Chapter III-Prophet Muhammad Presents Mary, the Mother of Jesus

«o mary, indeed god has chosen you

and purified you and chosen you above

 the women of the world.»

(surah aali ‘imraan, 3:42)

every muslim loves prophet muhammad (blessings and peace be upon him) and invokes god,s blessings on him whenever he remembers the blessing of monotheism, savors the meaning of worship, recites the qur’an, holds his head high with a sense of freedom and pride, engages industriously in virtuous work, is charitable to others and adheres to the course of moderation in thought, speech, action, and conduct. in all these situations, a muslim,s supplication for blessing upon the prophet fills his heart and is constantly pronounced by him, for all that is good in him has been achieved through the prophet,s guidance.

actually, all mankind is indebted to this kind, noble prophet. it is he who allowed humanity to make the great leap forward by giving great importance to reason, promoting thought and contemplation, freeing the will and conscience from the shackles of paganism and oppression, establishing principles of equality, establishing humanitarian cooperation among nations and peoples, introducing principles of justice and applying them even to adversaries, observing and elevating the value of the common human heritage, and defending righteous persons, irrespective of their customs or environments, rightfully, effectively and generously. this treatise is an elaboration of the last point.

one of the proofs of the truthfulness of our prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) is that he advocated a religion that promotes belief in the whole truth, i.e., truth not subject to partiality, exception or annulment. this is a rational and methodological issue; truth can never be divided or self-contradictory in its essence or its source.

the example of mary

it has been alleged that jesus, son of mary, had a half-brother. islamic religious institutions were quick to refute that statement because it undermines the reputation and blemishes the chastity of the truthful mary, who never married.

which text distinctively testifies to the virgin mary,s chastity, purity, and lack of contact with men?

it is the qur’an, which was inspired to muhammad. that enlightening book establishes firm conviction relating to pure mary, one that affirms the truth and repudiates falsehood and slander.

one of the characteristics of the qur’an is that it defends upright, faithful people regardless of their race, nationality, time, place or gender. mary, who was among the righteous servants of god, is described in the qur’an in the best manner and context. the qur’an defends her with an irrefutable argument that produces love and veneration for her.

she was protected from satan:

«and i have named her mary, and i seek refuge for her in you and [for] her descendants from satan, the expelled [from the mercy of god].» (surah aali ‘imraan, 3:36)

she was honored by god,s blessing: «every time zechariah entered upon her in the prayer chamber, he found with her provision. he said, o mary, from where is this [coming] to you? she said, it is from god. indeed, god provides for whom he wills without account.» (surah aali ‘imraan, 3:37)

she was chosen over all women: «o mary, indeed god has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds.» (surah aali ‘imraan, 3:42)

she was devout and she prostrated herself and bowed to god: «o mary, be devoutly obedient to your lord and prostrate and bow with those who bow [in prayer].» (surah aali ‘imraan, 3:43)

she received of tidings of a child who would be great and honored: «[and mention] when the angels said, o mary, indeed god 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 god].» (surah aali ‘imraan, 3:45)

she is acclaimed in the qur’an: «and mention, [o muhammad], in the book [the story of] mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place toward the east.» (surah maryam, 19:16)

she was a sign for all mankind: «and we made her and her son a sign for the worlds.» (surah al-anbiyaa’, 21:91)

«and we made the son of mary and his mother a sign.» (surah al-

she was truthful: «and his mother was a supporter of truth.» (surah al-ma’idah, 5:75)

she was a chaste virgin who never married or had contact with any human being:

«and mention, [o muhammad], in the book [the story of] mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place toward the east. and she took, in seclusion from them, a screen. then we sent to her our angel [i.e., gabriel], and he represented himself to her as a well-proportioned man. she said, indeed, i seek refuge in the most merciful from you, [so leave me], if you should be fearing of god. he said, i am only the messenger of your lord to give you [news of] a pure boy [i.e., son]. she said, how can i have a boy while no man has touched me and i have not been unchaste? he said, thus [it will be]; your lord says, «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.» so she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a remote place. and the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. she said, oh, i wish i had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten. but he called her from below her, do not grieve; your lord has provided beneath you a stream. and shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates. so eat and drink and be contented. and if you see from among humanity anyone, say, «indeed, i have vowed to the most merciful abstention, so i will not speak today to [any] man.» then she brought him to her people, carrying him. they said, o mary, you have certainly done a thing unprecedented. o sister [i.e., descendant] of aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste. so she pointed