Islam teaches that the Prophet Jesus (Peace be upon Him) is one of the most respected prophets because of his efforts in spreading the word of Allah. It Displays a true spirit of love towards him and his mother Mary. There is not a single disparaging remark against the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon Him) or any other Prophet in the entire Quran, nor in other Islamic literature or Islamic history books. As an evidence of praise for Jesus (peace be upon Him) is that the story of Jesus (Peace be upon Him) and his mother is mentioned in three places in the Quran: Chapters 3,4 and 19. In fact, Chapter 19, an entire chapter of the Quran, is called 'Maryam' (Mary) in her honour.
However, we observe that out of 66 books of the Protestants and 73 of the Roman Catholics, this honour is not fond given to Mary in the Christian Bible. Also, not one of them is named after Mary or her son. We might also note that no chapter in the Quran is named after any of Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon Him) wives and daughters.
Another evidence of praise is that the name of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon Him) is mentioned 25 times in the Quran; this is in contrast to the mention of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him), whose name is mentioned only 5 times. This proves that Islam honours all prophets for the message they have in common; it did not discard one Prophet with the advent of another.
Jesus (peace be upon Him) is referred to in the Quran by many titles. Ibn Maryam (the Son of Mary), the Messiah (the anointed one), 'Abdullah (slave of Allah), and Rasool Allah (the messenger of Allah).
This praise and glorification agree with what Jesus (peace be upon him) is reported to have said in John 14:16 [New International Version (NIV) & the King James Version (KJV)] describing the prophet that would succeed him: "He will glorify me".
Beginning of his lineage
The Quranic account of Jesus (peace be upon Him) starts withe the story of his mother, Mary. When she conceived her, the mother of Mary vowed to dedicate her child (Mary) to the worship of Allah and His service in Jerusalem.
When Mary grew up, she was very righteous. She dedicated herself to the worship of Allah (Exalted is He) and is used to receive her sustenance (food and nourishment) directly from Allah. Therefore, it is no mystery as to why she was chosen to be the mother of Jesus. The Quranic verses read:
[Remember] when the wife of 'Imran [the mother of Mary] said: My Lord, I have vowed to you what is in my womb, devoted to your worship and service in Jerusalem. So accept this from me. Verily, you are the Hearer and Knower of all things.
Then, when she gave birth to her [Mary] she said: My Lord, I have given birth to a female child - Allah was well aware of what she had delivered - and the male is not like the female; I have named her Maryam [Mary], and I seek your protection for her and her offspring from Satan, the outcast.
So her Lord accepted her most graciously and soundly nurtured her under the care of Zachariah, whenever Zachariah visited her in her place of worship he would find her supplied with sustenance. He said: O Mary, from where have you got this? She said: From Allah;truly Allah gives without counting to whom He so wills. [Quran (3):35-37]
It is interesting to see that when the Mother of Mary conceived , she was a bit disappointed that she did not have a son. This was because she had always wished that her child be dedicated to the worship of Allah. However, little did she know that this very child would be extremely righteous, and end up being the mother of Jesus. This was better for her than a son. Hence, Allah's words: "...and Allah was well aware of what she had delivered..."
The status of Mary
Mary is very highly respected in Islam. Allah says:
"And when the Angels said: O Mary, Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen above all women. O Mary, worship your your Lord devoutly and prostrate yourself and bow down [in prayer] with those who bow down. This is part of the tidings of the unseen what we reveal down unto you by inspiration." [Quran (3):42-44]
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