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Mary
Mary (Ar., Maryam), the mother of Jesus (Ar., ʿĪsā), ranks among the most revered women in Islam, along with Khadījah, the first wife of Muḥammad, and Fāṭimah, his youngest daughter. Through the Qurʾān, its exegesis, ḥadīth, and hagiography, Mary emerges as a model of feminine piety, motherhood, and unquestioning submission to Allah’s will. This overview of Mary’s significance for Muslims focuses on the Qurʾānic accounts of her life and summarizes major issues that have occupied exegetes and other scholars.
Mary is the only woman mentioned by name in the Qurʾān; an entire chapter (Sūrat Maryam) of the Qurʾān bears her name and elaborates on her piety and significance for Muslims. Seventy verses of the Qurʾān refer to her, and her name is mentioned specifically in thirty-four of these. The references depict an ascetic, exceedingly pious woman whose life manifested Allah’s mercy and omnipotence.
According to the Qurʾānic account, the wife of ʿĪmrān, who is named Hannah in the exegetical literature, prayed for a child. On discovering that she would miraculously be blessed with one in her old age, she consecrated her unborn child to Allah. When Hannah gave birth to a daughter (who according to ancient Jewish tradition could not serve in the same manner as male children), she nevertheless surrendered this child, Mary, to a life of piety and service in the temple. Allah accepted the offering, and appointed Zechariah (Ar., Zakarīyā) as her caretaker (Qurʾān [Q] 3:35–37). Among the early miracles associated with Mary is the divine provision of her food. She is said to have worshiped in a secluded area (miḥrāb) of the temple to which only Zechariah had access. Whenever he visited her, he found that she had food, which she asserted was provided to her by Allah (Q 3:37).
Mary’s chosen status is reaffirmed through the visitation of the Archangel Gabriel (Ar., Jibrīl), who appears to her in the form of a man and announces that she is to give birth to a son though she herself has never had sexual contact with a man (Q 19:17–19). The child, who will be named Jesus, would also exhibit divine favor through miracles, among them the ability to speak soon after birth (Q 3:45–49). The Qurʾān is uncharacteristically detailed in its description of such incidents in Mary’s life, matching the detailed accounts of few other prophets, such as Abraham and Moses.
Nevertheless, several matters are not clarified in the Qurʾān. The following four salient issues emerge from the exegetical and hagiographical literature.Allah’s choice of Mary and her purification: The Qurʾān (3:42) states “Allah has chosen you and purified you, and chosen you above the women of the world.” Scholars have pondered the precise meaning of Allah’s “choosing” Mary and the reason for the repetition of the word in the verse. A number of exegetes concur that the first choice of Allah refers to his acceptance of Mary for service in the temple, and the second refers to his blessing her with Jesus through a miraculous conception. There is also discussion of whether Mary’s purification refers to a spiritual cleansing or an actual physical one wherein she was freed from feminine ritual impurities such as menstrual cycles and bleeding after childbirth. Within this context exegetes also speculate on the specific processes by which the archangel Gabriel was a vehicle for the conception of Jesus, especially given that she did not have the requisite sexual contact.
- Mary’s chosen status with respect to other women: The Qurʾānic reference above that designates Mary as “the chosen over all the women of the world” has generated discussion about the relative status of other Muslim women such as Khadījah and ʿĀʿishah, the favored wives of Muḥammad, and Fāṭimah, his youngest daughter and the one through whom the Shīʿī imams trace their descent from Muḥammad. Whereas some scholars have viewed the designation as absolute, thereby ranking Mary as superior to all other women in history, others have interpreted the verse as more limited. According to the latter perspective, Mary is the preferred woman of her time, and on equal footing with other pious female exemplars, such as Khadījah and Fāṭimah.
- Mary’s response to the annunciation and birth pangs: A third salient issue concerns Mary’s incredulous reaction to the annunciation and her wish for death just before she gave birth (Q 19:20, 19:23). Both reactions occasioned commentary about how these moments may be reconciled with Mary’s absolute and unquestioning submission to Divine Will. As for the annunciation, some exegetes suggest that she was not questioning Divine Will, but rather asking how she could be pregnant when she had never had sexual contact with a man. Exegetes also grapple with her stated desire for death when she was about to give birth, given the idea that believers ought not wish for death as an escape from Allah’s will and command for death (even in response to labor pains). In light of this, some scholars have speculated that Mary was reacting to the shame that the birth of a child out of wedlock would bring upon her family and their honor. According to such interpretations, death would be a lesser evil than the possibility of dishonoring herself and her family.
- Prophecy: A final issue concerns whether or not Mary can be considered a prophet. Here, there is a consensus in the Sunnī and Shīʿī traditions that, though Mary experienced miracles and though Allah communicated with her through Gabriel (which are ordinarily two of the criteria of prophecy), her gender prevents her from being categorized as a prophet. Among the dissenters was the Andalusian Ẓāhirī jurist, Ibn Ḥazm (d. 1064 CE), who forcefully asserted that Mary as well as other women who received such inspiration, such as the mother of Moses, and Āsiyah, the wife of the Pharoah, are all to be considered prophets.
Scholarly and popular discourse on the significance of Mary as it engages with a variety of issues, among them the four outlined above, has evolved throughout Muslim history. As such, it is a fascinating avenue for examining not only the image of Mary in Muslim thought, but also the ways conceptions of feminine piety have evolved in different periods throughout the Muslim world.
Mary
621 – 009
Last Update: 06/04/2021
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