Islam: Jesus' mother Mary was the sister of Aaron?

[woodland_poet]

http://www.answering-islam.org/Silas/mary.htm

According to the Quran of Islam, Jesus’ mother Mary was the sister of Aaron, the brother of Moses. In the short version of what I have read here, Mohammed claimed that it was a common idiom for people to be called “brother” or “sister” of great people in history. And yet no evidence exists for this either in the Quran, the New or Old Testaments or even in any of the rejected apocryphal books. Christians who had come to Islam in the 7th century did not understand this usage either. Was Mohammed mistaken? Did Mohammed lie to cover a mistake? Could have Mohammed truly believed that Mary, Jesus’ mother was in fact the sister of Aaron, the brother of Moses? Islam asserts that the Quran is the perfect word of God. Perfect! Not close to perfect, not inspired, but revealed perfectly and relayed perfectly. Islam says that the Quran is word for word perfect! But we know that Mary is not the sister of Aaron, the brother of Moses. If the Quran contains even one error, it cannot be the word of God. However, this claim that Mary is the sister of Aaron is common to all Quran translations, (yes, I said translations).

Here are three translations of the verse in question, Surah 19:28;

YUSUFALI: “O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!”

PICKTHAL: O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot.

SHAKIR: O sister of Haroun! your father was not a bad man, nor, was your mother an unchaste woman.

I believe that Catholics incorrectly believe that the Quran says something about Jesus and Mary and that it contains some truth. Really it does not. In fact the Quran says that Jesus is not the son of God, that Jesus did not in fact die on the Cross and claims either that Judas Iscariot died in Jesus’ place or that the entire crucifixion was an illusion. I believe that Islam and Christianity have far less in common than many people realize.

 

[elwill]

http://www.answering-islam.org/Silas/mary.htm

According to the Quran of Islam, Jesus’ mother Mary was the sister of Aaron, the brother of Moses. In the short version of what I have read here, Mohammed claimed that it was a common idiom for people to be called “brother” or “sister” of great people in history. And yet no evidence exists for this either in the Quran, the New or Old Testaments or even in any of the rejected apocryphal books. Christians who had come to Islam in the 7th century did not understand this usage either. Was Mohammed mistaken? Did Mohammed lie to cover a mistake? Could have Mohammed truly believed that Mary, Jesus’ mother was in fact the sister of Aaron, the brother of Moses? Islam asserts that the Quran is the perfect word of God. Perfect! Not close to perfect, not inspired, but revealed perfectly and relayed perfectly. Islam says that the Quran is word for word perfect! But we know that Mary is not the sister of Aaron, the brother of Moses. If the Quran contains even one error, it cannot be the word of God. However, this claim that Mary is the sister of Aaron is common to all Quran translations, (yes, I said translations).

Here are three translations of the verse in question, Surah 19:28;

YUSUFALI: “O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!”

PICKTHAL: O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot.

SHAKIR: O sister of Haroun! your father was not a bad man, nor, was your mother an unchaste woman.

I believe that Catholics incorrectly believe that the Quran says something about Jesus and Mary and that it contains some truth. Really it does not. In fact the Quran says that Jesus is not the son of God, that Jesus did not in fact die on the Cross and claims either that Judas Iscariot died in Jesus’ place or that the entire crucifixion was an illusion. I believe that Islam and Christianity have far less in common than many people realize.

Mughira b. Shu’ba reported: “When I came to Najran, they (the Christians of Najran) asked me: You read “O sister of Harun (Aaron)” (i. e. Mary) in the Qur’an, whereas Moses was born much before Jesus. When I came back to Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) I asked him about that, whereupon he said: The (people of the old age) used to give names (to their persons) after the names of Apostles and pious persons who had gone before them. (Translation of Sahih Muslim, The Book on General Behaviour (Kitab Al-Adab), Book 025, Number 5326)”

As we clearly see from the Saying (Hadith) of our beloved Prophet, this issue was brought to him before and he clearly responded to it. **The false claim made against our Prophet about him meaning that Mary was a biological sister of Aaron is clearly refuted. **

