The Story of Jesus and Mary in the

Holy Quran
‫ومﺮ�ﻢ ﻲﻓ اﻟﻘﺮآن الﻜﺮ�ﻢ‬ ‫ﺔ ﻋىﻰﺴ‬
[ English - ‫] إ�ﻠ�ي‬

www.islamreligion.com website
‫مﻮﻗﻊ دﻳﻦ اﻹﺳﻼم‬

2012 - 1434
 The Story of Jesus and Mary in the
Holy Quran

The Birth of Mary

“Indeed God chose
Adam, Noah, the family
of Abraham and the
family of Imran over the
worlds. An offspring,
like one another (in righ-
teousness). And God is
All-Hearing, All-
Knowing. (And men-
tion) when the wife of
Imran said, ‘O my Lord,
I have vowed to You
what is in my womb, to
be dedicated (to Your
service), so accept this
from me. Indeed, You
are All-Hearing, All-
Knowing.’ Then when she delivered her (Mary), she
said, ‘O my Lord, I have delivered a female,’ and God
knew best what she delivered, ‘And the male is not like
the female, and I have named her Mary, and I seek re-
fuge with You for her and for her children from Satan,

2
the expelled (from the mercy of God).’” (Quran 3:33-
36)
The Childhood of Mary
“So her Lord fully accepted her, and gave her a good
upbringing, and put her under the care of Zechariah.
Every time Zechariah entered upon her in the prayer
room, he found her supplied with food. He said, ‘O
Mary, where do you get this from?’ She said, ‘This is
from God. Indeed, God provides for whom He wills,
without limit.’” (Quran 3:37)
Mary, the Devout
“And (mention) when the angels said, ‘O Mary, in-
deed God has chosen you, purified you, and chosen you
above the women of the worlds.’ ‘O Mary, be devoutly
obedient to your Lord and prostrate and bow down
along those who bow down (in prayer).’ This is a part
of the news of the unseen, which We reveal to you (O
Muhammad). You were not with them when they cast
lots with their pens to (decide) which of them should
take care of Mary, nor were you with them when they
disputed.” (Quran 3:42-44)
The Good news of a new-born child
“(And mention) when the angels said, ‘O Mary, in-
deed God gives you the good news of a word from
Him, whose name will be the Messiah Jesus, the son of
Mary, held in honor in this world and in the Hereafter,
and of those who are near to God.’ ‘He will speak to
the people in the cradle, and in old age, and he will be
3
of the righteous.’ She said, ‘My Lord, how can I have a
son when no man has touched me.’ He said, ‘So (it will
be,) for God creates what He wants. When He decides
something, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is. And He
will teach him the Book and wisdom and the Torah and
the Gospel. And (will make him) a messenger to the
Children of Israel (saying), ‘Indeed I have come to you
with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay
the likeness of a bird, then breathe into it, and it be-
comes a bird by the permission of God. And I heal the
blind and the leper, and I bring the dead to life by the
permission of God. And I inform you of what you eat
and what you store in your houses. Surely, there is a
sign for you in that, if you are believers. And (I have
come) confirming the Torah that was (revealed) before
me, and to allow you some of what was forbidden to
you. And I have come to you with a proof from your
Lord, so fear God and obey me. Indeed, God is my
Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is the
straight path.” (Quran 3:45-51)
“And mention in the Book (the story of) Mary, when
she withdrew from her family to an eastern place. And
she placed a screen to seclude herself from them. Then
We sent to her Our angel (Gabriel), and he took the
form of a well-created man before her. She said, “In-
deed I seek refuge with the Most Merciful from you, if
you do fear God.” 1 (The angel) said, ‘I am only the

1 The Most Merciful is one of the names of God in the Quran.

4
messenger of your Lord to give to you (the news of) a
pure boy.’ She said, ‘How can I have a son, when no
man has touched me (in marriage), and I am not a pros-
titute?’ He said, So your Lord said, ‘It is easy for Me.
And We will make him a sign to people and a mercy
from Us. And it is a matter (already) decided.’” 2 (Qu-
ran 19:16-21)
The Immaculate Conception
“And she who guarded her chastity, so We breathed
(a spirit) into her through Our angel, and We made her
and her son (Jesus) a sign for the worlds.” 3 (Quran
21:91)
The Birth of Jesus
“So she conceived him, and she withdrew with him
to a remote place. And the pains of childbirth drove her
to the trunk of a palm tree. She said, ‘I wish I had died
before this, and had been long forgotten. [Mary was
worried that people would think badly of her as she was

