Sura Maryam

[Tunisia 16]

I have just been reading the sura Maryam, and am puzzled why Mary is mentioned in the Quran or has a whole sura named for her. I mean Mary was not a prophet, Mary was mother to Jesus but no other prophets mother is given this honour. What do you take this sura to mean?

[ala'adin 184]

Mary the mother of Jesus was honoured in the Quran by Allah, she is named as the greatest woman to have walked the earth.

[Tunisia 16]

Thank you Ala'adin, but to think logically, why is Mary mentioned above the mothers of any other prophets? I know she was probably the greatest woman to walk the earth as she was favoured by God to bear a Holy son. It makes sense to me from that aspect because as a Christian I understand Jesus to be more than a prophet that He was the Messiah. What I do not get, as the Quran sees Jesus as just another prophet, and in fact not even as important as Mohammed, then why was Mary mentioned and not mothers of other prophets? Or is Mohammeds mother mentioned also and I have missed it so far?

[AHMAD_73 86]

Thank you Ala'adin, but to think logically, why is Mary mentioned above the mothers of any other prophets? I know she was probably the greatest woman to walk the earth as she was favoured by God to bear a Holy son. It makes sense to me from that aspect because as a Christian I understand Jesus to be more than a prophet that He was the Messiah. What I do not get, as the Quran sees Jesus as just another prophet, and in fact not even as important as Mohammed, then why was Mary mentioned and not mothers of other prophets? Or is Mohammeds mother mentioned also and I have missed it so far?

 

Not only Mary,

The real one god of all the people, deals with them as individuals and not couples or groups. as he, SW, chose the prophets as best among men he chose Mary as the best among women along with Asia, pharaoh's wife, Khadigah and Fatemah, the wife and daughter of the prophet pbuh.

 

066.010  Y: Allah sets forth, for an example to the Unbelievers, the wife of Noah and the wife of Lut: they were (respectively) under two of our righteous servants, but they were false to their (husbands), and they profited nothing before Allah on their account, but were told: "Enter ye the Fire along with (others) that enter!"

 

066.011  Y: And Allah sets forth, as an example to those who believe the wife of Pharaoh: Behold she said: "O my Lord! Build for me, in nearness to Thee, a mansion in the Garden, and save me from Pharaoh and his doings, and save me from those that do wrong";

 

066.012 Y: And Mary the daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into (her body) of Our spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His Revelations, and was one of the devout (servants).

 

Mary, because of her attitude and manner, she was honored/tested of having a created son without a father (just like Adam). The honor of Mary, RA, is mainly in the content of the Surah and not only the name, this surah, 19. Maryam and the other one 3. Al-emran .

 

can you tell us from your perspective, which book honored Mary more than the other, showing some verses from the bible 

[Tunisia 16]

hi Ahmed 73, I'm not talking about women mentioned in the Quran, for sure they are there and they get a mention. I am talking about having a sura named for them. In your above examples the respective wives of Noah and Lot it seems not that much of an honourable mention, likewise the Pharaoh's wife, not sure what that's about. Or even why Maryam the sister of Moses has a special mention.

 

Are Mohammed's wife Khadija and daughter Fatima mentioned in more than passing? I mean like do they have a sura or something for them?

 

What do you mean by created son just like Adam? There is nothing comparable in the birth of Jesus and the creation of Adam. Not from Mary's prospective anyway. As you can easy look up Mary in the Bible if you wish to I don't know what adding my perspective to the same would benefit you any. Maybe you could be more precise in what angle you are looking for if it is something you genuinely wish to know then fair do's but if you just want to use it as a stick to bash me with then I don't see the point.

[ParadiseLost 333]

I have just been reading the sura Maryam, and am puzzled why Mary is mentioned in the Quran or has a whole sura named for her. I mean Mary was not a prophet, Mary was mother to Jesus but no other prophets mother is given this honour. What do you take this sura to mean?

That is right Mary was not a prophet she was a human being but she was a true believer in Allah and Allah chose her to to be the mother of Jesus. Imagine today if you became pregnant and told people you were still a virgin surely no one would believe. The feeling Mary felt we cannot imagine but she continued to obey Allah as she knew He would make things clear in time. She was very patient through hardship someone we should all aspire to. She and the child she gave birth to, Jesus, are a sign of the miracles of God. 

 

 

Are Mohammed's wife Khadija and daughter Fatima mentioned in more than passing? I mean like do they have a sura or something for them?

