Mary Sister Of Aaron

[فداء الرسول]

WHY DOES THE QURAN REFER TO MARY AS THE SISTER OF AARON?


019.027-28
"Then she came to her people with him, carrying him (with her). They said: O Mary! surely you have done a strange thing. O sister of Aaron! (Arabic: Yaukh'ta haruna) Your father was not a wicked man nor was your mother unchaste"

The Arabic term 'ukh'ta' (sister) in verse 19:28 means

(a) A sister by blood relationship from the same parent
(b) Figuratively a female in faith, sisterhood, relationship by tribe.

Foremost, it should be appreciated that the Quran contains numerous dialogues from many previous tribes, clans and individuals throughout human history. It even contains dialogues from different creations of God. None of these dialogues were spoken in Arabic. Instead, the Quran in the voice of God translates these dialogues in an expression and language which the specific audience of the Arabs could clearly understand and one which would best represent what was said at the time the dialogue took place.

Furthermore, it is imperative that one understands the context of the narrative with a view to appreciate why certain words may have been used. In 19:27-28, Mary was clearly being reminded of her association with great patriarchs such as Prophet Aaron (pbuh) who according to Jewish sources, was considered the first High Priest of the Israelites and through whom the priestly decendancy of his tribe, the Levites continued.

Mary had been under the guardianship of Prophet Zacharriya (pbuh) in a sanctuary (3:37) and had dedicated herself to her Lord. According to Biblical sources, Prophet Zacharriya (pbuh) was a priest from the decendancy of Prophet Aaron (pbuh) and hence of Levitical Priesthood if the Biblical position is to be accepted. However, according to these sources, it also appears that Mary was not herself a Levite but rather from the house of David, a Judah (Matthew 1:1; Hebrews 7:14) which would disqualify her from being referenced as 'descendant' of the tribe of Levi.

Mary's own people would clearly have known that she was not a descendant of the Levite tribe nor of the Levitical Priesthood and hence would not have referred to her as 'daughter of Aaron' which would have been expected if she was being referenced as a descendant of Prophet Aaron's (pbuh) tribe. In the Bible we note Mary's cousin, Elisabeth being clearly referenced as a 'daughter of Aaron' as she was indeed a Levite of Prophet Aaron's (pbuh) tribe.
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Luke 1:5
"There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron (Greek: Thugater), and her name was Elisabeth"

Therefore, Mary's people would not have used the epithet 'daughter of Aaron', but rather, one which bound her spiritually to the priestly tribe of Prophet Aaron (pbuh) as she had remained under Prophet Zacharriya's (pbuh) auspices. Mary was clearly reminded of her 'noble associations' with Prophet Aaron's (pbuh) noble descendants when the charge of being unchaste was levied against her. In this manner, she would have been referred to Prophet Aaron (pbuh) as connected to him by faith (as a sister) and not in lineage.

The Quran is familiar with sibling epithets to denote spiritual and social relationships between members of tribes. For example:

Noah is referred to as a 'brother' of his tribe:

026:106
"Behold, their brother (Arabic: akhuhum) Noah said to them: "Will you not fear (God)?"

We find similar references for Hud (pbuh) (7:65; 11:50; 26:124), Saleh (pbuh) (7:73; 11:61; 26:142; 27:45), Lot (pbuh) (26:161) and Shoaib (pbuh) (7:85; 11:84; 29:36)

011:050
"And to Ad (We sent) their brother Hud. He said: O my people! serve God, you have no god other than He; you are nothing but forgers (of lies)"

Even the Bible is familiar with elective spiritual relationships.

Mark 3:35
"Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

Lastly, the family of Imran is referenced separately by the Quran. There is a whole Surah that usually bears the name (Surah Imran - Chapter 3). It is clear that this family bears no direct connection with the Amram from the Bible, who is the father of both Prophets Moses and Aaron. (pbut)

FINAL THOUGHTS

Naming descendants on the basis of past revered personalities has always been common ancient practice. Two individuals who bear the same name each having a brother and a father with the same name does not imply that they are therefore, the same individuals.

The Quran appears to go out of its way to avoid any confusion by not naming the real sister of Prophet Moses, (pbuh) so as not to confuse her with the mother of Prophet Jesus. (pbuh) Furthermore, the father of Prophet Moses (pbuh) (and his sister) is also not named by the Quran as 'Imran', so as not to confuse him with the father of Mary (Imran).

Joseph Islam

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