Mary (مريم Marīam in Arabic), the mother of Jesus (Isa), is considered one of the most righteous women in the Islamic tradition. She is mentioned more in the Quran[1] than in the entire New Testament and is also the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran.[2] According to the Quran, Isa was born miraculously by the will of God without a father. His mother is regarded as a chaste and virtuous woman and is said to have been a virgin. The Quran states clearly that Isa was the result of a virgin birth, but that neither Mary nor her son were divine. In the Quran, no other woman is given more attention than Mary and the Quran states that Mary was chosen above all women: Behold! the angels said: O Mary! Allah hath chosen thee and purified thee- chosen thee above the women of all nations. —Quran, sura 3 (Al Imran), ayah 42[3] The nineteenth chapter of the Quran is named after her and is, to some extent, about her life. Of the Qurans 114 suras, she is among only eight people who have a chapter named after them. Mary is specifically mentioned in the Quran, alongside Asiya, as an exemplar for all righteous women.[4] Mary plays an important role in Islamic culture and religious tradition, and verses from the Quran relating to Mary are frequently inscribed on the mihrab of various mosques, including in the Hagia Sophia.[5] Contents [hide] 1 Family 2 Mary in the Quran 2.1 Birth 2.2 Early years 2.3 Annunciation to Mary 2.4 Virgin birth of Jesus 3 Mary in Current Islam 4 Mary in Muslim tradition 5 Arabic titles 6 Burial place 7 Gallery 8 See also 9 References 10 External links Family[edit] The Quran refers to Mary as being from the house of Amram, which is a reference to Amram, the father of Moses (Musa), Aaron (Harun) and Miriam, through whom Mary descended. Mary is further called the daughter of Amram, which has again been interpreted to refer to her ancestor rather than her actual father, who is unnamed in the Quran, but to whom Christian tradition applies the name Joachim. Muslim scholars and commentators have seen the Qurans statement of Mary being a daughter of Amram as similar to the description of Elizabeth in the Gospel of Luke as being one of the daughters of Aaron; they interpret both of these phrases as referring to ancestral fathers, rather than literal fathers. Take note, however, that the Gospel of Luke only says Mary and Elizabeth are relatives. There is no phrase the daughter of Aaron. (Only Luke 1 mentions Elizabeth.) Mary in the Quran[edit] Mary is mentioned frequently in the Quran, and her narrative occurs consistently from the earliest chapters, revealed in Mecca, to the latest verses, revealed in Medina. Birth[edit] The birth of Mary is narrated in the Quran with references to her father as well as her mother (Saint Anne). Marys father is called Amran (Imran in Arabic) and Anne (Hannah in Arabic) in tradition and is the equivalent of Joachim in Christian tradition. Muslim literature narrates that Amram and his wife were old and childless and that, one day, the sight of a bird in a tree feeding her young aroused Annes desire for a child. She prayed to God to fulfill her desire[6] and vowed, if her prayer was accepted, that her child would be dedicated to the service of God. She prayed for her child to remain protected from Satan (Shayṭān) and Muslim tradition records a hadith, which states that the only children born without the touch of Satan, were Mary and Jesus.[7] Early years[edit] The Quran narrates that Mary grew up in the temple of the prayer, and had a special place in the temple of her own. She was placed under the care of the prophet Zechariah. The Muslim narrative makes it clear that lots were cast[8] as to who should be the guardian of Mary and the outcome was that she should be placed under Zechariahs care. As often as Zechariah entered Marys prayer chamber, he found her provided with food[9] and he would ask her where she received it from, to which she would reply that God provides to whom He wills. Scholars have debated as to whether this refers to miraculous food that Mary received from God or whether it was normal food. Those in favor of the former view state that it had to be miraculous food, as Zechariah being a prophet, would have known that God is the provider of all sustenance and thus would not have questioned Mary, if it was normal food. Annunciation to Mary[edit] Marys lineage, going back to her grandfather, as interpreted by Muslims. The virgin birth of Jesus is supremely important in Islam, as one of the most important miracles of God. The first explicit mention of an annunciation foreshadowing the birth of Jesus is in sura 19 (Maryam), ayah 20 where Mary asks Gabriel (Jibral) how she will be able to conceive, when no man has touched her. Gabriels reply assures Mary that for God all things are easy and that Jesuss virgin birth will be a sign for mankind.