Muslims believe in Jesus as one of the great Prophets of God and that he was born miraculously, conceived with no father, to his mother, Mary, but Muslims believe that he is not Son of God, because God begets not nor is He begotten
Chapter Three of the Qur’an is called The Family of Imran. It is a chapter dedicated to Jesus and his family. The Imran mentioned is Jesus’ grandfather, the father of his mother Mary.
Several chapters of Qur’an tell the same stories that Christians are familiar with about the life of Jesus, the Messiah.
In order to bring followers of both faiths together, a billboard went up this month in Dallas to encourage dialogue on the fundamental teachings of Islam.
The billboard on Interstate 45, southeast of downtown Dallas, features the message: “Find Jesus in the Qur’an, Muhammad in the Bible.”
“The Muslim Jesus” campaign was launched by a Chicago-based group called GainPeace.
“Our main purpose is to build bridges, and to erase the misconceptions,” Sabeel Ahmed, the executive director of GainPeace, told Kera News.
“We want to educate our fellow Americans, giving them an opportunity to look into Islam, to read about Islam through our website and billboards.”
Spark Dialogue
The goal of the billboard is to spark dialogue and bring people of faith together.
“Jesus is mentioned with love and respect and honor more than 25 times in the Quran,” Ahmed said. “Mary the mother of Jesus is likewise mentioned 32 times in the Quran.”
This is not the first campaign launched by GainPeace to educate people about Islam.
In February 2019, the group put a billboard campaign to inform people about hijab and counter misconceptions triggered by the political atmosphere.
Another campaign, titled “Truthful Man”, was launched in 2017 to educate Americans on the true manners of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
2 Lessons We Learn from Mary, Mother of Jesus
It comes as a surprise to many who are not Muslim that Mary (Maryam in Arabic), the mother of Jesus, has a very special place in Islam.
In the Quran, for example, a whole Chapter is named after her. And in fact, she is mentioned more often in the Quran than in the whole of the New Testament.
Not only is Mary, then, an obvious point of contact between Muslims and Christians, but there is much from her life we can learn from.
The story of Maryam in the Quran is similar in many ways to the Christian version in Saint Luke’s Gospel, but it also differs in significant ways.
Imran, her father, was a priest dedicated to God’s service. Her mother, Hannah, was the sister of Elizabeth, who was the wife of Zachariah, the father of Prophet Yahya.
Her parents were old and childless and Hannah prayed for a child. Expecting the child to be a boy, she vowed to dedicate the future child to service in God’s House in Jerusalem.
[Mention, O Muhammad], when the wife of ‘Imran said, “My Lord, indeed I have pledged to You what is in my womb, consecrated [for Your service], so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing. (3:35)
Imran died before the child was born so when, to Hannah’s surprise, the new baby was a girl she still fulfilled the words of her vow and the young Mary was dedicated to God from birth.
Trust in God
Having no father to act as her guardian, her uncle Zachariah looked after the young Maryam as she worked in God’s House, providing a small chamber for her. Every time he went to visit the young Maryam he found that she had plenty of food to eat and asked where the food had come from:
So her Lord accepted her with good acceptance and caused her to grow in a good manner and put her in the care of Zechariah. 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 Allah. Indeed, Allah provides for whom He wills without account. (3:37)
The words here leave it open for us to understand either that it means the food was provided miraculously by Allah or that the food was one of the constant blessings of Allah, as it is to all of us.
What it does show, though, is that even from an early age Mary was filled with trust in Allah and saw Him at work in all things. This is what we are all called to do as Muslims. Like Mary, we are called to trust in Allah and see His work in all creation.
Her true “submission” to the Will of God, though, was in her response to what He was to ask of her when the Angel Gabriel (Jibril in Arabic) appeared and spoke to her.
He said, ‘I am only the messenger of your Lord to give you news of a pure boy.’ She said, “How can I have a boy while no man has touched me and I have not been unchaste?” (19:19-20)
Do God’s Will
Just like the Christian version, Muslims believe that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus. This, by the way, is not to suggest that there is something wrong about sexual relations between a husband and wife, but its purpose is to show the miraculous nature of Jesus birth and the singular way in which his mother was chosen by Allah. Mary was very special.
Roman Catholics are renowned for their deep devotion to the mother of Jesus. But Muslims, too, believe that Mary was chosen above all women.
The Quran is very clear in insisting that she is chosen above all women, not just Muslims, but all women who have lived.
And [mention] when the angels said, “O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds. (3:42)
In a sense, in Mary, all women are exalted. The rest of women give birth in a normal way, but nonetheless giving birth to a child is a truly wonderful thing and it is one of the gifts of Allah to His creation.
In the Quran there are no angels or shepherds present at Jesus’ birth, and he is not born in a stable with angels singing in the sky. Giving birth is not easy. Rooted in reality, the birth of Jesus more accurately reflects the situation in the Middle East and the situation and pain of many women giving birth.
So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place. And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: she cried (in her anguish): ‘Ah! Would that I had died before this! Would that I had been a thing forgotten.’ (19:22-3)
No, childbirth is not easy, and Mary is alone with her pain and there are no choirs of angels to accompany her.
