What Is the Ancestry of Jesus?
ما هو نسب نبي الله عيسى عليه السلام؟
He was born from a mother and no father, which was a miracle from Allah just like Adam, peace be upon him. Almighty Allah told him "Be" and he was. Therefore, Jesus does not have a father; he is attributed to his mother, Mary the daughter of Imran, because he was not born from a father, rather from a mother alone.
("Remember when the angels proclaimed, 'O Mary! Allah gives you good news of a Word from Him, his name will be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, honoured in this world and the Hereafter, and he will be one of those nearest to Allah. And he will speak to people in his infancy and adulthood and will be one of the righteous.' Mary wondered, 'My Lord! How can I have a son when no man has ever touched me?' An angel replied, 'So will it be. Allah creates what He wills. When He decrees a matter, He simply tells it, "Be!" And it is!'") (Al-Imran 3:45-47)
عيسى عليه السلام ولد من أمٍ "مريم" وبدون أب، وهذه كانت المعجزة من الله تعالى مثل خلق آدم عليه السلام، قال له "كن" فكان. فإذا عيسى عليه السلام ليس له أب، يُنسب نبي الله عيسى إلى أمه (مريم ابنة عمران) لأنه لم يولد من أبٍ ولكن من أمٍ فقط.
(إِذْ قَالَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ يَا مَرْيَمُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكِ بِكَلِمَةٍ مِّنْهُ اسْمُهُ الْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ وَجِيهًا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَمِنَ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ. وَيُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِي الْمَهْدِ وَكَهْلًا وَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ. قَالَتْ رَبِّ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِي وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِي بَشَرٌ ۖ قَالَ كَذَٰلِكِ اللَّهُ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ ۚ إِذَا قَضَىٰ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ) آل عمران 3: 45- 47
1. Why the Quran Insists on "Ibn Maryam" | لماذا يُصرّ القرآن على "ابن مريم"
Across the Quran, Jesus is repeatedly named "Isa ibn Maryam," Jesus son of Mary, never linked to any father figure. This is not incidental phrasing; in a culture where people were identified by their fathers, naming Isa by his mother is deliberate, encoding the fact of his fatherless birth directly into how he is addressed every time his name appears.
يُذكر عيسى في القرآن مرارًا باسم "عيسى ابن مريم"، ولا يُنسب أبدًا لأي أب. وهذا ليس عرضًا لغويًا، بل خروجٌ متعمد عن عادة نسبة الناس إلى آبائهم، يُدرج حقيقة ولادته بلا أبٍ في اسمه ذاته كلما ذُكر.
2. A Miracle, Not a Basis for Divinity | معجزةٌ لا أساسٌ للألوهية
The same passage that announces Jesus's birth answers Mary's own question, "how can I have a son when no man has ever touched me," with the same formula used elsewhere in the Quran for creation itself: "Allah creates what He wills. When He decrees a matter, He simply tells it, 'Be!' And it is." His fatherless birth is presented as proof of Allah's creative power, exactly like the very different, even more unprecedented creation of Adam. That direct comparison, and why it settles a debate some later raised about Jesus's nature, is explored in why Allah connected the births of Adam and Jesus.
يجيب المقطع نفسه الذي يبشر بولادة عيسى على سؤال مريم "أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِي وَلَدٌ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِي بَشَرٌ" بالصيغة ذاتها المستخدمة في القرآن للخلق: "اللَّهُ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَاءُ ۚ إِذَا قَضَىٰ أَمْرًا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ".
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Why does Jesus have no father in his lineage?
He was born from Mary alone, by Allah's command "Be," without any human father.
Why is Jesus called "son of Mary" rather than named after a father?
Because he was born only of Mary, and the Quran consistently reflects this fact in how it names him.
Does Jesus's fatherless birth prove he was divine?
No, the Quran presents it as a miracle of Allah's creative power, comparable to the creation of Adam, who had neither father nor mother.
How did Mary react to the news?
She asked how she could have a son when no man had touched her, and was told Allah simply decrees a matter and it is.