Imran (father of Maryam)

Imran is the father of Maryam AS and the grandfather of Prophet Isa AS. His family is honored in the Quran to the extent that an entire surah — Surah Ali Imran (Chapter 3) — is named 'The Family of Imran.' The Quran states: 'Indeed, Allah chose Adam and Nuh and the family of Ibrahim and the family of Imran over the worlds' (Surah Ali Imran 3:33). Imran himself is not described in detail in the Quran, but his wife Hannah — who dedicated her unborn child to the service of Allah — and the child she bore, Maryam, are central to the story of Isa AS. According to Islamic tradition, Imran was a righteous and devout man from the Israelite priestly class. He died before Maryam was born, leaving Hannah to fulfill the vow of dedication alone. His name in Islamic tradition is distinct from the Imran who was the father of Musa and Harun AS (an earlier Imran), and scholars have clarified that these are two different people separated by many generations. The Quran itself addresses this distinction implicitly, and the Prophet ﷺ clarified it when asked. Surah Ali Imran (3:35-37) narrates Hannah's dedication of her unborn child, Allah's acceptance of Maryam, and Maryam's placement under the guardianship of Zakariya AS. Imran's legacy is thus the noble family line from which came Maryam, the greatest of all women, and Isa AS, one of the five mightiest messengers.