|
Part
1: Mary
Description: The following three part series
consists entirely of verses from the Holy about Mary (Mother of Jesus)
including her birth, childhood, personal qualities, and the miraculous
birth of Jesus.
The
Birth of Mary
“Indeed God
chose Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham and the family of Imran over the
worlds. An offspring, like one
another (in righteousness).
And God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (And mention) when the wife of Imran said, ‘O my Lord, I
have vowed to You what is in my womb, to be dedicated (to Your service), so
accept this from me. Indeed,
You are All-Hearing, All-Knowing.’
Then when she delivered her (Mary), she said, ‘O my Lord, I have
delivered a female,’ and God knew best what she delivered, ‘And the male is
not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge with You
for her and for her children from Satan, the expelled (from the mercy of
God).’” (Quran 3:33-36)
The
Childhood of Mary
“So her Lord
fully accepted her, and gave her a good upbringing, and put her under the
care of Zechariah. Every time
Zechariah entered upon her in the prayer room, he found her supplied with
food. He said, ‘O Mary, where
do you get this from?’ She
said, ‘This is from God.
Indeed, God provides for whom He wills, without limit.’” (Quran
3:37)
Mary,
the Devout
“And
(mention) when the angels said, ‘O Mary, indeed God has chosen you,
purified you, and chosen you above the women of the worlds.’ ‘O Mary, be devoutly obedient to
your Lord and prostrate and bow down along those who bow down (in prayer).’ This is a part of the news of the
unseen, which We reveal to you (O Muhammad). You were not with them when they cast lots with their
pens to (decide) which of them should take care of Mary, nor were you with
them when they disputed.” (Quran 3:42-44)
The
Good news of a new-born child
“(And
mention) when the angels said, ‘O Mary, indeed God gives you the good news
of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah Jesus, the son of Mary,
held in honor in this world and in the Hereafter, and of those who are near
to God.’ ‘He will speak to the
people in the cradle, and in old age, and he will be of the righteous.’ She said, ‘My Lord, how can I have
a son when no man has touched me.’
He said, ‘So (it will be,) for God creates what He wants. When He decides something, He only
says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.
And He will teach him the Book and wisdom and the Torah and the
Gospel. And (will make him) a
messenger to the Children of Israel (saying), ‘Indeed I have come to you
with a sign from your Lord. I
make for you out of clay the likeness of a bird, then breathe into it, and
it becomes a bird by the permission of God. And I heal the blind and the leper, and I bring the dead
to life by the permission of God.
And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your
houses. Surely, there is a
sign for you in that, if you are believers. And (I have come) confirming the Torah that was
(revealed) before me, and to allow you some of what was forbidden to
you. And I have come to you
with a proof from your Lord, so fear God and obey me. Indeed, God is my Lord and your
Lord, so worship Him. This is
the straight path.” (Quran 3:45-51)
“And mention
in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to an
eastern place. And she placed
a screen to seclude herself from them. Then We sent to her Our angel (Gabriel), and he took the
form of a well-created man before her. She said, “Indeed I seek refuge with the Most Merciful
from you, if you do fear God.”[1]
(The angel) said, ‘I am only the messenger of your Lord to give to
you (the news of) a pure boy.’
She said, ‘How can I have a son, when no man has touched me (in
marriage), and I am not a prostitute?’ He said, So your Lord said, ‘It is easy for Me. And We will make him a sign to
people and a mercy from Us.
And it is a matter (already) decided.’”[2] (Quran 19:16-21)
The
Immaculate Conception
“And she who
guarded her chastity, so We breathed (a spirit) into her through Our angel,
and We made her and her son (Jesus) a sign for the worlds.”[3] (Quran
21:91)
The
Birth of Jesus
“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, ‘I wish I had died before this, and had been long
forgotten. [Mary was worried
that people would think badly of her as she was not married.] Then (baby Jesus) called her from
below her, saying, ‘Don’t be sad.
Your Lord has provided a stream under you.’ Shake the trunk of the palm tree
towards you, and it will drop on you fresh ripe dates. So eat and drink and be happy. And if you see any human, then say,
‘Indeed I have vowed a fast to the Most Merciful so I will not speak to any
human today.’ Then she carried
him and brought him to her people.
They said, ‘O Mary, indeed you have done a great evil.’ ‘O sister of Aaron, your father was
not an evil man, and your mother was not a fornicator.’ So she pointed to him. They said, ‘How can we speak to a
child in the cradle?’ (Jesus)
said, ‘Indeed, I am a slave of God.