2 Jesus is a sign of God’s power, where God showed people that

He could create Jesus without a father, as He created Adam with-
out any parents. Jesus is also a sign that God is well able to resur-
rect all people after their death, since the one who creates from
nothing is quite able to bring back to life. He is also a sign of the
Day of Judgment, when he returns to the earth and slays the Anti-
Christ in the End Times.
3 Similarly, just as God created Adam with no father or mother,
Jesus’ birth was from mother with no father. All that is needed for
God for something to happen is to say “Be” and it is; for God is
capable of all things.
5
not married.] Then (baby Jesus) called her from below
her, saying, ‘Don’t be sad. Your Lord has provided a
stream under you.’ Shake the trunk of the palm tree
towards you, and it will drop on you fresh ripe dates.
So eat and drink and be happy. And if you see any hu-
man, then say, ‘Indeed I have vowed a fast to the Most
Merciful so I will not speak to any human today.’ Then
she carried him and brought him to her people. They
said, ‘O Mary, indeed you have done a great evil.’ ‘O
sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, and
your mother was not a fornicator.’ So she pointed to
him. They said, ‘How can we speak to a child in the
cradle?’ (Jesus) said, ‘Indeed, I am a slave of God. He
has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet. 4
And He has made me blessed wherever I am, and has
commanded me to me pray and give charity as long as I
remain alive. And (has made) me kind to my mother,
and did not make me arrogant or miserable. And peace
be upon me the day I was born, and the day I will die,
and the day I will be raised alive.’” (Quran 19:22-33)
“Indeed, Jesus is like Adam in front of God. He
created him from dust, then said to him, ‘Be,’ and he
was.” 5 (Quran 3:59)
4 Prophethood is the highest and most honorable position a human
can reach. A prophet is one who receives revelations from God
through Angel Gabriel.
5 Adam was created when God said, “Be,” and he to be without a
father or a mother. And so was Jesus created by the Word of God.
If the unusual birth of Jesus makes him divine, then Adam de-
6
 “And We made the son of Mary and his mother a
sign, And We gave them refuge and rest on a high
ground with flowing water.”6 (Quran 23:50)
The Excellence of Mary
“And God gives as an example for those who be-
lieve, the wife of Pharaoh, when she said, ‘My Lord,
build for me a home near You in paradise, and save me
from Pharaoh and his deeds, and save me from the
wrongdoing people.’ And (the example of) Mary, the
daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We
blew (the spirit of Jesus) into her through Our angel
(Gabriel). And she believed in the words of her Lord,
and His scriptures, and she was of the devout ones.”
(Quran 66:11-12)

Jesus the Prophet

“Say, ‘We believe in God and what has been re-
vealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham,
Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and to the prophet-descendants
(of Jacob), and what has been given to Moses and Je-
sus, and what has been given to the prophets from their
Lord. We make no distinction between any of them,
and we are Muslims (in submission) to Him.’” (Quran
2:136)

serves more of that divinity because Jesus at least had one parent,
while Adam had none. As Adam is not divine, so is Jesus not di-
vine, but both are humble servants of God.
6 This is where Mary gave birth to Jesus.
7
 “Indeed, We have revealed to you (O Muhammad)
as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him.
And We revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob,
and the prophet-descendants (of Jacob), Jesus, Job, Jo-
nah, Aaron, and Solomon, and We gave the book to
David.” (Quran 4:163)
“The Messiah son of Mary was only a messenger
(like other) messengers that had passed away before
him. And his mother was a strong believer. 7 They
both used to eat food.8 Look how We make the proofs
clear to them, then look how they (disbelievers) turn
away.” (Quran 5:75)
“He (Jesus) was only a servant whom We have fa-
vored, and We made him an example to the Children of
Israel.” (Quran 43:59)
The Message of Jesus
“And in their (the prophets’) footsteps, We sent Je-
sus the son of Mary, affirming the Torah that had come
before him. And We gave him the Gospel, in it was

