Description
Mary of the Koran: A Meeting Point Between Christianity and Islam
by Rev. Lawrence T. Fares and Rev. Nilo Geagea
Mary of the Koran (Philosophical Library, 1984) is authored by and Rev. Lawrence T. Fares, with Fares serving as editor and translator. The book is 324 pages and written in English, with some Arabic material included.
It is a comparative theological study that examines Mary’s role in the Qur’an and how Islamic reverence for Mary intersects with Christian Mariology.
🌙 Mary (Maryam) in the Qur’an
The book emphasizes that Mary is the only woman mentioned by name in the Qur’an, and she is honored as one of the most righteous women in Islamic tradition.
A central verse highlighted in the scholarship is:
“O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds.” (Qur’an 3:42)
This verse is used to show Mary’s exceptional spiritual status in Islam and her role as a point of mutual respect between the two faiths.
🔍 Purpose and Themes
The authors frame Mary as a “meeting point” between Christianity and Islam by exploring:
Shared reverence for Mary across both traditions
The Qur’anic narrative of Mary’s purity, devotion, and miraculous motherhood
Comparative Mariology, showing where Christian and Islamic interpretations converge or diverge
Theological dialogue, using Mary as a bridge for interfaith understanding
The work is both exegetical (analyzing Qur’anic passages) and theological, aiming to deepen Christian readers’ understanding of Mary’s honored place in Islam.
