Any time I read the Sura "Maryam", I am greatly impressed. This has been the case since my youth. This is because the story of that sura is a truly wonderful story. The story of the birth of Jesus Christ – in that particular place, at that particular time, and under those special circumstances – is so great that it cannot be adequately described, unless through artistic works.
This is an amazing and rare event – the role of the Virgin Mary and Zechariah in this event, the special social conditions of the time, and the teachings of Jesus Christ which were like a shining beacon of guidance that shed light on human life and minds. It should also be noted that the teachings of Jesus were no different than those of Moses – that is, they were a complement to the teachings of Moses. Most of the teachings of Jesus Christ were a repetition of the teachings of Moses. However, when Jesus Christ passed on his teachings, the followers of Moses were so alienated from his teachings that they believed the teachings of Jesus Christ were an innovation and an instance of blasphemy. This was because the teachings of Moses had been distorted. This was while the teachings of Moses and Jesus both originated from the same source. And the teachings of Jesus were based on the same concepts as those of Moses. Both the teachings of Moses and those of Jesus were sent to them through divine revelation. In this story, the role of distortions, the role of the powers of the time, and the selfishness and misunderstandings of some people are clearly mentioned.
October 29, 1999
The Virgin Mary, a model for all humans
When citing examples of faithful people, the Holy Quran does not usually mention men. Rather, it cites examples from among women. Allah the Exalted mentions two women as examples of prominent and faithful "humans," not prominent and faithful "women."
This means that Allah the Exalted does not typically mention prophets, great men, or knowledgeable and religious figures when He indicates an example of a prominent and faithful human. Rather, he mentions two women: one of whom is Pharaoh’s wife and the other is the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus (pbut) and daughter of Imran.
The Virgin Mary was a young woman who stood firm against the accusations and suspicions of the people in her town and region, and she returned to her people holding her son in her arms.
The Virgin Mary, the manifestation of piety
There is one matter, in the Holy Quran about the Virgin Mary, which has attracted my attention to a great extent. From the viewpoint of Muslims, the Virgin Mary is the manifestation of piety and spiritual purity.--"And Mary, the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We breathed into her of Our inspiration.” [The Holy Quran, 66: 12].--This has been repeated several times in the Holy Quran.
The point about guarding her chastity has been greatly stressed when mentioning the Virgin Mary. What were the circumstances like? This is, in my opinion, a very important point. A girl came to a temple and stayed there until her youth. What factors and motivations caused her to resist all those temptations with such superhuman power? If her power was not superhuman, the issue would not be so greatly emphasized in the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran says “guarded her chastity," which means that she remained pure. This is a very important matter and should be a lesson for everyone.
Through guarding her chastity and remaining pure in that critical situation, the Virgin Mary could change history.
