The Islamic Mary

Modern Qur'anic Studies often focuses on "echos" or phrases that connect particular stories, figures and prophets. In this episode, I look at the phrase "you were not there" and how it relates to the story of Moses/Musa and emphasizes certain parts of the story, such as when he became a law giver, lived in Midian, and spoke to God. This episode builds off the previous episode "You Were Not There - Echos Between Biblical and Qur'anic Figures."

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9-11 had a tremendous impact on my life and career, as I was a sophomore in college, and it led me to a life of researching, teaching and understanding. I recently read the Substack of Jordan Denari Duffner who speaks about how the event impacted her, her community and views of Islamophobia. I sit down with Jordan to better understand what 9-11 meant to her, how Islamophobia has evolved over the last 25 years and her future work and trajectories.

Jordan was on the previous episode of Fruits of the Spirit

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In the Chapter of Constellations (Surat al-Buruj), there is a debate on who it refers to: the Christians of Najran, the Disbelievers in the Hellfire or the Biblical story in Daniel. I go through recent scholarship on the topic and agree with Walid Saleh that it refers to the Christians of Najran. The Christians of Najran were persecuted for their faith and were models of resilience and fortitude to the early Muslim community.

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In many Biblical and Qur'anic stories, the protagonist isolates themselves and, at times, even go to prison. In this interview, I chat with Walaa' Qusaiy about her new book "When Only God Can See: The Faith of Muslim Political Prisoners". Walaa' discusses how faith and spirituality of Muslim prisoners merge with that of prophetic ones, and how they find inspiration and hope in their stories. The prison experience is pervasive in Muslim society and Islamic scholarship and we need to study that space to better understand the lives of the various Muslim scholars and activists.

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Modern Qur'anic Studies often focuses on "echos" or phrases that connect particular stories, figures and prophets. In this episode, I look at the phrase "you were not there" and how it connects certain Biblical and Qur'anic figures and how it emphasizes certain parts of the stories. Specifically, it emphasizes the plotting against Joseph/Yusuf and the caretaking of Mary/Maryam.

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One of the most fascinating stories in the Qur'an is the Story of Solomon/Sulyaman and the ant. An ant see Solomon/Sulyman's army approaching and warns her tribe to take shelter to protect themselves. Solomon/Sulayman hears the ants cry which leads him to pray for God to make him grateful and live a righteous life. The story speaks to the idea of humility, gratitude and conservation.

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This month marks the 25 year anniversary of 9/11, an event that had a profound impact on global politics, religion and relations. I reflect on the anniversary and its impact on me and my career as well as go over a pew poll regarding Americans perceptions of Islam.

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As I write the second edition of my book "The Bible and the Qur'an: Biblical Figures in the Islamic Tradition", I came across an article by Shawkat Toorawa which tries to turn the story of Joseph/Yusuf into a play. I discuss the article, the challenges of depicting prophets and read some of the play.

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I discuss how the Qur'an presents Maryam as a model, not just for women and the wives of the Prophet Muhammad but for men as well. She also plays an important role in discussions regarding gender egalitarianism in the Qur'an.

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In this episode, I do a deep dive into the Stories of the Prophets literature on Zechariah/Zakariyya. The commentators focus on his Qur'anic prayer, birth of his son John/Yahya and caretaking of Mary/Maryam. Along the way, he expresses his vulnerabilities and fears and learns from Mary/Maryam

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I speak about how the Qur'an speaks directly to Maryam as well as other Qur'anic women and addresses their hopes, aspirations and fears. The direct communication leads to the discussion of the importance of intimacy within our various relationships.

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I reflect on the Passing on John Esposito, who was a scholar, academic, friend and mentor. I met him when I was an undergraduate at Georgetown University, and kept in touch with him through graduate school and when I started my professional career. I discuss what made him so unique and why he embodied so many of the values that I hope to as a scholar and teacher.

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The Chapter of Mary (Surat Maryam) is unique with a special rhyme scheme, opening letters and emphasis on love and mercy. I speak about its context, relationship with other Qur'anic chapters and what makes it distinct. See our library for a commentary of the entire chapter.

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As I look closely at Qur'anic figures, I am struck in how they speak about their emotions. They are open about their fears, upfront about their sadness and share their joy and grief. This led me to the work of Paul Heck on "Emotions In Islam" where he details how Muslims have thought about emotions throughout their history. I speak with Paul about his spiritual biography, how he became interested in the topic and how emotions are connected to the ultimate goal of becoming righteous.

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Join me for this throwback interview with Asma Afsaruddin, which was one of our most popular episodes of the podcast. When writing my forthcoming book the Islamic Mary, I had the opportunity to engage her edited volume The Oxford Handbook on Islam and Women, in particular her article "Modern Rereadings of the Qur'an through a Gendered Lens". I discuss with her how she compiled the articles, her views on Qur'an and women and the implications of her work on the modern world.

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Subscribe to the Islamic Mary podcast which is available on the major podcast streaming services, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

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As I work on the second edition of my book The Bible and Qur'an: Biblical Figures in the Islamic Tradition, I am look at new sources, from modern scholarship to medieval chronicles. In this episode, I speak about how medieval scholars picked up on the fact that Qur'anic Joseph tells his dream only to his father Jacob/Yaqub which sets up a special relationship between them that climaxes at the end.

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Zulaykha is often seen in the Islamic tradition as a temptress and someone who tries to seduce the prophet Joseph/Yusuf. However, minority readings focus on her repentance and how she eventually speaks the truth and seeks the mercy and forgiveness of God.

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In my recent trip to Sarajevo, I was honored to be part of a panel of Christian and Muslim scholars who discussed the new translation of my book “The Islamic Mary” into Bosnian. Various scholars discussed the book, what they found relevant in it, and how it could contribute to interreligious dialogue. I share some of the points that resonated with me regarding the panel, specifically the comments of Father Mario Bernadić, the Dean of the Catholic School of Theology at the University of Sarajevo:

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I got the opportunity to do a book talk at the AbuSulayman Center at George Mason University. The Center focuses on Global Islamic Studies and is a leader in digital Islamic studies and humanities. I also got to interact with my good friend Professor Maria Dakake who influenced my work on the Quran and the Islamic Mary.

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Subscribe to the Islamic Mary podcast which is available on the major podcast streaming services, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

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David/Dawud is represented in the Islamic tradition as a righteous ruler who combines worship and kingship, piety and authority. One story that emerges in the Biblical and Qur'anic literature is that David/Dawud sees Bathsheba bathing, leading him to have an affair with her, kill her husband and then marrying her. Various Muslim commentators struggled with this story, with some saying that he only had relations with her after marriage and with others rejecting the story altogether.

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Subscribe to the Islamic Mary podcast which is available on the major podcast streaming services, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

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