Maryam and Isa — The Quranic Position on Mary and Jesus (Peace Be Upon Them
The debate over Mary and Jesus — peace be upon them — has divided humanity into extremes. One group raised Mary above the rank of humans, worshipped her instead of Allah, and made her the mother of God. Another group hurled at her accusations that no honorable woman deserves. Amidst this, the people of truth and Tawhid placed both Mary and her son in their correct position — honored servants of Allah, neither gods nor objects of slander.
Whoever goes astray in his belief regarding Jesus — peace be upon him — will inevitably go astray in his belief regarding Mary. The Jews who accused Mary of adultery are the same who attempted to kill Jesus — until Allah raised him alive to the heavens. The Christians who exalted Mary without limit went on to deify Jesus and worship him instead of Allah. The connection between the two errors is inseparable.
Nothing is more truthful than the Quran in presenting the correct account — clearly exposing the false beliefs of the misguided, then refuting them with decisive evidence.
1 — The Birth of Mary (Peace Be Upon Her)
The Quran establishes from the very beginning that Mary was born as all children are born — naturally, from a mother’s womb. Her mother, the wife of Imran, made a vow before the birth:
“When the wife of Imran said: ‘My Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, dedicated for Your service, so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing.’”
She had pledged to dedicate her child entirely to the worship of Allah. But the child was born a girl — and a girl, in the norms of her time and faith, was not appointed for the service of the sanctuary. So she said:
“So when she gave birth to her, she said: ‘My Lord, indeed I have delivered a female, and Allah knows best what she has delivered. And the male is not like the female. And indeed, I have named her Mary, and indeed, I seek refuge for her and her offspring in You from Satan, the accursed.‘“
2 — The Superiority of Mary Over the Women of the Worlds(in her time)
The Quran is clear: Mary was a human being, subject to the same conditions as all other humans. But Allah chose her, purified her, and distinguished her with honors not given to any other woman.
A — The Miracle of Provision
Zakariya — peace be upon him — was her guardian and the husband of her aunt. Whenever he entered her place of worship, he found provisions with her that were out of season — summer fruits in winter and winter fruits in summer. The Quran records his astonishment:
“Whenever Zakariya entered upon her in the sanctuary, he found with her provision. He said, ‘O Mary, from where did you get this?’ She said, ‘It is from Allah. Indeed, Allah provides for whom He wills without account.’”
B — Divine Selection and Purity
“And when the angels said, ‘O Mary, indeed Allah 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.’”
3 — The Birth of Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him)
The angels brought Mary the glad tidings of a child — a word from Allah:
“When the angels said, ‘O Mary, indeed Allah gives you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary — distinguished in this world and the Hereafter and among those brought near to Allah.’”
Mary, peace be upon her, found this announcement difficult to comprehend:
“She said, ‘My Lord, how can I have a son while no man has touched me?’”
The full account of the annunciation is given in Surah Maryam, where Jibril — peace be upon him — appeared to her in the form of a complete human being in her place of seclusion:
“And mention in the Book, Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East. And she took a veil apart from them. Then We sent to her Our Spirit, and he represented himself to her as a well-proportioned man. She said, ‘Indeed, I seek refuge in the Most Merciful from you, if you should be fearing God.’ He said, ‘I am only the messenger of your Lord to give you a pure boy.’ She said, ‘How can I have a boy while no one has touched me and I was not unchaste?’ He said, ‘Thus says your Lord: 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.’”
Allah then commanded Jibril to blow into Mary, and she became pregnant with Jesus — by Allah’s permission — pure, innocent, and chosen.
4 — Events After the Birth — The Miracle of the Cradle
In a society where immorality thrived and righteousness was suspect, the sight of Mary returning with a newborn was met with immediate accusation. The Jews led the attack, rebuking her with malice:
“O sister of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste.”
Mary said nothing. She pointed to the infant in the cradle. They were astonished:
“So she pointed to him. They said, ‘How can we speak to one who is in the cradle, a child?’ He said, ‘Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet. And He has made me blessed wherever I am. And He has enjoined upon me prayer and zakah as long as I live, and dutifulness to my mother. And He has not made me a tyrant, a wretched one. And peace be upon me the day I was born and the day I die and the day I am raised alive.’”
The first words Jesus ever spoke were a declaration of his own servitude to Allah. He did not say “I am God.” He said: “Indeed, I am the servant of Allah.”
5 — The Call of Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him) — Pure Tawhid
The message of Jesus — peace be upon him — was built on the oneness of Allah and warning against polytheism, identical in its foundation to the message of every prophet before him.
His Direct Command to Worship Allah Alone
“And the Messiah said, ‘O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Indeed, whoever associates others with Allah — Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.’”
His Own Testimony on the Day of Judgment
“And when Allah said, ‘O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to the people: Take me and my mother as two gods besides Allah?’ He said, ‘Glory be to You! It is not for me to say that which I have no right to. If I had said it, You would have known it. You know what is within my soul, and I do not know what is within Your soul. Indeed, You are the Knower of the unseen. I said to them nothing except what You commanded me: Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.’”
The Miracles — Granted by Allah, Not From Jesus Himself
“When Allah said, ‘O Jesus, son of Mary, remember My favor upon you and upon your mother — when I supported you with the Holy Spirit so that you spoke to the people in the cradle and in maturity, and when I taught you the Book and wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel, and when you created from clay the figure of a bird by My permission, then you breathed into it and it became a bird by My permission, and you healed the blind and the leper by My permission, and when you brought forth the dead by My permission.’”
Every miracle is qualified with the same phrase: ==by My permission.== The miracles of Jesus were gifts from Allah — not evidence of divinity.
6 — The Glad Tidings of Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)
“And when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, ‘O Children of Israel, indeed I am the Messenger of Allah to you, confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name will be Ahmad.’”
Jesus — peace be upon him — did not come to be worshipped. He came to confirm the Torah and to give glad tidings of the final prophet. His mission was a link in the chain of prophecy, not its culmination.
7 — The Raising of Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him)
The Jews conspired to kill Jesus — as they had done with prophets before him. But Allah does not abandon His servants:
“And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them as if they did.”
Allah saved His servant Jesus — peace be upon him — from killing and crucifixion, and raised him alive to the heavens. He lives, and he will return.
8 — The Verdict on Those Who Deified Jesus and Mary
The Quran does not leave the matter ambiguous. Those who place Jesus or Mary in the position of divinity are addressed directly:
“Indeed, they have disbelieved who say, ‘Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary.’”
“Indeed, they have disbelieved who say, ‘Allah is the third of three.’”
- Mary — peace be upon her — is the most honored woman in creation: chosen, purified, and exalted above all women of the worlds. She is not a goddess and not a sinner.
- Jesus — peace be upon him — is a noble prophet and messenger of Allah, born without a father by Allah’s command, granted miracles by Allah’s permission, and raised alive to the heavens. He is not God, not the son of God, and not part of a Trinity.
- Both of them called to the worship of Allah alone. Neither of them ever claimed divinity.
- The first words Jesus spoke from the cradle were: “Indeed, I am the servant of Allah.”
- Whoever believes in them other than what the Quran has established has fallen into disbelief, regardless of how sincere his devotion to them may be.