THE LIFE OF MARY IN THE KORAN THE LIFE OF MARY IN THE KORAN
MARIAN TEXTS OF THE QUR'AN
The suras that contain the greatest number of elements are Marian the 19, 3 and 5:
- Sura 19, called "Mary", is composed of 98 verses and is divided into two parts: verses 1-56 concern the prophet Zechariah, Mary, Abraham, Moses, Idris, verses 57-98 contain some exhortation, and against those who associate others on pain of the "Merciful"
- The third measure called "the Family of Imran" includes 200 verses and is rich in Christological and contains many elements concerning the generation and mission of Jesus
- The episodes from the life of Mary, who knows the Koran are five: 1. Nativity of Mary, 2. Retreat in Temple, 3. The Annunciation 4. Childbirth, 5. Defense from a terrible slander.
THE BIRTH OF MARY
From Sura 3:
33. God chose Adam and Noah and the people of Abraham and the people of Imran above the creation,
34. offspring after offspring. And God hears and knows.
35. It recalls how the wife of Imran said: "My Lord, I vow to thee what is in my womb will be free from the world and gave it to you, accept it, that you are the one who hears and knows!"
36. When he had given birth said: "Sir, I had a baby girl! But God knew better than she who had given birth. And the male is not like the female. I called Maria, I recommend it to you, you and your progeny, against Satan, the outcast. "
37. I accept the Lord, acceptance of good, he entrusts it to flourish Zaccaria.
Explanation - The protagonist of the story is the wife of Imran, head of the family. The Qur'an not know the name of Joachim and never say the name of Anna:
- Imran is added to the list of elected next to Adam, Noah and Abraham and perhaps the Koran confuses him with Amram father of Moses and Aaron (Ex 6 , 20), confusing even Myriam daughter of Amram and sister of Aaron, with Mary, the mother of Jesus was only later that the Muslim authors called Joachim and Anna with their name, drawing on Christian sources, clearly and categorically stating that the measure refers to Mary mother of Jesus;
- "Maria" means for Muslims "devout", "pious"
- is confirmed in verse 37 God's protection on the newborn baby. He will grow admirably, giving the necessary order to become an adult and mature and make progress in goodness, chastity and obedience, entirely devoted to exercises of piety.
WITHDRAWAL OF MARY IN THE TEMPLE
sure I speak 19:03:
Sura 19:
16. Recalls in the book of Mary, when apart from his people, in a place in the East,
17. and took the veil in front of them.
Sura 3:
37. The ... the Lord gave to Zechariah. Whenever Zachariah entered by her in the mihrab, there the food was and asked: "O Mary, whence you have this?" The reply: "It comes from God because God sustains those who wish, without limits."
42. I still remember when the angels said to Mary: "O Mary, God has chosen you and made you pure and has chosen you above the women of the universe!
43. O Mary, be devout towards thy Lord, prostrating and bow down with those who bow. "
44. This is no secret that you reveal, because you were not with them when they cast their reeds to know who Mary was entrusted, and you were not present during the dispute. Explanation
- Place to the east is identified with the mihrab in Sura 3 and would be an adjacent construction and intended to house the Temple;
- E 'Maria, who retires in the Temple, fulfilling the vow of his mother;
- the veil "higiab" has a spiritual meaning: God protects the solitude of Mary and supports the privacy and modesty market away from prying eyes:
- E 'Zechariah who has the task to guard and protect Mary, challenging and honorable task fell to him after winning a challenge against other contenders;
- pull the barrels: the episode is even in the apocryphal books. According to some Muslim scholars it would be to give a substitute to Zacharias, now old and sick, according to others concerns the question of 27 claimants, who eventually would go on the banks of the River Jordan and we would throw its quills, the ones with which to write the Torah. The only one who would be resurfaced from the water was to Zechariah.
- Mary lived many years in the mihrab. Abundantly catered by God was miraculously fed by him, was in the company of angels and Gabriel whose job was to make them aware of its dignity and its position in the plan of salvation, predestination, and of his lofty dignity.
