Two Parties Concerning ʿĪsā

Two parties formed around ʿĪsā (peace be upon him) even in his own time. There were those who said he was the son of God, and who developed into a sect on that basis; and there were those who slandered him, holding him to be a child born out of wedlock.

Others again maintained that Joseph was his father. The title of Virgin is used, yet the belief that Joseph was the father is widely held. Joseph was, it appears, a relative — Yūsuf al-Najjār, Joseph the carpenter. When he learned that she was with child he put certain questions to her, and did so courteously; the exchange is recorded in commentaries such as that of Ibn Kathīr, together with her reply.