You will find in the hadiths about other important women who reached perfection in their faith:

 

Narrated Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Many amongst men attained perfection but amongst women none attained the perfection except Mary, the daughter of `Imran and Asiya, the wife of Pharaoh. And the superiority of `Aisha to other women is like the superiority of Tharid (i.e. an Arabic dish) to other meals."

 

(Sahih Bukhari Book 57 Number 113)

 

Narrated `Ali:

I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, "Mary, the daughter of `Imran, was the best among the women (of the world of her time) and Khadija is the best amongst the women. (of this nation). (Sahih Bukhari Book 55 Number 642). 

[Younes 202]

There is nothing in the Qur'an or the Hadiths which says, "A Surah was named after Maryam because..." or "only Maryam is named out of the Prophets' mothers because". 

[Younes 202]

There is nothing comparable in the birth of Jesus and the creation of Adam.

 

Of course there is. Allah created both of them without a father through unusual means. 

[Tunisia 16]

That is right Mary was not a prophet she was a human being but she was a true believer in Allah and Allah chose her to to be the mother of Jesus. Imagine today if you became pregnant and told people you were still a virgin surely no one would believe. The feeling Mary felt we cannot imagine but she continued to obey Allah as she knew He would make things clear in time. She was very patient through hardship someone we should all aspire to. She and the child she gave birth to, Jesus, are a sign of the miracles of God. 

 

 

Well let's be clear here Mary was Jewish and would therefore have worshipped God as YHWH not Allah. Seeing as Allah is an Arabic term for God it would not be used by the Jews of the time. Mary obeyed God because she was told it was her destiny and had faith that God would protect her.

 

I have not read much on hadiths yet, I will have to make a start. Where would I find the Hadith about Maryam Moses sister and Asiya the phaoroahs wife? And why are they considered important in Islam?

[Tunisia 16]

There is nothing in the Qur'an or the Hadiths which says, "A Surah was named after Maryam because..." or "only Maryam is named out of the Prophets' mothers because". 

Why is it there then? I mean why is it called such?

[Younes 202]

Why is it there then? I mean why is it called such?

 

Because Allah can talk about whomever He wants and name a Surah after whomever He wants.

[Tunisia 16]

Of course there is. Allah created both of them without a father through unusual means. 

I said from Mary's prospective, but even taking that out of the equation the two events have more differences than similarities. Obvious one being Jesus was born of a mortal woman whereas Adam was created as grown man from dust. Of course God is quite clear on why it was this way but that's another topic and not under discussion here. My question being about Mary and her connection if any to Sura Maryam and indeed why was it considered of such importance to honour her above other mothers of prophets.

[Tunisia 16]

Because Allah can talk about whomever He wants and name a Surah after whomever He wants.

lol, that's a bit of a cop out. :) like God is some kind of capricious being that does whatever without reason or clear intention. I don't buy that, what would we learn from that?

[Younes 202]

lol, that's a bit of a cop out. :) like God is some kind of capricious being that does whatever without reason or clear intention. I don't buy that, what would we learn from that?

 

No, it's not a cop out. People have explained that Maryam, peace be upon her, is mentioned because Allah wanted to honor her. Her connection to Surah of Maryam is obvious - it tells her story. Allah says in the Qur'an that he made Jesus and Maryam, peace be upon them, as signs. Furthermore, Allah set up Maryam as an example of virtue to the Muslims. What else do you want?

 

The thing is you can ask these sorts of questions all day long. For example, why is no Surah named after Moses, peace be upon him, although he is the most mentioned Prophet in the Qur'an? Why is Joseph's, peace be upon him, the longest story of any Prophet in the Qur'an? These questions are pointless. 

[Tunisia 16]

Ok, thanks for that. If you find such questions uncomfortable I won't ask any more then. Sorry to bother you.

[ala'adin 184]

I think that it is clear, at least for me. Mary the mother of Jesus (peace be upon him) was devout to God throughout her life and was tested as sister paradise explained. You mentioned she was jewish which is true as that was the faith of the time, It matters not what she called God, so paradiselost is not wrong in saying worshipped Allah, as Allah is the one and Only God. The God of Moses, Jesus and Mohammed (peace be upon them all). Its just a language thing.

 

A muslim is one who sumbits to God alone, associating none with God. Just like moses, Jesus and Mohammed taught. Islam is a continuation of these faiths. The prophet Muhammed described Jesus and Moses as his brothers along with other prophets. The history of Moses and Jesus and the like is part of our history as well and lesssons are learnt from their stories which is why they are mentioned and regarded important.

