Muslims respect Mary and Jesus very much. In Arabic Mary is called Maryam and Jesus is called Isa or Massih. Massih means Messiah or the anointed one. They believe Mary was a Holy, pure and sinless lady. And all her forefathers, like David through Abraham up to Adam were all pure and sinless; She had no sexual intercourse with any man, but by the power of God, Mary gave birth to Jesus who is also sinless and one of the five Arch prophets of Allah.
That Jesus is not God but a Prophet and Messenger of God. Just like Muslims do not worship Muhammad, they do not Jesus also. They believe that Jesus was a human being as witnessed by his physical body, eating and his being born from a human being, the sinless Mary. However, they believe that God raised Jesus to heaven and one day towards the end of the world Jesus is one of those who come. Muslims do not believe that Jesus was crucified.
For evidence’s sake, the present work is going to quote from the Quran to show what Muslims believe about Mary and Jesus. One of the Quran chapters is named after the Holy Mary. In chapter (19), verses No.16 to 35 in parts say:
And mention in the Book Mary, when she withdrew from her family to an easterly place — Thus did she seclude herself from them, whereupon We sent to her Our Spirit and he became incarnate for her as a well-proportioned human — She said, ‘I seek the protection of the All-beneficent from you, should you be Godwary!’ — He said, ‘I am only a messenger of your Lord that I may give you a pure son.’ — She said, ‘How shall I have a child seeing that no human being has ever touched me, nor have I been unchaste?’ — He said, ‘So shall it be. Your Lord says, ‘‘It is simple for Me.’’ And so that We may make him a sign for mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a matter [already] decided.’ (19:16-21)
That is Jesus son of Mary a word of truth, concerning whom they doubt.
Allah in chapter 5, verse No.17 said:
They are certainly faithless who say, ‘Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary.’ Say, ‘Who can avail anything against Allah should He wish to destroy the Messiah, son of Mary, and his mother, and everyone upon the earth?’ To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between them. He creates whatever He wishes, and Allah has power over all things.
And in verse No.72:
They are certainly faithless who say, ‘Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary.’ But the Messiah had said, ‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord, and your Lord. Indeed whoever ascribes partners to Allah, Allah shall forbid him [entry into] paradise, and his refuge shall be the Fire, and the wrongdoers will not have any helpers.’
Almighty Allah has said in the Quran: (:156-158) says:
“And for their faithlessness, and their uttering of a monstrous calumny against Mary — and for their saying, ‘We killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, the apostle of Allah’—though they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but so it was made to appear to them. Indeed those who differ concerning him are surely in doubt about him: they do not have any knowledge of that beyond following conjectures, and certainly, they did not kill him — Indeed, Allah raised him up toward Himself, and Allah is all-mighty, all-wise”.
They are saying that we killed Jesus, the Messiah, son of Mary, but they did not kill him, neither did they crucify him for God protected him and only give them a likeness of him But surely God raised him up to himself.
Chapter No.3 verses 39 says:
“Then, as he stood praying in the sanctuary the angels called out to him: ‘Allah gives you the good news of John, as a confirmer of a Word of Allah, eminent and chaste, a prophet, and one of the righteous”.
In the verse No.42-43:
And when the angels said, ‘O Mary, Allah has chosen you and purified you, and He has chosen you above the world’s women — O Mary, be obedient to your Lord and prostrate and bow down with those who bow [in worship]”.
In verses No.45-49:
When the angels said, ‘O Mary, Allah gives you the good news of a Word from Him whose name is Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, distinguished in the world and the Hereafter and one of those brought near [to Allah] — He will speak to the people in the cradle and in adulthood, and will be one of the righteous. — She said, ‘My Lord, how shall I have a child seeing that no human has ever touched me?’ He said, ‘So it is that Allah creates whatever He wishes.
When He decides on a matter He just says to it ‘‘Be!’’ and it is — He will teach him the Book and wisdom, the Torah and the Evangel — and [he will be] an apostle to the Children of Israel, [and he will declare,] “I have certainly brought you a sign from your Lord: I will create for you the form of a bird out of clay, then I will breathe into it, and it will become a bird by Allah’s leave. I heal the blind and the leper and I revive the dead by Allah’s leave. I will tell you what you have eaten and what you have stored in your houses. There is indeed a sign in that for you, should you be faithful.
Chapter No.2 verse 87 says:
Certainly, We gave Moses the Book and followed him with the apostles, and We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, manifest proofs and confirmed him with the Holy Spirit. Is it not that whenever an apostle brought you that which was not to your liking, you would act arrogantly; so you would impugn a group [of them], and slay a[nother] group?
From the above quoted Qur’anic verses it can be seen that most of the beliefs of Muslims are similar to that of Christians. For example, Christians also believe that Jesus is the Messiah;
That he is the son of Mary;
That Mary was a virgin when she conceived him;
That Jesus did not have a Biological father;
That he is in heaven;
That he was a prophet of God;
That he performed miracles and he is coming again;
That he is alive;
That Mary was a Holy woman.
Where Muslims differ from Christians, are those same differences that are among Christian sects also. For example, Muslims don’t believe in the Trinity, Jehovah’s Witnesses also don’t believe in the Trinity whereas the Catholics and other Protestants believe in it; Muslims don’t believe that Jesus is God, Jehovah’s Witnesses also say that Jesus is not God but just a son of God whereas Catholics and other Protestants believe him to be God.
The one big difference between Muslims and Christians is the death of Jesus but that does not make them disbelieve about the actual existence of Jesus which is the central theme of Christianity. About the death of Jesus Christ intellectual discussions can still be held to clarify the matter on both sides.
