The Islamic Mary: Maryam Through the Centuries

ACGIS Guest Lecture with Dr. Younus Y. Mirza

Tuesday, November 11, 2025 4:30 PM EST
Merten Hall, 1203 & Zoom

Mary, the mother of Jesus, has been historically revered throughout the Islamic tradition. This began already in the Qur'an, where she is called by the name "Maryam." This book examines the varied appearances of Maryam in different Islamic cultural and theological contexts. The chapters in this history extend from Maryam's scriptural mentions in the Qur'an and the biography of the Prophet Muhammad, her appearances in medieval debates regarding prophecy, citations of her virtuous model in Sufi discussions of piety, presentations in art and film, through to her role in modern interfaith relations.

 

 

 

 

 Dr. Younus Y. Mirza is the Founding Director of the Barzinji Institute for Global Virtual Learning at Shenandoah University.  He defended his dissertation in Arabic and Islamic Studies from Georgetown University and has taught at Millsaps and Allegheny Colleges.  His research focuses on the relationship between the Bible and the Qur’an and the shared stories between them.  He is the author of the new book The Islamic Mary: Maryam through the Centuries, co-author of the book The Bible and the Qur’an: Biblical Figures in the Islamic Tradition and has published in various journals such as the Journal of the American Academy of Religion (JAAR), the Journal of Qur’anic Studies (JQS) and Islam Christian-Muslim Relations (ICMR).  In his teaching, he has been profiled by Interfaith America and has won a teaching award for his First Year Seminar course.  He regularly teaches classes on the Qur’an and Bible, Marriage and Sexuality in Islam and hosts the A Common Word and The Islamic Mary podcasts.