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Why Does the Qur’an Call Mary the Sister of Aaron?
Qur’an 19:28 calls Mary the sister of Aaron. Sahih Muslim 2135 says people named children after earlier prophets. The Bible’s Miriam is a different woman.
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Qur’an 19:28Qur’an 19:28 · Saheeh InternationalO sister [i.e., descendant] of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste."
Qur’an 19:28 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source has the people of Mary’s town call her “sister of Aaron” while they accuse her of an unheard-of thing. Sahih Muslim 2135Sahih Muslim 2135 · Abdul Hamid SiddiquiMughira b. Shu'ba reported: When I came to Najran, they (the Christians of Najran) asked me: You read "O sister of Harun" (i. e. Hadrat Maryam) in the Qur'an, whereas Moses was born much before Jesus. When I came back to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) 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.
Sahih Muslim 2135 · Abdul Hamid SiddiquiOpen source says the Christians of Najran asked how she could be Aaron’s sister when Moses was born long before Jesus, and that Muhammad answered that earlier people named their children after prophets and righteous people who had gone before. The Qur’an also calls her the daughter of Imran. In the Bible, Miriam the sister of Aaron is the daughter of Amram, and Mary the mother of Jesus is another woman, named in Luke 1. Both readings can be stated. They do not describe the same sister.
Key Points
- Qur’an 19:28Qur’an 19:28 · Saheeh International
O sister [i.e., descendant] of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste."
Qur’an 19:28 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source (1) in Pickthall’s English says, “O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot.” - Saheeh International prints “O sister [i.e., descendant] of Aaron.” The words “i.e., descendant” are in brackets. Abdel Haleem prints “Sister of Aaron!” with no gloss in the line.
- Sahih Muslim 2135Sahih Muslim 2135 · Abdul Hamid Siddiqui
Mughira b. Shu'ba reported: When I came to Najran, they (the Christians of Najran) asked me: You read "O sister of Harun" (i. e. Hadrat Maryam) in the Qur'an, whereas Moses was born much before Jesus. When I came back to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) 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.
Sahih Muslim 2135 · Abdul Hamid SiddiquiOpen source (2), in Abdul Hamid Siddiqui’s English, reports Muhammad’s reply to Mughira ibn Shu’ba: people of old “used to give names (to their persons) after the names of Apostles and pious persons who had gone before them.” - Qur’an 66:12Qur’an 66:12 · Saheeh International
And [the example of] Mary, the daughter of ʿImrān, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into [her garment] through Our angel [i.e., Gabriel], and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient.
Qur’an 66:12 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source (3) calls her “Mary, the daughter of ʿImrān.” Qur’an 3:35Qur’an 3:35 · Saheeh International[Mention, O Muḥammad], when the wife of ʿImrān said, "My Lord, indeed I have pledged to You what is in my womb, consecrated [for Your service], so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing."
Qur’an 3:35 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source (4) is the wife of Imran pledging the child in her womb. - Exodus 15:20Exodus 15:20 · King James Version
And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
Exodus 15:20 · King James VersionOpen source (5) calls Miriam “the sister of Aaron.” Numbers 26:59Numbers 26:59 · King James VersionAnd the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister.
Numbers 26:59 · King James VersionOpen source (6) names Amram’s wife Jochebed as the mother of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. - Luke 1:26–35Luke 1:26–35 · King James Version1:26
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
1:27To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
1:28And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
1:29And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
1:30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
1:31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
1:32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
1:33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
1:34Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
1:35And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:26–35 · King James VersionOpen source (7) names Mary in Nazareth, a virgin pledged to Joseph, centuries after Miriam.
What the Town Says in Surah Maryam
Qur’an 19:27Qur’an 19:27 · Saheeh InternationalThen she brought him to her people, carrying him. They said, "O Mary, you have certainly done a thing unprecedented.
Qur’an 19:27 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source says Mary brought the child to her people and they told her she had done something unprecedented. The next verse is the charge and the title together. Pickthall keeps the title bare:
O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot.
Qur’an 19:27 · Marmaduke Pickthall
Saheeh International’s brackets offer “descendant” as the sense of “sister.” Hilali and Khan’s edition prints “O sister (i.e. the like) of Hârûn (Aaron),” and the parenthesis “the like” is their gloss, not a second Arabic word. The Arabic phrase the Christians of Najran asked about, in the hadith, is “O sister of Harun.” The translators who add “descendant” or “the like” are telling the reader how to take a phrase the Najran Christians took as kinship.
The scene is an accusation. The town says her father was not evil and her mother was not unchaste, meaning the child in her arms looks like a scandal. Calling her Aaron’s sister in that moment ties the scandal to a priestly family. It is not a passing nickname in a genealogy list. Jesus in the Qur’an and the Gospels is the wider comparison. What Do Christians Believe About Mary? is what the churches say about her.
