The Blessed Virgin's genealogy in the Qur'an : an exegetical problem

Abstract

Apart from being the one and only woman who is mentioned by name in the Qur'an the Blessed Virgin Mary may be considered one of the principal personages who are mentioned with praise in the holy book of Islam. In that book her name is Maryam. This word is mentioned 34 times in the Qur'an, usually in combination with Jesus' name: 'Iso ibn Maryam (Jesus, the son of Mary). Moreover the 19th chapter (sUra) of the Qur'an is entitled sUrat Maryam (the chapter of Mary) and together with chapter 3 it gives the bulk of the Qur'an's tenets regarding Mary and Jesus. All this already shows a vivid interest of the Qur'an, and therefore of Muslims, in the person of the Blessed Virgin. In the present article we shall investigate just one aspect of the Mary narrative in the Qur'an: her genealogy as it appears in the book. If at first sight it seems to constitute a grave exegetical problem, after a more profound reading one might arrive at a well-balanced interpretation of the teXt. This is what I try to offer here.