Quran Garden

In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Surah Al-‘Imran

Chapter 3

An Introduction

Chapter 2 of the Quran -Surat al-Baqarah- is known as the first radiant one. Chapter 3 Al-Imran follows and is known as the second radiant one.  

The order of the chapters of the Quran as you read it and hold it in your hand today is different from the order in which it was revealed.  The Quran has two arrangements: the order of revelation, and the order of compilation. 

Let’s look into the order in which the Quran was revealed: It corresponded to the incidents and challenges that faced the Prophet, peace be upon him.  It was logical and necessary to reveal verses related to such incidents.  Events occurred first, and then the Quranic verses would be revealed to address them.  Had the Quran been revealed as an entire book, it would have addressed issues and problems that had not occurred yet.  The reception of such revelation would have been cold at best.  However, when heavenly revelation comes to address the pressing issues of the day –problems that Muslims are struggling with-, people look forward to it, and its impact is far greater.  As for those who still question why the Quran was not revealed altogether at once? God answers:

The faithless say, ‘Why has not the Quran been sent down to him all at once?’ So it is, that We may strengthen your heart with it, and We have recited it little by little. (25:32)

Allah revealed the Quran a little at a time to strengthen the heart of the Prophet and the believers.  Muhammad (peace be upon him) faced tremendous challenges from day one of his call to faith.  Thus, whenever a tough challenge presented itself, a portion of the Quran -appropriate for that challenge- was revealed to support the Prophet and those standing by him.  Each revelation illuminated the path ahead of the Prophet and made him feel tranquil.  This also gave the believers time to understand, implement, and appreciate every new heavenly teaching.  

Moreover, the Prophet was often challenged by the Jews, Christians, and non-believers.  And each time, Allah answered them with clear revelation.  Had the Quran been sent down all at once, these rebuttals would have lost some of their impact.  God says:

The faithless say, ‘Why has not the Quran been sent down to him all at once?’ So it is, that We may strengthen your heart with it, and We have recited it little by little. Every time they come to you with a difficult point, We bring you the truth and the best of explanations. (25:32, 33)

During the farewell pilgrimage of our beloved Prophet, God revealed:

Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My blessing upon you, and chosen as your religion: Islam; but if any of you is forced by dire necessity and driven to what is forbidden, without purposely inclining to sin – surely God is All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate. (05:03)

Now the Quran could be organized in its final order to address issues in their entireties and to give guidance to all humankind till the end of time. 

Chapter Al-Imran which we are about to discuss comes right after ‘The Cow’.  Al-Baqarah addressed the beginnings of human life, it discussed in detail the creation of Adam, his task of succession on earth, and his heavenly education.  The chapter also mentioned some of the prophets who descended from Adam and examined how their followers –specifically the children of Israel- dealt with prophethood and heavenly teachings.   

Chapter 3, Al-Imran, fits perfectly after Surat Al Baqarah because it speaks about a new kind of creation, not like the first creation, Adam and Eve, nor like the rest of us who were created by the laws of reproduction.  The Chapter discusses Prophet Jesus.  He, peace be upon him, came into being differently from Adam and from everyone else.  Adam was created from nothing without a mother or father.  Eve was created from Adam with no female element.  All the rest of creation required both a male and a female.  Thus, it was logical to introduce a creation who was created without a father.

When the word ‘Imran’ is mentioned in the Quran, it could be referring to one of two people.  First, there is Imran the father of Prophets Moses and Aaron; and second, there is Imran, the father of Miriam –Virgin Mary Mother of Prophet Jesus-.  Which Imran is the title of Chapter 3 referring to? There has been some confusion among the scholars.

We answer that the confusion regarding which Imran is chapter 3 referring to is easy to resolve.  Let’s look into the family tree of each of the two Imrans.  First, we start with Imran, the father of Moses and Aaron.  His father was ‘Yashar,’ and his grandfather was ‘Fahath.’  His great grandfather was ‘Lawa’ the son of Prophet Jacob, the grandson of Issac, and the great-grandson of our beloved Abraham, peace be upon them all. 

Now, we look into the lineage of Imran the father of Miriam, the mother of Prophet Jesus.  His father was ‘Mathan’, who is a descendant of Prophets Solomon and David.  Prophet David is the son of ‘Awsha’, grandson of ‘Yahootha.’  ‘Yahootha’ is the son of Jacob, and the grandson of Isaac, peace be upon them all.  

What added to the confusion regarding the name of this Chapter is that the sister of Prophets Moses and Aaron was named Miriam.  So we have Miriam, daughter of Imran, who was the sister of Moses and Aaron.  Then we have Miriam, daughter of Imran who was the mother of Prophet Jesus.  The children of Israel loved the name Miriam because it means the devoted worshipper. 

Chapter 3 of the Quran discusses in detail the story of Miriam, daughter of Imran, mother of Jesus.  From that we know that the namesake of this chapter ‘Al Imran,’ is referring to the family of our beloved Prophet Jesus, not to the family of Moses and Aaron. 

At the end of Surat Al-Baqarah, God taught us to supplicate: “Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our guardian, so give us victory us against the disbelievers.’ This verse suits Surah Al-Imran as well, why? Because Islam came to continue the struggle against corruption and disbelief.  It did not erase the message of previous prophets but built on them.  Islam came to face the soldiers of disbelief and the soldiers of the people of the book who ignored God’s teachings and changed their books.  Our beloved Muhammad did not contradict what preceded him of heavenly messages; rather he strengthened the call towards God and repaired what was neglected and corrupted.  Those who had true faith in Christianity and Judaism recognized the heavenly teachings of Islam.  God says:

Yet those who are disbelievers say: ‘You are not a Messenger.’ Say: ‘Allah is a sufficient witness between you and me, and anyone else who has knowledge of the Book.’ (13:43)

When Muhammad, peace be upon him, began to deliver his message, the people of the book were supposed to be the first to believe.  This is because he came to confirm the procession of faith and brought a Quran filled with verses –like many in Al-Imran- confirming the teachings of Jesus, Moses, and David. If you believe in Jesus, then haste right now into believing in the message of Muhammad.  God says:

You will find the Jews and idolaters most hostile toward the believers; and the closest in love to the faithful are the people who say: "We are the followers of Christ," because there are priests and monks among them, and they are not arrogant.  When they listen to what has been sent down to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of what they recognize of the truth. They say, ‘Our Lord, we have iman! So write us down among the witnesses (5:82, 83)

Quite often, new civilizations rise on the ruins of their predecessors.  They destroy all that relates to the people before them, erase or change their history to start a new era.  Islam does not support fanaticism.  The Nobel Quran does not erase history.  It brings it back to life and corrects what was corrupted of it.  It is a great honor for Muslims to have entire chapters in the Quran named after the family of Prophet Jesus –such as chapter Al Imran, and Chapter Miriam-, and many chapters related to previous Prophets such as Joseph, Noah, and Abraham.