The name of Isa/Jesus is frequently mentioned in the Quran as the son of Maryam/Mary, and so their mentions are linked. This aspect is not often discussed, so I will do it here, as well as analyzing how and where their names are expressed and placed in Quranic architecture. Jesus is referred as “Word” in the Quran, as well as in the Bible, for example in this significant aya, which also mentions the name of prophet Jesus in full:
˹Remember˺ when the angels proclaimed, “O Mary! Allah gives you good news of a Word from Him, his name will be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary; honored in this world and the Hereafter, and he will be one of those nearest ˹to Allah˺. (3:45)
Virgin Birth an Affront to Religious Hierarchy
First, aside from “Word,” a reference with double meanings (explained later), this aya (verse) gives us three (3) names for prophet Jesus: 1) the Messiah, 2) Jesus, 3) son of Mary. The Messiah is his title, Isa/Jesus is his name given to him by Allah, and son of Mary is his lineage. This is pointedly made in such a specific phrase as an affront to the Jewish patriarchal system, which Jesus was sent to break up. Having no father was a challenge from the Almighty to the patriarchal system wherein moral authority and power of all kinds was tied up with lineage. And women were excluded from this club, often referred to in the Bible as the Pharisees, which not only wielded power but wrote their own rules.
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. (Matthew 23:13)
Verses/ayat from the Quran emphasize more specific details regarding consuming others’ wealth, blaming the religious elite for hindering people from Allah’s Way, as below:
O believers! Indeed, many rabbis and monks consume people’s wealth wrongfully and hinder ˹others˺ from the Way of Allah. Give tidings of a painful torment to those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend it in Allah’s cause. (Quran 9:34)
The reference to “monks” is ruhbani from the root of Ruh or “spirit.” The word for rabbis is ahbar which sounds similar. Although this is a common translation, I believe one could extend this meaning to any “religious leaders” of Jews or Christians. We find many religious leaders today also using their position of “spiritual” authority as a means to make themselves rich and/or powerful, and at the same time misguiding their people, diverting them from God’s way. (Note that Islam has no such clerical hierarchy; the Shi’a and other smaller groups’ clerical hierarchy cannot override the Quran, making it still the eternal authority for all of Islam.)
Among Christians, the “prosperity gospel”, whose teachings literally oppose the Christians’ own teachings of compassion (“you cannot serve both God and mammon/ worldly gain”) exemplifies this money-making misguidance. So despite the powerful message of a virgin birth, undermining the Jewish patriarchy’s authority considering women inferior in matters of faith, and despite Jesus’ overturning the “money tables,” fighting currency manipulation and usury, prophet Jesus himself, as with all prophets including Mohammad, could not open the sealed hearts and determined evil-doing of “religious” leaders and their followers among the people to whom he was sent.
Among Jews, their embrace of usury (for which historical oppression is used as a justification) and pursuit of wealth through “creative” means (derivatives, junk bonds, and other fictitious monetary practices) is a method of pursuing wealth to control others’ economies seen today in the U.S. Thus rabbis have over time philosophized away much of the Torah’s basic tenets, devising “creative” ways to get around various rules, similar to what Bani Isra’il did in the time of Moses and thereafter.
These practices were of course condemned by prophet Jesus whom the religious elites conspired to kill by crucifixion but another man was substituted for him, and Allah “raised up” Jesus in the same way He did other prophets such as Idrīs (interpreted to be Enoch). The Quran specifically corrected these details which match the Biblical narrative in terms of outwardly visible facts – there was a crucifixion, slated to be of Jesus, and an ascension to God, and thus no body found in any tomb – but these facts were not what they appeared to be, insofar as Jesus himself was raised up and another man actually crucified. The Quran does not tell us how this occurred except that the substitute man looked similar to Jesus. It may have been that Jesus was raised up before they called him to be crucified and so they took a different guy who looked like him who may have also been on the same “death row” situation.
