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Remember Mary in the Book

Remember Mary in the Book.

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Remember Mary in the Book

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  1. Remember Mary in theBook TheQur'aninforms us of formerProphetsandreligiousfigures sent byGodtoproclaim His Oneness. IslamrequiresMuslimstoacknowledgeandrespectthesepeople, one of whom is Mary (Maryam), themother of ProphetJesus. She has a uniqueplace in theQur'anandthehearts of Muslims, and is remembered as a highlydevoutwoman.Mary is depicted in theQur'an as an individual in her ownright. TheQur'anusuallymentions her andJesusseparately, anddealsmorewith her life beforeJesusand her ownmerits as a womanchosen, purified, andprotectedbyGod. MostBiblicalfigureswhoappear in theQur'anarefromtheOldTestament. Mary is one of thefew New Testamentfigures, alongwithZachariah, John theBaptist, andJesus.

  2. Bothholybooksrefertowomenbytheirrelationshipto a manor a place. Forexample: thewives of Noah, Abraham, andPharaoh, andtheQueen of Sheba.OnlyMoses, Abraham, andNoaharementionedmoreoften. TheQur'an'snineteenthchapter”SurahMaryam”isnamedafter her, anditsthirdchapter”Surat Al-˜Imran (˜Imran'sFamily)”is devotedprimarilyto her and her family.WhiletheBiblecalls her theMother of Jesus, theQur'ancallsJesusthe Son of Mary. Islamvaluesmothers, andMuslimsreverepious, devotedmothers. Mary is consideredone of thegreatestexamples of femaleperfection, a personwhoreachedone of thehighest of positions. 

  3. TheQur'an, whichlacksanymention of Joseph, moves in theotherdirectionbyidentifyingJesus in relationto his maternalfamilytree. IntheQur'an, therefore, thespotlight is on Mary as a singleparentwhoestablishesJesus' lineage. This is quitedifferentfromthe New Testament, where her familyhistory is unknownand her primary role is toconceiveandgivebirthtoJesus, not givehim a bloodline he can be proud of.

  4. Godchose Mary andplaced her in ˜Imran'sblessedhousehold. Hanne (orAnna), Imran'swifeandMary'smother,prayedfor a childdespite her barrenness. Uponlearning of her pregnancy, shedevoted her childtoGod: My Lord, I havevowedtoYouthatwhat is in mywombwill be dedicatedtoYour service. Accept it from me, forYouaretheOneWhohears, theOneWhoknows. Whenshebroughtforththechild, shesaid: My Lord, I havebroughtforth a female,”but Godknewwhatshe had broughtforth, forthemale is not likethefemale”and I havenamed her Mary. I place her and her offspringunderYourprotectionfrom Satan, thecursedone (3:35-36).

  5. Her pietywasobvious. Shededicated her unbornchildtoGod's service, andthen, afterdiscovering it is a girl, placedthechildandthechild'soffspring, includingJesus, underGod'sprotection. Godprepared a virtuouslineageforJesusbyprotecting Mary, themother-to-be of a Prophet, fromallevilandimpurity, sothatshewould be a puresourceforthemiraculousbirth. 

  6. As boysweremorelikelyto be giventoprieststo be raisedandeducated, girlswererarelydedicatedtotemples. Hanne, probably not expecting a daughter, gave Mary tothepriestZachariahsothatshewould be raised in thepurestplace. Her gender, as well as thetraditionsandsocialconceptions of her time, should not prevent her fromattainingclosenesstoGod. Shewas a specialperson, onebeingpreparedfor a life of utmostbeliefanddevotion, andtowitnessGod'smiracle. Her uniquestorystartedwith a prayerwhileshewasstill an embryo. Theprayerwasaccepted, and a life of faithandsurrendertotheDivineWillbegan...

  7. Godaccepted her, caused her togrowupwell, and had Zachariahtakecare of her. Theexactnature of theirrelationship is unknown. TheBiblenotesthatshewas a relative of Zachariah'swife. Zachariah had a specialtieto Mary, seeingthatMary'smother had placed her in his custody. Whenever he visited her, he found her withprovisions. When he askedwheretheycamefrom, shesaid: It is fromGod. Truly, Godprovidesforwhomever He wisheswithoutmeasure (3:37).

  8. Mary lived in a mihrab, literally a chamber, a place of honor, a sanctuaryprotectedfromimpurity. ThetextsaysthatZachariah had togotheretosee Mary, implyingthatshewasconfinedthereinandtotallyprotectedfromtheworld. That he wasalwayssurprisedtofind her withfoodsupportsthisinterpretation. Godwas her true Provider, althoughsheappearedto be in Zachariah'scustody.

