Mary—Maryam in Arabic—is the only woman mentioned by name in the entire Qur’an, and she is honored with an entire chapter bearing her name: Surah Maryam (Chapter 19). Far from being a peripheral figure, Mary is presented as a central example of faith, chastity, and divine election, revered by Muslims as one of the most righteous women to ever live.
The Qur’an elevates Mary’s status in no uncertain terms. In Surah Al-Imran (3:42), the angels say:
“O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds.”
Mary’s story begins even before her birth. Her mother, Hannah (not named in the Qur’an but known from Islamic tradition and apocryphal Christian texts), dedicated her unborn child to God’s service. Though she expected a boy, she gave birth to a girl and named her Maryam. Hannah fulfilled her vow by placing Mary in the care of the prophet Zechariah. The same Zechariah who was husband to Mary’s relative Elizabeth.
When a woman of [the House of] `Imran prayed: “O my Sustainer! Behold, unto Thee do I vow [the child] that is in, my womb, to be devoted to Thy service. Accept it, then, from me: verily, Thou alone art all-hearing, all-knowing!”
But when she had given birth to the child, she said: “O my Sustainer! Behold, I have given birth to a female” – the while God had been fully aware of what she would give birth to, and [fully aware] that no male child [she might have hoped for] could ever have been like this female – “and I have named her Mary. And, verily, I seek Thy protection for her and her offspring against Satan, the accursed.”
And thereupon her Sustainer accepted the girl-child with goodly acceptance, and caused her to grow up in goodly growth, and placed her in the care of Zachariah. Whenever Zachariah visited her in the sanctuary, he found her provided with food. He would ask: “O Mary, whence came this unto thee?” She would answer: “It is from God; behold, God grants sustenance unto whom He wills, beyond all reckoning.”
Qu’ran Al-Imran 3:35-37
Mary grew up in purity in the temple, and was often visited by angels who sustained her through miraculous provisions—food found in her sanctuary without human explanation (Surah Al-Imran 3:37).
Perhaps the most striking part of Mary’s narrative in the Qur’an is the account of the virgin birth. When the angel Jibreel (Gabriel) appears to her in the form of a man, she recoils in fear, saying:
“Indeed, I seek refuge in the Most Merciful from you, [so leave me], if you should be fearing of Allah.” (Surah Maryam 19:18)
Gabriel reassures her, announcing that she will give birth to a pure boy—a sign for humanity from God. Mary conceives Jesus (Isa) without any man touching her. Her labor is described vividly and with great emotional weight, as she cries out beneath a palm tree, only to be comforted by divine help.
“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, ‘Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten.’
But he (a voice) called her from beneath her, ‘Do not grieve; your Lord has provided beneath you a stream.’
‘And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates.’
‘So eat and drink and be comforted. And if you see from among humanity anyone, say, “Indeed, I have vowed to the Most Merciful abstention, so I will not speak today to any human being.”‘
Surah Maryam 19:22–26
God provides her with water and fresh dates, and she is instructed to keep a fast of silence.
When she brings the infant Jesus to her people, they accuse her of indecency. But the newborn Jesus miraculously speaks in her defense, proclaiming himself a servant of God and a prophet (Surah Maryam 19:30).
Mary in the Qur’an is revered as a paragon of faith, strength, and obedience. She embodies the Islamic ideal of submission to God’s will—Islam in its most personal form.
The Qur’an places her among the most spiritually exalted:
“And [the example of] Mary, the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into [her garment] through Our angel, and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient.” (Surah At-Tahrim 66:12)
While doctrinal beliefs differ between Christian and Muslim adherents, both faiths celebrate her as a virgin mother, a holy woman, and a figure of immense spiritual significance.