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The Noble Quran talked about Aaron being Moses’s biological brother and messenger to Pharoah in Noble Verses 2:248, 4:163, 6:84, 7:122, 7:142, 7:150-151, 10:75, 10:87, 10:89, 19:28, 19:53, 20:30-35, 20:42, 20:70, 20:92-94, 21:48, 21:23, 21:45, 25:35-36, 26:13, 26:48, 28:34-35, 37:114-122 and many more…

The Noble Quran also talks about Moses being the People of Isreal’s first Messenger of GOD in Noble Verses
2:108, 2:248, 4:153, 5:20-26, 6:84, 14:8, 19:51-53, 22:44, 25:35-36, 28:3, 37:114-122, 18:60-82, 20:9-48, 27:7-12, 28:29-35, 79:15-19, 7:109-126, 10:79-82, 20:56-73, 26:38-51, 33:7, 2:53, 2:87, 2:136, 3:84, 6:91, 6:154, 7:144-145, 10:87, 11:110, 14:5, 17:2, 21:48, and may more…

The Noble Quran also talks about Jesus comming to the people of Isreal so many years after Moses and the many other Messengers of GOD that were sent to the People of Isreal in Noble Verses 3:49-51, 5:46, 5:72, 43:59, 61:6, 61:14, 4:171, 5:75, 43:59, 42:13, 4:172, 19:30, 43:64, 43:63, 3:52-54, 5:111-113, 57:27, 61:14, 61:6 and many more…

The Noble Quran also talks about Mary being the biological Mother of Jesus in Noble Verses 3:35-37, 19:22-26, 21:91, 66:12, 5:75, 21:91, 4:156, 4:171, 5:17, 5:116, 21:91, 3:42-51, 19:16-21, and many more…

So if the Noble Quran speaks clearly about Aaron being the biological brother of Moses, and speaks clearly about Jesus comming many years after Moses and the many other Messengers of GOD that were sent to the people of Isreal, and speaks clearly about Mary being the Mother of Jesus, then therefore, the Noble Quran (1) Recognizes Mary as a woman who was born long years after Aaron, and (2) When the Jews called Mary ‘O sister of Aaron…’, then meant it to be Sister of Aaron in faith only and not a biological sister.

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It is clear that Mary WAS figuratively
a “O SISTER OF AAROON” - WHY?
Because both the Bible and Quran agree she was a LEVITE i.e. a member of the tribe of hereditary “cohens” or “priests” in Judaism. (All
ultimately descendants of Aaroon)

How do I know this? Mary’s cousin was Elizabeth
whom we are told “belonged to a priestly family”
(Luke 1:5, 36). See also Quran 3:35-36 (stating
Mary was descendent of priestly line of Imran).

A female descendent of the hereditary priesthood could quite properly be called a "sister of Aaroon!

answering-christianity.com/quran/qbhc06.htm

 

[woodland_poet]

Where else was anyone referred to as a brother or sister of Aaron, or Moses? Why wasn’t Mary referred to as Mary, sister of Moses? Wasn’t Moses more important than Aaron?

 

[Barbkw]

The BVM Mary was a cousin to Elizabeth (John the Baptist’s mother).

From New Advent:

“Zachary’s wife and John the Baptist’s mother; was “of the daughters of Aaron” (Luke 1:5), and, at the same time, Mary’s kinswoman (Luke 1:36), although what …”

 

[jakasaki]

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It is clear that Mary WAS figuratively
a “O SISTER OF AAROON” - WHY?
**Because both the Bible and Quran agree she was a LEVITE **i.e. a member of the tribe of hereditary “cohens” or “priests” in Judaism. (All
ultimately descendants of Aaroon)

answering-christianity.com/quran/qbhc06.htm

Please show us where in the Bible states that Mother Mary was LEVITE -

Because when you read Hebrews chapter 7 verse 14 it clearly states:

For it is evident that our Lord sprung out of Juda: in which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priests.

Douay-Rheims Bible

 

[woodland_poet]

The BVM Mary was a cousin to Elizabeth (John the Baptist’s mother).

