Mariam of the Qur’an, Mary of the New Testament, Mary of non-canonical writings

There have been several attempts to find in Mariam of the Qur’an, and Mary of the New Testament, a common ground for “conversation, appreciation, and understanding between Muslims and Christians”1. Likewise, there have been attempts to compare the Qur’anic references to Mary to some of the non-canonical writings of the New Testament era, that is to say, to those writings rejected by the early Christian Church in its compilation of the New Testament.2

The attempt of this article is to come to a deeper understanding of just who is Mariam of the Qur’an, according to the Qur’an itself. Occasional reference will be made to Christian canonical and non-canonical parallels3 , but Mariam of the Qur’an will be presented as she is. Occasional reference will be made to the Hadith (the oral transmission of the deeds and sayings of the Prophet as recorded by his companions) and to the Tafsir (commentary by Muslim writers on the Qur'an)4 so that a deeper appreciation of the Qur’anic references to Mariam can be understood.

Mariam’s birth

In the Qur’an, Mariam is described, most likely symbolically, as the daughter of Imran, a common ancestor for the prophets.5 In the Qur’anic story, Mariam’s barren mother Anna6 is longing for an end to her reproach among women.7 When the time comes for the child to be born, her mother, surprised that she is a girl, nonetheless fulfills her promise and dedicates her to the Temple service.

Muslim commentators on the Qur’an (in a way similar to Christian commentators before them8 ) augment the story by adding a few particulars. In one account it mentions that her father, Imran, died while her mother was pregnant.0 This would then explain how Mariam was raised in the Temple by Zachariah, the father of Yahya, i.e. John the Baptist.10

Zechariah in the Qur’an is also depicted as the uncle of Mariam, by virtue of his wife, Elizabeth, who is her aunt. The Lucan, New Testament account does not tell of Mary’s parents, nor of her birth, but does tell the story of the birth of John the Baptist. Like the Qur’anic version, both Zechariah and Elizabeth were advanced in age and childless before the Lord took away this reproach and gave them a son, whom they named John (Yahya).

The prayer of Mariam’s parents, missing in New Testament references, parallels very much a non-canonical Christian era text.11 However, there is no parallel in New Testament texts for the Qur’anic figure of Imran, who may be a figure unique to the Qur’an in the theme of his being the common ancestor to the prophets.12

Mariam’s prophetic ancestry

In the Qur’an, prophets are not viewed in the same way that Jews and Christians together have viewed the Old Testament prophets, i.e., those holy men who called Israel back to their covenant with God. Rather, in the Qur’an, a prophet is one who is assigned by God to deliver an eternal truth. Among the prophets, according to the Qur’an, are Adam, Noah, and Abraham, and from the Family of Imran, Moses, and now through Mariam, Isa (Jesus) and lastly, Muhammad.

In the Surat Mariam, the Qur’anic chapter which describes the events of Mariam’s conception, birth, service in the Temple, as well as the birth of Isa, Mariam is called the “sister of Aaron”. This seeming impossibility was employed by early Christians in their apologetics as proof that the Prophet (Muhammad) was confused between Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, whose father was Amran (the Qur’anic Imran), and the Mary of the New Testament.13 Nonetheless, the Qur’an is clear that since the prophets come from the same family, thus Mariam, although not a prophet herself14, was also a descendant of Imran. Thus, the son of Mariam, Isa, is a descendant of Imram as well. In this context we can understand more fully the most repeated reference in the Qur’an for Isa as “son of Mariam”, thus associating him with his prophetic lineage.15

Mariam’s place in Qur’anic history

According to Hadith, Isa is the closest prophet to Muhammad, who is the Seal of the Prophets. Thus, points of comparison and contrast are often made of the two prophets. Isa, as prophet, was entrusted with the Ingil (Gospel) just as Moses was entrusted with the Taurat (Torah). Muhammad, however, was entrusted with the immutable Word of God, the Qur’an.16

The very existence of the Qur’an which is described as the summation of the Taurat and the Ingil117, is a miracle in itself. It is thus a clear sign for believers, and was sent down by Allah for man’s guidance. With the coming of the Qur’an no other scriptures (Hebrew or Christian) are deemed necessary.

