IV. Mohammedan Traditions, — These are again cast in a totally different mould from those of the Jews. The Mohammedans had no purpose to serve in spread- ing calumnious stories as to the birth of Jesus, and ac- cordingly we find none of the Jewish malignity about their traditions. Mohammed and his followers appear to have gathered up the floating Oriental traditions which originated in the legends of Mary's early years, given above, and to have drawn from them and from the Bible indifferently. It has been suggested that the Koran had an object in magnifying Mary, and that this was to insinuate that the Son was of no other nature than the mother. But this does not appear to be the case. Mohammed seems merely to have written down what had come to his ears about her, without definite theological piu^pose or inquirj'.
IVIarj' was, according to the Koran, the daughter of Amram (sur. iii) and the. sister of Aaron (sur. xix). Mo- hammed can hardly be absolved from having here con- founded Miriam the sister of Moses with Mary the moth- er of our Lord. It is possible, indeed, that lie may liave meant different persons, and such is the opinion of Sale {Koran, p. 38, 251) and of D'Herbelot {Bibl. Orient, s. v. Miriam) ; but the opposite view is more likely (see Gau- dagnoli, Apol. pro rel. Christ, c. viii, p. 277, Rom. 1631). Indeed, some of the Mohammedan commentators have been driven to account for the chronological ditficulty by saying that Miriam was miraculously kept alive from the days of Moses in order that she might be the moth- er of Jesus. Her mother Hannah dedicated her to the Lord while still in the womb, and at her birth " com- mended her and her future issue to the protection of God against Satan." So Hannah brought the child to the Temple to be educated by the priests, and the priests disputed among themselves who should take charge of her. Zacharias maintained that it was his office, be- cause he had married her aunt. But when the others would not give up their claims, it was determined that the matter should be decided by lot. So they -went to the river Jordan, twenty-seven of them, each man with his rod ; and they threw their rods into the river, and none of them floated save that of Zacharias, whereupon the care of the child was committed to him (Al Beidawi; Jallalo'ddin). Then Zacharias placed her in an inner chamber by herself; and though he kept seven doors ever locked upon her (other stories make the only en- trance to be by a ladder and a door ahvays kept locked), he always found her abundantly supplied with provi- sions which God sent her from paradise, winter fruits in summer, and summer fruits in winter. Then the angels said unto her, "O Mary, verily God hath chosen thee, and hath purified thee, and hath chosen thee above all the women of the world" {Koran, sur. iii). So she re- tired to a place towards the east, and Gabriel appeared unto her and said, "Verily I am the messenger of thy Lord, and am sent to give thee a holy Son" (sur. xix). Then the angels said, "O Marj-, verily tJnd scndeth thee good tidings that thou slialt bear the '\\'ord proceeding from himself: His name shall be Christ Jesus, the Sou of Mary, honorable in this world and in tlie world to come, and one of them who approach near to the pres- ence of God : and he sliall speak imto men in his cradle and when he is grown up ; and he shall be one of the righteous." But she said, '"How shall I have a son, seeing I know not a man V" The angel said, " So God
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createth that which he pleaseth : when he decreeth a thiiiji, he only saith unto it, ' Be,' and it is. God shall teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Law and the Gospel, and shall appoint liim his apostle to the cliildren of Israel" (sur. iii). So God breathed of his Spirit into the womb of Mary ; and she preserved her chastity (sur. Isvi) ; for the Jews have spoken against her a grievous calumny (sur. iv). Thus she conceived a son, and retired with him apart to a distant place; and the pains of childbirth came upon her near the trunk of a palm-tree ; and God provided a rivulet for her, and she shook the palm-tree, and it let fall ripe dates, and she ate and drank, and was calm. Then she carried the child in her arms to her people ; but they saiil that it was a strange thing she had done. Then she made signs to the child to answer them; and he said, "Verily I am the servant of God: he hath given me the book of the Gospel, and hatJi appointed me a prophet ; and he hath made me blessed, wheresoever I shall be ; and hath commanded me to observe prayer and to give alms so long as I shall live ; and he hath made me dutifid towards my mother, and hath not made me proud or unhappy : and peace be on me the day whereon I waa born, and the day whereon I shall die, and the day whereon I shall be raised to life." This was Jesus the Son of Mary, the Word of Truth, concern- ing whom they had doubt (sur. xix).