He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet.[4] And He has made me blessed wherever
I am, and has commanded me to me pray and give charity as long as I remain
alive. And (has made) me kind
to my mother, and did not make me arrogant or miserable. And peace be upon me the day I was
born, and the day I will die, and the day I will be raised alive.’” (Quran
19:22-33)
“Indeed,
Jesus is like Adam in front of God.
He created him from dust, then said to him, ‘Be,’ and he was.”[5]
(Quran 3:59)
“And We made
the son of Mary and his mother a sign, And We gave them refuge and rest on
a high ground with flowing water.”[6] (Quran 23:50)
The
Excellence of Mary
“And God
gives as an example for those who believe, the wife of Pharaoh, when she
said, ‘My Lord, build for me a home near You in paradise, and save me from
Pharaoh and his deeds, and save me from the wrongdoing people.’ And (the example of) Mary, the
daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We blew (the spirit of
Jesus) into her through Our angel (Gabriel). And she believed in the words of her Lord, and His
scriptures, and she was of the devout ones.” (Quran 66:11-12)
Footnotes:
[1]
The Most Merciful is one of the names of God in the Quran.
[2]
Jesus is a sign of God’s power, where God showed people that He could
create Jesus without a father, as He created Adam without any parents.
Jesus is also a sign that God is well able to resurrect all people after
their death, since the one who creates from nothing is quite able to bring
back to life. He is also a sign of the Day of Judgment, when he returns to
the earth and slays the Anti-Christ in the End Times.
[3]
Similarly, just as God created Adam with no father or mother, Jesus’ birth
was from mother with no father. All that is needed for God for something to
happen is to say “Be” and it is; for God is capable of all things.
[4]
Prophethood is the highest and most honorable position a human can reach. A
prophet is one who receives revelations from God through Angel
Gabriel.
[5]
Adam was created when God said, “Be,” and he to be without a father or a
mother. And so was Jesus created by the Word of God. If the unusual birth
of Jesus makes him divine, then Adam deserves more of that divinity because
Jesus at least had one parent, while Adam had none. As Adam is not divine,
so is Jesus not divine, but both are humble servants of God.
[6]
This is where Mary gave birth to Jesus.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part
2: Jesus I
Description: This part explores the life of
the Prophet Jesus, his message, miracles, his disciples and what is
mentioned about them in the Holy Quran.
Jesus
the Prophet
“Say, ‘We
believe in God and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed
to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and to the prophet-descendants (of
Jacob), and what has been given to Moses and Jesus, and what has been given
to the prophets from their Lord.
We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims (in
submission) to Him.’” (Quran 2:136)
“Indeed, We
have revealed to you (O Muhammad) as We revealed to Noah and the prophets
after him. And We revealed to
Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the prophet-descendants (of Jacob),
Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and We gave the book to David.”
(Quran 4:163)
“The Messiah
son of Mary was only a messenger (like other) messengers that had passed
away before him. And his
mother was a strong believer.[1]
They both used to eat food.[2]
Look how We make the proofs clear to them, then look how they
(disbelievers) turn away.” (Quran 5:75)
“He (Jesus)
was only a servant whom We have favored, and We made him an example to the
Children of Israel.” (Quran 43:59)
The
Message of Jesus
“And in
their (the prophets’) footsteps, We sent Jesus the son of Mary, affirming
the Torah that had come before him.
And We gave him the Gospel, in it was guidance and light, affirming
the Torah that had come before it, and a guidance and an admonition for the
pious.” (Quran 5:46)
“O people of
the Scripture, do not go to extremes in your religion, and do not say about
God except the truth. The
Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, is only a messenger from God and a word from
Him (“Be” and it is), which He sent to Mary, and a soul from Him.[3] So, believe in God and His
messengers, and do not say, “Three.” Stop, it is better for you. Indeed, God is one; exalted is He
above having a son. To Him
belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And God is sufficient as a
Determiner of all affairs.
Never would the Messiah look down upon being a worshipper of God,
nor would the angels who are close (to God).[4] And whoever looks down upon the worship of God and is
arrogant, then He will gather them to Himself all together.” (Quran
4:171-172)
“This is
Jesus, the son of Mary. And
this is the statement of truth, which they doubt. It is not possible for God to take a son. Far is He above this! When He
decides something, He just says to it, “Be,” and it is.[5] (Jesus said), ‘And indeed God is my
Lord and your Lord, so worship Him.
That is a straight path.’
