37. How was Isa born?

The Bible records the birth of Jesus in Matthew 1 verses 18 – 24: ‘This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All of this occurred to fulfil the Lord’s message through his prophet: ‘Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’’ When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.’

The Qur’an records the birth of Jesus in this surah: ‘The similitude of before Allâh is as that of Adam; He created him from dust then said to him ‘Be and he was’. Ali ’Imran surah 3 ayah 59. Refer also to surah 21 Al Anbiya ayah 91 ‘And (remember) her who guarded her chastity: We breathed into her of our Spirit, and we made her and her son a Sign for all Peoples.’ Again this is confirmed in surah 66 Al Tahrim ayah 12 ‘And Mary the daughter of Imran who guarded her chastity: and We Breathed into (her body) of our Spirit; and she testified to the truth of her words of her Lord and of his Revelations, and was one of the Devout (Servants).’ The Qur’an declares in surah 3 that Jesus was conceived by a Word from Allâh, and in surah 66 that Allâh blew a wind into Mary’s vagina and that is how Jesus was conceived. In surah 6 ayah 59 it states concerning the birth of Jesus that Allâh said ‘Be’ and it was. This is in agreement with surah 3, but the Qur’an offers no reconciliation with surah 66.