7 The Arabic word here indicates the highest level of faith possi-
ble, where the only one higher is prophethood.
8 Both the Messiah and his pious mother used to eat, and that is
not a characteristic of God, who does not eat nor drink. Also, the
one who eats defecates, and this cannot be an attribute of God.
Jesus here is likened to all the noble messengers that had preceded
him: their message was the same, and their status as non-divine
creatures of God is similar. The highest honor that can be afforded
to a human is prophethood, and Jesus is one of the five highly re-
garded prophets. See verse 33:7 & 42:13.
8
guidance and light, affirming the Torah that had come
before it, and a guidance and an admonition for the
pious.” (Quran 5:46)
“O people of the Scripture, do not go to extremes in
your religion, and do not say about God except the
truth. The Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, is only a mes-
senger from God and a word from Him (“Be” and it is),
which He sent to Mary, and a soul from Him. 9 So, be-
lieve in God and His messengers, and do not say,
“Three.” Stop, it is better for you. Indeed, God is one;
exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs
whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the
earth. And God is sufficient as a Determiner of all af-
fairs. Never would the Messiah look down upon being
a worshipper of God, nor would the angels who are
close (to God).10 And whoever looks down upon the
worship of God and is arrogant, then He will gather
them to Himself all together.” (Quran 4:171-172)

9 Jesus is called a word or a soul from God because he was created

when God said, “Be,” and he was. In that he is special, because all
humans, except Adam and Eve, are created from two parents. But
despite his uniqueness, Jesus is like everyone else in that he is not
divine, but a mortal creature.
10 Everything and everyone else other than God is a worshipper or
a slave of God. The verse is asserting that the Messiah would nev-
er claim a status above that of a worshipper of God, dismissing any
claim to the contrary of his divinity. And indeed he would never
disdain such a position, because this is the highest honor any hu-
man can aspire to.
9
 “This is Jesus, the son of Mary. And this is the
statement of truth, which they doubt. It is not possible
for God to take a son. Far is He above this! When He
decides something, He just says to it, “Be,” and it is. 11
(Jesus said), ‘And indeed God is my Lord and your
Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.’ But the
sects disagreed (over the straight path), so woe to the
disbelievers from meeting a horrible Day.” (Quran
19:34-37)
“And when Jesus came with clear proofs, he said, ‘I
have come to you with prophethood, and to make clear
to you some of what you disagree about, so fear God
and obey me. Indeed, God is my Lord and your Lord,
so worship Him. This is a straight path.’ But the
groups disagreed among themselves (about the message
of Jesus), so woe to those who disbelieved from the pu-
nishment of a painful Day.” (Quran 43:63-65)
“And (remember) when Jesus, son of Mary, said, “O
Children of Israel, I am the messenger of God to you
confirming the Torah that came before me, and bring-
ing good news of a messenger that will come after me,
whose his name will be Ahmed. 12 But when he came

11 If the creation of Jesus without a father makes him the son of

God, then everything created like Jesus without a predecessor
should be divine too, and that includes Adam, Eve, the first ani-
mals, and this whole earth with its mountains and waters. But Je-
sus was created like all things on this earth, when God said, “Be,”
and he was.
12 This is another name of Prophet Muhammad.
10
to them with clear proofs, they said, “This is clear mag-
ic.” 13 (Quran 61:6)
The Miracles of Jesus
“So she pointed to him. They said, ‘How can we
speak to a child in the cradle?’ (Jesus) said, ‘Indeed, I
am a servant of God. He has given me the Scripture
and made me a prophet. 14 And He has made me
blessed wherever I am, and has commanded me to me
pray and give charity as long as I remain alive. And
(has made) me kind to my mother, and did not make me
arrogant or miserable. And peace be upon me the day I
was born, and the day I will die, and the day I will be
raised alive.’” (Quran 19:29-33)
(More miracles have been mentioned under: The
Good news of a new-born child)
The Table Spread (of food) from Heaven
by God’s Permission
“(And) when the disciples said, ‘O Jesus, son of
Mary, will your Lord send down to us a table spread
(with food) from heaven?’ He said, ‘Fear God, if you