  9. Her answertoZachariahwasnotable. ShestatedthatGod is thetrue Provider andprovidesforwhomever He wisheswithoutmeasure. ImmediatelyafterMary'ssuggestion, Zachariahprayed: My Lord, grant me offspringfrom Yourself. Truly, Youhearallprayers (3:38). ThussheimpliedthatGodcouldgrantanywish, regardless of itsimpossibility. Zachariahwasoldand his wifewasbarren, and yet he askedGodfor a child. Theangelscalledtohimwhile he waspraying, sayingthat he would be given a son named John, whowould be a Prophet. Wecould say thattheQur'an is hintingaboutthemiraculousbirthtocome.

  10. Thissceneshows Mary in all her wisdomanddeepness of faith: Themiraculousgift of foodserves a doublefunction in thestory. Inthefirstplace, it is a tangibleexpression of thedivineprotection Mary receives of her dedicationanddevotiontoGod. Second, it functions as Zachariah'sspringboardtodeeperfaithandtrust in thedeity. Intheprocess, there has been an interestingreversal of rolesbetweenZachariahand Mary. What he providesfor her, thesuperfluousfoodanddrink he bringstothemihrab, is unnecessaryfor her survival. But whatsheprovideshim, a much-neededlessonaboutthepower of God, is indispensablefor his. Sequestered in thesolitude of themihrab, she has become his caretaker.

  11. TwoQur'anicpassagesmention Mary during her pregnancy, as follows:Theangelssaid: Oh Mary, God has chosenandpurifiedyou. He has chosenyouaboveallotherwomen. Oh Mary, be obedienttoyourLord. Prostrateyourselfand be amongthosewhobowdown. This is part of thehiddennewsWerevealtoyou. Youwere not withthemwhentheycastlotstoseewhowouldtakecare of Mary, norwereyouwiththemwhentheydisputedamongthemselves. Theangelssaid: Oh Mary, Godgivesyouthegoodnews of a wordfromHim. His name will be MessiahJesus, son of Mary, whowill be eminent in thisworldandthenext, andwill be one of thosebroughtnear (toGod). He shallspeaktopeoplefromthecradleand in his lateryears, andwill be one of therighteous. Shesaid: My Lord, how can I have a childwhennoman has touched me? He said: Thus it is. Godcreateswhat He wills. If He decreessomething, He onlyneed say: ˜Be!' and it is. (3:42-47)

  12. Mary is calledchosenandpurified, onekeptfrom sin byGod. Shewasraised in thepurestfamilyand had theutmostdedicationtoGod. Her motherprayedthatsheand her offspringwould be protectedfrom Satan, and her prayerswereanswered. Inaddition, shewasadvisedtoprostrateherselfand be amongthosewhobowdown. TheQur'anoftenadvisesbelieverstoperformtheseacts of faith in theirprayers: Mary is beingexhortedto do thesame. Theintentionbehindthis, as wehaveseenwithotherbiblicalfiguresfound in theQur'an, is toremindthereaderthattheattitude of submission at theheart of Islam is not somethingthatcameintoexistenceonlywiththearrival of Muhammad. Manyvirtuouspeople, like Mary, fullysubmittedthemselvestothedivinewillcenturiespriortotheemergence of Islam.

  13. TheQur'anremindsProphetMuhammadanditsreadersthatpart of thehiddennews is beingrelated. As onlyGodknowsall of thehiddennews, Muslimsarecautious not toaddtowhattheQur'an has revealed. Forexample, theplace in theeastmentioned in thefollowing verse is not precise. Itcould be a chamber on theeasternside of Zachariah'shouseorthecity of Nazareth. As theQur'andoes not divergefromits main point, in thiscaseMary's self-imposedseclusionevenbeforetheannunciation, suchirrelevantdetailsare not given. Her decision, madebeforesheknew of thisevent, cannot be seen as an act of escapefromsocialpressure. It is highlylikelythat it was an attempttodrawclosertoGod.

