{"id":4801,"date":"2019-04-16T17:41:09","date_gmt":"2019-04-16T22:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/?p=4801"},"modified":"2020-06-26T23:40:14","modified_gmt":"2020-06-27T04:40:14","slug":"mary-sister-of-aaron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ask-a-muslim.com\/en\/mary-sister-of-aaron\/","title":{"rendered":"Mary, Sister Of Aaron?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Assalamu \u02bfalaykum wa rahamatullahi wa barakatuhu:<\/i><\/p>\n

<\/a>1. Introduction<\/p>\n

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At length she brought the (babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). They said: “O Mary! truly an amazing thing hast thou brought! “O <\/b>sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!” [Qur’an 19:27-28]<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Perhaps one of the most widely known alleged historical contradictions in the Qur’an recorded in Christian literature, the honorary epithet of Mary, mother of Jesus, as \u201csister of Aaron\u201d has proven controversial from the earliest period of Muslim-Christian dialogue. Nicetas of Byzantium, a 9th century Christian theologian famous for his anti-Islamic polemical works, noted that in the Qur’an Mary is greeted as \u201csister of Aaron\u201d [Qur’an 19:28]. He concluded that Mary, whose name in Greek and Arabic is Maryam, has been confused with Miriam the sister of Aaron and Moses found in the Old Testament.[1]<\/sup><\/span> This argument was developed by subsequent authors, as we shall soon see, by indicating that \u2018Imran, the name which the Qur’an gives to Mary’s father, sounds similar to Amram, the Old Testament name of the father of Moses, Aaron and Miriam (Numbers 26:59). For example, Abraham Geiger says in his book Was hat Mohammed aus dem Judenthume aufgenommen?<\/span>:<\/p>\n

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According to Muhammad Miriam is the mother of Jesus. Although Miriam’s name is not mentioned in the passage where she is alluded to in the history of Moses, yet there is not the slightest doubt that Muhammad took both Marys for one and the same person<\/span>;…[2]<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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In what has been hailed as a “classic” article by Theodor N\u00f6ldeke that was published in Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica<\/span> in 1891 and reprinted several times since, a similar claim was made:<\/p>\n

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The most ignorant Jew could never have mistaken… Miriam the sister of Moses with Mary (= Miriam) the mother of Christ.[3]<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Alphonse Mingana reiterated the same claim:<\/p>\n

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Who then will not be astonished to to learn that in the Qur’\u00e2n, Miriam, the sister of Aaron, is confounded with the Virgin Mary? (S\u016brat Ali-Imr\u00e2n, iii. 31 et seq.<\/em>)[4]<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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This alleged historical contradiction rose to prominence in the writings of St. Clair Tisdall, a Christian missionary evangelising Persia. He says in his The Original Sources Of The Qur’an<\/span>:<\/p>\n

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In S\u00fbrah XIX, Maryam, 28, 29, we are told that when Mary came to her people after the birth of our Lord, they said to her, “O Mary, truly thou hast done a strange thing. O sister of Aaron<\/em>, thy father was not a man of wickedness, and thy mother was not rebellious.” From these words it is evident that, in Muhammad’s opinion, Mary was identical with Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron![5]<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Similarly, D. S. Margoliouth, formerly Professor of Arabic at Oxford University, writes:<\/p>\n

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Having heard a Mary mentioned in the story of Moses and another in the story of Jesus, it did not occur to him to distinguish between them.[6]<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Perhaps the strongest wording about this alleged contradiction comes from Henri Lammens who stated that in the Qur’an one of<\/p>\n

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“the most glaring anachronisms” is <\/span>“the confusion between two Marys (19<\/strong>,22)”[7]<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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This alleged confusion was also mentioned by Richard Bell,[8]<\/sup> Arthur Jeffery[9]<\/sup> and Charles Torrey,[10]<\/sup> among others.[11]<\/sup> It has been freely transmitted by Christian missionaries and apologists without any independent analysis or investigation.[12]<\/sup><\/p>\n