From New Advent:

“Zachary’s wife and John the Baptist’s mother; was “of the daughters of Aaron” (Luke 1:5), and, at the same time, Mary’s kinswoman (Luke 1:36), although what …”

Daughter does not mean sister. I may be my grandfather’s son, albeit a grandson, but I am not his brother or his father’s brother, or his father’s father’s brother. A daughter is not a sister and nowhere does the Bible name someone who is a daughter as being the sister of the same mother, or mother’s mother, being either a generation, or two or three or more removed. Why is marry not called a daughter of Aaron? Do daughter and sister now mean the same thing? Is there any evidence that they meant the same thing in the 7th century?

 

[elwill]

Did Jesus not die on the Cross, to be ressurrected on the Third Day? Was not Mary present at the Cross to witness her Son die for the sins of all men? John tells us that Mary was present at the Cross. She saw her son die on the Cross and saw Him rise from the dead. Did John, the writer of the Gospel according to John lie about this? Was not Jesus the true Son of God? Where else was anyone referred to as a brother or sister of Aaron, or Moses? Why wasn’t Mary referred to as Mary, sister of Moses? Wasn’t Moses more important than Aaron?

** Why wasn’t Mary referred to as Mary, sister of Moses? **

As Elizabeth was related to Aaron(P) (Luke 1:5), she was thus related to Levi (Numbers 18:20-32, Joshua 18:14). Mary was related to Elizabeth of the tribe of Levi and in the priestly line of Aaron (Luke 1:36-40). This may suggest that Mary also belonged to the tribe of Levi.

According to the Mosaic Law (as related in the Bible), the priesthood in Israel was limited to the sons of Aaron (Exodus 28:1, Leviticus 1:3, Numbers 3:10). Aaron is the first priest before Yahweh (Exodus 28:29, Leviticus 8). The Aaronic blessing (Numbers 6:24-26) in use today among the Jews and Christians is named after him. In Hebrews of the New Testament, there is a comparison between the priesthood of Aaron and Christ (Hebrews 7:11). Moses initiated Aaron and his sons to worship at the altar (Exodus 28:1). The priesthood was given to Aaron in a perpetual statute (Exodus 29:9) and renewed again to Phinehas (Numbers 25:13).

quran didn’t say that mary was always called sister of harun
the scene which presented in the quran happened when they found her came with a baby ,

In such words, Mary was being reminded of her high lineage and the uncompromising moral fortitude of her progenitors. How, they said, she had fallen, and disgraced the name of her forefathers? What they intended by associating the two names in kinship was in fact to show how far more inexcusable was her alleged misconduct in view of the religious influence and moral discipline into which Mary had the privilege of being born and brought up. It required the sarcasm and malice of the Jews to hit upon that cruel jest

bismikaallahuma.org/archives/2005/mary-the-sister-of-aaron/

 

[Barbkw]

Mary was a blood relative to Elizabeth and Elizabeth was a blood relative to Aaron.

Mary (in our present day language) was not a sister of Aaron.

In our terminology, Mary was more like a 10th generation grand niece of Aaron.

Hebrews didn’t use that terminology and I doubt that Muhammad / Islam did that either.

Hebrews used the term brother to mean brother, cousin, uncle, etc.

 

[jakasaki]

Mary was a blood relative to Elizabeth and Elizabeth was a blood relative to Aaron.

Mary (in our present day language) was not a sister of Aaron.

In our terminology, Mary was more like a 10th generation grand niece of Aaron.

Hebrews didn’t use that terminology and I doubt that Muhammad / Islam did that either.

Hebrews used the term brother to mean brother, cousin, uncle, etc.

Should Hebrews 7:14 be dismissed…???

It states…“For it is evident that our Lord sprung out of Juda”

Just because Mother Mary & Elizabeth are “blood relatives” / first cousins, it does not mean they are from the same tribe…

 

[Barbkw]

Joseph was of the tribe of Judah.

At least one of Mary’s parents included a bloodline from the tribe of Levi. Partial or whole who knows.

