Jesus and Mary in Islam and Christianity

First of all, I would like to wish all my Christian friends a Merry Christmas. Islam and Christianity have many similarities especially when it comes to Mary, mother of Jesus and the teachings of Jesus(as). Verse 1:28 from the Book of Luke state "The angel went to her and said, 'Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."(Luke) The Holy Quran states in chapter 3 verse 42 that “And remember when the angels said, “O Mary, Allah has chosen thee and purified thee and chosen thee above all women of the time,”. These verses show that both the Bible and the Quran has put Mary a woman who had the highest status of all the women in her time because she was favored by God.

Chapter 1 verses 29-31 states "Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus." The Holy Quran states a similar verse in Chapter 3 verse 46, “When the angels said, “O Mary, Allah gives thee glad tidings of a son through a Word from Him, his name shall be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, honored in this world and in the next, and to those who are granted nearness to God.” These verses show that both the Bible and the Quran state that angel(s) said to Mary that a son would be born to her and that she should name his Jesus.

Christianity and Islam have similar beliefs and teachings as well. Both Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) and Jesus(peace be upon him) taught to worship one God, remember earlier prophets such as Noah, Adam and Abraham, believe in Mary as a virgin and that she gave birth to Jesus miraculously, and believe in teachings such to tell the truth, be hospitable, to be respectful towards each other and etc.

Hopefully, we will look more at each other’s similarities rather than differences in this time.

Hafsah Alamgir

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

Buffalo Jamaat