But the sects disagreed (over the straight path), so woe to the
disbelievers from meeting a horrible Day.” (Quran 19:34-37)
“And when
Jesus came with clear proofs, he said, ‘I have come to you with
prophethood, and to make clear to you some of what you disagree about, so
fear God and obey me. Indeed,
God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is a straight path.’ But the groups disagreed among themselves (about the
message of Jesus), so woe to those who disbelieved from the punishment of a
painful Day.” (Quran 43:63-65)
“And
(remember) when Jesus, son of Mary, said, “O Children of Israel, I am the
messenger of God to you confirming the Torah that came before me, and
bringing good news of a messenger that will come after me, whose his name
will be Ahmed.[6] But when he
came to them with clear proofs, they said, “This is clear magic.”[7] (Quran
61:6)
The
Miracles of Jesus
“So she
pointed to him. They said, ‘How
can we speak to a child in the cradle?’ (Jesus) said, ‘Indeed, I am a servant of God. He has given me the Scripture and
made me a prophet.[8] And He
has made me blessed wherever I am, and has commanded me to me pray and give
charity as long as I remain alive.
And (has made) me kind to my mother, and did not make me arrogant or
miserable. And peace be upon
me the day I was born, and the day I will die, and the day I will be raised
alive.’” (Quran 19:29-33)
(More
miracles have been mentioned under: The Good news of a new-born child)
The
Table Spread (of food) from Heaven by God’s Permission
“(And) when
the disciples said, ‘O Jesus, son of Mary, will your Lord send down to us a
table spread (with food) from heaven?’ He said, ‘Fear God, if you are indeed believers.’ They said, ‘We wish to eat from it
and have our hearts be reassured, and to know that you have indeed told us
the truth and that we be witnesses to it.’ Jesus the son of Mary said, ‘O God, our Lord, send us
from heaven a table spread (with food) to be for us a festival for the
first of us and the last of us and a sign from You. And provide for us, You are the
Best of providers.’ God said, ‘I
am going to send it down to you, but if any of you after that disbelieves,
then I will punish him with a punishment such as I will not put on anyone
else.’” (Quran 5:112-115)
Jesus
and His Disciples
“O you who
believe, champion God’s (religion), like when Jesus son of Mary said to the
disciples, ‘Who will champion God’s (religion) with me?’ The disciples said, ‘We are the
champions of God’s (religion).’ Then a group of the Children of Israel
believed and a group disbelieved.
So We supported those who believed against their enemy, and they
became victorious.”[9] (Quran 61:14)
“And when I
inspired the disciples to believe in Me and My messenger, so they said, ‘We
believe, and bear witness that we are Muslims (in submission to God).’”
(Quran 5:111)
“Then We
sent after them Our messengers, and We sent Jesus son of Mary, and gave
him the Gospel. And We put in
the hearts of those who followed him compassion and mercy. But We did not command monasticism,
rather they invented it for themselves to please God with it, yet they did
not observe it as it should be observed. So We gave those who believed among them their reward,
but many of them are disobedient.”
O you who believe, fear God and believe in His messenger, He will
then give you a double portion of His mercy, and give you light by which
you can walk, and He will forgive you. And God is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful. (This We say) so that the people of
the Scripture may know that they have no control over God’s favor, and that
(His) favor is in His Hand to give it to whomever He wills. And God is the Owner of great
bounty.”[10] (Quran 57:27-29)
Footnotes:
[1]
The Arabic word here indicates the highest level of faith possible, where
the only one higher is prophethood.
[2]
Both the Messiah and his pious mother used to eat, and that is not a
characteristic of God, who does not eat nor drink. Also, the one who eats defecates,
and this cannot be an attribute of God. Jesus here is likened to all the noble messengers that
had preceded him: their message was the same, and their status as
non-divine creatures of God is similar. The highest honor that can be afforded to a human is
prophethood, and Jesus is one of the five highly regarded prophets. See verse 33:7 & 42:13
[3]
Jesus is called a word or a soul from God because he was created when God
said, “Be,” and he was. In
that he is special, because all humans, except Adam and Eve, are created
from two parents. But despite
his uniqueness, Jesus is like everyone else in that he is not divine, but a
mortal creature.
[4]
Everything and everyone else other than God is a worshipper or a slave of
God. The verse is asserting
that the Messiah would never claim a status above that of a worshipper of
God, dismissing any claim to the contrary of his divinity. And indeed he would never disdain
such a position, because this is the highest honor any human can aspire to.
[5] If
the creation of Jesus without a father makes him the son of God, then
everything created like Jesus without a predecessor should be divine too,
and that includes Adam, Eve, the first animals, and this whole earth with
its mountains and waters. But
Jesus was created like all things on this earth, when God said, “Be,” and
he was.
[6]
This is another name of Prophet Muhammad.
[7]
This can refer to both prophets, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon
them. When they came with the
message from God to their people, they were accused of bringing magic. |