Matt 1:6 …And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, (7)and Solomon the father of Rehoboam….(16) and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

Luke 3:23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, [the son] of Heli, …. the son of Nathan, the son of David, …… the son of Seth, [the son] of Adam, [the son] of God.

 

[Publisher]

Joseph was of the tribe of Judah.

At least one of Mary’s parents included a bloodline from the tribe of Levi. Partial or whole who knows.

Matt 1:6 …And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, (7)and Solomon the father of Rehoboam….(16) and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

Luke 3:23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, [the son] of Heli, …. the son of Nathan, the son of David, …… the son of Seth, [the son] of Adam, [the son] of God.

Joseph’s lineage really doesn’t apply…Jesus wasn’t related to Joseph by blood…according to “orthodox” Christianity.

 

[elwill]

Mary was a blood relative to Elizabeth and Elizabeth was a blood relative to Aaron.

Mary (in our present day language) was not a sister of Aaron.

In our terminology, Mary was more like a 10th generation grand niece of Aaron.

Hebrews didn’t use that terminology and I doubt that Muhammad / Islam did that either.

Hebrews used the term brother to mean brother, cousin, uncle, etc.

In Semitic language the words father, mother, brother and sister are used broadly and do not necessarily imply the very close relations of real mother, father, brother

Numerous are the instances in Bible where tribal names are used to mention descendants. For example,
Lot is called Abraham’s brother (Genesis 14:14), though he was in fact Abraham’s nephew (Genesis 11:31).
Similarly Abraham spoke to Lot saying: “We men are brothers” (Genesis 13:8). But Abraham was actually was the uncle of Lot! Likewise the Babylonian queen referred to Nebuchadnezzar as the father of Belshazzar, when, Nabonidus was evidently his father and Nebuchadnezzar his grandfather (Daniel 5:11).
Thus, in New Testament Abraham is referred to as the father of us, when actually he was a distant forefather (Acts 7:2, Romans 4:12, James 2:21).
A member of the Jewish race removed from Abraham as much by 2000 years can still refer to Abraham as his father (Luke 16:24-25, 1:67-73; 13:16).
In Numbers (20:14), the Israelites are referred to as the brother of the king of Edom, even though Esau and Jacob were the brothers from whom both groups descended.
Similarly, Obed is referred to as Naomi’s son in Ruth 4:17, even though he was the son of her daughter-in-law, Ruth.
Laban is called Nahor?s son (Genesis 49:5) when he is actually the son of Bethuel, the son of Nahor (Genesis 4:47).

In response to criticism of the healing, Jesus referred to her as a daughter of Abraham (Luke 13:16). In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus placed Lazarus on Abraham?s bosom (Luke 16:22). Zacchaeus, as tax collector, was socially alienated. The crowd murmured against Jesus’ voluntary visit to Zacchaeus? house. After his declaration that he would give back to the poor half of his wealth and restore fourfold to those he had defrauded, Jesus called him a son of Abraham (Luke 19:9).

 

[Barbkw]

***“Why wasn’t Mary referred to as Mary, sister of Moses? Wasn’t Moses more important than Aaron?” ***

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohen

"A Kohen (or Kohein, Hebrew כֹּהֵן, ‘priest’, pl. כוהנים, Kohanim) is a Jew who is in direct patrilineal descent from the Biblical Aaron.

The status of Kohen was conferred on Aaron, the brother of Moses, and his sons as an everlasting covenant[1]

During the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness and until the Holy Temple was built in Jerusalem, Kohanim performed their priestly service in the portable Tabernacle.[2]

Their duties involved offering the daily and Jewish holiday sacrifices, collectively known as the Korbanot in Hebrew, and blessing the people in a ceremony known as Nesiat Kapayim (“Raising of the hands”), the ceremony of the Priestly Blessing.

When the First and Second Temples were built, the Kohanim assumed these same roles in these permanent structures on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. They were divided into 24 groups, each group consisting of six priestly families.

Each of the 24 served for one complete week, with each of the six serving one day per week, on the Shabbat all six worked in tandem. These 24 groups changed every Shabbat at the completion of the Mussaf service.

