Mary in Islam: Setting the Facts Straight

Recently, a Roman Catholic priest shared with me a link discussing the Virgin Mary in Islam. The article clearly states that Our Lady, the Mother of Christ, is regarded not as the Mother of the Word Incarnate but rather as the mother of a mere prophet. This is due to the fact that Muslims reject the Holy Trinity and the divinity of Jesus. Nevertheless, Muslims hold the Virgin Mary in high esteem, recognizing her as an exceptionally pious figure:

And [mention] when the angels said: “O Maryam [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 [in prayer].” (Sura 3:42-43)

Indeed, Mary is the woman who receives the greatest attention in the Koran, despite the fact that all the prophets, except for Adam, had mothers. Out of the 144 suras (chapters), she is one of the eight individuals who have a chapter named in her honor.

The underlying argument is that just as Mary, the Mother of the Son of God, “teaches us to keep and ponder things in the heart” (cf. Luke 2:19), we can “learn respect for the sacred” from Muslims—which “can inspire Christians themselves to rediscover with greater fervor the place of the Virgin in their spiritual life, since many modern Catholics have relegated Mary to a secondary role.”

There is even an indirect mention of Mary in Islamic teaching as being “immaculately conceived”: “None are born except that Satan touches them upon their birth, due to which it comes out screaming from its touch, except Mary and her son (Jesus)” (Sahih al-Bukhari 3431).

Islam does not endorse the doctrine of original sin and, thus, does not support the interpretation that they—Jesus and the Blessed Mother—were free from Satan’s influence. Instead, it is viewed as a divine grace bestowed by Allah upon Mary and her son Jesus. Like other prophets, Jesus was safeguarded from committing serious sins. Regarding Mary, even if Muslims may argue that she was not a prophetess, she still received the protection and guidance from God that is granted to devout believers.

In a situation where all factors are considered equal, it is possible for an atheist to demonstrate greater reverence for the sacred than some Catholics—for instance, by removing their hat upon entering a church; so often does one see Catholic men entering a church with their hats on. However, it is important to clarify that the figure of “Mary” in Islam is not the same individual revered by Christians.

Upon examining the verses in the Koran that reference Mary, it seems that she is identified as the sister of Aaron and Moses:

Then she brought him to her people, carrying him. They said: “O Mary, you have certainly done a thing unprecedented. O sister of Aaron [brother of Moses], your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste.” (Sura 19:27-28)

And [the example of] Mary, the daughter of Imran [Amram], who guarded her chastity, so We blew into [her garment] through Our angel, and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient. (Sura 66:12)

The Koran and hadiths do not mention the father of Moses or Aaron. However, the name Imram (or Amram), referenced in the Koran, is linked to the figure in the Old Testament identified as the father of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam [Maryam] (1 Chronicles 6:3), while Christian tradition holds that the father of Mary was Joachim.

According to Sahih Muslim, Muhammad himself recognizes that Maryam is distinct from Mary, the Mother of Jesus. This distinction was also noted by Muhammad’s child-bride Aisha, who is revered by Sunni Muslims as the “mother” of the faithful. As stated in Tafsir Ibn Kathir, an exegesis of the Koran by highly regarded Islamic scholar Ibn Kathir (c. 1300-1373):

“O sister of Harun (Aaron)! (of Sura 19:28) does not refer to Aaron the brother of Moses.” Aisha replied to Ka’b: “You have lied.” Ka’b responded: “O Mother of the believers! If the prophet, may Allah’s prayers, has said it, and he is more knowledgeable, then this is what he related. Besides, I find the difference in time between them (Jesus and Moses) to be 600 years.” He said that she remained silent. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir 19:28)

Muslims hold a profound respect for the Mother of Jesus, as illustrated in Persian art—contrary to the Shiites, the Sunnis tend to discourage depictions even of their own prophet. Nevertheless, there exist two distinct “Marys”: the Blessed Mother of Christ and Maryam (Miryam), the prophetess from the Old Testament. Despite the fact that these two women lived over a millennium apart, the authors of the Koran, seemingly unfamiliar with either figure, erroneously identified Imram (or Amram) as the father of Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

In the Islamic world, non-Muslims are frequently cautioned, if not outright warned, to address Muhammad with respect, lest they provoke a violent reaction from offended Muslims. Nevertheless, it is important to reflect on the comments that Muslims often make regarding the beliefs and sacred symbols cherished by non-Muslims, especially Christians.

In a 2017 televised Arabic-language program, Dr. Salem Abdul Galil, who served as deputy minister of Egypt’s Religious Endowments for Preaching—this office was recently dismantled by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi—stated that, among other biblical women (Moses’ sister and the Pharaoh’s wife), “our prophet Muhammad—prayers and peace be upon him—will be married to (the Virgin) Mary in paradise.” (“Marriage” in Arabic denotes having legal sexual relations.) His claim is based on the hadith that claims: “Allah will wed me in paradise to Mary, Daughter of Imran.”

In conclusion, while Mary is indeed honored in Islam, she is not regarded in the same manner as the Mary we Catholics revere as the Mother of Jesus.