Uzair

Site traditionally described as the tomb of Ezra at Al Uzayr near Basra.

Uzair is a figure mentioned in the Quran, in the verse 9:30. This verse claims he is worshipped by the Jews as "the son of God". He is often identified with Ezra (Arabic: 'عزير, 'Uzair, [] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)Üzeyir) a biblical priest.

Although not explicitly mentioned in Quran among the prophets, Ezra is considered as one of the prophets by some Muslim scholars, based on Islamic traditions. Ezra lived between the times of King Solomon and the time of Zachariah, father of John the Baptist. On the other hand, Muslim scholars such as Mutahhar al-Maqdisi and Djuwayni and notably Ibn Hazm and al-Samaw'al accused Ezra (or one of his disciples) of falsification of the Scriptures. The claim that of the Quran, that the Jews believed Ezra was the son of God, has never corroborated with any non-Muslim source,though other than Quran,some early Muslim historians like Al-Baydawi,Al-Tabari,Al-Qurtubi report some Jewish leaders of Medina by name,having the said belief. In fact, the Book of Ezra, which dates more than thousand years before the Quran explicitly says Ezra is the son of Seraiah. Many scholars believe Muhammad made this assertion so as to claim pure monotheism for the Muslims alone, in his day. According to Kate Zebiri, a senior lecturer at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, "No Jewish or extra-Qur'anic sources available to us mention worshipping of Ezra as the “son of God” by Jews." According to Abraham Geiger who was very knowledgeable in Islam and won a prize for his essay "Was hat Mohammed aus dem Judenthume aufgenommen?". The essay earned Geiger a doctorate at the University of Marburg. It demonstrated that large parts of the Koran were taken from, or based on, Rabbinic literature. He also said there was no evidence of Jews ever believing Ezra was the son of God, despite his extensive knowledge in Rabbinic literature as can be seen in his quoting of various different Rabbinic texts in "Was hat Mohammed aus dem Judenthume aufgenommen?".

In the Qur'an

One Qur'anic verse (Quran 9:30) claims that a certain Uzayr (Arabic: عزير) is worshipped by Jews as "the son of God". Uzayr is usually identified by Muslim commentators with the biblical Ezra, or sometimes with a man who slept for one hundred years. Some Muslim apologists have also suggested the Biblical Enoch, Azazel and Osiris.

Quranic statements about perceived Jewish exaltation

The Quran claims that Jews exalted Ezra as the son of God.

The Jews call 'Uzair the son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth! (Quran 9:30)

They take their priests (Ahbar) and their anchorites to be their lords in derogation of Allah, and (they take as their Lord) Christ the son of Mary; yet they were commanded to worship but One Allah: there is no god but He. Praise and glory to Him: (Far is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him).(Quran 9:31)

No Jewish or extra-Qur'anic sources available to us mention worshipping of Ezra as the son of God by Jews. David Waines sates there is no data supporting this claim. John Kaltner, agrees saying that there is no solid evidence to support the claim that the Jews of Medina viewed Ezra as a son of God.

According to John Kaltner, the Qur'anic verse on Ezra is the only place where the Qur'an accuses Jews of polytheism and that this reference is obscure and remains a mystery. According to the Encyclopedia Judaica entry on Ezra, "Muhammed claims (Sura 9:30) that in the opinion of the Jews, Uzayr (Ezra) is the son of God. These words are enigma because no such opinion is to be found among the Jews, even though Ezra was singled out for special appreciation (see Sanh. 21b; Yev. 86b)." The Encyclopedia Judaica then later states excuses Muslim apologists have came up with because of the statement being unfounded. It later says H. Z. Hirschberg proposed based on what Ibn Hazm said, (Ibn Hazm was a 10th century Muslim Spanish apologist who never lived in Yemen, yet who claimed there was some group of Yemenite Jews who believed that 'Uzayr was indeed the son of Allah'.) that perhaps just the righteous of Yemen believed Ezra was the son of God. However there is no evidence of this group's existence. Furthermore this seems odd when you consider the fact that according to the Encyclopedia Judaica entry on Ezra, the Yemenite Jews do not name their children Ezra, because according to their accounts, Ezra cursed the Yemenite Jews to be poor because they would not move to Israel. It also seems odd when you consider that the Book of Ezra which is accepted by Jews says specifically Ezra is the son of Seraiah. According to Charles Cutler Torrey, Muhammad made this assertion so as to claim pure monotheism for the Muslims alone, in his day.