13 This can refer to both prophets, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be

upon them. When they came with the message from God to their
people, they were accused of bringing magic.
14 Prophethood is the highest and most honorable position a hu-
man can reach. A prophet is one who receives revelations from
God through Angel Gabriel. A messenger is a prophet who rece-
ives a book from God, as well as laws to convey to his people. Je-
sus attained the highest honor by being both a prophet and a
messenger.
11
are indeed believers.’ They said, ‘We wish to eat from
it and have our hearts be reassured, and to know that
you have indeed told us the truth and that we be wit-
nesses to it.’ Jesus the son of Mary said, ‘O God, our
Lord, send us from heaven a table spread (with food) to
be for us a festival for the first of us and the last of us
and a sign from You. And provide for us, You are the
Best of providers.’ God said, ‘I am going to send it
down to you, but if any of you after that disbelieves,
then I will punish him with a punishment such as I will
not put on anyone else.’” (Quran 5:112-115)
Jesus and His Disciples
“O you who believe, champion God’s (religion), like
when Jesus son of Mary said to the disciples, ‘Who will
champion God’s (religion) with me?’ The disciples
said, ‘We are the champions of God’s (religion).’ Then
a group of the Children of Israel believed and a group
disbelieved. So We supported those who believed
against their enemy, and they became victorious.” 15
(Quran 61:14)
“And when I inspired the disciples to believe in Me
and My messenger, so they said, ‘We believe, and bear

15 The victory of the believers came through the message of Is-

lam, and it was a physical and a spiritual victory. Islam removed
all doubt about Jesus and offered conclusive proofs of his prophet-
hood, and that was the spiritual victory. Islam also physically
spread, which gave the believers in the message of Jesus refuge
and power against their enemy, and that was the physical victory.
12
witness that we are Muslims (in submission to God).’”
(Quran 5:111)
“Then We sent after them Our messengers, and We
sent Jesus son of Mary, and gave him the Gospel. And
We put in the hearts of those who followed him com-
passion and mercy. But We did not command monas-
ticism, rather they invented it for themselves to please
God with it, yet they did not observe it as it should be
observed. So We gave those who believed among them
their reward, but many of them are disobedient.” O you
who believe, fear God and believe in His messenger,
He will then give you a double portion of His mercy,
and give you light by which you can walk, and He will
forgive you. And God is Most Forgiving, Most Merci-
ful. (This We say) so that the people of the Scripture
may know that they have no control over God’s favor,
and that (His) favor is in His Hand to give it to who-
mever He wills. And God is the Owner of great boun-
ty.” 16 (Quran 57:27-29)

The Passion of Christ

“Then when Jesus felt their (persistence in) disbe-
lief, he said, ‘Who will champion with me God’s
(cause)?’ The disciples said, ‘We are the champions

16 God gives guidance to whomever He wills, regardless of back-

ground and race. And when people believe, God honors them and
lifts higher than everyone else. But when they disbelieve, God
demotes them even though before they might have been honorable.
13
(of the cause) of God. We believe in God, and be a
witness that we are Muslims (submitting to Him). 17
Our Lord, we have believed in what You have revealed,
and we have followed the messenger, so write us down
among the witnesses (to the truth).’ And they (who
disbelieved) plotted, and God planned. And God is the
best of the planners. When God said, ‘O Jesus, I will
take you 18 and raise you up to Me and clear you of
those who disbelieve, and I will make those who follow
you superior to those who disbelieve till the Day of Re-
surrection. Then you will all return to Me, and I will
judge between you in the matters you used to disagree
in.’” (Quran 3:52-55)
“And for of their saying, ‘We have killed the Mes-
siah, Jesus son of Mary, the messenger of God.’ But
they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it
was made to look like him to them. 19 And those who