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A curious thing which one notices is that this alleged historical contradiction is similar to that of Haman<\/a>, who is mentioned in the time of Pharaoh and Moses in the Qur’an. Many Western scholars have suggested that the appearance of Haman in the Qur’anic story of Moses and Pharaoh has resulted from a misreading of the Bible, leading the author of the Qur’an to move Haman from the Persian court of King Ahasuerus to the Egyptian court of the Pharaoh. Similarly, the mention of \u201csister of Aaron\u201d during the time of Mary, mother of Jesus, is a result of confusion between the two Marys, i.e., Mary, mother of Jesus, and Miriam, sister of Moses and Aaron.<\/p>\n

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The case here is based on a superficial reading of Qur’an 19:28 without taking into account the qualities of Mary, mother of Jesus. No real effort has been exerted to properly understand the context in which the phrase \u201csister of Aaron\u201d was uttered, either by earlier Western scholars or the Christian missionaries. Although this alleged historical contradiction is now rejected by modern Western scholars, as we shall see, it is worthwhile pointing out why this is the case. We will also draw attention to some important aspects of the story of Mary in the Qur’an that were hitherto missed by earlier scholars.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>2. Mary In The Qur’an<\/p>\n

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As opposed to the New Testament, the Qur’an has copious mention of Mary, starting from her birth, to her seclusion, the annunciation and her giving birth to Jesus. While the Qur’an has lots of things to say regarding the childhood of Mary, the New Testament contains nothing of the sort. It practically sheds no light on the life of Mary before she became pregnant.<\/p>\n

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The Qur’anic narrative begins with the pregnancy of the wife of \u2018Imran. When the wife of \u2018Imran became pregnant, she took a vow to dedicate the child in her womb to God [Qur’an 3:35]. She was disappointed when she delivered a girl who was named Mary; but God accepted the female child [v. 36-37]. Zakariyya was appointed as the guardian of Mary [v. 37]. The angels informed Mary that God had purified her and chosen her above the women of the world. She was asked to bow down in prayer and spend time in worship [v. 42-43]. Being a pious woman, Mary had secluded herself from the people and devoted her life to God. Whenever Zakariyya entered Mary’s mihr\u0101b<\/em>, to his surprise, he always found her being provided with food miraculously. When Zakariyya, Mary’s caretaker, asked her who was providing her mysterious assistance, she says: “It is from Allah. Surely Allah gives to whom He pleases without measure” [v. 37]. Therefore, it is God, not Zakariyya, who is Mary’s true keeper.<\/p>\n

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The Qur’an informs us that God preferred the family of \u2018Imran above all the people [v. 33]. This is consistent with the picture of Mary depicted in the Qur’an, a pious woman, chaste, dedicated to serving God and putting her trust in Him. God chose her above the women of the world. Thus Mary not only came from a very illustrious family but also one which was very devout. The Qur’an connects Mary with another illustrious and pious family of the past; the events leading to it which we shall now turn our attention.<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/span>3. \u201cSister Of Aaron\u201d: A Genealogical, Historical And Lexical Enquiry<\/p>\n

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When Mary reached the age of maturity, she was divinely informed that she would give birth to a prodigious child Jesus [Qur’an 3:45]. When Mary conceived Jesus, she withdrew with him to a far place [Qur’an 19:22]. The nativity of Jesus and pangs of Mary’s labour can be read in the Qur’an 19:23-26. After she gave birth to Jesus, they both came to her people<\/em>. The people were amazed to see Mary with a child. They said: “O Mary! Thou hast come with an amazing thing. “O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!”<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/span>A GENEALOGICAL ENQUIRY <\/strong><\/p>\n

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As we have mentioned, earlier scholarly critics of the Qur\u2019anic account (of which Muh\u0323ammad is the implied author), have made the simple assertion that Muh\u0323ammad has conflated the lives of two Mary’s, namely Mary, mother of Jesus, with Mary, sister of Aaron and Moses. Put another way, Muh\u0323ammad believed Mary – whose father was Amram – had two brothers Moses and Aaron. This can be graphically represented as follows:<\/p>\n

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Crucially the Qur\u2019an informs us that Mary was also the mother of Jesus. By focussing on the immediate lineage and neglecting the full spectrum of familial relations given in the Qur\u2019an, including mention of other historical personalities (such as Zakariyyah), the resulting genealogy becomes untenable in that it cannot be derived from information provided in the Qur\u2019an. If this relation is included in the genealogy asserted by earlier scholars, the following chart would result:<\/p>\n