The Annunciation
sure I speak 19:03:
Sura 19: 17
... .. we will send our Spirit, which appeared very similar to a man.
18. It said: "I protect you from the Merciful, if you're not afraid of God."
19. He answered, "are nothing but a messenger of thy Lord, to give you a pure boy."
20. She said: "As I have a son when no man has touched me, nor are they a loose woman?"
21. He said: "So he wants your Lord, who says: This is easy for me. We will also make him a sign for men, a measure of our mercy. It 's a thing decreed!"
Sura 3:
45. And when the angels said to Mary: "O Mary, God announces his Word, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, eminent in this world and in and among the favorites.
46. He will speak to men in the cradle and as an adult and will be one of the good. "
47. Replied (Maria):" My Lord, how could I have a son when no man has touched me? "He said (the angel)" God creates what he wants when he decides something, he has no more to say: Yeah, and it is!
48. He will teach him the Book, the wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel,
49. and his messenger will be at the children of Israel, which say: I bring you a sign from your Lord: I fogger with a bird of the mud and blow up and become, with God's permission, a bird. Heal well, with the permission of God, the man born blind and the leper, and raise the dead. There also will reveal what you eat and supplies that you keep in your homes. All this will be a sign for you, if you are believers.
50. I came to confirm the Torah and to allow the use of certain things, that there had been banned. I come to you with a sign from your Lord. Fear God and obey me.
51. God is truly my Lord and your Lord so worship Him, this is the right way. "
Explanation - The spirit of which we speak is not the Holy Spirit, but an angelic spirit identified by commentators with Gabriel;
- Target Ad is the birth of a child named "Word", a term for the Muslim commentators to say "Fiat", ie the categorical imperative with which God has come into existence, Jesus son of Mary;
- Maria shows surprise and calls for his virginity, but the angel tells her that everything is God's will, so can not accept a What he decreed;
- The angel Gabriel was presented to Mary in the longest and hottest days of the year, while he was out of the mihrab. Versions, about why he was out, there are three:
a) For a breath of fresh air on the eastern side of the Temple;
b) in a cool bath to purify me by its rules;
c) To draw the 'water from a fountain in a cave;
- Gabriel appears to Mary as a young gallant, clean-shaven, bright, attractive, with curly hair and blacks, based on elegant and dignified, so as to offend the sensitivities of Mary and affect his whole being;
- How Maria gets pregnant? Some authors say that Gabriel blew into the slot and the sleeve of his tunic and Mary when he dressed, the moisture of the breath reached her womb and made it fruitful. Other commentators think of Gabriel blowing directly into the mouth of Mary and the angel breath penetrates and makes fruitful the virginal womb of her.
- The first to notice that Mary is pregnant with his cousin and fellow worker in the Temple, Joseph the carpenter, who immediately noticed the weariness, the thinness and pallor of her and had scandal while recognizing the virtues and volendone protect innocence, he was tempted to discard it and kill it. To reassure Gabriel Joseph was Jesus himself but also the day of his birth, explains what happened in Mary by God;
- At the Annunciation Mary was 17 years for some, for others 13 or even 10 years . In any case she would have only experienced twice the phenomenon of menstruation. When she was alone during gestation, was also talking with Jesus, still wrapped in his lap, in love and mutual talks.
THE BIRTH OF MARY
He speaks of Sura 19:
22. She conceived him and secluded in a place far away.
23. The labor pains forced her to take refuge in the trunk of a palm tree, where he said: "I was dead before it happened, and I was totally forgotten."
24. From beneath came a voice: "Do not be sad, your Lord has laid at your feet a stream.
25. Shake towards you the trunk of the palm, it will drop ripe dates upon thee.
26. Eat, drink and consulates. If I saw a man, tell him: "I voted to fast to the merciful and will not speak with any man today."
