The Story of Mary and The Birth of Jesus

clipped from www.readingislam.com In Islam, Jesus (`Isa in Arabic) is considered one of the five greatest prophets sent by God to mankind. Muslims’ knowledge about Jesus is based on the two main sources of Islamic knowledge: the Qur’an and Hadith. In the Qur’an, Jesus is referred to as `Isa ibn Maryam, or Jesus, the son of Mary. The story of Mary and Jesus is best described in the Qur’an in the surahs of Aal `Imran and Maryam. Mary: A Precocious Girlhood The story starts with Mary, who was blessed as a child with God’s protection. Mary was born to the pious household of Aal `Imran, or the family of `Imran. Many people argued for the honor of taking care of the child, but the responsibility was given to Zachariah, an elderly and childless man, who immediately noticed that the young girl was special. One day, Zachariah noticed that the girl had in her possession certain provisions for which he could not account. He asked her how she came by the food and she answered,