The rest of the story of the birth of Jesus is simple. Mary is told to grasp the trunk of a palm tree and to shake it so that “fresh ripe dates fall upon thee.” Allah has also provided a stream nearby for her to quench her thirst.
And tongues would wag in those days in just the same way tongues might wag if an unmarried girl gives birth to a child. Mary did not respond to these comments, but instead her baby spoke out on her behalf.
But she pointed to the babe. They said, ‘How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?’ He said: ‘I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet.’ (19:29-30)
In our own lives we are called to do the Will of Allah no matter what others might be saying around us. Most of the time we won’t receive any thanks for what we are doing. Most of the time our goodness and kind actions will be known to Allah alone.
Yet, the trustworthiness and faithfulness of Mary to Allah is not only rewarded with the birth of a beautiful baby boy, but that child speaks out and vindicates her and goes on to become a great Prophet of Islam, foretelling the coming of the final Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Allah knows all that we do. He is the one we should seek to please, not the people around us. And He is the one who will reward us, Insha’Allah.
The life of Mary teaches us to trust in Allah and do His will. What more could a Muslim want than that?
Muslims Love Jesus Too! That’s What Made Me Love Islam
[And mention] 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 ]. (Quran 3:45)
It’s a common misconception amongst many non-Muslims that Muslims do not believe in Jesus (peace be upon him). Misinformation and assumptions are the fuel that feed into this myth. The reality is that Muslims do believe in Jesus and love him just as much as Christians do, probably more!
The primary difference is in the role of Jesus. Christians, depending upon who you ask, believe that he is either God incarnate or the son of God. Muslims, however, reject the notion that God has a son or is part of a “trinity”. As Allah tells us in the Noble Quran:
And say, “Praise to Allah, who has not taken a son and has had no partner in [His] dominion and has no [need of a] protector out of weakness; and glorify Him with [great] glorification. (Quran 17:111)
According to Islam, Jesus was a Prophet of God. He was a man and a Messenger who came to deliver God’s message to mankind. As a young Christian girl growing up, I struggled with Jesus’ role in the faith of my parents. Ultimately, it was my quest to understand his role that led me to the religion of Islam.
A “Son” of God?
I still remember sitting in the living room with my mother as a child and cleaning out some old photo albums. I opened one of them and an image of a very young man with long hair and blue eyes slid out. So, I wanted to know who he was and my mother said, ‘Oh that’s Jesus!”
Even as a young child, I questioned how such an image could exist if he lived hundreds of years ago. I could not understand how this “photo” could be real and I questioned my mother for more answers. She didn’t have them.
How could anyone remember what he looked like? I pondered. In the end, the only thing she could tell me was that Jesus was the son of God.
From that point on, the question of “Why does God need a son?” was firmly rooted in my mind. It stayed there for many years and gently nudged me, from time to time, that it was a question that needed answering. Yet, I couldn’t find anyone that could answer it.
So Who Do I Pray To?
As is quite common in many Christian homes, there is even confusion regarding Jesus’ role in the Christian faith! Some Christians believe that he is God’s son while others believe he is God.
In my family, they believed both which doubled the confusion for me. I could not understand who I was supposed to pray to? Was I supposed to pray to God or Jesus? I went with praying to Jesus.
I had seen my grandmother sit and pray with her hands clasped together and saying “In Jesus’s name. Amen” So I did the same.
However, my prayers were very troubled. I was struck by the randomness of the prayer. There was no structure or schedule. You could simply clasp your hands and pray whenever you felt the need or never pray at all. For whatever reason, this distressed me.
Whenever I prayed, I would ask Jesus to fulfill my needs and wants. Then, at the end, I would say to God that “I love you too.” Clearly, I was confused and that confusion grew as I did.
An Entire Chapter
It wasn’t until I entered college that I finally had the opportunity to explore and find out who Jesus was. I visited many churches, from the Catholic to Presbyterian, and everything in between.
Nevertheless, no matter how many churches I visited or sermons I listened to, I could not find Jesus. It took many months for me to finally realize that I should be searching for God instead.
I stopped praying to Jesus and instead decided to pray to God alone without partner or intercessor. I had no idea that this was the basis of Islam! It would take many years of self-discovery, introspection and questioning before I finally opened an English translation of the Noble Quran back in 1996 as a 22-year-old Christian woman.
After only reading a few pages, the tears flowed effortlessly from my eyes. I read and read, absorbing every word over the next several months.
When I arrived at chapter Maryam, named after Mary the mother of Jesus, I finally understood what Jesus’ role was as a Prophet of God and learned the truth about his miraculous birth, his life and prophethood. I knew that Islam was the religion for me and I declared my faith in Allah Almighty along with all of His Books and Prophets.
I Love Jesus!
And [make him] a messenger to the Children of Israel, [who will say], ‘Indeed I have come to you with a sign from your Lord in that I design for you from clay [that which is] like the form of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird by permission of Allah… (Quran 3:49)
In just this one verse alone, I learned more about Jesus (peace be upon him) than I had during an entire lifetime as a Christian.