On the biblical festivals all 24 were present in the Temple for duty.

In a broader sense, since Aaron was a descendant of the Tribe of Levi, Kohanim are sometimes titled Levites, by direct patrilineal descent. However, not all Levites are Kohanim.

When the Temple existed, most services (i.e. the Korbanot) could only be conducted by Kohanim.

Non-Kohen Levites (i.e. all those who descended from Levi, the son of Jacob, but not from Aaron) performed a variety of other Temple roles, including Shechita, song service by use of voice and Musical instruments, and various tasks in assisting the Kohanim in performing their service."

 

[Nine_Two]

I believe that Catholics incorrectly believe that the Quran says something about Jesus and Mary and that it contains some truth.

The Koran does contain some truth, in much the same way that if I tell you that if you jump out a 20th story window you will fall and bounce off the concrete below and remain unharmed contains some truth - you will indeed fall.

 

[jakasaki]

In Semitic language the words father, mother, brother and sister are used broadly and do not necessarily imply the very close relations of real mother, father, brother

Numerous are the instances in Bible where tribal names are used to mention descendants. For example,
Lot is called Abraham’s brother (Genesis 14:14), though he was in fact Abraham’s nephew (Genesis 11:31).
Similarly Abraham spoke to Lot saying: “We men are brothers” (Genesis 13:8). But Abraham was actually was the uncle of Lot! Likewise the Babylonian queen referred to Nebuchadnezzar as the father of Belshazzar, when, Nabonidus was evidently his father and Nebuchadnezzar his grandfather (Daniel 5:11).
Thus, in New Testament Abraham is referred to as the father of us, when actually he was a distant forefather (Acts 7:2, Romans 4:12, James 2:21).
A member of the Jewish race removed from Abraham as much by 2000 years can still refer to Abraham as his father (Luke 16:24-25, 1:67-73; 13:16).
In Numbers (20:14), the Israelites are referred to as the brother of the king of Edom, even though Esau and Jacob were the brothers from whom both groups descended.
Similarly, Obed is referred to as Naomi’s son in Ruth 4:17, even though he was the son of her daughter-in-law, Ruth.
Laban is called Nahor?s son (Genesis 49:5) when he is actually the son of Bethuel, the son of Nahor (Genesis 4:47).

In response to criticism of the healing, Jesus referred to her as a daughter of Abraham (Luke 13:16). In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus placed Lazarus on Abraham?s bosom (Luke 16:22). Zacchaeus, as tax collector, was socially alienated. The crowd murmured against Jesus’ voluntary visit to Zacchaeus? house. After his declaration that he would give back to the poor half of his wealth and restore fourfold to those he had defrauded, Jesus called him a son of Abraham (Luke 19:9).

Several of your posts here Elwill, you have quoted Bible passages to “prove” something from answering christianity web site -

How then do muslims make the claim that the Bible is corrupt ???

 

[Kadaveri]

For a quick introduction, please read this article islamic-awareness.org/Qur…rnal/mary.html. This isn’t a recent criticism, infact Christians once asked for an explanation of this verse to Muhammad’s face and he explained that it’s not literal. This is not a unique case, for example when Abdullah ibn Salam met the Prophet he is reported to have said “Auntie, he is really, by God, the brother of Moses and follows his religion.” Of course Abdullah didn’t think Muhammad was the literal brother of Moses.

And a couple of other quotes from Christians who’ve studied this topic:

“From the identity of names it has been generally imagined by Christian writers that the Koran here confounds Mary the mother of Jesus with Mary of Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron; which intolerable anachronism, if it were certain, is sufficient of itself to destroy the pretended authority of this book. But though Mohammed may be supposed to have been ignorant enough in ancient history and chronology, to have committed so gross a blunder; yet I do not see how it can be made out from the words of the Koran. For it does not follow, because two persons have the same name, and have each a father and brother who bear the same names, that they must therefore necessarily be the same whereby it manifestly appears that Mohammed well knew and asserted that Moses preceded Jesus several ages. And the commentators accordingly fail not to tell us, that there had passed about one thousand eight hundred years between Amran the father of Moses and Amrean the father of the Virgin Mary: they also make them the sons of different persons; the first, they say, was the son of Yeshar, or Izhar (though he was really his brother) the son of Kahath, the son of Levi; and the other was the son of Matthan, whose genealogy they trace, but in a very corrupt and imperfect manner, up to David and thence to Adam. It must be observed that though the Virgin Mary is called in the Koran, the sister of Aaron, yet she is nowhere called the sister of Moses.”
(George Sale, The Koran, IX Edition of 1923, London, p. 38)