Explanation - The place of birth, not a city well-defined, or a stable o una grotta, ma esso sarebbe avvenuto all’aperto, vicino ad una palma;
- I dolori del parto: il lamento di Maria è sorprendente e sconcertante, ma il Corano non precisa se si tratta di dolore fisico o morale. Secondo alcuni commentatori musulmani si tratta di dolore morale e quindi il Corano affermerebbe la verginità nel parto di Maria;
- Maria difesa dal figlio: il neonato interviene a consolare la madre, invitandola a cibarsi dei datteri e a dissetarsi ad una sorgente fatta scaturire da Dio ai suoi piedi;
- Il giorno della nascita: secondo alcuni commentatori sarebbe un giorno d’inverno, la 24esima notte di dicembre, un mercoledì;
- Quando è avvenuto il parto? Le opinioni degli esegeti sono contrastanti. The birth took place:
a) after the normal gestation period of nine months;
b) in the seventh or sixth month of pregnancy;
c) three hours in the sun: conception, birth and formation of the body would take place the following at a distance an hour of each other;
d) in one hour: conception, birth and formation of the body would take place at sunset. Mary was warned in advance of childbirth and the symptoms of shame would shy away from the house, fleeing eastward, in a place distant from his home;
- The palm tree was a barren, devoid of foliage and fruits, and miraculously revived loaded with dates at the time of birth;
- When Jesus was born, idols are everywhere upside down and all the demons tried an unspeakable horror. Satan himself came around to realize the fact, but passing near the place where Jesus was born, could not notice anything, because the angels were tight circle around Mary to protect the newborn child, with his back touching the edge the sky and down the ends of the earth.
defense against an atrocious LIBEL
It speaks only of Sura 19:
27. Then took him from his people. Those said to her: "O Mary, what a strange thing hast thou done?
28. O sister of Aaron, your father was never bad, nor loose your mother. "
29. She pointed at him. And they said:" We need to talk with people who are still in the cradle baby? "
30. He said (the child):" I am the servant of God who gave me the book and made me a prophet.
31. I was also blessed wherever I am and he enjoined prayer and almsgiving, as long as I live,
32 and to be subservient to my mother, and has not made me arrogant nor rebellious.
33. Peace be with me the day I was born, the day of my death, and the day I am raised to life. Explanation
- Maria returns home after childbirth, and the reaction of his family is outraged to see her with a child without being sposata;
- L’intervento di Gesù è sbalorditivo: la sua è una confutazione indiretta, ma che rende giustizia all’innocenza della madre, così come Dio ne aveva dimostrato la rettitudine con una sua particolare provvidenza al momento del parto;
- Il prodigioso bambino si rivela subito come "servo" (‘Abd) e come "messaggero" (Rasul) di Dio.
III. IL PROFILO SPIRITUALE DI MARIA NEL CORANO
MARIA SEGNO (AYAT) PER L’UNIVERSO
Sono due i luoghi coranici in cui Maria è presentata come Ayat o "segno":
Sura 21:
91. Rammenta pure colei che preservò la sua verginità, si che She breathed in our spirit, and made her and her son a sign for the universe.
Sura 23:
50. We had also the son of Mary and his mother a sign, and gave them refuge on a quiet hill and irrigation sources. Explanation
- Ayat occurs 360 times in the Qur'an with different meanings, but with a common denominator that this is a sign of recognition given by God to take an intervention aimed to attract the faith or to promote well-being also temporal, as justice and peace among men. In the case of Mary, like Jesus, the word expresses and manifests the exceptional wisdom and omnipotence of God that is expressed, in terms of reality historically, in the special prerogatives given to Mary.
- These prerogatives are four
1. Mary's predestination
Sura 3:
9. O Mary, God has chosen you (istafaki) ... above the women of the universe
This phrase is placed in the mouths of angels conversing with her in the mihrab. Evidence of this predestination are:
- his descent from a privileged family;
- God cares for his inner life;
- its reception in the Temple, despite being a woman;
- its reliance on Zechariah;
- the provision of food by the angels, and his familiarity with them;
- support for her childbirth;
- Defence of his innocence by slander;
- the reserve for you and Jesus a pleasant hill to spend the last days.
