This Kor'an

Chapter 1

The Knowledge Of Divine Teaching

Mother Mary

Glad Tidings of a Son to Mary Time went by and Mary grew up into a devoted, chaste and truth-ful woman. One day, while she was praying to God Almighty in seclusion, an angel, in the form of a very handsome man, appeared to her and conveyed the divine message that she would have a son.

The vision was so lifelike that Mary, being a virtuous woman, was taken aback as she was under the impression that a young man was really standing before her. Therefore, she said, ‘I seek refuge with the Gracious God from you if indeed you fear Him.’ Th e angel replied, ‘I am only a messenger from your Lord, that I may bestow a righteous son on you.’1 This shocked Mary as she was a virgin.

She said:

How can I have a son when no man has touched me, nei-ther have I been unchaste?’ The angel said, ‘T h us it is, but 1. Holy Quran 19:20 The True Story of Jesusas8 your Lord says, ‘It is easy for Me; and We shall do so that We may make him a Sign unto people and a mercy from Us, and it is a matter decreed’.1 Thus, Mary conceived the child without the agency of a male.

Angels appeared to Mary in her dreams yet again, and gave her the glad tidings of a son who would be called the Messiah, Jesus as son of Mary. She was told that he would be honoured in this world and in the next and would be granted nearness to God.

The Birth of Jesus

In order to avoid the scandalous talk of people, she lef t the town and went to the hills around Bethlehem, the place where Jesus as is said to have been born. Th e town of Bethlehem is about 70 miles from Nazareth and is situated at a height of about two thousand feet above sea level and is surrounded by fertile valleys. There were springs on the hills from which the town got its water supply.

Palm trees grew in abundance. It was in this area that Mary stayed for the delivery of her child. It was now summer and there were ripe dates on the palm trees. It is stated in the Gospel of Luke that shepherds were out in the fi elds, keeping watch through the night over their flock.

As the time of Jesus’ birth approached, Mary took rest under a palm tree, which was on the slope of a hill outside Bethlehem. In 1. Holy Quran 19:21–22

this sheltered place she gave birth to Jesus as. As she went through the pains of childbirth, she exclaimed in agony, ‘Would that I had died before this and had become a thing quite forgotten!’ At that moment she heard a voice from the side of the slope of the moun-tain. It was an angel who comforted her saying that she should not grieve. She was told that her Lord has provided a stream under-neath her, wherein she may wash herself and the child. Th e angel said:

And shake the trunk of the palm tree towards you; it will drop fresh ripe dates upon you. So eat and drink and be at rest. And if you see anyone approaching, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Gracious God; I will therefore not speak this day to any human being.’1 T h e birth of Jesus as was extraordinary in the sense that he was born without the agency of a male. It was miraculous but not con-trary to the laws of nature. Th is unusual form of birth was a warn-ing to the Israelites that their misdeeds had brought an end to their spiritual progeny and that they would no longer be worthy of fathering the Prophets of God. This in fact was a sign to show that the spiritual blessings would be transferred from the prog-eny of Isaac as to that of his brother Ishmael as, in accordance with God’s great prophecy and His covenant with Abraham as. Jesus as would be the last Israelite Prophet. Muhammad saw, the Prophet of Islam, came af t er Jesus as in the year 570 ad, and was a descendant of Ishmael as.

1. Holy Quran 19:24–27