Edward Henry Palmer states that “there is no Jewish tradition whatever in support of this accusation of Mohammed's, which probably was entirely due to his own invention or to misinformation.” According to the Encyclopedia of the Quran, “Muhammad could have heard about Jewish or Judeo-Christian sects that venerated Ezra in the way other sects venerated Melchizedek.” The problem with this conjecture is that the Hadith, in Sahih Muslim 1:352, Sahih Bukhari Sahih al-Bukhari, 6:60:105, Sahih Bukhari Sahih al-Bukhari, 9:93:532s associates belief that Ezra is the son of God with all of Jews and compares it with belief by Christians that Jesus is the son of the God, and says that both Jews and Christians are condemned to hell for belief that God has a partner. Furthermore in the context of the Quran and this Hadith it implies the prevalency of Jews believing Ezra is the son of God, is as prevalent as belief of Christians that Jesus is the son of God, which is nearly universal amongst Christians. Furthermore Sahih Bukhari Sahih al-Bukhari, 7:63:209, tells Muslims to not marry Jewish women, because Jews associate partners with God. Also in surah 3:67 it says, "Abraham was neither Jewish, nor Christian; he was a monotheist submitter. He never was an idol worshiper." and in surah 2:135 it reads "And they say, 'Be Jews or Christians and you shall be guided.' Say thou: 'Nay, rather the creed of Abraham, a man of pure faith; he was no idolater.'" clearly implying the author(s) of the Quran believed that Jews in general associate either a partner or partners with God. Furthermore many believe claiming that the verse refers to a some group of Jews, Muslims are limiting Allah, so as to say the Quran, is the word of Allah.

Heribert Busse writes "The only explanation is the presumption that Muhammad, in the heat of debate, wanted to accuse the Jews of heretical doctrine on a par with the heresy of the Christian doctrine that teaches the divine nature of Jesus. In doing so, he could take advantage of the high esteem granted Ezra in Judaism."

According to Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi, the relevant qur'anic text should in any case be understood in the context of the Muslim-Jewish relations that was replete with theological arguments between the nascent Muslim community and the well-established Jewish community in Medina. Ibrahim states that for the Qur'an, even a minute association of a creature with God is not acceptable and that this verse aims to distinguish the Muslim community from the existing Christian and the Jewish community. Even so, Rabi says, this would not explain why Ezra should be considered the son of God; Is Uzayr really Ezra, Ibrahim questions. Some Muslim apologists have suggested that Uzayr might actually refer to the Biblical Enoch, Azazel or Osiris. This still makes no sense since it is forbidden in Judaism to believe someone is the son of God.

According to Hava Lazarus-Yafeh, later Muslim authors who heard from their contemporary Jews and Christians that the accusation of sonship had no basis mentioned three types of excuses: al-Tabari said that only one Jew (Finhas) viewed Uzra as the son of God, Ibn Hazm said that only a small group of Jews worshipped ʿUzayr as a son of God in some past period. And others like Qurtubi said that the verse refers to the extreme admiration of Jews for their doctors of law. The problem with saying that the verse refers to a small group of Jews is the Arabic used in the verse is spelled in such a manner as the part where it says The Christians say the messiah is the son of God, it spelled the same way as the part where it says The Jews say Ezra is the son of God, except the word alnnasara (The Christians) is replaced with the word alyahoodu (The Jews) and the word almaseehu (The messiah) is replaced with the word aauzayrun (Ezra).

The part of the verse that says "The Jews call 'Uzair the son of Allah, and the Christians call the Messiah the son of

Allah." in transliterated Arabic is

"Waqalati alyahoodu aauzayrun ibnu Allahi

Waqalati alnnasara almaseehu ibnu Allahi"

The way that the Arabic uses the same formula, and doesn't differentiate when it says the Jews implies belief Ezra is the son of God, is as mainstream as belief that Jesus is the son of God amongst Christians. Furthermore to say The Jews say Ezra is the son of God, also has grammatical errors, it is like saying, The Muslims eat pork, it is true some Muslims eat pork, but it is not true Muslims in general eat pork. Ibn Kathir, in his Qur'anic commentary, narrates a tradition on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Abbas saying that the Jews exalted Ezra because he could write down the Torah out of his memory; Moses could receive the Torah in the form of a book while Uzair got it without a book. According to Islamic apologist Al Baidawi, when Jews returned from Babylonish captivity, no one remembered the Tawrat and it was lost, hence God raised Ezra from the dead. Upon seeing him being raised from the dead, Jews exalted him to be the Son of God. Edward Palmer said, "The Moslem tradition is that Ezra, after being dead 100 years, was raised to life, and dictated from memory the whole of the Jewish Scriptures which had been lost during the captivity, and that the Jews said he could not have done this unless he had been the son of God. There is no Jewish tradition whatever in support of this accusation of Mohammed's, which probably was entirely due to his own invention or to misinformation". Moreover, the Quran further claims that Jews were "commanded to worship but One Allah" through scriptures, yet they exalted their clergy as Lords..This also lacks evidence, it in fact raises several problems, because in fact Judaism is more strict on its interpretation of monotheism than Islam. For example, the vast majority of Muslim theologians, believe two things are uncreated the Quran and God, while Jewish theology teaches that only one thing is uncreated, God. Another example being in how a good number of predominantly Muslim areas one can find the veneration of saints, for example in Morocco, seven saints are venerated, in Judaism on the other hand one cannot find any veneration of saints.