The Taurat and the Ingil were entrusted to Moses and Jesus, respectively. However, the Qur’an also maintains, in a way similar to that of the Gnostic neo-Platonist, Porphory, a third century critic of Christianity, that the followers of Jesus distorted his message, wrote down what they, not necessarily God, wanted written. Moreover, they made Jesus to be something he never said he was, i.e. anything more than a prophet and a holy man.18 Thus, according to the Qur’an, what became the Old and New Testaments for Jews and Christians cannot be fully trusted. Only the Qur’an was safeguarded from similar corruption, because it was written down in the time of the Prophet himself.19

Mariam’s early life sets the stage for her role as mother of the prophet, Isa, and in assisting Allah’s efforts to bring the man into submission to God. The Mariam of the Qur’an fits into this consistent theme of redefining the Christian message with regard to the person and mission of Jesus.

Mariam in the Temple

Mariam was raised in the Temple, an important theme in the Qur’an, but nowhere to be found in the canonical Christian Scriptures. This Qur’anic story of her life in the Temple was very unusual in itself for its time and context.20 Women were not allowed in the Temple because of menstruation, the shedding of blood, which was considered a defilement to the Temple.21 Nonetheless, a special exception was made for Mariam.

When she reached puberty, her temple service would have had to come to an end.22 However, a reference in the Qur’an alludes to how Mariam was “purified”, and thus was enabled to continue in her temple service even after puberty. This was further explained by the Hadith and the Tafsir of Muslim commentators so as to fill-in the story about Mariam in the Qur’an.

In Muslim commentary Mariam was purified of all defilement from the moment of her birth: “Not a descendant of Adam is born but he is touched by Satan, and he comes out crying, except Mariam and her Son”.23 In this way, Mariam was purified, and was able to complete her temple service, unique for a girl, and miraculous for a woman.

Mariam’s conception, pregnancy, and the birth of Isa

On one occasion, when Mariam was praying in the Temple, the angel Gabriel appeared to her in “the guise of a perfect man”.24 Like the New Testament, Lucan account, Mariam of the Qur’an was startled and afraid. She questioned the angel in a manner similar to the Lucan account. Gabriel then announced that Mariam would have a son, and he would speak to mankind while still in the cradle, an act not mentioned in the New Testament, but strikingly similar to a reference found in non-canonical Gnostic texts.25 When Mariam demurred that she had never been unchaste, and asked how this could be, she was told that such a thing was easy for God, who has only to decree what he wants.26

The Qur’an does not give the age of Mariam (neither does the Gospel) at the time of her conception of Jesus. It does, however, describe his birth in a way similar to that found in a non-canonical gospel entitled the Proto-evangelium of James.27 The Qur’an recounts that Mariam, after withdrawing to a “far place”, experienced such difficult birth pains that she clung to the trunk of a palm tree and cried “Would that I had died and been forgotten before this”.28 Then a voice cried “from beneath her”, reassuring her and telling her to shake the palm tree and receive the juicy fruit of which she should eat, and that she should make a vow of fasting and of silence.29

Although this account has some similarities to the above mentioned non-canonical source, nonetheless, the Qur’an has marked differences, and makes it clear that Mariam’s birthing of Isa was a natural one, and that he was born as all humans are born. It is also made clear in the Surat Imran, another chapter in the Qur’an, which, like the Surat Mariam, speaks of Mary and her son, Isa, that it is not true that “God would take for himself a son”.30 To call Isa anything more than what the Qur’an calls him, “the Messiah”, “the son of Mary”, “a spirit”, or “a word from God”, is a grave straying from the straight path (al-sirat al-mustaqeem).

Mariam’s role as mother of Isa

The Qur’an makes it clear that neither the title, “Son of God”, nor any other divine status should be attributed to Isa, or for that matter to Mariam. Likewise, any reference to God as a “triad” is called “shirk”, an Arabic word meaning “sharing in” something, i.e. sharing in the nature of one God, Allah, and nothing in this world can share in the very nature of Allah. Thought of this is strictly forbidden in Islam, condemned as polytheistic, and considered blasphemous.31

Mariam is the mother of the prophet Isa, not the “Mother of God”, a claim foreign to the Oneness of God. Mariam is truly human, as is her son. Nonetheless, like her son, she does hold a privileged place in Islam. In the Hadith, Mariam is one of “the four best women of the world”: Mariam, daughter of Imran, Khadija, first wife of the Prophet, Fatima, daughter of the Prophet, and Asiya, the wife of Pharaoh who saved Moses.32 All four women share this favored status. Although different Muslim communities have their own unique piety, with each one giving a different emphasis with regard to each woman, and at times preferring one over the other, nonetheless, Mariam enjoys a great devotion among faithful Muslims.

