Mary in the Qur’an
Mary (Maryam bint Imran), the mother of Jesus gets a lot of attention in the Qur’an. One of the chapters of the Qur’an has her name. As the only woman in the Qur’an with a name, she has a high position. On the other hand, the Qur’an warns that Mary cannot be worshiped or called a goddess. The Qur’an mentions her as Aaron's sister and part of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. These claims are not confirmed in the Bible, mainstream Christianity or history.
Qur’an verses
The main content about Mary in the Qur’an are the following verses:
“And behold! Allah will say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah´?" He will say: "Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, Thou I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden.” (Qur’an 5:116) “She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent her our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.” (Qur’an 19:17) “At length she brought the (babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). They said: "O Mary! truly an amazing thing hast thou brought! "O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!"” (Qur’an 19:27-28) “And (remember) her who guarded her chastity: We breathed into her of Our spirit, and We made her and her son a sign for all peoples.” (Qur’an 21:91) “And Mary the daughter of ´Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into (her body) of Our spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His Revelations, and was one of the devout (servants).” (Qur’an 66:12)Difficulties in the Qur’an
One or more angels with Mary
Qur’an 19:17 says that there was one angel with Mary: “Then We sent unto her Our Angel.” But Qur’an 3:41 tells us that it were many angels: “And [mention] when the angels said, 'O Mary'” (Qur’an 3:42, 45) The Qur’an uses the plural form, to the effect that there could be two or more angels. The Qur’an is not clear on this point.Mary as sister of Aaron
The Qur’an tells us that Mary is the mother of Jesus (Qur’an 3:45). But in another verse, Mary is the sister of Aaron (Qur’an 19:28). The Muslim scholar Ibn Kathir called Mary "Sister of Aaron" because she was of the "Aaron tribe" [1]. However, there is no evidence that Aaron established his own tribe. The Bible lists the 12 tribes of Israel: Jacob (Exodus1:1), Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah, Issachar, Zebulon and Benjamin, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. (Exodus 1:2-4). Aaron is not the founder of a tribe. Aaron lived 14 centuries before Mary, the mother of Jesus. Sister of Aaron is not an allegory because there is no evidence that Mary came from a priestly family. Nor is it a broader meaning of sister, because in Islam, brothers and sisters generally live in the same generation. That means the Qur’an looks confused about calling Mary Aaron's sister in Qur’an 19:28.Mary as part of the Trinity
There is confusion in the Qur’an about the status of the doctrine of the Trinity. In Qur’an 5:116, Mary is called a goddess in the doctrine of the Trinity by the writer of the Qur’an. But Christianity has no place for Mary in the Trinity. This is a historical error in the Qur’an.Position of Mary
As the mother of Jesus the Messiah, Mary has a high position in the Qur’an. Mary is recognized in the Qur’an as the greatest woman of all time, chosen by God above all women. Chapter 19 of the Qur’an contains the name of Mary (Surah Maryam) and Chapter 3 of the Qur’an contains the name of her father (Surah Ali 'Imran). The Qur’an confirms the Bible that she received a divine revelation that as a virgin she would have a child by the Spirit of God. The Qur’an assumes that Mary had no sexual contact in her lifetime.
Notes
- Quran Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Maryam with Al-Masih before the People, Their Rejection of Her and His Reply to Them.
