It’s fundamental for a Christian to believe in and love Mary. After all, she is the mother of Jesus, peace be upon them both. It may come as a surprise that, in Islam, one has to believe in and love her as well. You cannot be a Muslim otherwise.

If you open the Qur’an, you can easily see the status she has in Islam. You will notice that one of the Surahs or chapters is named after Mary (or Maryam in Arabic). She is mentioned more than 30 times in the Qur’an and is the only woman mentioned by name in it.

She was praised for her truthfulness and exemplary obedience to God:

And [the example of] Mary, the daughter of ʿImrān, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into [her garment] through Our angel [i.e., Gabriel], and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient.

[Qur’an 66:12]

She had miracles given to her to the point Prophet Zakariya, peace be upon him, was motivated to pray to God for a son, despite reaching old age. She was also exalted for her chastity and given the miraculous conception and birth to Jesus, despite not having any relationships with a man. To encapsulate all her traits, Mary was given the greatest honor you can ask for from the Lord of the worlds:

And when the angels said, ‘O Mary, Allah has chosen you and purified you.

[Qur’an 3:42]

She did not achieve greatness just for being the mother of one of the greatest Prophets to ever live; she achieved it on her own. However, in contrast to Christianity, Islam does not ascribe divinity to anyone or anything other than God Himself. Maryam is human. Jesus is human as well. Thus, no questions or confusion that get brought up with the trinity. Ex: If Jesus is God, how did a mortal give birth to something divine? Did Jesus have to rely on a mortal? Is Mary divine to begin with? If so, what is her true relationship with Jesus? Or the Father?