Short answer
The Quran says Mary withdrew to a remote place and gave birth to Jesus at the trunk of a palm tree, where Allah gave her a stream of water and fresh dates. It does not name the town, and Muslim historians generally accept Bethlehem. Muslims believe he was born of the virgin Mary with no father, by Allah's command.
Belief in the virgin birth of Jesus is part of Muslim faith because the Quran states it clearly, so denying it means denying the Quran. The town and the date of his birth are historical questions with no ruling attached to them.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
The story is told in Surah Maryam. The angel came to Mary in the form of a man and gave her news of "a pure boy". She asked how she could have a son when no man had touched her, and was told: "It is easy for Me." The Quran compares his creation to Adam's, who had neither father nor mother.
Then, the Quran says, she conceived him and withdrew to a remote place. The pains of labour drove her to the trunk of a palm tree, and in her distress she wished she had died before this. A voice called to her not to grieve: Allah had placed a stream beneath her, and if she shook the palm trunk, ripe fresh dates would fall. She was told to eat, drink, be at peace, and not speak to anyone that day.
When she brought the baby to her people they accused her, and she pointed to him. The newborn spoke: "I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet." The Prophet ﷺ named Jesus first among those who spoke in the cradle.
- Place: the Quran does not name it. Classical Muslim historians, such as Ibn Kathir, give Bethlehem as the well-known view.
- Date: the Quran gives no date. Some commentators noted the fresh dates in the story, but nothing certain can be built on that. Muslims do not keep 25 December as his birthday.
Read the whole account in Surah Maryam and on Prophet Isa. On his mother, see who is Maryam in Islam.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Maryam 19:23
فَأَجَآءَهَا ٱلْمَخَاضُ إِلَىٰ جِذْعِ ٱلنَّخْلَةِ قَالَتْ يَٰلَيْتَنِى مِتُّ قَبْلَ هَٰذَا وَكُنتُ نَسْيًۭا مَّنسِيًّۭا ﴿٢٣﴾
And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said, "Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten."
Jesus was born at the trunk of a palm tree in a remote place.
Quran, Surah Maryam 19:25
وَهُزِّىٓ إِلَيْكِ بِجِذْعِ ٱلنَّخْلَةِ تُسَٰقِطْ عَلَيْكِ رُطَبًۭا جَنِيًّۭا ﴿٢٥﴾
And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates.
Allah provided Mary with food and water at the birth.
Quran, Surah Aal-i-Imraan 3:47
قَالَتْ رَبِّ أَنَّىٰ يَكُونُ لِى وَلَدٌۭ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِى بَشَرٌۭ ۖ قَالَ كَذَٰلِكِ ٱللَّهُ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ ۚ إِذَا قَضَىٰٓ أَمْرًۭا فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ ﴿٤٧﴾
She said, "My Lord, how will I have a child when no man has touched me?" [The angel] said, "Such is Allah; He creates what He wills. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, 'Be,' and it is.
Mary was a virgin when she conceived Jesus.
Quran, Surah Aal-i-Imraan 3:59
إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيسَىٰ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ ءَادَمَ ۖ خَلَقَهُۥ مِن تُرَابٍۢ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُۥ كُن فَيَكُونُ ﴿٥٩﴾
Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created Him from dust; then He said to him, "Be," and he was.
His birth without a father was by Allah's command, like the creation of Adam.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3436
Sahih... لم يتكلم في المهد إلا ثلاثة عيسى ...
"No one spoke in the cradle except three, and Jesus was one of them."
Confirms the Quran's account that the newborn Jesus spoke.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Surah Maryam, commentary on verses 22 to 26. Discusses the place of the birth and the reports naming Bethlehem.
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.