Maryam and the Word
Much more information is given in the Quran about Jesus’ mother Maryam/Mary than in the Bible. We are told about Mary’s mother’s du’a to consecrate her daughter to God’s service and protect her from Satan. We are told that Maryam herself was orphaned and her caretaker (chosen by drawing lots) was Zakariya, a prophet in his own right, who noticed that she miraculously received “provision”, which inspired him to pray for a son. Allah granted his request with the birth of Yahya (John) who also became a prophet. This, interestingly, makes three prophets including Jesus sent around the same time: Zakariya, Yahya, and Jesus/Isa.
The number three (3) is used significantly in reference to prophets. In Surat Ya Seen we are told the story of 3 unnamed prophets sent to a community who are also unnamed. Prophet Yusuf’s story has contains 3 dream sequences (his own dream, his fellow prisoners’ dreams, and the king’s dream); and 3 incidents with his shirt. Prophet Zakariya is given a sign of the birth of a son that he will not speak for 3 days/nights. Prophet Moses had 3 fathers: his birth father Imran, the Pharaoh as a stepfather, and the father of his wife in Madyan where he stayed for around 9 years (3×3). Prophet Yusuf stayed in prison around 9 years (3×3), Moses was given 9 “signs”/miracles. The Thamud people whose prophet was Salih were told, after they disobeyed Allah, that they would wait 3 days before the retribution. The warnings against claims that Allah is one of three (3) are also related to this usage of 3 as part of Jesus’ and Maryam’s story.
Maryam’s story is connected to why Jesus is referred to as Word, as related here:
When the angels said: O Maryam, surely Allah gives you good news with a Word from Him (of one) whose name is the Messiah, ‘Isa son of Maryam, beautiful (both worthy of regard and actual beauty) in this world and the hereafter and of those who are close (to Allah). (Quran 3:45)
Here she is told by angels (in plural) of the birth of a Word, Jesus as her son, also telling her his full name exactly as in the aya mentioned earlier. When she asks how she can have a son as a virgin, the single archangel Jibreel (Gabriel) then replies. This narrative, which also describes Jesus as speaking in the cradle and maturity is in sura 3 (Al-e-Imran). The same story is told with different aspects in 19:16-21, the story of her actual delivery of Jesus is in 19:22-26, and the confrontation with her relatives where Jesus speaks on her behalf is in 19:27-34. The expression “word” was used also in reference to the birth of prophet Zakariya’s Divinely granted son Yahya.
So the angels called out to him while he stood praying in the sanctuary, “Allah gives you good news of ˹the birth of˺ Yahya/John who will confirm the Word of Allah and will be a great leader, chaste, and a prophet among the righteous.” (3:39)
But here it states that Yahya will confirm the Word of Allah, whereas Jesus is referred to simply as Word, “His word” as below, or “a word from Him” given to Maryam, implying that Jesus is himself the word being referred to.
The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers. And do not say, “Three”; desist – it is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. (Excerpt from 4:171)
This means that “word” is the creation statement kun fayakūn by which Allah creates, and created Adam. This is confirmed in the aya below:
Indeed, the example of Jesus is like that of Adam. He created him of dust; then He said to him Be! and he was. (3:59)
Another insight we can gain from the appellation “son of Mary” given to Isa/Jesus is that by incorporating his mother’s name into his name, Jesus is identified as “son of Mary,” not “son of God,” as many Christians claim, a claim which Allah/God Himself informs us is a gross sin repeatedly in the Quran.
And it may also be that Jibreel, known as the Spirit who conveys all revelations to the prophets, here conveys Jesus as a word (Allah’s words are in this case effective commands unlike our use of words) to Maryam’s womb, a “word” from Allah who is also her message, raising her status (albeit not her role) to that of a prophet/messenger, her son being also a “word” – a powerful message to the Jewish patriarchy at the time. Here a woman was honored by God for her piety and devotion to Him, whereas being a “patriarch” in itself did not make rabbis or Pharisees superior to others, even a woman, in the sight of Allah.