The Answer in Sahih Muslim 2135
Mughira ibn Shu’ba’s report is in the Book of Manners. Siddiqui’s English says the Christians of Najran asked him about the verse, “whereas Moses was born much before Jesus.” He asked Muhammad on his return. The reply is the sentence Sunni readers cite:
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.
On this reading, “sister of Aaron” is a name of honor. Mary is called after Aaron the way a child is called after a prophet, not because she and Aaron shared a mother. The report treats the Najran question as real. It does not say the Christians misread a word that already meant “descendant.” It says naming after the righteous was the custom. That is a fair Muslim answer, and it is in a collection Sunni Muslims count as sound. Which Muslims Accept Which Hadith? is why a Shia reader may weigh this report differently. The Qur’an line itself is shared.
The hadith does not say Mary was the biological sister of the Aaron who stood with Moses. It explains the title by a custom of names. A Christian can grant that explanation as what the report says, and still ask what the Qur’an says in the other verses that give Mary a father.
Daughter of Imran, and Miriam
Qur’an 66:12Qur’an 66:12 · Saheeh InternationalAnd [the example of] Mary, the daughter of ʿImrān, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into [her garment] through Our angel [i.e., Gabriel], and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient.
Qur’an 66:12 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source calls her “Mary, the daughter of ʿImrān,” who guarded her chastity, and says God blew into her garment through an angel. Qur’an 3:35Qur’an 3:35 · Saheeh International[Mention, O Muḥammad], when the wife of ʿImrān said, "My Lord, indeed I have pledged to You what is in my womb, consecrated [for Your service], so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing."
Qur’an 3:35 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source opens the family story with the wife of Imran dedicating the child in her womb. The book’s own titles for her are sister of Aaron and daughter of Imran. Those two titles match one woman in the Bible, and she is not the mother of Jesus.
Exodus 15:20Exodus 15:20 · King James VersionAnd Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
Exodus 15:20 · King James VersionOpen source: “And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand.” Numbers 26:59Numbers 26:59 · King James VersionAnd the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister.
Numbers 26:59 · King James VersionOpen source: “And the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister.” Amram is the name that stands behind Imran. Miriam is Aaron’s sister and Amram’s daughter. The Qur’an’s Mary is called by both of those relations.
Luke 1:26–35Luke 1:26–35 · King James Version1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
1:28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
1:29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:26–35 · King James VersionOpen source sets Mary in a city of Galilee named Nazareth, in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, a virgin betrothed to Joseph, told that her son will be called the Son of the Most High. The chapter does not call her the daughter of Amram or the sister of Aaron. The centuries between the exodus and Nazareth are the gap the Christians of Najran named when they said Moses was born long before Jesus.
One reading holds the hadith and the brackets together: “sister” is honor or descent in a priestly line, and “daughter of Imran” is the same kind of title. Another reading holds the Bible’s two women apart: the sister of Aaron and daughter of Amram is Miriam, and the virgin of Nazareth is Mary. The Qur’an uses Miriam’s family titles for the mother of Jesus. The hadith answers the Najran Christians with a custom of naming. It does not quote Numbers 26:59Numbers 26:59 · King James VersionAnd the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister.
Numbers 26:59 · King James VersionOpen source. Christians confess that the child Mary bore is God the Son, not that she was Aaron’s sister. Luke 1:35Luke 1:35 · King James VersionAnd the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:35 · King James VersionOpen source says the Holy Ghost will come upon her and the child will be called the Son of God.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Muhammad Say Mary Was Miriam?
Sahih Muslim 2135Sahih Muslim 2135 · Abdul Hamid SiddiquiMughira b. Shu'ba reported: When I came to Najran, they (the Christians of Najran) asked me: You read "O sister of Harun" (i. e. Hadrat Maryam) in the Qur'an, whereas Moses was born much before Jesus. When I came back to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) 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.
Sahih Muslim 2135 · Abdul Hamid SiddiquiOpen source says he explained the title by a custom: people named children after prophets and righteous people before them. The report is an answer to Christians who thought the verse identified her with Aaron’s sister. It does not walk through Exodus or Numbers.
Why Do Some Translations Say “Descendant”?
Saheeh International puts “i.e., descendant” in brackets. Hilali and Khan put “i.e. the like” in parentheses. Pickthall and Abdel Haleem print “sister of Aaron” without that gloss. The brackets are the translators’ interpretation.
Who Is the Daughter of Imran in the Bible?
Numbers 26:59Numbers 26:59 · King James VersionAnd the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister.
Numbers 26:59 · King James VersionOpen source names Miriam, sister of Aaron and Moses, as Amram’s daughter. Qur’an 66:12Qur’an 66:12 · Saheeh InternationalAnd [the example of] Mary, the daughter of ʿImrān, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into [her garment] through Our angel [i.e., Gabriel], and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient.
Qur’an 66:12 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source uses “daughter of Imran” for Mary the mother of Jesus. The two books are using one family line for two different centuries unless “daughter” is also a title. The sister verse is the place the Najran Christians pressed that question.