2. Purification of Mary
Sura 3:
42. O Mary, God has chosen you and made you pure and above the women of the universe
The term used is "Tahhara" which means: to cleanse, purify, disinfect by:
- legal spot, to be disappearing with an offering ritual
- stain physiological phenomenon resulting from the regular rules, or simply to satisfy sexual needs natural
- religious spot, caused by the idolatrous worship, attendance at the unbelievers and the wicked, etc.
- spot moral caused by foul obscenities and actions etc..
The application to Mary is to be understood not only in the physiological sense, as the absence of any bodily contact and permanence of virginity, but especially in the religious sense because they radiate the spirit of God so as to prevent the inner light in her every spot idolatry and moral sense, because God will rectify the will and the other powers against evil inclination, so as to make example of honesty and righteousness.
- To describe this state of Mary, the Qur'an does not use the term "Qiddisa" = holy, but the word "Siddiqua" which means: a believer, just, faithful, virtuous, synonymous, then "Salih", good, holy and just. Says Sura 5:
75. The Messiah, son of Mary, is nothing more than an apostle, preceded by the other apostles, and his mother was a Siddiqua.
- What is purification? According to some commentators that are supported by a Hadith reported to Muhammad, Jesus and Mary were only preserved by the "Touch of Satan" at the time of their birth. According to this Hadith every newborn, upon leaving the womb, it emits a scream for Satan touches him with a finger, compresses it once or twice, hit him with a dart. In the case of Jesus and Mary, the shot went to satanic empty because instead of hitting their person, hit the veil that protected them. Some Catholic authors, read this event the exemption of Mary from original sin (Roschini) shall receive an echo of the Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception (Haddad).
3. Mary's motherhood
According to the Qur'an, Mary's motherhood is motherhood:
- true: Jesus is said to have 23 times the "son of Mary";
- physical: that is, with true conception (19.22); delivery Real (19.23) and maternal care for her son (19:27);
- virginal:
a) virginity before the birth, Jesus is called "son of Mary" with no reference to any parent (3.41, 19, 20), Mary is described as segregated from the world, physically Virgin at the Annunciation and the formation of Jesus in her womb, is compared by the Koran to the creation of Adam (3.59, 21.91, 3.47);
b) virginity in childbirth, although it appears from the Koran, many commentators interpret the pain Maria pain in childbirth as a moral and not physical, implicitly affirming the virgin birth;
c) virginity after giving birth: it is clearly stated, but can be inferred by convergent evidence Koran: hermeneutic silence around a husband; the eminent quality moral and noble state of mind of Mary, who suggests that she is not never acted against the habits of modesty, privacy and jealous guardian of her virginity, several times esaltate dal Corano;
- non divina: per il semplice fatto che Gesù non è Dio. Il Corano nega assolutamente questa possibilità, come nega l’esistenza della Trinità, affermando sempre l’assoluta unicità della persona di Dio:
Sura 6:
101. Creatore nuovissimo dei cieli e della terra, come potrebbe avere un figlio, se non ha una Sahiba (Compagna) e se è lui solo che ha creato tutte le cose?
Sura 4:
171. O gente del Libro, non eccedete nella vostra religione, né dite, riguardo a Dio, se non la verità. Certo il Messia Gesù figlio di Maria, è l’apostolo di Dio, il suo Verbo, che egli gettò in Maria, e suo Spirito. Credete dunque in Dio e nei suoi apostoli, e non dite tre! Smettetela, sarà certo meglio per voi. Dio è l’unico. Lontano dalla sua gloria che egli abbia un figlio! A lui appartiene ciò che è nei cieli e sulla terra, e basta Dio per protettore!.
