The world knows her as Mary, the mother of Jesus. But in the Quran, Allah honors her not for her motherhood, but for her unwavering devotion to Him. Before she carried Isa (A) in her womb, she carried faith in her heart, and this faith is what made her the best of women, the one worthy of mothering a prophet. Her status as a woman of God is what elevated him as, “Isa, the son of Mary.”
Before she was even born, Maryam (A) was dedicated to Allah. Her mother, Hana, made a vow to devote her child to worship, expecting a son. But when she gave birth to a girl, she was taken aback. Allah responds: “Allah knew fully what she had delivered—the male is not like the female.”
From the very beginning, Maryam’s path was different. She was honored not in spite of her womanhood, but because of it. Her worship, her submission, her connection to Allah were uniquely hers—a testament to the strength, purity, and resilience of a believing woman. And it was through this deep devotion that she was chosen—not to be defined by the men around her, nor even by her role as the mother of a prophet, but by her unwavering nearness to Allah.
Yet today, we are told that to be worthy, we must keep pace within a masculine society—measuring our success by careers, education, the number of followers, and external validation. Even in worship, we can feel discouraged or separated from this deen after experiencing religion in masculine spaces, forgetting that the male is not like the female. But our power, our honor, and our worth come not from imitation, but from embracing the path and unique qualities Allah has placed in us as women.
At Daughters of Maryam, we return to her legacy—not just as a story, but as a guide. We seek to be women of remembrance, women of submission—so that we may be women of courage, women of strength. Not in pursuit of worldly praise, but in devotion to the One who truly elevates. Through our submission, we find power.