Jewish tradition and literature

A fundamental tenet of Judaism is that God is not bound by any limitations of time, matter, or space, and that the idea of any person being God, a part of God, or a mediator to God, is heresy. The Book of Ezra, which Judaism accepts as a chronicle of the life of Ezra and which predates Muhammad and the Qur'an by around 1000 years, gives Ezra's human lineage as being the son of Seraiah and a direct descendant of Aaron (Ezra 7:1–Ezra 7:5). Tractate Ta'anit of the Jerusalem Talmud, which predates Muhammad by two to three hundred years, states explicitly that “if a man claims to be God, he is a liar.” Furthermore Exodus Rabba 29 says, "'I am the first and I am the last, and beside Me there is no God' I am the first, I have no father; I am the last, I have no brother. Beside Me there is no God; I have no son."

The Qur'anic verse on Ezra appears in one of Maimonides's discussions about the relationship between Judaism and Islam where he says “…they [Muslims] lie about us [Jews], and falsely attribute to us the statement that God has a son.”

Abraham Geiger remarked the following concerning the claim that Jews believed Ezra to be the son of God: “According to the assertion of Muhammad the Jews held Ezra to be the Son of God. This is certainly a mere misunderstanding which arose from the great esteem in which Ezra was undoubtedly held. This esteem is expressed in the following passage ‘Ezra would have been worthy to have made known the law if Moses had not come before him.’ Truly Muhammad sought to cast suspicion on the Jews’ faith in the unity of God, and thought he had here found a good opportunity of so doing.”

In Karaite Judaism, mourners use the word "meharef" to represent a whole range of Muslim anti-Jewish polemic including the notion that Jews considered Ezra to be the son of God. Salmon b. Yeruhim said: “A meharef is one who reviles [us] for sins we have committed and others which we have not. The former includes our worshipping the calves, killing the prophets and the like. The latter, our assertion that 'Uzayr [Ezra] was the son [of God]…”

In Islamic tradition

He is mentioned in Sahih Muslim in The Book of Faith as:

…Then the Jews would be summoned, and it would be said to them: What did you worship? They will say: We worshipped 'Uzair, son of Allah. It would be said to them: You tell a lie; Allah had never had a spouse or a son What do you want now? They would say: We feel thirsty, O our Lord! Quench our thirst. They would be directed (to a certain direction) and asked: Why don't you go there to drink water? Then they would be pushed towards the Fire (and they would find to their great dismay that) it was but a mirage (and the raging flames of fire) would be consuming one another, and they would fall into the Fire. Then the Christians would be summoned and it would be said to them: What did you worship? They would say: We worshipped Jesus, son of Allah. It would be said to them: You tell a lie; Allah did not take for Himself either a spouse or a son. Then it would be said to them: What do you want? They would say: Thirsty we are, O our Lord! Quench our thirst. They would be directed (to a certain direction) and asked: Why don't you go there to get water? But they would be pushed and gathered together towards the Hell, which was like a mirage to them, and the flames would consume one another. They would fall Into the Fire, till no one is left except he who worshipped Allah, be he pious or sinful.Template:Muslim-usc

Sahih Bukhari Template:Bukhari-usc says, "