 

As to why the surah is called Maryam. Scholars have said as has been mentioned above this was to honour her. She stood steadfast in servitude and gratitude to God when going through extremely tough trials. She was the subject of mass accusations, the talk of the town yet she remained true to god. Without doubt there is wisdom behind naming the Surah after her as well. Maryam is dearly loved by the christians so this also shows them how high her status is in Islam.

[Tunisia 16]

Ala'adin, thanks once again for your post. I enjoy reading your replies you are never rude or arrogant and always explain things as you understand them to be clearly. I have no objections to the use of the term Allah after all as you say it's just language. Arab Christians use the term Allah but of course their belief of Allah would be slightly different from a muslims.

 

This term when I see used ~ [A muslim is one who sumbits to God alone, associating none with God] always puzzles me because I have never met a Christian who does not also claim to worship One God, because there is only One God and that God has no need of partners. I always think what makes a Muslim a Muslim is accepting Mohammed as a prophet and that's where the difference lies. So far in my reading of the Quran it does not go into the history of bible prophets in any depth so unless one reads a Bible first I don't know how you make sense of what message the prophets came with apart from the obvious one of course.

 

As I think I said as a Christian I can see where honour is due to Mary but fail to see the need in the Quran, because the Quran does not agree with the reason for the birth of Jesus. The reason Mary was so steadfast in her faith was not because of God testing her but because She knew what her task was to be and knowing that she knew that God would protect her, which of course He did. I see muslims often see God tests them but do you ask why? I mean if, and I belief it is so, God determines our path in life then what is the need to test? God has already determined the outcome of any situation we find ourselves in. If God did not know Mary had the strength, fortitude and faith needed to be Mother of the messiah then God would not have chosen her. It's nice there is a Surah named for Mary all the same. I see it as another similarity in common even though we each may take something different from it, it's a link, which I think is good.

[Younes 202]

The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts. Proverbs 17:3

 

The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Psalm 11:5

 

Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins. Psalm 7:9

 

God tries people according to the Bible, too.

 

God tests people to see who is worthy of Paradise and who will end up in Hell. God tests people to see who is the best in deeds.

 

The fact that God tests people does not mean that God does not know what is going to happen. 

[Tunisia 16]

Good deeds = paradise. That seems an odd idea, having faith in God and living His will. I mean good deeds alone count for nothing an atheist can easily do as many good deeds as the most pious person, would you say God would view the pious person more favourably? Or both the same? Some muslims believe that only muslims with good deeds may get to paradise but what of others who do even more good deeds than the best of muslims does God ignore their deeds?

 

There is only one real test and that is living by Gods word if we do that good deeds follow. BTW.. Gods word = Jesus.

 

PSALM 105:19

19 Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the Lord tested him.

 

God's Word is our test -- whether we will believe it and act on it, or not.

[ala'adin 184]

Thank you for your kind words,  also i do not think anyone on this forum intends to come across as rude or arragont :)

 

 

This term when I see used ~ [A muslim is one who sumbits to God alone, associating none with God] always puzzles me because I have never met a Christian who does not also claim to worship One God, because there is only One God and that God has no need of partners. I always think what makes a Muslim a Muslim is accepting Mohammed as a prophet and that's where the difference lies. So far in my reading of the Quran it does not go into the history of bible prophets in any depth so unless one reads a Bible first I don't know how you make sense of what message the prophets came with apart from the obvious one of course.

 

Worshiping one god and not associating. Christians while believing in One god, associate Jesus with God. They claim that he is the Son of God and so they pray to him instead of God. then there is the trinity (wont go into this now as off topic).This is for sure association and it goes against the teachings of the prophets of the past and the teachings of Jesus (according to Islam, something which you may doubt). It is not simply enough to believe in one god, One must associate none with God, not attribute his might and power to any other being. (i.e. should not pray to any of gods creation)  

 

There are a number of stories in the Quran of the previous prophets in varying detail, you have the story of moses, Joesph, Noah, Adam ( i know you dont recognise him as one), Jonah, Jesus, Abraham, David, soloman the list goes on. The Quran while giving varying levels of details focuses on the main message as you have picked up on. Believe in one god and associate none with him, in the hadiths we have some more information on them. The Quran provides the parables to refelct upon from these stories of previous prophets so that we may learn from them, it is not intended to be anything other then a reminder for mankind so that they may return to their Lord and obey his commands. Therefore the detail of history is not deemed to be so important.

