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3. Divine Promises About Christ and Muhammad
We here recite from the Qur'an the divine promises to Mary about Christ, who was to be born of her:
“O Mary, Allah gives you good tidings of a Word from Him, whose name is Christ, Isa, the Son of Mray, highly honored in this world and the Hereafter; and he is one of those brought near to Allah.” (Sura Al 'Imran 3:45)
يَا مَرْيَم إِن اللَّه يُبَشِّرُك بِكَلِمَة مِنْه اسْمُه الْمَسِيح عِيسَى ابْن مَرْيَم وَجِيها فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَة وَمِن الْمُقَرَّبِين (سُورَة آل عِمْرَان ٣ : ٤٥)
The Most High Himself evangelized Mary and informed her personally about the birth of Christ, calling Him “A Word from Him.” All the prophets received the Word of God and wrote it down sincerely. As for Christ, He not only heard the inspired Word, He Himself was the incarnation of the divine Word. In Him dwelt the full authority of the Word of God, with all its creative, healing, forgiving, comforting and renewing power. Regarding this unique fact, Allah foretold the birth of Christ to Mary personally, confirming to her the reality of that great miracle.
We cannot read in the Qur'an that Muhammad was the incarnate Word of God. He only received the Word of God from an angel and recited it to his listeners. God did not announce the birth of Muhammad to Amina, his mother; neither was the Spirit of God breathed into her. On the other hand, Mary personally faced the Angel Gabriel, who was sent of God to kindly explain to her the work of the Holy Spirit in her. She is the only one chosen among all women, as the Qur'an states:
“O Mary, Allah has chosen you and purified you; He has chosen you above all women.” (Sura Al Imran 3:42)
يَا مَرْيَم إِن اللَّه اصْطَفَاك وَطَهَّرَك وَاصْطَفَاك عَلَى نِسَاء الْعَالَمِين (سُورَة آل عِمْرَان ٣ : ٤٢)
The name of Mary is repeated 34 times in the Qur'an. In contrast, the name of Muhammad's mother, Amina, is never mentioned in the Qur'an -- not even once. When Muhammad requested forgiveness for her after she had died, Allah stopped him; this made him weep bitterly.