all about Ezra/Uzair

[ilker]

Assalamu alaikum brothers and sisters,

This is actually a very controversial topic. We know 9:30-31:

"And the Jews say: Uzair is the son of Allah; and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah; these are the words of their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before; may Allah destroy them; how they are turned away! They have taken their rabbis and their monks-as well as the Christ, son of Mary-for their lords beside God, although they had been bidden to worship none but the One God, save whom there is no deity: the One who is utterly remote, in His limitless glory, from anything to which they may ascribe a share in His divinity!"

Now, i really don't know much about Ezra/Uzair historically but i would like to read about him very much. Perhaps Brother Joseph has done some research on this, i don't know. If we just talk about this here generally, under this topic, it would be really informative for those who seek some knowledge about the issue. Personally, i would love that.

Most of the Muslim scholars say that the ayah about Ezra was revealed about a certain group of Arab or Yemen Jews, who lived back in the time of the Prophet (pbuh).

Also there are those who say that the word "Uzair" is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew word "Azar" or "Ozer" which means "Helper". So they think that the "Uzair" was actually a "title" not a name of a person i.e. "the Helper of Allah". Hence this may be attributed to "Enoch" !

And so on ...

Let's gather all the information we know about Ezra/Uzair here in sha ALLAH.

May the mercy and blessings of RAHMAN be upon us all.

Peace.

[wanderer]

Dr. Jonathan Brown wrote a great article on it recently, dis you see that?
Regards
wanderer

[ilker]

nope please share it if you can Wanderer... it would be a great contribution

edit: is this it ? http://almadinainstitute.org/blog/the-quran-the-jews-and-ezra-as-the-son-of-god/ 

[wanderer]

Yes, that's it. Did you gain any insight from it?

[ilker]

Salam

Sorry for my late response and yes i did find it informative although i don't quite agree with the last paragraph (above the note). But that part is the subject of another topic. So let's stay on the topic

Actually the article touches on the points i made in my first post here. So historically, Ezra and Enoch are quite similar in characteristics! Also now, we learn about "Azarias" who was mentioned in Daniel 3:25.

Alhamdulillah. This is getting more and more interesting May ALLAH (swt) guide us to the right way.

Salam.

[ilker]

I've just come across this article: https://discover-the-truth.com/2015/01/01/ezra-uzayr-the-son-of-god/

Quoting two comments from two Jewish professors from it:

Professor Rabbi Reuven Firestone

“While it is clear that Judaism as a religious civilization does not accept the view that God has partners or children, it is probable that some fringe groups pushed the limits of acceptable belief with the important figure of Ezra. Two ancient and originally Jewish books, for example, associate a near-divine or angelic status to the biblical personages of Ezra and Enoch. These are 4 Ezra, also known as 2 Esdras 14:9, 50 and 2 Enoch 22:11. Although composed by Jews, both of these books were rejected by Judaism and did not become part of its canonical literature. However, because of their parallels with Christian beliefs, some Christian groups adopted and preserved them. It appears as if some members of a Jewish sect espousing these beliefs were living in Medina at the time of the Prophet and expressed such views, which were immediately rejected and countered through the revelation of the Qur’anic verse.” [4]

Professor Moshe Idel

“Indeed in the Qur’an 9:30, some Jews were described critically as believing in a form of sonship relating to the mysterious figure of Uzair, who was designated as the Son of God, and Muslim authors even reported that some Jews worshipped him as such. This means that long before the emergence of the Ashkenazi esoteric literatures to be discussed below in chapter 2, concerning a hypostatic versus a national understanding of sonship, some Jews entertained concepts of or even practiced worship related to figure described as a Son of God. Do these two references to sonship reflect a broader historical situation? At least in principle, we should be aware of the possible role played by the vast poetic literature written in the land of Israel in the early Middle Ages, and its impact on southern Italian poems since the ninth century, and also of the role played by Ashkenazi religious poetry in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, in transmission of mythologoumena from East to West. Since those literatures are quite abstruse, and many of them have not yet been analysed from the conceptual point of view, they may constitute another potential bridge between continents and historical periods.” [5]

[4] Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Judaism for Muslims [Copyright 2001 American Jewish Committee] By Professor Rabbi Reuven Firestone Page 35 – 36
[5] Ben Sonship and Jewish Mysticism [Shalom Hartman Institute – Continuum] by Professor Moshe Idel Page 54 – 55"

Salam.