17 The name given for the disciples in the Quran is al-

Hawariyyun, which means the purified ones, like the color white.
It is also reported that they used to dress in white.
18 Jesus was raised up in a state of sleep. The word that is used
here is wafah, which can mean sleep or death. In Arabic, sleep is
called the minor death. See also verses 6:60 and 39:42, where the
word wafah refers to sleep and not to death. Since verse 4:157 de-
nies the killing and crucifixion of Jesus, and since each human dies
once but Jesus is supposed to come back to earth, the only remain-
ing interpretation of the verse is sleep.
19 The resemblance of Jesus was put on another, and it is he, not
Jesus, who was crucified. According to several commentaries on
the Quran, the one who was crucified was one of the disciples, ac-
14
disagree over him are in doubt (of killing) him, they
have no knowledge of it except the following of guess-
work, and they did not kill him for certain. But God
raised him up to Himself. 20 And God is All-Powerful,
All-Wise.” (Quran 4:157-158)
The Followers of Jesus
“Then whoever argues with you about him (Jesus)
after the knowledge that has come to you, (then) say,
‘Come and let us call our sons and your sons, our wom-
en and your women, ourselves and yourselves, then we
all pray for the curse of God to fall on those who lie.’
Indeed, this is the true story. And there is no deity that
deserves to be worshipped except God. And indeed,
God is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. But if they turn
away (from accepting the truth), then indeed, God is
aware of the corrupters. Say, ‘O people of the Scrip-
ture: Come to a just statement 21 between us and you,
that we worship none but God, and that we associate no
partners with Him, and that none of us takes others as

cepting the resemblance of Jesus, and martyring himself to save

Jesus in return for paradise.
20 Jesus was raised in body and soul, and did not die. He still
lives up there, and will return towards the end of time to earth. Af-
ter fulfilling his assigned role on earth, he will eventually die.
21 This is what all the prophets of God have called to and agreed
upon. And so this statement is not exclusive to one group, but is
the common grounds for those who want to worship God.
15
lords besides God 22.’ But if they turn away, then say,
‘Be witnesses that we are Muslims (submitting to
Him).’” (Quran 3:61-64)
“Surely, they have disbelieved those who say that
God is the Christ, son of Mary. Say, ‘Who then has the
least power against God if He were to destroy the Chr-
ist son of Mary, his mother, and everyone on earth?’
And God has supreme authority over the heavens and
the earth, and whatever is between them. He creates
what He wills, and God is Able to do all things.” And
the Jews and the Christians say, ‘We are the children of
God and His loved ones.’ Say, ‘Why then does He pu-
nish you for your sins?’ Rather, you are only human
beings from among those He has created. He forgives
whom He wills, and He punishes whom He wills. And
God has supreme authority over the heavens and the
earth, and whatever is between them, and to Him is the
return (of all).” (Quran 5:17-18)
“Surely, they have disbelieved who say, ‘God is the
Messiah Jesus, son of Mary.’ But the Messiah said, ‘O
Children of Israel, worship God, my Lord and your
Lord. Indeed, whoever sets up partners (in worship)
with God, then God has forbidden him Paradise, and
the Fire will be his home. And there is none to help the
wrongdoers.’ Surely, disbelievers are those who say,

22 When one obeys another human in disobedience to God, he has

taken him as a lord instead of God.
16
‘God is the third of three.’ 23 But there is no god (that
deserves to be worshipped) except One God. And if
they do not stop what they are saying, the disbelievers
among them will suffer a painful punishment. Will
they not repent to God and seek His forgiveness? For
God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Quran 5:72-74)
“And the Jews say, ‘Ezra is the son of God,’24 and
the Christians say, ‘The Messiah is the son of God.’
That is the fabrication of their mouths. They are imitat-
ing the claims of the disbelievers of before. May God
destroy them, how they turn away (from the truth).
They have taken their religious scholars and their
monks as lords instead of God (by disobeying God and
obeying them), and (they also have taken as their Lord)
the Messiah, son of Mary. But they were commanded
to worship only one God, none has the right to be wor-
shipped except Him. Exalted is He above what they as-
sociate (with Him).” 25 (Quran 9:30-31)
“O you who believe, indeed many religious scholars
and monks eat away people’s wealth unjustly, and turn
(others) away from the way to God. And those who