As has been seen, Mariam of the Qur’an is not “the Mother of God” as she is for Christians; nor is she the Mother of the “Savior”. The New Testament accounts, which have inspired the Christmas carol themes of deliverance and redemption, are foreign to the Qur’an. To call Isa “Savior” would necessarily imply that there is something to be “saved” from. Christians believe that Jesus, by his death and resurrection, saved mankind from the twin enemies of sin and death. In the Qur’an, however, there is neither belief in Isa’s death on a cross nor in his resurrection, but rather a vague reference to both.

Mariam and the death and resurrection of Isa

The Qur’an describes what Christians call the Pascal Mystery, the death and resurrection of Jesus, in the following way: it only “appeared” that Isa was crucified33, nonetheless, he was not crucified, yet God did “raise him up”. These references have remained veiled both in the Qur’an and in Muslim commentary over the centuries, and have at times served to dull any strong argument from Christians. Yet, this vagueness goes to the very heart of the unique claim of Christians with regard to their essential belief. On this matter the Qur’an departs radically from a New Testament understanding of the Pascal Mystery and instead parallels closely some of the anti-Christian polemical writers of the New Testament era.

Basilides, for example, a second century Egyptian philosopher, asserts almost the same thing as does the Qur’an with regards to denying the crucifixion of Jesus.34 This important difference between Mary and Jesus of the New Testament, and Mariam and Isa of the Qur’an is hard to reconcile. Was Jesus crucified or not? Was he raised from the dead or not? This makes a difference to Christians who believe, not only that he was crucified and that he died, but also that his sacrifice and self-giving in death has a profound meaning, fulfilling the Hebrew prophecies and promises of him. Moreover, the fact that he was raised from the dead holds an equally important meaning for Christians.

Mariam’s “shielding” from sin, the “fall”

The Qur’an infers that Mariam was shielded from Satan from the time of her birth. Nonetheless, one must be careful not to view the Qur’an in Christian terms. This “shielding” is not to be interpreted that Mariam of the Qur’an was “immaculately” conceived. Unlike the belief in Christian thought, in Islam the mother of the prophet Isa is not considered as sinless in order that she can give birth to Isa. The Qur’anic Miriam needed to be “purified35, in the sense of ritual purification, only so that she might be able to continue to serve in the Temple.

Moreover, Islam does not share the same understanding of the Fall of Adam and his redemption as does Christianity.36 There was a “fall”, recorded in the Qur’an, but it was the fall of Iblis (Satan) who upon the creation of Adam was commanded by Allah to bow down to Adam, but he refused. It was Iblis’ pride that did not permit him to bow down when Allah commanded him. Likewise, it is also pride, according to the Qur’an, that keeps men from becoming true believers in Islam, which is the heir and fulfillment of Christianity and Judaism.

Summary of the Characteristics of Mariam in the Qur’an

Prideful man, if not corrected by submitting and bowing down to Allah, as the guidance given in the Qur’an directs, will end in eternal condemnation. Mariam is clearly depicted in the Qur’an as being numbered among those who have bowed down to Allah in Islam.37 Moreover, Isa, the son of Mariam, is also depicted as clearly submissive to Allah. He is not the “Savior”, nor the “Light of the world”, nor the “Son of God” as Christians believe.

Instead, Muhammad, is shown in the Qur’an to be the final revealer, the one who gives mankind the fullness of revelation in the Qur’an for the guidance and the light of all peoples. In this context the Mariam of the Qur’an, and her son, Isa, fulfill their proper roles which Allah has given them, and are seen as prominent among the prophets and their lineage, but are, nonetheless, clearly subordinate to the final revelation of truth as found in the Qur’an.

Mariam and the teaching of Isa

The Qur’an does not record any of the parables of the New Testament Jesus, nor any of his teachings. In fact, the essential teachings of Jesus, as found in the Gospel of Matthew chapters 5-7 are absent in the Qur’an. Only these New Testament words from the mouth of Jesus are found in the Qur’an: “forgive us our sins”.38 The silence of the Qur’an with regards to the teachings and parables of the New Testament Jesus, may be contrasted with the great detail given to the birth and conception stories of Mariam and Isa.

