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Uzair (Arabic: عزير, ʿUzayr) is a figure who is mentioned in the Quran, Surah at-Tawbah, verse 9:30, which states that he was "revered by the Jews as the son of God". Uzair is most often identified with the biblical Ezra and according to some with the ancient Egyptian deity Osiris. Historians have described the reference as enigmatic since such views have not been found in Jewish sources.[1][2] Islamic scholars have interpreted the Quranic reference in different ways, with some claiming that it alluded to a "specific group of Jews".[1]
According to ibn Kathir, Uzair lived between the times of Sulaiman and the time of Zakariya, father of John the Baptist[3] Some Quranic commentators viewed Uzayr as a learned scholar who sought to teach the people the forgotten laws of God.[4] He is sometimes identified as the protagonist in the Parable of the Hamlet in Ruins in surah Baqara (2:259).[1]
Some Islamic scholars held Uzayr to be one of the prophets.[5][3] Although there is a hadith that reports that God expunged Uzayr from the list of prophets because he refused to believe in predestination, but this hadith is considered da'if (weak) and is rejected by most Islamic scholars.[4]
Ibn Hazm, al-Samawal al-Maghribi and other scholars put forth the view that Uzair or one of his disciples falsified the Torah and this claim became a common theme in Islamic polemics against the Bible.[1] Many aspects of later Islamic narratives show similarity to Vision of Ezra, an apocryphal text which seems to have been partially known to Muslim readers.[1]
Classical Muslim scholars who were aware of Jewish and Christian denials of belief in Ezra explained that it was only one Jew or a small group of Jews who worshipped Uzayr, or that the verse refers to the extreme admiration of Jews for their rabbis.[1]
Authors of the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia viewed the Quranic reference as a "malevolent metaphor" for the reverence accorded to Ezra in Judaism.[6] Some modern historians have favored the theory that a Jewish sect in Arabia venerated Ezra to the extent of deifying him.[7] Gordon Darnell Newby has suggested that the Quranic expression may have reflected Ezra's possible designation as one of the Sons of God by Jews of the Hijaz.[8]
Other scholars proposed emendations of the received spelling of the name, leading to readings ‘Uzayl (Azazel), ‘Azīz, or ‘Azariah (Abednego).[7][9]
- ^ a b c d e f Lazarus Yafeh, Hava (2012). "ʿUzayr". In P. Bearman; Th. Bianquis; C.E. Bosworth; E. van Donzel; W.P. Heinrichs (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam (2nd ed.). Brill. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_7787.
- ^ "Ezra". Encyclopaedia Judaica. Vol. 6. pp. 1106–1107.
Muhammad claims (sura 9:30) that in the opinion of the Jews, 'Uzair is the son of God. These words are an enigma because no such opinion is to be found among the Jews, even though Uzair was singled out for special appreciation.
- ^ a b Ibn Kathir. "'Uzair(Ezra)". Stories Of The Quran. Ali As-Sayed Al- Halawani (trans.). Islambasics.com. Archived from the original on 2007-12-06. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
- ^ a b Abu-Rabiʿ, Ibrahim M. (2006). "Ezra". In Jane Dammen McAuliffe (ed.). Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān. Brill. doi:10.1163/1875-3922_q3_EQSIM_00143.
- ^ Ashraf, Shahid (2004). "Prophets 'Uzair, Zakariya and Yahya (PBUT)". Encyclopaedia Of Holy Prophet And Companion (Set Of 15 Vols.). Anmol Publications Pvt. Limited. pp. 199–200. ISBN 978-81-261-1940-0.
- ^ Kaufmann Kohler; Ignatz Goldziher (1906). "Islam Polemics". The Jewish Encyclopedia. p. 657. Archived from the original on 1 November 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
- ^ a b Mun'im Sirry (2014). Scriptural Polemics: The Qur'an and Other Religions. Oxford University Press. p. 48.
- ^ G. D. Newby, A History Of The Jews Of Arabia, 1988, University Of South Carolina Press, p. 59 (quoted in Was `Uzayr (Ezra) Called The Son Of God? Archived 2010-07-06 at the Wayback Machine by M S M Saifullah & Mustafa Ahmed
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