Mary, Maryam in Arabic (peace be upon her), is one of the most honoured people in Islam. The Qur'an tells her story with great love. She was a girl given to Allah (﷾) before she was born. She grew up in worship. Allah (﷾) chose her above the women of all nations, and she became the mother of Jesus. Qur’an 3:42
This guide follows her own life of worship and trust, as the Qur'an tells it, with a few authentic sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). The birth of Jesus and his words from the cradle are told in full in the guide to Jesus. Jesus according to Islam
At a glance
- Before she was born, her mother gave her to the service of Allah (﷾), and Allah (﷾) accepted her.
- She grew up in the care of the prophet Zakariya, and spent her days in worship.
- The angels told her that Allah (﷾) had chosen her and purified her above the women of all nations.
- She guarded her chastity, and trusted Allah (﷾) when she was alone and when she was falsely accused.
- She is the only woman the Qur'an names, and a whole surah carries her name.
- The Qur'an holds her up as an example for every believer.
- The vow
Her mother dedicates the child in her womb to the service of Allah (﷾). Qur’an 3:35
- Her birth
A daughter is born. Her mother names her Mary and places her in Allah's (﷾) protection. Qur’an 3:36
- Growing up
Allah (﷾) accepts her, and she grows up pure, in the care of Zakariya. Qur’an 3:37Qur’an 3:44
- In prayer
Zakariya finds her provided for in her place of prayer. She tells him it is from Allah (﷾). Qur’an 3:37
- Chosen
The angels tell her that Allah (﷾) has chosen her and purified her. Qur’an 3:42Qur’an 3:43
- The news of a son
An angel brings her the news of a son, Jesus, by Allah's (﷾) word. Qur’an 19:19Qur’an 3:45
- Alone
In the pains of birth, alone under a palm tree, she is comforted and provided for. Qur’an 19:22–26
- The test
Her people accuse her. She points to the baby, and he speaks for her. Qur’an 19:27–30
The Qur'an gives no dates for Mary's life, so these are the stages of her story.
A child given to Allah (﷾)
Mary came from the family of Imran, a family Allah (﷾) honoured. The Qur'an says that Allah (﷾) chose Adam, Nuh (Noah), the family of Ibrahim (Abraham) and the family of Imran above all people. Qur’an 3:33Qur’an 66:12
Before Mary was born, her mother made a vow. She promised the child in her womb to the service of Allah (﷾), and prayed:
O my Lord! I do dedicate unto Thee what is in my womb for Thy special service: So accept this of me: For Thou hearest and knowest all things.
The child was a girl. Her mother said to her Lord that she had given birth to a girl, and that the male is not like the female. But the Qur'an adds that Allah (﷾) knew best what she had brought forth. This daughter would be chosen above the women of all nations. Qur’an 3:36Qur’an 3:42
She named her daughter, and placed her in Allah's (﷾) care:
I have named her Mary, and I commend her and her offspring to Thy protection from the Evil One, the Rejected.
Raised in worship
Allah (﷾) accepted the child, as her mother had asked. The Qur'an says:
Right graciously did her Lord accept her: He made her grow in purity and beauty: To the care of Zakariya was she assigned.
Zakariya was a prophet of Allah (﷾). Several men wanted the honour of caring for Mary, so they cast lots, and her care was given to Zakariya. Qur’an 3:44Qur’an 6:85Qur’an 6:89
Mary grew up in worship. She had a mihrab, a private place of prayer. Every time Zakariya came in to see her, he found food already with her. He asked her where it had come from. She answered: Qur’an 3:37
From Allah: for Allah Provides sustenance to whom He pleases without measure.
She took no credit for herself, and gave it to no one else. Whatever came to her came from Allah (﷾).
A prayer her faith inspired
Zakariya was very old, and his wife had no children. When he saw how Allah (﷾) provided for Mary, he turned to his Lord right there and prayed: Qur’an 3:38Qur’an 3:40
O my Lord! Grant unto me from Thee a progeny that is pure: for Thou art He that heareth prayer!
While he stood in prayer, the angels brought him the good news of a son, Yahya (John). Mary's trust in Allah's (﷾) provision had given an old prophet new hope. Qur’an 3:39Qur’an 19:7
Chosen and purified
Then the angels came to Mary with words of honour:
O Mary! Allah hath chosen thee and purified thee- chosen thee above the women of all nations.
With the honour came a command. The angels told her to keep worshipping:
O Mary! worship Thy Lord devoutly: Prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down.
Being chosen did not make Mary proud. It brought her closer to her Lord, bowing and prostrating to Him. The Qur'an gives her a title of her own:
His mother was a woman of truth.
The Arabic word is siddiqah: someone wholly true in faith, word and deed. In the Qur'an, the people of truth come straight after the prophets among those whom Allah (﷾) has blessed. Most scholars hold that Mary was not a prophet. She stands among the truthful and the righteous. Qur’an 4:69
Pure, and trusting Allah (﷾) alone
The Qur'an twice praises Mary as the one who guarded her chastity: Qur’an 66:12
And (remember) her who guarded her chastity: We breathed into her of Our spirit, and We made her and her son a sign for all peoples.