4. La suprema dignità di Maria
Il Corano riconosce a Maria una suprema dignità, espressa già nel versetto citato della sura 3:
42. "O Maria, Dio ti ha scelta e ti ha resa pura, al di sopra delle donne dell’universo (Alamin)".
- Il fatto che Dio scelga, è già elemento di grandissima dignità;
- "al di sopra delle donne dell’universo" mette in rilievo l’elezione di Maria sopra all women. The term "Alamin" has a collective means all of created beings: angels, Jinns, men, animals, plants and minerals. The dignity of Mary is so supreme in the sense that none of the women is higher, even Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet nor his wives including Khadigia;
- The dignity of Mary derives from the dignity of Jesus, which is intimately united. In the Qur'an, Mary is mentioned 11 times by itself, but as many as 23 times in union with Jesus who said: "Christ son of Mary" (5), "Jesus son of Mary (13)," Christ Jesus the son of Mary (3) . The Qur'an, therefore, sees Mary in close relationship with his son and, in relation he is described as the mother of a "famous person", "a prophet", "an apostle" and so on. Jesus and, therefore, the fundamental reason of the greatness of Mary
- The Koran seems to have all the elements to make a cult of Mary, cult of veneration, invocation, and above all to imitate, as the Mother of Jesus is presented as a "sign "and a" model "of the believer.
MARIA MODEL (MATHAL) OF BELIEVERS
The Koranic text that interests us is the verse 12 of Sura 66, preceded by similar 10 and 11:
10. God proposed as an example to those who believe the wife of Noah and Lot's wife, who were subjected to two of our good servants, ma li tradirono, ed essi non hanno potuto fare nulla per loro presso Dio. Per questo esse si sono sentite dire: "Entrate nel fuoco con quanti vi entrano!".
11. Dio inoltre, propone ad esempio a quanti credono la moglie del Faraone, allorché disse: "Signore mio, edifica a me, presso di te, una casa nel paradiso, salvami dal Faraone e dalla sua opera e liberami dalla gente iniqua".
12. E Maria, figlia di Imran, la quale custodì la propria verginità; sì che noi soffiammo nel suo seno del nostro spirito, ed ella credette nelle parole del suo Signore e nei suoi Libri, e fu una delle devote.
- "Mathal" ricorre spesso nel Corano con sensi diversi quali: esempio - paragone, esempio - similitudine, example - the parable, example - warning, example - model. In verse 10, it should be interpreted as "warning" in regard to the justice of God who punishes and torments (2.211 and 2.165). In verses 11 and 12, but has the meaning of "model" of faith to follow and imitate.
- Verse 12 mentions the quality of Mary to imitate: virginity, devotion to God, faith authentically Muslim. In the rest of the Qur'an are still exalted faith in God (66.12), the unlimited trust in divine providence (19.18), the surrender to his divine will (3.47), the instinctive appeal to God the Merciful (3 , 37), devotion (66.12), the integrity of morals (5.75), the virginal modesty (21.91), the recollection (19:17); the spirit of prayer (3.43), fasting (19,26). From all this it follows that Mary is a perfect model of a Muslim believer
1. Maria
model of faith - Being a believer means to be "Muslim" means "have faith in God: believe in him and in him, his message of salvation, sent by his envoys:
a) Maria relied on the word of the Lord adhering inwardly to God without hesitation or indecision, but firmly, recognizing the truth of God and the truths revealed by God;
b) Mary kept all their lives for this faith, accepting the mind and will of all that God had deigned to share with man throughout the history of salvation and in the sacred books;
c) Mary dressed her in all of the Muslim faith: complete submission to the sovereign power of God's unconditional gift of self, total surrender of his person, body and soul to him to implement his designs.
2. Mary, model of religiosity
The Sura 5 proclaims:
110. O Jesus, son of Mary, remember My favor unto thee and to thy mother.
- The appeal to divine benevolence is often done by the Koran as a collective: the men (35.3), the children of Israel (2.47), the followers of the Prophet (5.7). In individual terms, it is done only Jesus and Mary.