The Qur’anic detail of these matters far surpasses the scant references of the New Testament on these same matters. In fact, the New Testament is silent on the conception, birth and childhood of Mary, as well as the Qur’anic description of the birth and childhood miracles of Jesus. A Christian may ask from where did the non-canonical Qur’anic references come, and why so little treatment of the life, teachings, parables, and ministry of the New Testament son of Mariam?

Mariam of the Qur’an and Mary of the New Testament

In this brief overview a picture emerges depicting Mariam of the Qur’an. She is similar in some ways, but very different in most to the Mary of the New Testament. Early Christians discouraged the multiplication of what they considered legends and stories about Mary of the New Testament and her Son, Jesus.39 By the third and fourth centuries of the Christian era, the four canonical gospels were made normative for Christians. This may have been done in an attempt to safeguard both Mary and Jesus from legends and speculation. Nonetheless, non-canonical writings abounded in the early Church. The depiction of Mariam in the Qur’an (and for that matter Isa) has much in common with the Mary (and Jesus) of some of the non-canonical writings, much more, in fact, then with the Mary (and Jesus) of the New Testament.

Conclusion

It is worthwhile to seek common elements in Islam and Christianity for the sake of “a common ground for conversation, appreciation, and understanding between Muslim and Christians.”40 Nonetheless, any attempt to build bridges must also respect the very different contexts and presentations of the Mary of the New Testament and the Mariam of the Qur’an. Moreover, if common study and dialogue is to succeed, Muslims and Christians must also make it their concern to become more familiar with the texts and contexts of both the New Testament and with the Qur’an. God willing, together we can grow in a deeper respect and appreciation for the worshippers of both religions who hold a special devotion to the blessed maiden of Nazareth.

1 cf Jane Smith and Yvonne Haddad, “The Virgin Mary in Islamic Tradition and Commentary” in The Muslim World (Hartford, CT: Hartford Seminary) 79 July/October 1989):161; see also

  • Nilo Geagea, Mary of the Qur’an, A Meeting Point between Christianity and Islam (New York:Philosophical Library,1884);
  • V.Courtois, Mary in Islam (Calcutta:Oriental Institute-Islamic Section,1954),34;
  • R.J.McCarthy, “Mary in Islam” Mary’s Place in Christian Dialogue, ed. Albert Stacpoole (Wilton,CT:Morehouse-Barlow,1982).

2 cf Dominic Ashkar, “The Sources for the Marian References in the Qur’an”, in Marian Studies (Annual Publication of the Mariological Society of America) 47 (1996) 65-87; Regis Blachere, Le Coran (Paris:Librairie Orientale et Americaine,1948), this 3 volume work has copious footnotes referencing non-canonical parallels to the Qur’an, see pg 215 in volume 2 on the Surat Mariam.

3 For non-canonical references see

  • Bentley Layton, The Gnostic Scriptures (Garden City,NY:Doubleday,1987);
  • Wilhelm Schneemelcher(ed.), New Testament Apocrypha (Westminster: John Knox Press,1991);
  • Solomon J Schepps(ed.), The Lost Books of the Bible (New York: Bell Publishing Company,1979);
  • John Dart, The Jesus of Heresy and History (San Fransisco:Harper and Row,1988);
  • Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels (New York:Randon House,1979); and
  • Marina Warner, Alone of Her Sex (New York:Alfred A. Knopf,1976),25-33.

4 Among Muslims there exists many different commentators on the Qur’an over the centuries. The approach each commentator takes reflects the particular school of thought from which he comes. With regard to the Hadith, it is a study in itself, essential to anyone interested in a fuller understanding of the Qur’an.

5 It would be an interesting study to examine if this theme of Imran, as Mary’s father, is present in some of the non-canonical literature.

6 “The mother of Mariam is not mentioned by name in the Qur’an, but is referred to as the wife of Imran. Islamic, as well as Christian, tradition, has accorded her the name of Hanna (Anna)”. Smith,Haddad, “The Virgin Mary”,163.

7 S.3:35.

8 Although there are many non-canonical stories about Mary’s parents, her birth, childhood, and life with Jesus and Joseph, these, even if honorable, are not part of official Catholic doctrine. Nonetheless, her Immaculate Conception, perpetual virginity, and Assumption into heaven have become part of the “deposit of faith”, and thus, are considered doctrine to be believed by all the faithful. All other Catholic belief about Mary is taken from the New Testament.