Her purity was then tested in the hardest way. An angel came to tell her that she would have a son. She asked how, when no man had touched her and she was not unchaste. The answer was that this is easy for Allah (﷾). The full story of that day, and of the birth of Jesus, is in the guide to Jesus. Qur’an 19:20–21Jesus according to Islam
Alone, and in pain
When her time came, Mary went far away, alone. The pains of birth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree, and she cried out that she wished she had died before this. She was human, and she was hurting. But Allah (﷾) had not left her. A voice told her not to grieve. Her Lord had placed a stream beneath her. If she shook the palm tree, fresh ripe dates would fall to her. Qur’an 19:22–25
She was told to eat, drink and be at peace. She would not have to defend herself. If she met anyone, she was to make known that she had vowed a fast of silence to the Most Gracious. Qur’an 19:26
Falsely accused
Then she carried her baby back to her people. They spoke to her harshly: her father was a good man, they said, and her mother was chaste. Mary kept her vow and said nothing. She pointed to the baby, and Allah (﷾) made the baby speak for her. Qur’an 19:27–30Why does the Qur'an call Mary the 'sister of Aaron'?Jesus according to Islam
The Qur'an calls what was said against her "a grave false charge". Mary did not argue or plead. She was patient, and left her defence to Allah (﷾), and Allah (﷾) cleared her name. Qur’an 4:156Who accused Mary of adultery, and how did the Qur'an answer?
Honoured by the Qur'an and the Prophet (ﷺ)
Mary is the only woman the Qur'an calls by her name. A whole surah, the nineteenth, is named after her: Surah Maryam. Qur’an 19:16What does Islam say about Mary, the mother of Jesus?
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) spoke of her with the highest praise. He said that Mary, the daughter of Imran, was the best of the women of her time. He said that Khadijah is the best of the women of this nation. Sahih al-Bukhari 3432
He also said that many men reached perfection, but among women only two did: Asiya, the wife of Pharaoh, and Mary, the daughter of Imran. Sahih al-Bukhari 3411
Muslims honour Mary as a righteous servant of Allah (﷾), not as divine. Her greatness is the greatness of worship. Qur’an 5:75
An example for every believer
One chapter of the Qur'an ends with two women held up as an example for all who believe. The first is the wife of Pharaoh. She asked Allah (﷾) for a home near Him in the Garden, and to be saved from Pharaoh and his deeds. The second is Mary: Qur’an 66:11
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).
They are an example for men and women alike. One lived in the palace of a tyrant; the other lived alone in worship. Both held on to Allah (﷾), whatever happened around them.
How the Bible tells it differently
The New Testament also speaks of Mary, mostly in the New Testament Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Christians and Muslims both honour her, and both believe that she bore Jesus as a virgin. But on some points the two accounts are different. Muslims believe that Allah (﷾) revealed the Torah to Musa, and the Injil to Isa: the Gospel Jesus himself preached in his lifetime. The Injil is not the New Testament. The four New Testament Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, were written by others, decades after Jesus was raised up. None of them names its author: the names were attached later. And the Torah we have today is not exactly as it was revealed. So where the Bible tells a story just as the Qur'an does, we believe it. Where it differs from the Qur'an or contradicts it, we do not. Where the Qur'an says nothing, we neither believe it nor deny it, as the Prophet (ﷺ) taught. Here are the main differences, with the verses. Luke 1:34–35 (KJV)Qur’an 19:20Qur’an 5:48Qur’an 5:46Which of the four Gospels did Jesus preach from?Who wrote the Gospels?Sahih al-Bukhari 4485How should a Muslim read the Bible?
Joseph. In the New Testament Gospels, Mary is engaged to a man named Joseph when the angel comes to her. He takes her as his wife, and he is with her when Jesus is born. The Qur'an does not mention Joseph, or any husband. Luke 1:27 (KJV)Matthew 1:18 (KJV)Matthew 1:24 (KJV)Luke 2:4–7 (KJV)
The birth. In Luke, Mary gives birth in Bethlehem and lays the baby in a manger, "because there was no room for them in the inn". In the Qur'an, she goes far away, alone, and gives birth by the trunk of a palm tree. Allah (﷾) gives her a stream of water and fresh ripe dates. Luke 2:4–7 (KJV)Qur’an 19:22–25
The accusation. In Matthew, Joseph learns that Mary is with child. He plans to send her away quietly. Then an angel tells him in a dream that the child is from the Holy Spirit. In the Qur'an, her people accuse her, and the baby Jesus speaks to clear her name. Matthew 1:19–20 (KJV)Qur’an 19:27–30
The Mother of God. In Luke, her cousin Elizabeth calls her "the mother of my Lord". Many churches call Mary the Mother of God, a title the Council of Ephesus confirmed in 431. Catholic and Orthodox Christians also ask for her prayers. The Qur'an honours Mary as a woman of truth, and a human being who ate food like everyone else. It warns against taking Jesus and his mother as gods beside Allah (﷾). Luke 1:43 (KJV)Council of Ephesus, 431Qur’an 5:75Qur’an 5:116What does Islam say about Mary, the mother of Jesus?Is it wrong to pray to saints, to Mary or to Jesus?
What we can learn
Mary put worship at the centre of her life, trusted Allah (﷾), and was patient when she was falsely accused, and Allah (﷾) cleared her name.
- Put worship at the centre of your life. Mary spent her days in prayer. When Allah (﷾) honoured her, He told her to keep bowing and prostrating to Him.
- Trust Allah's (﷾) provision. "From Allah", she said of what she had. Allah (﷾) provides, often from where we could never imagine. Qur’an 65:3
- Guard your purity. The Qur'an praises Mary for guarding her chastity, and holds her up as an example for men and women alike.
- Be patient when you are falsely accused. Mary did not argue. She kept her vow and trusted Allah (﷾), and Allah (﷾) cleared her name.
- Your faith can lift others. Seeing Mary's trust, Zakariya prayed for a child, and Allah (﷾) answered him.
Mary gave her whole life to Allah (﷾), and Allah (﷾) raised her above the women of all nations. Whoever turns to Him in worship and trust walks the path she walked.