The Noble Quran dispelled the myths I had heard growing up and clarified Jesus’ role perfectly. It also shed light on the “cruci-fiction” as well as the knowledge that Jesus will one day return to this world to live out the rest of his life before the Day of Judgment begins.
I love Jesus, as all Muslims do, and share the stories of his life and his blessed mother Mary with my children. He was a man, not the son of God or God, who delivered the message of Allah to his people. It is not fitting to worship Jesus or ascribe him as a partner to the One and Only Allah. It is our Lord, Cherisher and Sustainer Allah Almighty who is worthy of all worship not any part of His creation.
Revisiting the Story of Mary as a New Muslim
When I first encountered Islam, like many from a Christian background I was drawn to the story of Mary the mother of Jesus (PBUH), known to Muslims as Mariam.
Alongside Asiya, the wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh, Mary is considered one of the most important women in history. The Prophet Muhammad Himself (PBUH) even cited her as having reached “perfection” in faith.
I remember thinking: “How can a religion that denies the divinity of Jesus Christ hold his mother in such high regard?” This was one of the elements of the Quran and the Islamic faith that drew me to question.
Eventually, a new perspective and love for the Virgin Mary helped me see Islam as the true faith and become the Muslim that I am today.
Many devout Christians throughout history have found their way to Islam through a new vision of Mary. How the Quran presents her in comparison with the narrative of the Gospels is, therefore, the focus of this article.
Continuity with Previous Scriptures
The goal of the Quranic story of Mary is not to tell every detail of the story from scratch, nor is God ignorant of the Gospel narrative. Indeed, this is how the entire Quran works. At the very beginning of Chapter 2 (Surat al-Baqarah), you are told that the Quran is for those:
…who believe in what has been revealed to you, and what was revealed before you; and of the Hereafter they are certain. (Quran 2:4)
The refrain of continuity is repeated at the beginning of the next Chapter (Al Imran); and it can be found in numerous places throughout the Quran.
The entire chapter that contains the story of Mary (Surat Mariam) is based on the idea of the recollection of previous revelations, with God commanding the believers to “recall” (adhkur) Zechariah, Mary, Abraham, Moses, Ishmael, and Idris.
All of these figures (except Mary) are Prophets of the Biblical tradition. The Quran is not denying any of them, rather confirming what was revealed before: that there have been previous Prophets; and the person in front of you now (Muhammad) is from that same tradition.
Shifting the Focus from Prophet to Mother
The most interesting aspect of the story of Mary in the Quran is that, unlike its Biblical counterpart, the focus of the narrative is Mary herself and not Jesus. The Prophet Jesus (PBUH) only appears at the very end of the Quranic story, speaking miraculously as an infant to inform the people around Mary that his birth is legitimate and that he is a Prophet.
Read Also: Story of Mary – The Striking Similarity in Bible and Quran
Rather, the focus is on Mary herself, beginning with her reaction to the Angel Gabriel visiting her in the night. The Quran describes the announcement of Gabriel as:
…giving you the gift (li ahaba laki) of a pure boy;” one whom will be made “a sign to the people and a mercy from God (Quran 19:19, 21).
In the Bible, Gabriel is reported to have said:
Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.” (Luke 1:28, 30 & 32)
Putting these two pronouncements together, it is clear in both narratives that Mary is elevated amongst all other women. She is to give birth to a Prophet (Quran) or the Son of God (Bible).
However, the Quran’s use of the word “gift” strikes an important difference in tone. The Prophet Jesus is not only to be a gift for the world, as in the Bible, but for Mary.
Mary’s position is also not one of servitude to the Son of God. The Quran rather elevates her higher, giving her the “gift” of a son. This is a blessing for her – and a clear acknowledgement of her stature – just as much as it is a blessing and mercy from God for the world.
Read Also: 7 Lessons From Mary – The Best Woman of the Worlds
The Quran further exalts Mary by focusing on her sacrifice in the path of God. In the midst of labor pains with no one else to help her, she calls out to God asking for death. Her answer came from either God or Jesus himself (the Quran only describes the voice as coming from underneath her) and told not to fall into despair. She is given water and the power to shake a tree and find her sustenance (Quran 19:23-26).
Again, the focus here is on Mary. It is her pain, her suffering, and the response given to her, that is the centerpiece of this story. This is similar to the story of the mother of Moses who is also the center of the Quranic narrative (Quran 28:7).
Finally, in the Bible Mary’s husband, Joseph, at one point seeks to quietly divorce her. He is rebuked by God and stays with her, hinting at the societal problems her virgin pregnancy will cause (Matthew 1:18-25).
This is similar to the Quran, however here it is Mary who is accused of infidelity (Quran 19:27-28). In the Quran it is the stigma that will befall Mary, not her husband, that needs to be clarified.
In conclusion, the Quranic view of Mary, the mother of Prophet Jesus (PBUH), elevates her beyond the Biblical narrative.
While reminding Muslims to recall the stories told of the past, the Quran makes an important corrective, shifting the focus of these miraculous Prophets to the mothers that carried them and brought them into the world.As a Muslim convert, when speaking about the Prophet Jesus it is always important to remember this and affirm the position of all of the mothers of the Prophets (Peace be Upon Them All).
