3. Sura al-Imran

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَإِذْ قَالَتِ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ يَا مَرْيَمُ إِنَّ اللّهَ اصْطَفَاكِ وَطَهَّرَكِ...

3: 42. Behold! the angels said:

"O Mary! Allah hath chosen thee and purified thee;

...وَاصْطَفَاكِ عَلَى نِسَاء الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٤٢﴾

chosen thee above the women of all nations.

C382. Mary the mother of Jesus was unique, in that she gave birth to a son by a special miracle, without the intervention of the customary physical means. This of course does not mean that she was more than human, any more than that her son was more than human. She had as much need to pray to Allah as anyone else.

The Christian dogma, in all sects except the Unitarian, holds that Jesus was God and the son of God.

The worship of Mary became the practice in the Roman Catholic Church, which calls Mary the Mother of God. This seems to have been endorsed by the Council of Ephesus in 431, in the century before Muhammad was born to sweep way the corruptions of the Church of Christ.

For 'alamin as meaning all nations, see 3:96, n. 423.

يَا مَرْيَمُ اقْنُتِي لِرَبِّكِ وَاسْجُدِي وَارْكَعِي مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ ﴿٤٣﴾

3: 43. "O Mary! worship thy Lord devoutly; prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down."

Other versions:

3: 42

Asad AND LO! The angels said: "O Mary! Behold, God has elected thee and made thee pure, and raised thee above all the women of the world.”

Yusuf Ali Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! Allah hath chosen thee and purified thee; chosen thee above the women of all nations.

Pickthall And when the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah hath chosen thee and made thee pure, and hath preferred thee above (all) the women of creation.

Transliteration Wa iz qa_latil mala_'ikatu ya_ maryamu innalla_hastafa_ki wa tahharaki wastafa_ki 'ala_ nisa_'il 'a_lamin(a).

3: 43

Asad “O Mary! Remain thou truly devout unto thy Sustainer, and prostrate thyself in worship, and bow down with those who bow down [before Him]."

Yusuf Ali "O Mary! worship thy Lord devoutly; prostrate thyself and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down."

Pickthall O Mary! Be obedient to thy Lord, prostrate thyself and bow with those who bow (in worship).

Transliteration Ya_ maryamuqnuti li rabbiki wasjudi warka'i ma'ar ra_ki'in(a).

[ Ali’s note - 382 Mary the mother of Jesus was unique, in that she gave birth to a son by a special miracle, without the intervention of the customary physical means. This of course does not mean that she was more than human, any more than that her son was more than human. She had as much need to pray to God as anyone else. The Christian dogma, in all sects except the Unitarian, holds that Jesus was God and the son of God. The worship of Mary became the practice in the Roman Catholic Church, which calls Mary the Mother of God. This seems to have been endorsed by the Council of Ephesus in 431, in the century before Muhammad was born to sweep way the corruptions of the Church of Christ. For 'alamin as meaning all nations, see iii. 96, n. 423. (3.42) ]