عمران
ʿImrān
Person
The name of the family of Mary, whom the Quran says God chose, and after which the third surah is named.
What it means
“God chose Adam and Noah, the family of Abraham and the family of Imran over all peoples” (3:33). The wife of Imran made a vow for what was in her womb (3:35), and Mary is called “daughter of Imran” (66:12).
Often misunderstood as
Mary is called “sister of Aaron” (19:28). The Prophet explained that the people of earlier times were named after the righteous before them (Sahih Muslim). Muslim scholars hold that it does not mean she was the sister of Moses’ brother, and the Imran here is not the father of Moses.
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 40, listed as ʿIMRĀN. The definition is restated here.