Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
The Qur’an does not require that a person be explicitly called “God” or believed to be the Creator in order to be described as having been taken as a deity. Rather, directing acts of worship to someone besides Allah falls under taking that person as an object of worship. Throughout history, and in some Christian practices, there have been forms of supplication to Mary, peace be upon her, seeking her aid, and directing certain devotional acts toward her.
Allah Almighty says:
“And when Allah says, ‘O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to the people, “Take me and my mother as two deities besides Allah”?’”
[Al-Ma’idah 5:116]
The verse speaks about taking someone as an object of worship and directing worship to them, not necessarily about explicitly calling Mary “God.”
For this reason, the Qur’an also describes the People of the Book by saying:
“They took their rabbis and monks as lords besides Allah.”
[At-Tawbah 9:31]
Yet they did not necessarily call their rabbis and monks “gods.”
What matters, therefore, is the reality of what acts of worship are directed toward a created being, not merely the name used to describe that being.
A number of historians and scholars have mentioned groups that were attributed with extreme veneration of Mary, peace be upon her. Among them was a group known as the Maryamites, who were reported to have held beliefs concerning the divinity of Mary and Christ.
Certain Christian traditions have also included practices involving addressing Mary in supplication and asking for intercession and aid, even though their followers do not call this worship and do not say that Mary is God.
From the Islamic perspective, supplicating to a created being and asking them, as an act of worship, for something that only Allah has power to grant does not become permissible merely by calling it “veneration” or “intercession.”
Allah says:
“Say: Call upon those whom you claim besides Him. They have no power to remove harm from you or transfer it elsewhere.”
[Al-Isra 17:56]
It is also important to note that the verse does not say that every Christian in every age believes that Mary, peace be upon her, is a deity.
Rather, the statement appears in the form of Allah questioning Jesus, peace be upon him, about people taking him and his mother as two deities besides Allah. This contains a condemnation of those who fell into such excess and worship.
Therefore, if a Christian group today says, “We do not believe that Mary is God,” this statement does not, in itself, contradict the verse, because the Qur’an does not attribute this belief in one identical form to every individual Christian or every Christian denomination.
Taking Mary, peace be upon her, as a deity in the Qur’anic sense does not depend on explicitly calling her “a god.” Directing to a created being acts of worship, supplication, and seeking aid that belong to Allah alone falls under taking that being as an object of worship besides Allah.
History has also known forms of excessive veneration and devotional practices directed toward Mary, peace be upon her. The verse does not require us to understand that every Christian denomination or every Christian believes that Mary is God or part of God.
And Allah knows best.