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One could counter that the verses examined mention only Aaron being the sister of Mary so perhaps Muh\u0323ammad did not know Aaron had a brother called Moses. This can be answered by reading the Qur\u2019an where Moses and Aaron are clearly depicted as brothers. The question posed is thus: Did Muh\u0323ammad and\/or the Qur\u2019an really understand Moses to be Jesus uncle? Were Jesus and Moses separated by only a single generation? The Qur\u2019an mentions that Jesus and Moses both reached maturity and adulthood. Consequently, applying the confused genealogy of the critics would have the Qur\u2019anic Jesus and Moses both alive at the same time. Surprising though it may seem, as far as we are aware, none of earlier scholars delved any further into their proposed genealogies other than to suggest that Muh\u0323ammad thought Jesus son of Mary was the brother of Aaron and Moses. Are there any statements present in the Qur\u2019an which suggest that Jesus and Moses lived at the same time? No. In fact, Moses and his brother Aaron are placed in an ancient Egyptian setting during the time of the Pharaoh, far removed in place and time from first century Palestine.<\/p>\n

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If the Qur\u2019an’s use of the terms wife, daughter and sister in this particular context cannot be understood in a literal sense, as we have shown above, is there another way to understand these terms and what historical circumstances could warrant such an explanation?<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/span>A HISTORICAL ENQUIRY <\/strong><\/p>\n

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The question now is why the epithet \u201cO sister of Aaron\u201d? Upon seeing Mary with a child, and having no knowledge of her having married anyone or being unchaste, her people<\/em> exclaimed using the epithet y\u0101 ukhta har\u016bn<\/em> or \u201cO sister of Aaron\u201d. From the immediate context it is obvious this epithet was used to draw Mary’s attention, which could mean the following things.<\/p>\n

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Firstly<\/em>, it was to remind her of her similarity to Aaron in her piety and worship of God. Thus the statement becomes a reprimand to her having borne a child without being married, a shocking sin given her piety and the known righteousness of her immediate family and her ancestors.[13]<\/sup><\/span> Secondly<\/em>, the epithet y\u0101 ukhta har\u016bn<\/em> was also to remind Mary of her pious ancestor Miriam, the sister of Aaron (and Moses), who was given the title “prophetess” (Exodus 15:20) and is highly regarded in the Hebrew Bible and rabbinical literature. She is mentioned in Micah 6:4 with Moses and Aaron as one of the three who led Israel out of Egypt. The rabbinical literature elaborates the biblical account where Miriam is portrayed as a person for whom God intervened. God honoured her by Himself officiating as the cohen<\/em> to declare her definitely a leper and subsequently to declare her cleansed (Zebahim 102a<\/em>).[14]<\/sup><\/span> Because she had waited for Moses by the river, the Israelites waited for her to recover (Sotah 11a<\/em>).[15]<\/sup><\/span> A miraculous well, created during the twilight on the eve of the first Sabbath (Avot. 5:6<\/em>), accompanied the Children of Israel in the desert due to her merits (Ta\u2019an. 9a<\/em>).[16]<\/sup><\/span> Like Moses and Aaron, she too died by the kiss of God since the angel of death had no power over her (Baba Bathra 17a<\/em>).[17]<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n

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Both these explanations have a support from a h\u0323ad\u012b<\/i>th<\/em> of Prophet Muh\u0323ammad. The Christians of Najran during the time of the Prophet raised a similar objection and it was answered by the Prophet. In S\u0323ah\u0323ih\u0323 Muslim<\/span>, a h\u0323ad\u012b<\/i>th<\/em> related<\/a> by Mughirah ibn Shu\u2018bah [5326] says:<\/p>\n