- Maria has fully paid to the gratuitous love of God, showing himself always religious and devoted to him. Perfect expressions of this religion are:
a) was devoted to God before his birth and newborn, God gave her special care;
b) lived and remained always in the presence of God and his everlasting memory, making This is a program of life and the main occupation of his day;
c) lived in prayer, following the recommendation of the angels: "O Mary, be devout towards thy Lord, prostrate and bow with those who bow" (3.43 )
- the fast that Muhammad advised her: "When you see qualche uomo dirgli: Ho votato al Misericordioso di digiunare e non parlerò oggi con nessun uomo" (16,26).
3. Maria modello della donna musulmana
Affascinato dalla verginità di Maria, Maometto ha avuto la delicatezza di farla muovere in un’atmosfera satura di pudore, castigatezza, riservatezza, vedendo in lei il modello perfetto e l’ideale della donna musulmana che deve:
- vivere in accordo e armonia dentro la sua casa (33,23);
- indugiare in luoghi appartati (33,35);
- non mostrarsi in pubblico se non velata o ricoperta dei propri mantelli (33,39) mentre può intrattenersi liberamente con i propri familiari (33,54);
- evitare la familiarità con gli estranei e conversare con loro solo attraverso una cortina o una tenda (33,53).
4. Maria è solo una creatura e non una dea
Il Corano afferma che Maria è una creatura umana, madre di Gesù e non madre di Dio e perciò priva di qualsiasi titolo che possa legarla in qualche modo alla divinità unica e inaccessibile (61).
IV. MARIA NELLA TRADIZIONE ISLAMICA
La tradizione islamica, ha assunto senza alterazioni il dato coranico su Maria, pur cercando di chiarirlo, completarlo e spiegarlo.
I COMMENTATORI DEL CORANO
I commentatori cercano di completare i dati relativi alla vita di Maria, attingendo anche a fonti cristiane, sia Canonical Gospels apocrypha. The great Qur'anic commentator Tafani (+923) devotes, for example, a page full of beautiful poetry in the dialogue between Mary and Joseph, when he realizes that this is Mother Mary. Other commentators, gradually adding the Flight into Egypt, the Wedding at Cana, the appearance of the Son of Mary after his "elevation" to the sky and do not leave out even talk of Mary's death, which occurred exactly eight years after the elevation of Jesus, at the age of 51 years.
All commentators add more details to the incredible life of Mary, as they are convinced of the great figure of you, as is apparent from the Koran.
Muslim theologians
1. They point out the privileges and virtues of Mary. The theologian Baidawi (+ 1291) formula, for example, became a classic list of the privileges granted by God to Mary
- She was accepted to Temple service while being female;
- was preserved from the impurity of the other women;
- Fu Wizard on the right path;
- family conversations with angels;
- was a virgin mother;
- was justified by his newborn son, the infamous accusation of the Jews;
- became a sign for creation;
- It 's model woman.
2. Theologians also discuss the role of Mary that is on what place she occupies in the hierarchy of beings and whether it is a prophetess.
a) Circa il posto nella gerarchia degli esseri, tutti considerano Maria la più degna di tutte le donne e la prima di tutte le creature. Due correnti comunque, ordinano in questo modo la gerarchia delle donne:
Khadigia – Aishia – Fatima – Maria;
Maria – Khadigia – Aishia – Fatima.
Altri teologi affermano che Maria, oltre ad essere la prima delle donne, è da considerarsi anche la "Regina del paradiso".
b) Non uniformi sono i pareri sul ruolo di Maria come profetessa. In generale si ritiene che Maria sia una "profetessa" (Nabiya) a cui Dio ha parlato, ma non è una "messa" (Rasula), dato che non è stata "inviata" a nessun popolo in particolare.
ANTONIO GRASSO
from the magazine "Laos," Superior Institute of Religious Sciences "San Luca" di Catania - No. 2 / 2002
http://www.rocciadibelpasso.it/marianelcorano.htm