23 In reference to the Trinity.

24 Although not all Jews believed it, they failed to condemn it (see
verses 5:78-79). When a sin is allowed to persist and spread un-
opposed, the whole community becomes liable.
25 The religious scholars are the ones possessing knowledge, and
the monks are the ones immersed in ritual and worship. Both are
considered religious leaders and examples, and through their influ-
ence they can lead people astray.
17
treasure gold and silver, and do not spend it in the Way
of God, then give them the news of a painful punish-
ment.” (Quran 9:34)
The Second Coming
“And there is not one of the people of the Scripture
but will believe in him before his death. 26 And on the
Day of Resurrection, he will be a witness against
them.” 27 (Quran 4:159)
“And he (Jesus) is a sign of (the coming of) the
Hour, so do not doubt it.28 And follow Me, this is a
straight path (leading to God and His paradise).” (Qu-
ran 43:61)
Jesus on the Day of Resurrection
“‘When God will say,’ O Jesus, son of Mary, re-
member My favor upon you and upon your mother

26 The pronoun in “his death” can refer to Jesus or to the individu-

al from the people of the Scripture. If it refers to Jesus, it means
that all of the people of the Scripture will come to believe in Jesus
on his second return to earth and before his death. Jesus then will
confirm that he is a prophet from God, not God nor the son of
God, and will ask all people to worship God alone and submit to
Him in Islam. If the pronoun refers to the individual from the
people of the Scripture, then the verse means that each one of them
will see just before his death what will convince him that Jesus
was a true prophet from God, and not God. But that belief at that
time will not benefit him, since it comes not out of free choice, but
when he sees the angels of punishment.
27 See verses 5:116-118.
28 The second coming of Jesus will be a sign that the Day of
Judgment is near.
18
when I supported you with the Pure Spirit (Gabriel) and
you spoke to people in the cradle and in old age; and
when I taught you the Book, wisdom, the Torah and the
Gospel; and when you made out of clay the likeness of
a bird, by My permission, then you breathed into it, and
it became a bird by My permission, and you healed the
blind and the leper by My permission, and when you
brought the dead to life by My permission; and when I
restrained the Children of Israel from (killing) you
when you came to them with clear proofs, but the dis-
believers among them said, ‘This is nothing but plain
magic.’” (Quran 5:110)
“And God will say (on the Day of Resurrection), ‘O
Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to people, ‘Worship me
and my mother instead of God?’ 29’ He will say, ‘Glory
be to You! It is not for me to say what I have no right
(to say). If I had said it, You would have known it.
You know what is (hidden) in myself and I do not
know what is in Yours. Indeed, You are the Knower of
the unseen.’ 30 I did not tell them except what You

29 The worship of others with God is the same as worshipping

them instead of God. Both mean that worship is directed and giv-
en to someone other than God, yet God is the only One who can be
worshipped.
30 God, as Jesus said, knows that Jesus did not call for his own
worship or his mother’s. The aim of the question is to point to
those who worship Jesus or Mary that if they were true followers
of Jesus, they would stop that practice, because Jesus never called
to it. But if they persist, then let them know that Jesus will disown
19
commanded me, ‘Worship God, my Lord and your
Lord.’ And I was a witness over them while I was
among them, but when You took me up, You were the
Watcher over them, and You are a Witness to all
things. If You punish them, they are Your servants,
and if You forgive them, indeed You are the All-
Mighty, the All-Wise.” 31 God will say, ‘This is the
Day when the truth will benefit those who were truth-
ful. To them belong gardens with rivers running
through it (in Paradise), where they will stay forever.
God is pleased with them and they are pleased with
Him. That is the great success.’ To God belongs the
heavens and the earth and whatever is within them, and
He is Able to do all.” (Quran 5:116-120)

them on the Last Day, and that they have not been following him,
but only following their personal preferences.
31 In other words, You know who is worthy of punishment, so
You will punish him. And you know who is worthy of forgive-
ness, so You will forgive him. For indeed, You are the Mighty
who has the power to punish, and You are Wise in dispensing all
affairs, so you forgive those who deserve forgiveness.
20