[10] The birth is later referred in sura 66 (At-Tahrim), ayah 12,[11] where the Quran states that Mary remained pure, while God allowed a life to shape itself in Marys womb. A third mention of the annunciation is in sura 3 (Al-Imran), ayat 37–38, where Mary is also given the glad tidings that she has been chosen above all the women of creation.[12] Commentators on the Quran remark on the last verse that Mary was as close to a perfect woman as there could be, and she was devoid of almost all failings.[13] Although Islam honors numerous women, including Khadija and Fatimah, many commentators[14] followed this verse in the absolute sense, and agreed that Mary was the greatest woman of all time. Other commentators, however, while maintaining that Mary was the queen of the saints, interpreted this verse to mean that Mary was the greatest woman of that time and that Fatimah and Khadija were equally great.[15] According to exegesis and literature, Gabriel appeared to Mary, who was still young in age, in the form of a well-made man with a shining face and announced to her the birth of Jesus. After her immediate astonishment, she was reassured by the angels answer that God has the power to do anything.[13] The details of the conception are not discussed during these angelic visits, but elsewhere the Quran states (sura 21, (Al-Anbiya), ayah 91[16] and 66:12[11]) that God breathed His Spirit into Mary while she was chaste.[17][18] Virgin birth of Jesus[edit] Virgin Mary nurtured by a palm tree, as described in the Quran. The Quran narrates the virgin birth of Jesus numerous times. In sura 19 (Maryam), ayat 17-21,[19] the annunciation is given, followed by the virgin birth in due course. In Islam, Jesus is called the spirit of God because he was through the action of the spirit, but that belief does not include the doctrine of his pre-existence, as it does in Christianity.[20] Sura:66:12[11] states that Jesus was born when the spirit of God breathed upon Mary, whose body was chaste.[21] The Qurans narrative of the virgin birth is somewhat different from that in the New Testament. The Quran states that when the pains of childbirth came upon Mary, she held onto a nearby palm tree, at which point a voice came from beneath the (palm-tree) or beneath her, which said Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee; And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree: It will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee.[22] The Quran goes on to describe that Mary vowed not to speak to any man on that day,[23] as God was to make Jesus, who Muslims believe spoke in the cradle, perform his first miracle. The Quran goes on to narrate that Mary then brought Jesus to the temple, where immediately she began to be taunted by all the men, excluding Zechariah, who believed in the virgin birth. The Israelites questioned Mary how she came to be with child whilst unmarried, to which Mary pointed to the baby Jesus. It was then that according to the Quran the infant Jesus began to speak in the cradle, and spoke of his prophecy for the first time.[24] Mary in Current Islam[edit] Mosques are named after Mary Mary Mother of Jesus Mosque in Hoppers Crossing, Victoria, Australia. [25] Mosque Maryam, the Nation of Islam National Center, Chicago, IL Mary in Muslim tradition[edit] Mary is one of the most honored figures in Muslim history, with the majority of Muslims viewing her as one of the most righteous women to have lived, and a minority viewing her as an actual female prophet.[26] Muslim women look upon her as an example and are known to visit both Muslim and Christian shrines. Muslim tradition, like Christian, honors her memory at Matariyyah near Cairo, and in Jerusalem. Muslims also visit the Bath of Mary in Jerusalem, where Muslim tradition recounts Mary once bathed, and this location was visited at times by women, who were seeking a cure for barrenness.[27] Some plants have also been named after Mary, such as Maryammiah, which, as tradition recounts, acquired its sweet scent when Mary wiped her forehead with its leaves. Another plant is Kaff Maryam (Anastatica), which was used by some Muslim women to help in pregnancy, and the water of this plant was given to women to drink while praying. Islamic literature does not recount many instances from Marys later life, and the assumption is one of the Christian events not present in any Muslim records. Nevertheless, some contemporary Muslim scholars, an example being Martin Lings, accepted the assumption as being a historical event from Marys life.[28] One of the lesser-known events which is recorded in Muslim literature, is that of Mary visiting Rome with John and Thaddeus (Jude), the disciples (al-Hawāriyūn) of Jesus, during the reign of Nero.[29] Arabic titles[edit] Lineage of six prominent prophets according to Islamic traditio
Posted on: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 15:18:06 +0000
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