Rather it is piety alone, righteousness, which can raise the status of all human beings in the sight of our Creator. Allah shows them that a righteous woman had a miraculous son who spoke as an adult speaks in the cradle as well as maturity. And her son Isa spoke on her behalf defending her against accusations of immorality. This was an immense help to her, proving that this was no ordinary birth and her status with the Almighty was tied up with this miraculous birth. But there’s yet another mention of “word” in reference to Maryam directly:
وَمَرۡيَمَ ٱبۡنَتَ عِمۡرَٰنَ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَحۡصَنَتۡ فَرۡجَهَا فَنَفَخۡنَا فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِنَا وَصَدَّقَتۡ بِكَلِمَٰتِ رَبِّهَا وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَكَانَتۡ مِنَ ٱلۡقَٰنِتِينَ
And Mary, the daughter of Imran, who preserved her chastity. Then We breathed therein of Our Spirit, and she confirmed the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient. (At-Tahrim 66:12)
Here she, like Yahya, “confirmed the words of her Lord” meaning Allah’s messages, and hence by the arduous and socially problematic delivery of Jesus, she conveyed a message to the Jewish entrenched Patriarchy that women too can attain to the highest moral and religious status. Even if it is not designated as such.
To “confirm” prior scriptures is essentially what prophets do, whether or not they were given a revelation/book. Here “words” are the words of holy scriptures sent through archangel Jibreel/Gabriel, in this case the Torah.
The Messiah, son of Mary, was not but a messenger; [other] messengers have passed on before him. And his mother was a supporter of truth. They both used to eat food. Look how We make clear to them the signs; then look how they are deluded. (Al-Ma’idah 5:75)
Placement of the Names of Jesus and Maryam
We start with Maryam’s mentions because they are simpler to present because she has one name whereas Isa/Jesus has 3 names (the number 3 again!) which are sometimes combined in the same aya, and these combinations vary.
As you can see, Maryam is mentioned 34 times in the Quran (a {3,4} number), the same number of mentions as for the name Al-Raheem, the All-Merciful. And these mentions are contained in 31 ayat in 12 suras. Interestingly, the numbers 12+31=43, the reverse of 34, and if one adds the two, 43+34=77, this is also the sum of ayat +mentions +suras, 77=7×11 – noting the mentions of Maryam alone (without reference to being mother of Isa) are 11.
There are 8 mentions in the upper “celestial” hemisphere on the chart above, and 26 in the lower “earthly” half. The number 8 represents paradise (among other things), and being in the upper celestial half indicates that Maryam’s destiny is in paradise, about which there is no dispute.
The number 26 is associated with Allah’s mercy in the Bible, as in Psalm 136 which has 26 verses, each of which ends in the phrase “for His mercy endures forever.” And sura 26 is where the most mentions of Al-Raheem are mentioned, 9 times, which is 26% of the total. The fact that there are 26 mentions of Maryam in the lower earthly half is because that is where we need mercy the most – where we can go astray, whereas our fate in the Hereafter depends on what happened in this world.
It is important to note the Jews disparage(d) Maryam entirely – then and now – saying she was a prostitute, or at the least deny it was a virgin birth, implying she had a child out of wedlock. This way they denied there was any problem with their religious patriarchy system where abuse of power was rampant, or their practice of manipulating or inventing sacred texts to suit their desires and wishful thinking, such as claiming they will not taste hell except a number of days.
This may be why or how the story of Joseph as Maryam’s “betrothed” was inserted into the Bible as a cover story, although it doesn’t solve this issue since she can’t have been both married and a virgin. And a “betrothed” man would have known of her pregnancy, yet no mention is made of this issue or how it was supposedly resolved. The Quran clarifies this issue clearly – no “betrothed” showed up, nor were they traveling to “pay taxes,” nor was there “no room at the inn” (ancient hotel industry?). She was alone when she gave birth. It was painful and she cried out, wishing she didn’t even exist. Then a voice (interpreted to be infant Jesus who is later confirmed to speak as an infant, although unnamed here, could also be an angel) called to comfort her, telling her to shake the date tree she leaned against for fresh dates and that a stream beneath her was fresh water to drink.
All Quranic references to Maryam by name are listed below listed by sura numbers, although there are others referring to Maryam by characteristic (“she who guarded her chastity,” “we made her and her son a sign for the worlds”) such as 21:91, which are not counted here. All Quranic references are listed below with sura numbers in bold. In parentheses are the descriptions of mentions in the form “Jesus son of Mary” (jsom), “Al-Masih (Masih) son of Mary” (Masih som), and simply “son of Mary” (som).
