is the best of women, just as the Tharīd is the best of food.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "No child is born but the devil touches him when he is born, whereupon he starts crying loudly because of having been touched by the devil, except for Maryam and her son." Abu Hurayrah then read: {And I seek refuge with You (Allah) for her and her offspring from Satan, the outcast.} [Sūrat Āl-‘Imrān: 36]
Explanation
Children are poked in their sides by the devil when they are born, so they scream immediately after birth. Only Maryam and ‘Īsa (peace be upon both of them) did not experience that. Allah protected them at birth, for Maryam's mother prayed: {And I seek refuge with You (Allah) for her and her offspring from Satan, the outcast} [Sūrat Āl-‘Imrān: 36]. Allah answered her supplication and protected Maryam and her son ‘Īsa from the devil's poke. Maryam had no children other than ‘Īsa. The devil's poke is a real thing. It does not mean that the devil seeks to lead humans astray, as some Mu‘tazilites said. It is obligatory to believe in this Hadīth in its literal sense, as it is the chosen opinion of Ahl As-Sunnah wa al-Jamā‘ah.