Mary^as in the Holy Quran

Hazrat Maryam^as in the Holy Quran – Mary^as in Islam (by Laiq Ahmed Atif)

The Holy Quran has extended great honour and respect to Mary^as – the mother of Jesus^as – to such a high extent that God has named an entire chapter of the Holy Quran by her name, ‘Sura Maryam’. Maryam is an Arabic name for Mary. The Holy Mary is mentioned for 34 times, in different chapters of the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran says:

“And remember when the angels said, ‘O Mary, Allah has chosen thee and purified thee and chosen thee above the women of all peoples.” (The Holy Quran, 3:43)

“And his (Jesus) mother was a truthful woman.” (5:76)

Mother Mary – a Role Model

Furthermore, the Holy Quran pays such great tribute to Mary, that it gives two examples for the Muslim believers, both men and women, as role model, example of the wife of Pharaoh and Mary^as – the mother of Jesus^as. The Holy Quran states:

“And Allah sets forth for those who believe the example of the wife of Pharaoh when she said, ‘My Lord! build for me a house with Thee in the Garden; and deliver me from Pharaoh and his work, and deliver me from the wrongdoing people;’ And the example of Mary, the daughter of ‘Imran, who guarded her private parts — so We breathed into him of Our Spirit — and she fulfilled in her person the words of her Lord and His Books and was one of the obedient.” (The Holy Quran, 66:12-13)

Mary represents those righteous servants and believers of God, who having given up all sin and having made peace with God, are blessed with Divine inspiration.

‘Maryam’ or Mary is a very common name in Muslims and because of her piety and righteousness many parents like to name their daughters with this name; even schools or mosques are also named Maryam.

His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad^aba, the Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, highlighted the high status of Mother Mary in his keynote address on 26^th September 2014 at a special reception held to mark the inauguration of the Maryam Mosque (Mosque of Mary) in Galway, Ireland.

“This mosque here in Ireland has also been built for the same purpose [to foster peace and true justice at all levels of society]. It has been named ‘Masjid Maryam.’ Maryam, or Mary as known to you, is as greatly revered by Muslims as she is by Christians.

In fact, in the Holy Quran, Allah has mentioned Mary at many instances and highlighted her esteemed status. Mary was the name of that pure and pious woman who is honoured by Islam so much that the Quran has said that all true believers are like Mary. 

This is because Mary established a very special relationship with God and she upheld her virtue and chastity at all times. She developed a special bond of love with God, whereby Allah conversed directly with Mary and He Himself attested to her truth. Mary believed in the Books of God, she was righteous and attained a special rank in terms of her obedience to God. She was most certainly an example for all true believers.

Her elevated status is reflected by the fact that the Quran says that true Muslims should develop the qualities of Mary and if they do so then they will be those who never cause harm or suffering to anyone. Every Ahmadi Muslim therefore seeks to instil within themselves the purity, nobility and piety of Mary herself.” (ROR, December 2014)