 

 

As I think I said as a Christian I can see where honour is due to Mary but fail to see the need in the Quran, because the Quran does not agree with the reason for the birth of Jesus. The reason Mary was so steadfast in her faith was not because of God testing her but because She knew what her task was to be and knowing that she knew that God would protect her, which of course He did. I see muslims often see God tests them but do you ask why? I mean if, and I belief it is so, God determines our path in life then what is the need to test? God has already determined the outcome of any situation we find ourselves in. If God did not know Mary had the strength, fortitude and faith needed to be Mother of the messiah then God would not have chosen her. It's nice there is a Surah named for Mary all the same. I see it as another similarity in common even though we each may take something different from it, it's a link, which I think is good.

          

Im sorry but I do not understand, just because the Quran does not agree with the reason of Jesus's birth does not mean that Mary should not be honoured. Mary still gave birth and raised a prophet of God, considering the conditions were not ordinary and most likely hostile she would have likely had a difficult time. Mary was indeed told by the angel Gabriel, but being told you will be tested and going through them are two very different things. Moses was told by God about the his people worshipping the golden calf before he left the mountain while being given the tablets, so he knew before hand yet upon seeing it he dropped the tablets. This shows there is a difference being told something and living through it. Yes for sure God knew the strength of Mary and knew the results of her tests, but there is wisdom in all that which God does. The surah being called Mary highlights her importance, not only this but it shows that if you endure through tests that god has placed you under you will be honoured by God.

 

In the Quran Allah says

 

Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good)
which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned.
Surah baqarah 286

[Tunisia 16]

Lol.. Well some people do come across as condescending and a tad arrogant and for sure some members on other threads I have read are downright rude, but maybe that can be put down to the internet thing and no doubt if they met face to face they would be all nice and polite.

 

Not sure how to do that quoting section thing, I always end up quoting the whole post but I would like to clarify one or two things, hope you don't mind. The associating partners as you see this in Christianity as per the trinity, which BTW I agree that it is a waste of time trying to explain the Trinity to anyone whose mind is not open to the possibility so we won't even go there. Christians don't see Jesus as separate from God and therefore is not a partner or associate. It comes down to interpretation I think, that and misunderstanding. "Son" is used figuratively and no Christian would ever belief that God at any time had a "relationship" with Mary to produce Jesus. In fact the mere idea of such a suggestion as I understood it to mean in the Quran made me feel nauseous. It's blasphemy. Jesus said he was one with the Father, and anyone who knew Him also knew the Father. Obviously as a Christian I believe what he said.

 

I tend to disagree with what you say about the history surrounding the prophets is not as important as the snapshot message that they bring to the Quran the historical sequence of the Prophets is very important. Yes they brought the message to worship One God but also their message was prophecy which is foretelling future events, which was preparing the way for the messiah.

 

Let me explain another way, about Mary and the fact she is in the Quran. How many prophets mentioned in the Quran? How many of these prophets mothers were honoured in the same way? It seems to me that by singling Mary out for honour in this way implies that Jesus must be considered in some way different or special than all the other prophets. Yet muslims still claim that Jesus was just a prophet and not even as important as Mohammed. This is what I find difficult to understand. Many women showed great faith and strength of character under difficult circumstances I'm sure Mary was not alone in her trials as a woman's lot was often hard at that time. So there must have been a greater need or a greater test for Mary to warrant such an honour.

 

As a Christian I honour her as mother to Jesus who is my redeemer and specially chosen by God out of His love.

[ala'adin 184]

 

The associating partners as you see this in Christianity as per the trinity, which BTW I agree that it is a waste of time trying to explain the Trinity to anyone whose mind is not open to the possibility so we won't even go there. Christians don't see Jesus as separate from God and therefore is not a partner or associate. It comes down to interpretation I think, that and misunderstanding. "Son" is used figuratively and no Christian would ever belief that God at any time had a "relationship" with Mary to produce Jesus. In fact the mere idea of such a suggestion as I understood it to mean in the Quran made me feel nauseous. It's blasphemy. Jesus said he was one with the Father, and anyone who knew Him also knew the Father. Obviously as a Christian I believe what he said.

 

What did you take to mean in the Quran, sorry i did not understand.

 

Also on this point (associating with god) this is another topic on its own so i think its best to leave this here.

