"VIRGIN MARY"
"VIRGIN MARY" IN THE BIBLE
Hebrew "young woman of childbearing age" was mistranslated into Greek as "virgin" thus giving the myth of "virgin Mary" in Christianity and subsequently in Islam
In the original Hebrew text of Isaiah 7:14, the prophet addresses King Ahaz and says:
"Behold, the ‘almah shall conceive and bear a son..."
‘Almah (עַלְמָה): In Biblical Hebrew, ‘almah specifically means a "young woman of childbearing age" or a young maiden. While a young unmarried woman in ancient Israel was generally expected to be a virgin, the word ‘almah itself does not explicitly mean "virgin"—it denotes age and maturity, not sexual status.
Betulah (בְּתוּלָה): If the author of Isaiah specifically wanted to emphasize physical virginity, Biblical Hebrew had a distinct, explicit word for it: betulah.
Isaiah 7:14 in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible which was later quoted in the New Testament (specifically Matthew 1:22–23).
Around the 3rd to 2nd century BCE, Jewish scholars translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek for Greek-speaking Jews (a translation known as the Septuagint).
When translating Isaiah 7:14, the translators rendered ‘almah as parthenos (παρθένος). In ancient Greek, parthenos explicitly meant "virgin."
When the author of the Gospel of Matthew (writing in Greek around 80–90 CE) recorded the story of Jesus's birth, he quoted the Greek Septuagint version of Isaiah 7:14 to demonstrate that Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy:
"All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 'Behold, the virgin [parthenos] shall conceive and bear a son...'" (Matthew 1:22–23)
Early Greek-speaking Christian communities read the Greek Septuagint, saw the word parthenos ("virgin") in Isaiah, and concluded that the Messiah must have been born to a virgin, which subsequently shaped the narrative tradition in Matthew and Luke.
"VIRGIN MARY" IN ISLAM
Mary (known as Maryam in Arabic) is explicitly recognized as a virgin in Islam. The virgin birth of Jesus (Isa) is an official, non-negotiable doctrine in Islamic theology, affirmed directly in the Qur'an.
BUT the problem with Maryam is that she is not the same Mary in Christianity (Mariam (Μαριάm) or Maria (Μαρία)).
AS per Islam, Maryam is the sister of Harun (Ukht Hārūn) or Aaron in Hebrew and Christianity:
"O sister of Harun, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste."
— (Qur'an Surah Maryam 19:28)
As per Christianity, in the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament, Miriam (in Hebrew, Miryam) is explicitly identified as the biological sister of Aaron (Harun) and Moses (Musa). Mary in Christianity (Mariam (Μαριά) or Maria (Μαρία)) and Miriam (in Hebrew, Miryam) are not the same person. Also, theologically both women were born between 13-15 centuries apart.
Miriam (Sister of Aaron and Moses):
Era: ~13th Century BCE (Bronze Age / Time of the Exodus).
Role: An Israelite prophetess, leader, and elder sister to Aaron and Moses who helped lead the Hebrews out of Egypt.
Mary (Maryam/Mother of Jesus):
Era: ~1st Century BCE to 1st Century CE (Greco-Roman Era).
Role: A Jewish woman from Nazareth in Galilee who became the mother of Jesus.
In Hebrew, both figures—Moses's sister in the Old Testament and Jesus's mother in the New Testament—are named Miryam (מִרְיָם). When translated into Greek and Latin, the Old Testament sister of Aaron remained rendered as Miriam, while the mother of Jesus became adapted as Mary (or Maria).
In Arabic, both figures share the exact same name: Maryam (مريم). However, strangely, in the Quran, Maryam (Mary (or Maria)) is addressed by Allah as "O sister of Harun (Aaron)" while the sister of Aaron was the other Maryam (Miriam (in Hebrew, Miryam)).
Also, in Islamic tradition, Isa's (Jesus's) mother, Maryam (Mary), is the daughter of Imran. Imran is Amram in Hebrew. Amram was not the father of Mother of Jesus Mary. As per Exodus 15:20 (Hebrew Bible), "The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi... and to Amram she bore Aaron, Moses and their sister Miriam."
In Islamic tradition, wife of Imran is Hanah (specifically Hannah bint Faqudh) who is the mother of Maryam (Mary) as per Surah Ali Imran. In the Qur'an: In Surah Ali 'Imran (3:35–36), she is referred to generically as "Imra'atu 'Imran" ("the wife of Imran").
While wife of Amram and mother of Miriam was Jochebed.
In the Christian Old Testament (and Hebrew Bible), Hannah (חַנָּה) is the mother of the prophet Samuel, one of the most prominent judges and spiritual leaders of ancient Israel. Jochebed is not explicitly mentioned by name in the text of the Qur'an. Instead, she is referred to directly as "the mother of Musa" (Umm Mūsā).
Curiously, this figure of Hannah (mother of Maryam) in Islamic tradition directly corresponds to Saint Anne (Anna) (Mother of Mary)/Hannah, meaning "grace" or "favor". The apocryphal Protoevangelium of James is a 2nd Century text while the Quran is from the 7th Century.
According to an authentic Hadith recorded in Sahih Muslim, when Christians in Najran asked Muhammad’s companion Al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba about the verse (Qur'an Surah Maryam 19:28)—pointing out the century-long gap between Aaron and Mary—the Prophet Muhammad explained:
"The people of old used to name [their children] after their prophets and righteous people who came before them."
That Mary mother of Jesus and Miriam sister of Aaron and Moses were two different people was never explained by Muhammad.
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