9 Isma’il Haqqi, Tafsir al-Qur’an (n.p.,n.d.) 440, as quoted in Smith,Haddad, “the Virgin Mary” 163.

10 S.3:44 alludes to the lots falling to Zechariah to care for the girl Mariam.

11 cf. The Protoevangelion of James, in Schepps, The Lost Books, 25ff.

12 It would be an interesting study to survey non-canonical texts to see if the theme of Imran as ancestor to the prophets is present.

13 Blachere, Le Coran v2, 229, n29; Ashkar, “The Sources” 72, n25.

14 For a discussion of Mariam and prophethood see Smith,Haddad, “The Virgin Mary” 177.

15 Ibid., 162. There are 70 references to Mariam in the Qur’an, and she is named in 34 of these, 24 times in relation to Isa as “son of Mariam”.

16 Muslims believe that both Moses and Jesus were actually given something written, a book intended for the people, but these books were not kept by their followers. Thus the Qur’an refers to Jews and Christians as people of the Book, i.e. Ahl al-Kitab, but it is not clear exactly what is meant by this expression.

17 This unique claim of Islam, that the Qur’an is the summation of the Gospel and Torah, would naturally be a matter contended by both Jews and Christians. Christians accept the Hebrew Scriptures as they were set down by the Jews themselves. Muslims accept neither the Old nor the New Testaments as they were determined by either Jews or Christians. This makes dialogue between Christians and Muslims more difficult, because in a discussion of the Christian Scriptures, there is no agreed-upon reference point, nor is there Muslim-Christian agreement as what constitutes so-called “inspired” Scriptures. Thus, Muslims may make the claim that the canonized New Testament is not only inaccurate, but also lacked certain writings that Allah has found useful to introduce in the Qur’an (i.e. the non canonical writings). Al-Ghazali’s compilation of the sayings of Jesus would be mostly foreign to a Christian familiar with the New Testament Jesus.

18 cf. Kenneth Craig, Jesus and the Muslim, An Exploration (Oxford:One World,1999);Geoffrey Parrinder, Jesus in the Qur’an (New York:Barnes and Noble,1965).

19 For a defense of the New Testament for a Muslim audience see Cragg, Jesus, 75.

20 Muhammad Jamal al Din al-Qasimi, Tafsir al-Qasimi (Cairo,1914) IV, 834; also Muhammad Mutawalli al-Sha’rawi, Maryam wa’l Masih (Cairo,1983) 11-14; both references are found in Smith, Haddad, “The Virgin Mary” 164.

21 Ibid., 172.

22 Abu Jaf’ar b. Muhammad al-Tabari, Jami’ al bayan ‘an ta’wil al-Qur’an (Cairo:1954), VI, 335, as quoted in Smith, Haddad, “The Virgin Mary”.

23 Ibid., 337.

24 S.19:17.

25 cf. S.3:46, 19:29; A.S.Rappoport, Mediaeval Legends of Christ (London:Ivor Nicholson and Watson,1934); C.F. Gerock, Christologie des Korans (1839), 47.

26 S.19;31.

27 cf. Warner, Alone 25ff.

28 S.19:23.

29 cf. Smith,Haddad, “The Virgin Mary”, 169.

30 S.19:93.

31 With all the Christological disputes of the time just before Islam, as well as the polytheistic society of the Arabian peninsula one can easily understand the insistence of the Qur’an for a pure monotheistic faith. Nonetheless, it seems to this author that the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, nuanced as it is, is little understood by Muslim commentators. The Christians of the Middle East have for centuries made attempts to be clear that they are strict monotheists. Even the traditional prayer in colloquial Arabic which accompanies the sign of the cross: bis mil Ab wal Ibn war Ruhil Qodos (in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit) they add Elah Wahed (One God) so as to make clear the mystery of the One God.

32 cf. Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, al-Masnad (Cairo:1955), as quoted in Smith, Haddad, “The Virgin Mary” 179.

33 S.4:157.

34 cf. Layton, The Gnostic Scriptures, 420ff.

35 Smith,Haddad, “The Virgin Mary” 172.

36 cf. the Book of Genesis 1-3.

37 S.3:43.

38 Cragg, Jesus and the Muslim 16ff.

39 For an intelligent defense of the New Testament Jesus, especially in the present day context of the so called “search for the historical Jesus”, see Luke Timothy Johnson, The Real Jesus (San Fransisco:Harper Collins,1996).

40 Smith,Haddad, “The Virgin Mary”, 161.