[Duster]

Shalom / peace ... I was reading brother Joseph's article >>>IS THE NAME 'AHMAD' FOUND IN THE BIBLE? below:

http://quransmessage.com/articles/ahmad%20FM3.htm

....relevant though very summary mention ......>>>

"Similarly, Uzair as the son of God (9:30) was not (nor has ever been) a universal Jewish belief. However, the Quran often merely addressed the immediate beliefs of Jews that were encountered by the Prophet."

Not sure whether brother Joseph has written in more detail on this topic elsewhere or has seen the need to after the summary above, but thought I'd share ....>>>>>

[ilker]

Salam.

Alhamdulillah it's nice to see your contribution Duster. Thanks. I wonder what Torah and Bible say about Ezra and Enoch and even Azarias though.

I also think that the relevant ayah 9:30 must be considered along with the next ayah following it:

"They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah , and [also] the Messiah, the son of Mary. And they were not commanded except to worship one God; there is no deity except Him. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him." (9:31)

[Duster]

Shalom / peace Ilker >>> I didn't contribute much. I just shared brother Joseph's quote on this occasion....>>>

[Amira]

Have you seen this?

http://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-about-islam/jews-call-ezra-son-allah/

According to the above article, Ezra was so extravagantly praised they treated him like a son of God.

This has some history:

http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Contrad/External/ezra.html

[Zack]

Salam.

Alhamdulillah it's nice to see your contribution Duster. Thanks. I wonder what Torah and Bible say about Ezra and Enoch and even Azarias though.

I also think that the relevant ayah 9:30 must be considered along with the next ayah following it:

"They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah , and [also] the Messiah, the son of Mary. And they were not commanded except to worship one God; there is no deity except Him. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him." (9:31)

I think a few thinks I would add to this discussion....

a) It is good to remember that the term "son of god" originally (in Hebrew language) did not contradict monotheism (or the shahadah), it was synonymous with the "King or Messiah / Al Masih." It was used throughout the Torah in a number of ways, including God's agent, not indicating a diety. However over time, meanings changed, and by the time of Muhammad meant something quite different.
b) The verse above (9:31) is not referring to any issue with Jesus... It is scholars and monks who are lords..... in addition to the correct belief in Allah, and also the Messiah, the son of Mary. The following quote is helpful...

. In reality, there were two different Messiahs in these verses, one was just any “al- Masīḥ” of (9:30), and the other was “al-masīḥu ʿIsa ub'nu Maryama”, namely Jesus, in (9:31). In other words the Messiah of 9:30, who is most probably is not Jesus, was conflated with the Messiah Jesus, the son of Mary. Namely, those  (the Naşārā) claiming that al-Messiah to be the son of God were not the Christians but another faith group that we will name them later.

We approach the Qur'an with many assumptions based upon tradition. One assumption is that Nasara refers to Christians. However in the Qur'an the Nashara are never associated with the People of the Book, but connected with Jews, ie.. a sect of Judaism.

Reading the Qur'an in how it was originally understood, not through the eyes of tradition, is not as easy as we think!

[F]

Salam-o Alaikom,

(I am just thinking that it may be because) The Jewish believe that The Lord instructs nations to prostrate to them and lick the dust of their feet. (According to Islam, prostration is only allowed to Allah).

Isaiah (49:22-23) This is what    the Sovereign LORD says:     See, I will beckon          to the nations,     I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their hips. Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers.    They will       bow down      before you         with their faces             to the ground;       they will          lick         the dust        at your       feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.

[ilker]

assalamu alaikum brothers and sisters

Alhamdulillah. Thanks all for your contributions. Great links Amira!

What about the opinion of "Ezra" being "a title" and referring to Enoch ? What do you think ?

Also, what do you think about the possibility of Ezra being "Azarias" mentioned in Daniel 3:25 ?

peace.