The Story of Mary and the Birth of Jesus
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In Islam, Jesus (`Isa in Arabic) is considered one of the five greatest prophets
sent by God to mankind. Muslims¡¦ knowledge about Jesus is based on the two main sources of Islamic knowledge: the Qur¡¦an and Hadith. In the Qur¡¦an, Jesus is referred to as `Isa ibn Maryam, or Jesus, the son of Mary. The story of Mary and Jesus is best described in the Qur¡¦an in the surahs of Aal `Imran and Maryam. Mary: A Precocious Girlhood The story starts with Mary, who was blessed as a child with God¡¦s
protection. Mary was born to the pious household of Aal `Imran, or the family of `Imran. Many people argued for the honor of taking care of the child, but the responsibility was given to Zachariah, an elderly and childless man, who immediately noticed that the young girl was special. One day, Zachariah noticed that the girl had in her possession certain provisions for which he could not account. He asked her how she came by the food and she answered,
This simple answer had a deep impact on the elderly man. Having
long wished for a son, the devout Zachariah prayed to God for progeny. As the Qur¡¦an relates in the verses below, his prayers were answered almost immediately, although his wife was barren and beyond childbearing age:
The uniqueness of Mary, noticed by Zachariah, was spelled out to her by the angels:
Here the story of Mary¡¦s upbringing and girlhood, as related in the Qur¡¦an, ends. The Miracle of Jesus
In the surah entitled ¡§Maryam,¡¨ we hear more of this special woman¡¦s story, best told by the Qur¡¦an itself.
From the Qur¡¦anic description of events, we can deduce that Mary spent most of her pregnancy alone. What happened to her during this period is not mentioned in the Qur¡¦an. The Qur¡¦an picks up the story at the moment that Mary goes into labor.
God, knowing the reaction of society, further guided her how to deal with the situation:
When she carried the baby Jesus to her people, they questioned her; and as a baby in her arms, Jesus gave them the answer. The Qur¡¦an describes this scene in detail:
And so the baby Jesus defended his mother from any accusations of adultery, and in a nutshell, explained who he was and why he was sent by God. Here ends the story of Mary and miraculous birth of one of the greatest prophets of God, Jesus.
* Marwa Elnaggar is the Managing Editor of Discover Islam
zone in IslamOnline.net. She has an MA in English and comparative literature and teaches Qur¡¦an on a volunteer basis in Cairo, Egypt. |
Salaam (Peace be upon you), Andrea (Saleema) "To God belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. Whether you show what is in your own selves or conceal it, God will call you to account for it. Then He forgives whom He wills and punishes whom He wills, for God is Able to do all things." (Qur'an 2:284).
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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