![\"mary\"](\"http:\/\/restlesspilgrim.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Mary.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Today is a particularly special chapter of the Qur’an, the one dedicated to Mary (“Miriam”<\/span>), the Mother of Jesus (“Isa”<\/span>):<\/p>\n Surah 19\u00a0– “Mary” (Maryam<\/a>) We now come to the story of Mary. We’re told that she withdraws from her family, heads\u00a0eastwards and takes seclusion behind a screen – it’s not clear to me why. At this point, Gabriel visits her to give her “[news of] a pure boy [i.e. son]”<\/span>. As in Luke’s Gospel, she does not understand how this will happen. There is a conspicuous absence of St. Joseph in this story – he is not mentioned once.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We are then told that Mary withdrew to a remote place. She experiences the pains of childbirth (contrary to Catholic teaching) and then gives birth, not in a cave or stable, but under a palm tree. Mary then experiences\u00a0serious anguish, wishing\u00a0she were dead, but Jesus speaks to her from the womb (although some interpreters say the “he”<\/span> in the text is actually\u00a0an angel). He tells her that a stream has sprung beneath her and if she shakes the palm tree, fresh dates will fall. I’m assuming that this is meant to be a sign of Allah’s continued care for her. Mary then brings Jesus to “her people”<\/span> and they effectively accuse her of unchastity. In response, she simply points to Jesus. The infant child once again speaks, saying that he is “the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet”<\/span>.<\/p>\n Immediately after telling the story of Jesus’ birth, we are told that “It is not [befitting] for Allah to take a son”<\/span>\u00a0and we are told that “the factions differed [concerning Jesus]…woe to those who disbelieved”<\/span>. Muhammad is told to warn them “of the Day of Regret, when the matter will be concluded”<\/span>.<\/p>\n We now move to the story of Abraham. We are told that he had a Pagan father and that Abraham tries warn him that he will end up in Hell. This is anachronistic, since at this point in the Old Testament next to nothing had been revealed concerning\u00a0the afterlife, which is why the Saduccees denied the Resurrection itself!\u00a0Anyway, Abraham’s father threatens to stone him and Abraham responds by saying that he will ask forgiveness for him from God. This is an odd thing for him to say given Surah\u00a035’s assertion that one cannot carry another’s “burden”<\/span>. Abraham then says that he’s going to leave home.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>We begin this chapter with the story of Zechariah. As in the Bible, we are told that he and his wife had failed to have children. He is told through an angel that he will have a son named\u00a0John. However, we soon start seeing a departure from the Biblical narrative…. Zechariah asks Allah to “make for me a sign”<\/span>. He is then told that the sign\u00a0will be that he will not be able to speak for “three nights”<\/span>. However, in the Bible Zechariah cannotspeak until John’s circumcision. An interesting side note is that Allah tells John to\u00a0“take the Scripture [i.e. adhere to it] with determination”<\/span><\/em>, which shows that, at least in this chapter, the Old Testament is assumed to be preserved without corruption (contrary to the claim of most Muslims with whom I’ve spoken).<\/p>\n