  14. Remember Mary in theBook. Whenshewithdrewfrom her familyto a place in theeastandtookcoverfromthem, We sent to her Ourspiritwhichappearedto her in the form of a normal person. Shesaid: I takerefuge in theMercifulOnefromyouifyoufearHim. He said: I am only a messengerfromyourLord, togiveyou a righteous son. Shesaid: How can I have a son whennoman has touched me and I have not beenunchaste? He said: Thus it is. YourLordsaid: ˜It is easyfor Me. Wewillmakehim a signforpeopleandmercyfrom Us. It is an accomplishedfact.' (19:16-21)

  15. Onemayimagine her distress at such an awkwardsituation. Raised in thepuresthouseholdandliving a life of chastityandvirtue, shenowmustconfrontterriblydegradingaccusationsandhumiliation. Not comprehending, shesaidshecannothave a son becauseshe is a chastevirgin. Althoughtheangelconfirmedthisandsaid he was sent by her Lord, shestilldid not comprehend how thepregnancy can occur. Yet her upbringingandfaithgave her thestrength of hearttosubmitfullytotheDivineWillandbeartheresultpatiently. 

  16. She is a youngvirgin, allalone in a patriarchalsociety. TheQur'andoes not mention Joseph, andBiblicalsourcesonlygivehim a minor role. Mary does not rely on her relativesor her appointedguardianforsupport. Her lifestyleseemstodemonstratethefactthatGod is theonlyonetorely on andturntoforhelp.

  17. Sheconceivedhimandwithdrewwithhimto a distantplace. Thebirthpangsled her tothetrunk of a palmtree, whereshecried: Oh, ifonly I had diedbeforethisand had beenforgotten, unremembered! Then (a voice) calledoutto her frombelow her: Do not grieve. YourLord has placed a streambeneathyou. Shakethetrunk of thepalmtreeand it willdropfreshripedatesuponyou. Eat, drink, and be consoled. Ifyouseeanotherperson, say: ˜I havevowed a fasttotheMercifulOneandwill not speaktoanyonetoday.' (19:22-27)

  18. Mary wentto an unknowndistantplace. MuslimcommentatorshaveproposedJerusalem, Bethlehem, Egypt, andotherplaces. Wherevertheplace, shewas far fromcivilizationand in distress.

  19. Her cry in verse 23, a heartfeltcomplaint in whichshelaments her situation, raisessomeinterestingquestionsabout her character. Most of theexplanations of thecause of her anguishextendbeyondherself, like her concernthatothersmightmistakenlycallJesusthe son of God, ratherthanunderstand it as duetolack of belieforsomeotherpersonalflaw on her part. Whateveritsprecisecause, there is an ironic element to her prayerthat can be easilyoverlooked. Theimage of Mary prayingthatshe be unrememberedandobliteratedfromhistorystrikesthereader as incompatiblewiththehigh profile andexaltedstatusshe has cometoholdwithinbothIslamandChristianity. Against her wishes, shecertainlywas not forgotten! Inthis sense, Mary'sprayerwas not answered.

  20. Shecarriedhim (Jesus) to her people, whosaid: Oh Mary, youhave done somethingstrange! Oh sister of Aaron, yourfatherwas not wickednorwasyourmotherunchaste. Shepointedtohim. Theysaid: How can we talk to a child in thecradle? (19:27-29)

  21. As her son wasto be a signforpeopleand a mercyfromGod, Mary broughthimto her people. Goddid not desert her. AccordingtoJewishlaw, an adulteress had to be stonedtodeath. From his cradle, Jesusdefended his mother: I am God'sservant. He has given me theBook, made me a Prophet, blessed me wherever I am, andcharged me withprayerandalmsgiving as long as I live. [He has made me] dutifultowardmymother, nor has He made me a tyrant, wretched (19:31-32).

  22. One of Jesus' miracles is tospeak in thecradletorefutethecalumniesagainst his mother. This idea has had a profoundeffect on theMuslimmentality, andtoslander a virtuousMuslimwoman is stillconsideredone of thegreatestsins. Thetext has certainlycontributedtothepreservation of the sense of woman'shonor in Muslimsociety.

  23. Mary'sstory is an example of courageandtrust. Her deepfaithanddevotioncaused her unique life toflourish. Inaddition, her life showsthatreligion, whenunderstoodcorrectly, does not pacifyorrestrictbelievers but ratherfreesthemfromthechains of earthlyworriesandfears. Thisfreedomallowsthemtofulfilltheirpurpose in life. 

  24. UnderstandingthatsubmissiontotheDivineWill is theultimatesource of relief in thisworldandtheHereafter, Mary submittedherselfandfoundpeace. Her examplelives on in thehearts of allbelieversandcontinuestoinspireallwhoseektoliveuptotheirfullspiritualpotential. 

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