… Then the Jews will be called upon and it will be said to them, 'Who do you use to worship?' They will say, 'We used to worship Ezra, the son of Allah.' It will be said to them, 'You are liars, for Allah has never taken anyone as a wife or a son. What do you want now?' They will say, 'O our Lord! We are thirsty, so give us something to drink.' They will be directed and addressed thus, 'Will you drink,' whereupon they will be gathered unto Hell (Fire) which will look like a mirage whose different sides will be destroying each other. Then they will fall into the Fire. Afterwards the Christians will be called upon and it will be said to them, 'Who do you use to worship?' They will say, 'We used to worship Jesus, the son of Allah.' It will be said to them, 'You are liars, for Allah has never taken anyone as a wife or a son,' Then it will be said to them, 'What do you want?' They will say what the former people have said. Then, when there remain (in the gathering) none but those who used to worship Allah (Alone, the real Lord of the Worlds) whether they were obedient or disobedient. Then (Allah) the Lord of the worlds will come to them in a shape nearest to the picture they had in their minds about Him. It will be said, 'What are you waiting for?' Every nation have followed what they used to worship.' They will reply, 'We left the people in the world when we were in great need of them and we did not take them as friends. Now we are waiting for our Lord Whom we used to worship.' Allah will say, 'I am your Lord.' They will say twice or thrice, 'We do not worship any besides Allah.' ""

Sahih Bukhari Template:Bukhari-usc says, "

...Then it will be said to the Jews, "What did you use to worship?' They will reply, 'We used to worship Ezra, the son of Allah.' It will be said to them, 'You are liars, for Allah has neither a wife nor a son. What do you want (now)?' They will reply, 'We want You to provide us with water.' Then it will be said to them 'Drink,' and they will fall down in Hell (instead). Then it will be said to the Christians, 'What did you use to worship?' They will reply, 'We used to worship Messiah, the son of Allah.' It will be said, 'You are liars, for Allah has neither a wife nor a son. What: do you want (now)?' They will say, 'We want You to provide us with water.' It will be said to them, 'Drink,' and they will fall down in Hell (instead). When there remain only those who used to worship Allah (Alone), both the obedient ones and the mischievous ones, it will be said to them, 'What keeps you here when all the people have gone?' They will say, 'We parted with them (in the world) when we were in greater need of them than we are today, we heard the call of one proclaiming, 'Let every nation follow what they used to worship,' and now we are waiting for our Lord.' Then the Almighty will come to them in a shape other than the one which they saw the first time, and He will say, 'I am your Lord,' and they will say, 'You are not our Lord.' And none will speak: to Him then but the Prophets, and then it will be said to them, 'Do you know any sign by which you can recognize Him?' They will say. 'The Shin,' and so Allah will then uncover His Shin whereupon every believer will prostrate before Him and there will remain those who used to prostrate before Him just for showing off and for gaining good reputation. These people will try to prostrate but their backs will be rigid like one piece of a wood (and they will not be able to prostrate). Then the bridge will be laid across Hell." We, the companions of the Prophet said, "O Allah's Apostle! What is the bridge?'

He said, "It is a slippery (bridge) on which there are clamps and (Hooks like) a thorny seed that is wide at one side and narrow at the other and has thorns with bent ends. Such a thorny seed is found in Najd and is called As-Sa'dan. Some of the believers will cross the bridge as quickly as the wink of an eye, some others as quick as lightning, a strong wind, fast horses or she-camels. So some will be safe without any harm; some will be safe after receiving some scratches, and some will fall down into Hell (Fire). The last person will cross by being dragged (over the bridge)." The Prophet said, "You (Muslims) cannot be more pressing in claiming from me a right that has been clearly proved to be yours than the believers in interceding with Almighty for their (Muslim) brothers on that Day, when they see themselves safe.

They will say, 'O Allah! (Save) our brothers (for they) used to pray with us, fast with us and also do good deeds with us.' Allah will say, 'Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of one (gold) Dinar.' Allah will forbid the Fire to burn the faces of those sinners. They will go to them and find some of them in Hell (Fire) up to their feet, and some up to the middle of their legs. So they will take out those whom they will recognize and then they will return, and Allah will say (to them), 'Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of one half Dinar.' They will take out whomever they will recognize and return, and then Allah will say, 'Go and take out (of Hell) anyone in whose heart you find faith equal to the weight of an atom (or a smallest ant), and so they will take out all those whom they will recognize." Abu Sa'id said: If you do not believe me then read the Holy Verse:--

'Surely! Allah wrongs not even of the weight of an atom (or a smallest ant) but if there is any good (done) He doubles it.' (4.40) The Prophet added, "Then the prophets and Angels and the believers will intercede, and (last of all) the Almighty (Allah) will say, 'Now remains My Intercession. He will then hold a handful of the Fire from which He will take out some people whose bodies have been burnt, and they will be thrown into a river at the entrance of Paradise, called the water of life.