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Mughira b. Shu\u2018ba reported: When I came to Najran, they (the Christians of Najran) asked me: You read “O sister of Harun” in the Qur’an, whereas Moses was born much before Jesus. When I came back to Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) I asked him about that, whereupon he said: “The (people of the old age) used to give names (to their persons) after the names of Apostles and pious persons who had gone before them.<\/span>“<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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It is clear from this h\u0323ad\u012b<\/i>th<\/em> that the Prophet did not “confuse” between the two Marys.[18]<\/sup> He pointed out that people from earlier times gave names after the pious people who had gone before them. Furthermore, the Muslim exegetes have already disproved the alleged confusion of the two Marys using the above h\u0323ad\u012b<\/i>th<\/em> and the Qur’an itself. For example, Barbara Freyer Stowasser points out:<\/p>\n

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Mary’s designation as “sister of Aaron” (and also “daughter of Amram”) has led some non-Muslims to allege a Qur’anic “confusion” of Miriam (Maryam) the sister of Aaron and Moses with Mary (Maryam) the mother of Jesus. This controversy is very old…, and refutation of the allegation by Muslim authorities is well-documented<\/span>. According to the tafsir<\/em>, Mary was addressed as “sister of Aaron” because the Qur’an is drawing a comparison, or because she did have a brother by that name.[19]<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Elsewhere, concerning the alleged contradiction of the two Mary’s, Stowasser, quoting Ibn Kathir, and says:<\/p>\n

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This controversy is as old as the Muslim-Christian dialogue. The Prophet is said to have refuted similar arguments made by the Christians of Najran during his lifetime; “to confuse Mary the mother of Jesus with Mary the sister of Moses and Aaron in Torah is completely wrong and in contradiction to the sound Hadith and the Qur’anic text as we have established it in the Tafsir<\/span>” (Isma’il ibn Umar Abu l-Fida Ibn Kathir, Qisas al-anbiya’<\/em>, ed. Mustafa Abd al-Wahid, vol. II [Dar al-kutub al-haditha, 1968] pp. 393-394;[20]<\/sup><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Therefore, the epithet “O sister of Aaron” used by Mary’s people when they saw a baby in her arms, was simply a reminder to her of the people like her who had gone before and were pious and chaste. Furthermore, the Qur’an, just like the New Testament, associates Mary, mother of Jesus, during the time of Zakariyya. This makes the case for “confusion” between the two Marys untenable.<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/span>A LEXICAL ENQUIRY <\/strong><\/p>\n

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The words “sister”, “brother”, “son” and “daughter” in Arabic usage have very wide connotations. On this basis itself, modern day Western scholarship has rejected the claim of “confusion” between the two Marys, i.e., Mary, mother of Jesus, and Miriam, sister of Moses and Aaron. For example, A. J. Wensinck writing in the Encyclopaedia Of Islam<\/span> says:<\/p>\n

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Maryam is called a sister of H\u0101r\u016bn (s\u016bra XIX, 29), and the use of these three names \u2018Imr\u0101n, H\u0101r\u016bn and Maryam, has lead to the supposition that the Kur’\u0101n does not clearly distinguished between the two Maryams, of the Old and the New Testaments. The Kur’\u0101n names two families as being especially chosen: those of Ibr\u0101him and of \u2018Imr\u0101n (s\u016bra III, 32). It is the family of \u2018Imr\u0101n, important because of Moses and Aaron, to which Maryam belongs. It is not necessary to assume that these kinship links are to interpreted in modern terms. The words “sister” and “daughter”, like their male counterparts, in Arabic usage can indicate extended kinship, descendance or spiritual affinity<\/span>. This second \u2018Imr\u0101n, together with Harun, can be taken as purely Kur’\u0101nic… Muslim tradition is clear that there are eighteen centuries between the Biblical \u2018Amram and the father of Maryam<\/span>.[21]<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Similarly, the wide usage of the Hebrew word \u2019ach\u00f4wth<\/em>, the equivalent of Arabic ukhtun<\/em>, meaning “sister”, is also attested in the Hebrew Bible. The material below is taken from Gesenius’s Hebrew And Chaldee Lexicon To The Old Testament Scripture<\/span>.<\/p>\n

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Figure 1: The usage of \u2019ach\u00f4wth<\/em>, i.e., “sister”, in the Hebrew Bible.[22]<\/sup><\/p>\n

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Similarly, the online Blue Letter Bible<\/em>, under \u2019ach\u00f4wth<\/a><\/em>, lists the following usages in the Bible:<\/p>\n