Where Do the Gospels Name Mary’s Parents?
Luke 1 and Matthew 1 name Mary as the mother of Jesus and do not name Amram or Aaron as her father or brother. Church teaching about her is What Do Christians Believe About Mary?.
Keep Reading
References
- Qur’an 19:27–28, Maryam 27–28Qur’an 19:16–34 · Saheeh International16
And mention, [O Muḥammad], in the Book [the story of] Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place toward the east.
17And she took, in seclusion from them, a screen. Then We sent to her Our Angel [i.e., Gabriel], and he represented himself to her as a well-proportioned man.
18She said, "Indeed, I seek refuge in the Most Merciful from you, [so leave me], if you should be fearing of Allāh."
19He said, "I am only the messenger of your Lord to give you [news of] a pure boy [i.e., son]."
20She said, "How can I have a boy while no man has touched me and I have not been unchaste?"
21He said, "Thus [it will be]; your Lord says, 'It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign to the people and a mercy from Us. And it is a matter [already] decreed.'"
22So she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a remote place.
23And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said, "Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten."
24But he called her from below her, "Do not grieve; your Lord has provided beneath you a stream.
25And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates.
26So eat and drink and be contented. And if you see from among humanity anyone, say, 'Indeed, I have vowed to the Most Merciful abstention, so I will not speak today to [any] man.'"
27Then she brought him to her people, carrying him. They said, "O Mary, you have certainly done a thing unprecedented.
28O sister [i.e., descendant] of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste."
29So she pointed to him. They said, "How can we speak to one who is in the cradle a child?"
30[Jesus] said, "Indeed, I am the servant of Allāh. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet.
31And He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and zakāh as long as I remain alive
32And [made me] dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a wretched tyrant.
33And peace is on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive."
34That is Jesus, the son of Mary - the word of truth about which they are in dispute.
Qur’an 19:16–34 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source (Saheeh International adds “[i.e., descendant]” in brackets. Pickthall reads “O sister of Aaron” with no bracket.) - Sahih Muslim 2135Sahih Muslim 2135 · Abdul Hamid Siddiqui
Mughira b. Shu'ba reported: When I came to Najran, they (the Christians of Najran) asked me: You read "O sister of Harun" (i. e. Hadrat Maryam) in the Qur'an, whereas Moses was born much before Jesus. When I came back to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) 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.
Sahih Muslim 2135 · Abdul Hamid SiddiquiOpen source (Abdul Hamid Siddiqui. Mughira ibn Shu'ba and the Christians of Najran. Muhammad’s answer is that people named children after prophets and righteous people before them.) - Qur’an 66:12, At-Tahrim 12Qur’an 66:12 · Saheeh International
And [the example of] Mary, the daughter of ʿImrān, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into [her garment] through Our angel [i.e., Gabriel], and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient.
Qur’an 66:12 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source (Saheeh International. Mary, the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity.) - Qur’an 3:35, Ali Imran 35Qur’an 3:35 · Saheeh International
[Mention, O Muḥammad], when the wife of ʿImrān said, "My Lord, indeed I have pledged to You what is in my womb, consecrated [for Your service], so accept this from me. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing."
Qur’an 3:35 · Saheeh InternationalOpen source (Saheeh International. The wife of Imran pledges the child in her womb.) - Book of Exodus, 15:20Exodus 15:20 · King James Version
And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
Exodus 15:20 · King James VersionOpen source. King James Version - Book of Numbers, 26:59Numbers 26:59 · King James Version
And the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister.
Numbers 26:59 · King James VersionOpen source. King James Version - Gospel of Luke, 1:26–35Luke 1:26–35 · King James Version1:26
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
1:27To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
1:28And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
1:29And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
1:30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
1:31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
1:32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
1:33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
1:34Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
1:35And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:26–35 · King James VersionOpen source. King James Version
See Also
- Are There Missing and Abrogated Verses in the Qur’an? — Sahih reports say a stoning verse and a suckling ruling were recited as Qur’an and are not in the book. Qur’an 2:106 calls that God’s abrogation.
- Did Jesus Die on the Cross? — The Qur'an is widely read as saying Jesus was not crucified. The Gospels, Paul, and two Roman-era historians say he was.
- Did Jesus Pray Like a Muslim? — No. Jesus fell on his face and prayed to the Father. That is not the five daily prayers, toward the Sacred Mosque, that the Qur’an times.
- Do Muslims Believe in Jesus? — Yes. Muslims believe Jesus was born of Mary and is the Messiah. They do not believe he is God or that he died on the cross. Jesus in the Qur’an and the Gospels is that comparison.
- Do Muslims Believe in the Old Testament? — The Qur’an tells Muslims to believe in the Torah and the Gospel as books God gave. It also calls the Qur’an a criterion over what came before. That is not the Protestant Old Testament in place of the Qur’an.