They will grow on its banks, as a seed carried by the torrent grows. You have noticed how it grows beside a rock or beside a tree, and how the side facing the sun is usually green while the side facing the shade is white. Those people will come out (of the River of Life) like pearls, and they will have (golden) necklaces, and then they will enter Paradise whereupon the people of Paradise will say, 'These are the people emancipated by the Beneficent. He has admitted them into Paradise without them having done any good deeds and without sending forth any good (for themselves).' Then it will be said to them, 'For you is what you have seen and its equivalent as well.'"

Sahih Bukhari Template:Bukhari-usc says, "Whenever Ibn 'Umar was asked about marrying a Christian lady or a Jewess, he would say: "Allah has made it unlawful for the believers to marry ladies who ascribe partners in worship to Allah, and I do not know of a greater thing, as regards to ascribing partners in worship, etc. to Allah, than that a lady should say that Jesus is her Lord although he is just one of Allah's slaves.""

Ibn Kathir's commentary on surah 9:30, the verse in the Quran that mentions Uzair

"Allah the Exalted encourages the believers to fight the polytheists, disbelieving Jews and Christians, who uttered this terrible statement and utter lies against Allah, the Exalted. As for the Jews, they claimed that `Uzayr was the son of God, Allah is free of what they attribute to Him. As for the misguidance of Christians over `Isa, it is obvious. This is why Allah declared both groups to be liars,(That is their saying with their mouths), but they have no proof that supports their claim, other than lies and fabrications,(resembling), imitating,(the saying of those who disbelieved aforetime.) They imitate the previous nations who fell into misguidance just as Jews and Christians did, (may Allah fight them), Ibn `Abbas said, "May Allah curse them.(how they are deluded away from the truth!) how they deviate from truth, when it is apparent, exchanging it for misguidance."

Also, according to Ibn 'Abbas and Al-Hassan Al-Basri, the prophet mentioned in the following tradition is Uzair:

Abu Haraira said that he heard Muhammad say, "An ant bit a prophet amongst the prophets, and that he ordered that the place of the ants be burnt. So, God inspired to him, 'Is it because one ant bit you that you burnt a nations amongst the nations that glorify God?

In some Islamic narrations, Ezra is the person mentioned in the following Qur'anic verse:

Or (take) the similitude of one who passed by a hamlet, all in ruins to its roofs. He said: "Oh! how shall Allah bring it (ever) to life, after (this) its death?" but Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then raised him up (again). He said: "How long didst thou tarry (thus)?" He said: (Perhaps) a day or part of a day." He said: "Nay, thou hast tarried thus a hundred years; but look at thy food and thy drink; they show no signs of age; and look at thy donkey: And that We may make of thee a sign unto the people, Look further at the bones, how We bring them together and clothe them with flesh." When this was shown clearly to him, he said: "I know that Allah hath power over all things." (Quran 2:259)

According to Muslim apologist, Ibn Kathir, after resurrection, he rode on his donkey and entered his native place. But the people did not recognize him, nor did his household, except the maid, who was now an old blind woman. He prayed to God to cure her blindness and she could see again. He meets his son who recognized him by a mole between his shoulders and was older than him. Ezra then led the people to locate the only surviving copy of Torah as the remaining were burnt by Nebuchadnezzar. He thus renovated the Torah to the Children of Israel. Ibn Kathir mentions that the sign in the phrase "And that We may make of thee a sign unto the people" was that he was younger than his children.

It should be noted that Jews have never claimed Ezra was revived from the dead.

Accusations of falsification

Ibn Hazm, an Andalusian Muslim scholar, explicitly accused Ezra of being a liar and a heretic who falsified and added interpolations into the Biblical text. Ibn Hazm provided a polemical list of what he considered "chronological and geographical inaccuracies and contradictions; theological impossibilities (anthropomorphic expressions, stories of fornication and whoredom, and the attributing of sins to prophets), as well as lack of reliable transmission (tawatur) of the text", Hava Lazarus-Yafeh states. In response to attacks on the personality of Ezra, the Byzantine Emperor Leo III defended Ezra as a pious, reliable person. The Jewish convert to Islam al-Samaw'al (d. 1175) accused Ezra of interpolating stories such as Gen. 19:30-8 in the Bible in order to sully David’s origins and to prevent the rule of the Davidic dynasty during the second Temple. The writings of Ibn Hazm and al-Samaw'al was adopted and updated only slightly by later Muslim authors up to contemporary times.

According to Hava Lazarus-Yafeh, the early writers seem to have been influenced with the idea of falsification of the scriptures already present in the pre-Islamic sources and well-known among Christians and Jews, who had written in their refutation.