 

 

I tend to disagree with what you say about the history surrounding the prophets is not as important as the snapshot message that they bring to the Quran the historical sequence of the Prophets is very important. Yes they brought the message to worship One God but also their message was prophecy which is foretelling future events, which was preparing the way for the messiah.

 

The lessons learned from the prophets is more important then getting lost in the detail, what is the point of knowing a story to a such a detailed level if the lesson of the story is lost on you? Maybe I should have been clearer in that the history is important but not as much as the message they came with and the lessons to be learned.

 

 

 

Let me explain another way, about Mary and the fact she is in the Quran. How many prophets mentioned in the Quran? How many of these prophets mothers were honoured in the same way? It seems to me that by singling Mary out for honour in this way implies that Jesus must be considered in some way different or special than all the other prophets. Yet muslims still claim that Jesus was just a prophet and not even as important as Mohammed. This is what I find difficult to understand. Many women showed great faith and strength of character under difficult circumstances I'm sure Mary was not alone in her trials as a woman's lot was often hard at that time. So there must have been a greater need or a greater test for Mary to warrant such an honour.

 

In the same respect I will answer it now in a different way. While the Surah named to honour, scholars also say it was to highlight the importance of the matter of the birth of Jesus. As there was no Prophet in between Muhammed and Jesus and because people had since taken Jesus to be divine and began worshipping him, the topic needed to be addressed as Only God should be Worshipped and not any of his creations. His birth being from immaculate conception and being without a father is the reason as to why the majority think of him to be the Son of God. Therefore the account of Mary and what happened before the birth of Jesus is of high importance, this is another reason given as to why it is named after her.

[Tunisia 16]

The bit I mean is in Surah Al-Jinn 72:3

 

Sahih International

And [it teaches] that exalted is the nobleness of our Lord; He has not taken a wife or a son

Yusuf Ali

'And Exalted is the Majesty of our Lord: He has taken neither a wife nor a son.

 

When I read this it looks to be that implies some people believed God needed to take a wife in order to have a son. Maybe it is not what it seems and has another meaning

[Tunisia 16]

On your last point, when you say people had begun to worship Jesus, the realisation came to the apostles and early Christians regarding the divinity of Jesus very soon after the resurrection actually some probably knew this fact during Jesus's lifetime. After all, they were witnesses to His claims, words and deeds. Certainly the Jews knew the claims Jesus was making for Himself were that he was of God, that's why they said He blasphemed and sought His death. From a Christian perspective we don't see Jesus as a "creation" the Bible is quite clear as was Jesus Himself that He was one with God the Father from the beginning of eternity.

 

I hope you can understand why I am struggling with Islam. I cannot see that God would knowingly mislead His people for 2000 + years. Because if the Quran is right then the whole of the scriptures that went before must be in error, and that error would be Gods, and that for me is untenable. Islam refers back to the old covenant and does not recognise the new covenant which I don't understand.

 

In fact there's a lot I don't understand and at times I can see my fiancées point. Still, I shall continue because I believe if God wants to grant me the understanding He will do so.

[ala'adin 184]

The previous verse mentions not associating with Allah and so this verse simple carries it on by again stating that Allah he has no partners, he is one and only. Likelyhood that there was people that had such a belief, the Quran is for all of humanity.

 

 

On your last point, when you say people had begun to worship Jesus, the realisation came to the apostles and early Christians regarding the divinity of Jesus very soon after the resurrection actually some probably knew this fact during Jesus's lifetime. After all, they were witnesses to His claims, words and deeds. Certainly the Jews knew the claims Jesus was making for Himself were that he was of God, that's why they said He blasphemed and sought His death. From a Christian perspective we don't see Jesus as a "creation" the Bible is quite clear as was Jesus Himself that He was one with God the Father from the beginning of eternity.

 

The Jews never sought his death because they believed he said he was divine, rather it was because he was not the messiah that they wanted/expected. So they turned on him because of it. Jesus in his own words never claimed to be divine. It is clear in the Bible that Jesus in fact prayed to God. When he performed miracles he attributed it to god and in fact distanced himself from it.

 

"By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me." John 5:30

 

"Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. "And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me."  John 11:41-42

 

God did not mislead his people, if you look into history there were still christians hundereds of years after Jesus who did not worship Jesus as God. God himself did not make any error, but man has let his own desires distort the message of God. The bible has been changed and in fact was not written till many years after Jesus. This is not to say all of it is in error, but because of the fabrication of man there is error in it.

 

I encourage you to keep learning, good luck