Short answer
Maryam (Mary), the mother of Isa (Jesus), is one of the most honoured women in Islam. The Quran says Allah chose her above the women of the worlds, and a whole surah carries her name. Yes, Muslims believe she conceived Isa as a virgin, by Allah's command, without a father.
Sunni creed affirms the virgin birth of Isa and the purity and high rank of Maryam; denying the virgin birth contradicts the Quran. The majority of Sunni scholars, and the Maturidi creed taught in Hanafi schools, hold that she was a siddiqah (a woman of great truthfulness), not a prophet.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
The angels told her: "O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds" (3:42). Her mother dedicated her to Allah before birth, and she grew up in worship under the care of the prophet Zakariya. Surah Maryam, the nineteenth surah, tells her story.
When the angel brought her news of a son, she asked: "How can I have a boy while no man has touched me and I have not been unchaste?" (19:20). She was told it is easy for Allah. The Quran compares Isa's creation to Adam's, who had neither father nor mother. When she brought the baby to her people and they accused her, the infant Isa spoke from the cradle to defend her. The Quran praises her as one "who guarded her chastity" and "believed in the words of her Lord" (66:12).
The Prophet ﷺ said many men reached perfection, but among women only Asiyah the wife of Pharaoh and Maryam the daughter of Imran did, in the hadith in al-Bukhari; other hadith add Khadijah and Fatimah among the best women. Was she a prophet? Most scholars said no, since prophethood was given to men, though some, such as al-Qurtubi and Ibn Hazm, held that she was. All agree she is not divine, and Muslims do not pray to her.
She is the only woman the Quran mentions by name. People sometimes ask why it calls her "sister of Aaron" (19:28). The Prophet ﷺ explained that people used to name themselves after the prophets and righteous people who came before them, so the phrase ties her to the noble line of Harun, not to the brother of Musa himself.
Read more about her son in Who is Jesus in Islam? and on the page for Prophet Isa, or read Surah Maryam.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Aal-i-Imraan 3:42
وَإِذْ قَالَتِ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ يَٰمَرْيَمُ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱصْطَفَىٰكِ وَطَهَّرَكِ وَٱصْطَفَىٰكِ عَلَىٰ نِسَآءِ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ ﴿٤٢﴾
And [mention] when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds.
States Maryam's chosen rank.
Quran, Surah Maryam 19:20
قَالَتْ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِى غُلَٰمٌۭ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِى بَشَرٌۭ وَلَمْ أَكُ بَغِيًّۭا ﴿٢٠﴾
She said, "How can I have a boy while no man has touched me and I have not been unchaste?"
Shows she was a virgin when she conceived Isa.
Quran, Surah At-Tahrim 66:12
وَمَرْيَمَ ٱبْنَتَ عِمْرَٰنَ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَحْصَنَتْ فَرْجَهَا فَنَفَخْنَا فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِنَا وَصَدَّقَتْ بِكَلِمَٰتِ رَبِّهَا وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَكَانَتْ مِنَ ٱلْقَٰنِتِينَ ﴿١٢﴾
And [the example of] Mary, the daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into [her garment] through Our angel, and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient.
Praises her chastity and faith.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3411
Sahih... وَلَمْ يَكْمُلْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ إِلاَّ آسِيَةُ امْرَأَةُ فِرْعَوْنَ، وَمَرْيَمُ بِنْتُ عِمْرَانَ ...
"None of the women reached perfection except Asiyah, the wife of Pharaoh, and Maryam, the daughter of Imran."
Shows Maryam's place among the best of all women.
Sahih Muslim 2135
Sahih... إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَمُّونَ بِأَنْبِيَائِهِمْ وَالصَّالِحِينَ قَبْلَهُمْ ...
"They used to name people after their prophets and the righteous who came before them."
Explains why the Quran calls Maryam sister of Harun.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Bad' al-Amali (Siraj al-Din al-Ushi), Verses on prophethood. The Maturidi creed poem states that no woman was ever a prophet.
- Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Commentary on Surah Al Imran and Surah Maryam. Tells her story and explains the virgin birth.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.