Looking at the chart, we can see the sura with the most mentions is Surat Al-Ma’ida 5, with (10) mentions of Maryam, all of them in reference to her as “mother of Jesus” (8x) or “mother of the Messiah” (2x), another name/title for Jesus, the Arabic word for which is al-Masīḥ:
- al-Masīḥ (Arabic: المسيح, pronounced [maˈsiːħ], lit. ‘the anointed’, ‘the traveller’, or ‘one who cures by caressing’) is the Arabic word for messiah used by both Arab Christians and Muslims. Wikipedia (under “Etymology”)
We can also see that three (3) whole Houses (pie sections have NO mentions of Maryam: the 8th, 10th, and 12th Houses. In contrast, a series of 5 suras which begin with Surat Al-Baqara (2) and end with Surat Al-An’am (6) contain the most mentions, 24, or 71% of the total, and the remainder of mentions are ten (10) or 29%. These are 4 Madani suras (revealed in Madinah) and one sura revealed in Mecca (Al-An’am). Note that parts of these suras may be revealed in a different location and time than most of the sura and no one can definitively know when every single aya was revealed but there are ways to know where most are likely to have been revealed.
Mentions of Jesus/Messiah in Quran
The name of Isa/Jesus is closely associated with Maryam. This is obvious in the comparison above, but also noticeable in the text without graphic aids, because Maryam is mostly mentioned in references to “Jesus/Messiah the son of Mary/Maryam.” Maryam is mentioned alone (without Jesus) 11 times, and Jesus/Messiah is is mentioned alone (without Maryam) 12 times (9 as Jesus, 2 as Messiah). These “mentions” involve multiple names, giving rise to various counts that are more complex with Jesus than Maryam due to the addition of the name Masih/Messiah, which is sometimes used alone, sometimes with Jesus, sometimes with “son of Mary,” so some of the mentions overlap as combinations within each aya.
So in counting mentions of Jesus, I count all three names, although I also list them separately. This makes our analysis more accurate but also less simple. I noticed in online sites that claim the number of times each prophet was mentioned, the name Jesus is the only name counted with 25 mentions, whereas if one includes his other names, the count goes up to 35 if we count each name combination as a unit.
For example, with the name “Jesus the Messiah son of Maryam,” we have one combined name that consists of three individual names and the total count of such combined names is 35. But the total individual name count is much higher – 58, an increase of 23 – the number of chromosome pairs in human DNA. Incidentally, I’ve found this number 23 significant in many counts in the Quran referring to humanity (as has the Islamic history researcher and author Binimad Al-Ateeqi). It’s also the number of years of Mohammad’s (human) prophethood. This may be a way to emphasize the significance plus the humanity of Jesus, enhanced by his multiple names.
Jesus is indeed the Messiah promised to the children of Israel (Jews), but they rejected him and are still awaiting some other supposed Messiah. As son of Mary, his lineage has no human father, a fact rejected by the Jews, who also slander his mother, as mentioned above. And Jesus/Isa is s a major prophet, which Jews also reject. Sadly, this rejection is inherited and incorporated into Judaism generally.
The basic statistics are below:
Comparing the “combination” counts in the upper (celestial) and lower (earthly) hemispheres, we find that both Isa/Jesus and Maryam have the same number of mentions – eight (8) – in the celestial hemisphere. As mentioned earlier, the number 8 is associated with paradise, thus both are equally assured of paradise. This also tells us that in terms of piety/righteousness and its reward in the Hereafter, both are equal, indicating that in terms of the value of their souls and contributions, men and women are equal. In the lower earthly hemisphere, Isa/Jesus has 27 mentions and Maryam has 26. This indicates that the superiority of men is manifested only in the earthly realm of Al-dunya where physical prowess and freedom from pregnancy and childbirth gives men certain advantages and responsibilities per 4:34; here the difference is one number. It’s also relating to the many 3’s associated with Jesus, where 27=3³ or 3x3x3.
Looking at the chart above we can notice how similar the two charts’ distribution of mentions are:
- Both have dominant mentions in Surat Al-Ma’ida: Maryam 10x and Jesus 11x
- Both have zero mentions in the 8th, 10th, and 12th Houses, but Jesus also has zero mentions in the 11th House, where Maryam is mentioned once in Surat Hūd 11.
