According to the Bible, Mary , also known as Saint Mary or Virgin Mary, was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee and the mother of Jesus. She is identified in the New Testament as the mother of Jesus through divine intervention. Mary (Maryam) also has a revered position in Islam, where a whole chapter of the Qur'an is devoted to her. Christians hold her son Jesus to be Christ (i.e., the messiah) and God the Son Incarnate. By contrast, Muslims regard Jesus as one of the prophets of God sent to humanity; not as God himself nor the Son of God.

The canonical gospels of Matthew and Luke describe Mary as a virgin Traditionally, Christians believe that she conceived her son miraculously by the agency of the Holy Spirit. Muslims believe that she conceived her son miraculously by the command of God. This took place when she was already betrothed to Saint Joseph and was awaiting the concluding rite of marriage, the formal home-taking ceremony. She married Joseph and accompanied him to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born.In keeping with Jewish custom, the betrothal would have taken place when she was around 12, and the birth of Jesus about a year later.