In the name of Allah , Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Yousuf - United Kingdom
Was Mary Married?
Shahul Hameed :…The Qur’an in Surat Maryam tells us that Maryam the Virgin, daughter of
Imran, gave birth to Isa (peace be upon him) miraculously, without her having been in contact with any man. The Qur’an says what means:
Code:
*{Relate in the Book [the story of] Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East. She placed a screen [to screen herself] from them; then We sent her Our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects. She said: “I seek refuge from thee to [God] Most Gracious: [come not near] if thou dost fear God.” He said: “Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, [to announce] to thee the gift of a holy son.” She said: “How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?” He said: “So [it will be]: Thy Lord saith, ‘That is easy for Me: and [We wish] to appoint him as a sign unto men and a mercy from Us.’ It is a matter [so] decreed.” So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place}* (Maryam 19:16-22)
…As you can see, there is no reference to anybody here called Joseph. If there had been a husband to Maryam before she gave birth to Baby Jesus, the claim of a miraculous birth for Jesus would have been suspect…
…The Gospels say nothing of the reaction of the people towards Mary when she brought a baby in her arms, probably because there was nothing strange in that, as she had a husband. But the Qur’an says that the people gathered around her finding fault with her, and she was saved from them through a miracle: the baby Jesus in her arms spoke to the people; he told them that God had blessed him and appointed him a prophet. If this miracle had not happened, probably the people would have given Mary the punishment prescribed in the Torah for fornication: death by stoning. Only Allah knows.
In this context, it would be appropriate to quote Rudolph Karl Bultmann (1884-1976), a leading German New Testament professor of immense influence on Christian studies in the twentieth century. He maintained that the gospels were not history but theology in story form. He wrote:
“There is no historical-biographical interest in the Gospels, and that is why they have nothing to say about Jesus’ human personality, his appearance and character, his origin, education and development… They do not tell of a much admired human personality, but of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Lord of the Church, and do so because they have grown out of Christian worship and remain tied to it.” (The History of the Synoptic Tradition, [ET Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1963], pp. 372-73).
You can see here a learned theologian honest enough to say that the gospel narrations about Jesus are not necessarily true to history. This fact should open one’s eyes to the Qur’anic narration, which comes from God and so it has got to be true.
And Allah knows best.
Salam.
Useful Links:
The Story of Jesus
A Brother for Jesus?!
Virgin Mary in Islamic Teachings
readingislam.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-AAbout_Islam/AskAboutIslamE/AskAboutIslamE&cid=1123996016478