Since he’s also given the name Al-Masih or the Messiah as a name in 3:45, this name is also included in the list below, which also shows how many times Jesus is mentioned with other prophets (Messiah is not used in reference to him with other prophets). Below are the Quranic references to Jesus as Isa (Jesus) and/or Al-Masih (Messiah), which also show parenthetical details, in particular if “son of Maryam” is used. I did not count in references to Jesus’ names the two mentions as “son of Mary” only.
Note: in the list below of ayat references mentioning Jesus/Messiah/son of Mary, those without parentheses mention the name Jesus once, mentions of Messiah/Masih are given in parentheses, as are mentions of son of Maryam as (jsom) if “Jesus son of Mary” is mentioned, and (som) if only “son of Mary” is mentioned. Where it’s written 2x in bold, this means a single aya contains two combination mentions. Also shown are the total mentions of ayat plus all individual names counted per sura in bold. The total sura count for all mentions is 13 as shown in the list form.
These mentions are all contained within only 13 suras. The total combinations 35 + suras 13 = 48 (4×12), a significant multiple of 12 and the number of Surat Al-Fat’h (Victory/Conquest); also ten less than the total individual name mentions (58). That number’s factorization 2×12 may have significance as the 10th prime and the only monthly lunar cycle number that’s also a prime. Often the significance of such numbers only becomes evident when further studies reveal the same numbers in other locations in the Quran to form a pattern.
Below are separate counts for each of Isa’s 3 names:
IF we don’t count the two mentions as “son of Mary,” without another “supporting” name, Jesus has 33 mentions in the Quran in 31 ayat in 12 suras, But if we count those two mentions, we have 35 mentions in 33 ayat in 13 suras. Since aya 3:45 states “he shall be called Isa, the Messiah, son of Maryam,” any one of the 3 expressions refers to him and should be counted. Below are more details for the numbers regarding mentions of Isa/Jesus.
Adding the mentions of Maryam and Isa/Jesus, we get the following:
Total mentions: 34 (all mentions of Maryam) +35 (all combination mentions of Isa/Jesus) = 69, matching the percentage of all mentions where the two intersect. Total mentions of each without the other: 11+12 = 23 – stands for humanity, where each stands alone, and also where their fates intersect as human mother and human son.
Note that prophet Yahya, who was likely alive during Jesus’ lifetime, also had a “miraculous” birth, as his mother was both barren and past the age of childbearing; the Quran mentions that Allah “amended” her condition so that she could bear the son her husband, prophet Zakariya, asked for – Yahya – who was also given prophethood. Prophet Ibrahim/ Abraham was also given a son Isaac from his barren wife, thus also miraculously. In these and other examples, being granted miracles never makes the miracle-worker a god. A child born of a virgin obviously did not enact his own birth. And God the Creator does not involve humans or any of His creation in His proprietary acts, of creation or anything else. No one worshiped prophet Moses as a god, even though the miracles he was given are arguably the most amazing — such as parting the Red Sea! This despite his people having tendencies to idol-worship. So Jesus-worship was a political position taken by the church to consolidate their power as a “new” religion. Whereas Islam makes no such claim, asserting that the same Almighty God sent all genuine religions (not limited to “Abrahamic” faiths, in their original form) and confirming the previous known scriptures. Islam acknowledges itself as not a “new” religion but a confirmation and extension of prior religions all of which were essentially the same with a few time-related “upgrades” and necessary corrections in understanding.
And the Virgin birth of Jesus was Allah’s miracle and also a fitnah – test – of humankind. The birth of Jesus was also a great trial for Maryam: the pain and anxiety/fear of the birth (and pregnancy which she hid from her family, no small thing) itself, plus the ostracization, rumors, and false accusations of unlawful intercourse by her own people, both family and the religious hierarchy whose slander is still repeated today. For a pure woman of the highest moral scruples and chastity, this would have caused her immense suffering. Undoubtedly her son Isa/Jesus was her greatest human defender and protector by Allah’s grace and encompassing plan. Surely she too was a comfort and help to her son through his many tribulations as a prophet.
114 Chambers 