And from logon.org/english/s/p163.html, elucidating on the last sentence of the previous quote:

At verse 28, Muhammad makes a most important observation where he refers to Mary as Sister of Aaron. From Matthew and Luke we are given Christ’s lineage, which is from David in Matthew through to Solomon; and in Luke, through Nathan (see the paper Genealogy of the Messiah (No. 119)). Christ was of the line of Judah and both these lines are of Judah, but in order to fulfil the expectations that the Messiah would be of two advents, the Messiah of Aaron and the Messiah of Israel, lineage from Levi is required. The Judaic lineages alone would not be sufficient to complete those expectations, which we know were widespread from the writings of the Sons of Zadok. Further, the prophecy in Zechariah 12:10-14 shows that when they look on me; the one they pierced the houses of his lineage appear to be of David through Nathan (v. 12) and Levi through Shimei (v. 13). As Mariam’s cousin, Elizabeth, was wife to Zechariah, high priest of the Division of Abijah, and because of the limitations imposed upon Levites by Numbers, Elizabeth and, probably therefore, Mariam (Mary) would have been full Levite, in the case of Elizabeth and part Levite in the case of Mariam, allowing Zechariah to be fulfilled and Christ to be the Messiah of Aaron and Israel. Far from being an error or a generalised term, Muhammad’s statement is corroboration of this prophecy in Zechariah, perhaps showing that he had also read and understood Zechariah.

 

[flyonthewall]

Joseph’s lineage really doesn’t apply…Jesus wasn’t related to Joseph by blood…according to “orthodox” Christianity.

True, Joseph’s lineage doesn’t really apply but that is the lineage the Jews would have looked at.
Joseph’s lineage aside, Jesus’ lineage was actually directly from the Father, which trumps any lineage from the House of Israel…

 

[woodland_poet]

I think that the important thing to remember here is that the Quran does not vary a little from the Bible in it’s account of Old Testament events. It varies a lot! In the Quran, you find stories about Moses that you will find nowhere else in recorded biblical history. Are we to understand that the Bible is wrong, in all of it’s thousands of copies and wrong in all of the thousands of places it’s quoted by other writers in other published works in the 700 year after Christ and for hundreds of years preceeding Christ? And we are to believe that the Quran has everything correct simply because Mohammed says so? Muslims say that Christians and Jews changed the Bible? Where is one pre-existing text that indicates that the Old or New Testament in any way resembles events as depicted in the Quran?

 

[Barbkw]

Muhhamad received an incomplete catechesis of Christianity. From what he understood, of what he was presented, he then interrepted that and wrote the Koran.

Mary was given great honor. However, Jesus’ relationship with the Father and the Trinity’s sacramental relationship (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) with humanity was never realized by Muhhamad.

It wasn’t until a few years before his death that Muhhamad was visited by orthodox Early Church Christians who were able to explain to him the full work of Christ, His Divinity and what Christ accomplished on the cross.

But, it was too late. The Koran had already been printed and the religion started.

 

[jakasaki]

Muhhamad received an incomplete catechesis of Christianity. From what he understood, of what he was presented, he then interrepted that and wrote the Koran.

Mary was given great honor. However, Jesus’ relationship with the Father and the Trinity’s sacramental relationship (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) with humanity was never realized by Muhhamad.

It wasn’t until a few years before his death that Muhhamad was visited by orthodox Early Church Christians who were able to explain to him the full work of Christ, His Divinity and what Christ accomplished on the cross.

But, it was too late. The Koran had already been printed and the religion started.

There was no “printed koran” during mohamads time.