Jalees Ahmad, Al Hakam
“And We did raise among every people a Messenger”
Ezra, commonly identified as Uzairas [عُزَيۡرُ], was a prophet of God who lived approximately 450 years before Jesusas. (Introduction to the Study of the Holy Quran, p. 20)
He was a descendant of Seraiah, the high priest, and was also known as Ezra the Priest as he was a member of the priestly order. “He was one of the most important personages of his day and had a far-reaching influence on the development of Judaism. He was especially honoured among the Prophets of Israel. In fact, he marks the springtime in the national history of Judaism and is regarded and quoted as the type of person most competent and learned in the Law.” (Five Volume Commentary, Vol. 2, p.1151)
He has been briefly mentioned in the Holy Quran.
Some Jews took him to be the son of God
He was revered by Jews. Some Jews took him to be the son of God.
وَ قَالَتِ الۡيَہُوۡدُ عُزَيۡرُ ۣ ابۡنُ اللّٰہِ
“And the Jews say, Ezra is the son of Allah” (Surah at-Taubah, Ch.9: V30)
The full translation of the selected portion of the verse quoted above is as follows:
“And the Jews say, Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say, the Messiah is the son of Allah; that is what they say with their mouths. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before them. Allah’s curse be on them! How are they turned away!” (Surah at-Taubah, Ch.9: V30)
Commenting on this verse, Hazrat Ahmadas writes:
“Now, look in these noble verses. Allah, the Lord of Glory, states clearly that before the Christians, the Jews—that is to say, some Jews— had also declared Ezra to be the son of Allah, and not only they but some disbelievers of the earlier ages had also given the same status to their spiritual guides and leaders. So what arguments do these people have to prove that those earlier people were wrong in considering their priests to be gods while they are right?” (The Holy War [Jang-e-Muqaddas], p. 118)
In light of this verse, we read in the Five Volume Commentary:
“Those of the Jews who lived in Medina looked upon Ezraas as the son of God. Similarly, a sect of Jews living at Hadramaut in the south of Arabia believed him to be the son of God. The remnants of this sect continued to linger till the end of the fourth century AH (Qastalani & Dawud, Zahiri). As this doctrine of the Jews, which appears to be sectional, was a later innovation and did not subsist long, present Jewish sources make no mention of it, but that does not affect the real situation.” (Five Volume Commentary, Vol. 2, p. 1152)
An allegation is often raised against the Holy Quran, questioning why it declares that the Jews believe Ezraas to be the son of God when Jews do not hold such a belief.
First of all, the Holy Quran does not claim to say that all Jews, till today, believe in such a thing. The Holy Quran states:
“And the Jews say, Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say, the Messiah is the son of Allah; that is what they say with their mouths. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved before them. Allah’s curse be on them! How are they turned away!” (Surah Taubah, Ch.9: V.30)
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira stated that throughout history, many religions and sects have emerged and eventually faded away. He mentioned a specific Jewish sect that resided in Hadramaut and held the belief that Uzairas (Ezra) was the son of God. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira pointed out that just because these sects may have disappeared, it does not negate their prior existence, as they have been mentioned in historical texts. He provided the example of the followers of prophets like Davidas or Laithas, who are no longer present, yet whose existence is acknowledged based on the records available. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira also mentioned that this particular sect persisted until the end of the fourth century AH. (Haqaiq-ul-Furqan, Vol. 2, p. 286)
Allah Almighty states:
اِتَّخَذُوۡۤا اَحۡبَارَہُمۡ وَرُہۡبَانَہُمۡ اَرۡبَابًا مِّنۡ دُوۡنِ اللّٰہِ
“They have taken their learned men and their monks for lords beside Allah.” (Surah Taubah, Ch.9: V.31)
“احبار (learned men) belonged to Jews and رھبان (monks) to Christians. Both of these people virtually looked upon their religious leaders as so many gods besides the true God.” (Five Volume Commentary, Vol.2, pp. 1052-1053)
Further, the Quran, in another place, states that Israelites would say:
وَ قَالَتِ الۡيَہُوۡدُ وَ النَّصٰرٰي نَحۡنُ اَبۡنٰٓؤُا اللّٰہِ وَ اَحِبَّآؤُہ
“The Jews and the Christians say, ‘We are sons of Allah and His loved ones.’” (Surah al-Ma’idah, Ch.5: V.19)
In addition to this, we find a hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari in which it is stated that during the lifetime of the Holy Prophetsa, some people said, “O Allah’s Messengersa! Shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?” The Holy Prophetsa replied, “Yes, do you have any difficulty seeing the sun at midday when it is bright and there are no clouds in the sky?” They replied, “No.” He said, “Do you have any difficulty seeing the moon on a full moon night when it is bright and there are no clouds in the sky?” They replied, “No.” The Holy Prophetsa said, “Similarly, you will have no difficulty in seeing Allah on the Day of Resurrection, just as you have no difficulty in seeing either of them. On the Day of Resurrection, a caller will announce, ‘Let every nation follow that which they used to worship.’ Then none of those who used to worship anything other than Allah, such as idols and other deities, will escape Hell, until none remain except those who used to worship Allah, both the obedient (i.e., the good) and the disobedient (i.e., the bad), and the remaining people of the Scripture. Then the Jews will be called upon and it will be said to them, ‘Who did 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 as follows, ‘Will you drink?’ Upon this, they will be gathered into Hell, which will look like a mirage with its different sides 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 did 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 none remain in the gathering except those who used to worship Allah alone, the true Lord of the Worlds, whether they were obedient or disobedient, then the Lord of the Worlds, Allah, will come to them in a shape closest to the picture they had in their minds about Him. It will be said, ‘What are you waiting for? Every nation has 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 anyone besides Allah.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab at-tafsir, Hadith 4581)
The Books of Israel rewritten
“From the history of Israel, we learn that in the time of Nebuchadnezzar, the books of Israel were burnt and destroyed. They were rewritten by the Prophet Ezra, and of Ezra we read in Jewish literature:
“It was forgotten, but Ezra restored it.[(Suk. 20a) Jewish Encyclopaedia, Vol.5, p.322]
“And again:
“Ezra re-established the text of the Pentateuch, introducing therein the Assyrian, or square characters. [(Sanh. 21b) Jewish Encyclopaedia, Vol.5, p. 322]” (Introduction to the Study of the Holy Quran, p. 20)
Ibn Kathir states that according to a famous saying, Ezrara was a prophet of the Children of Israel, and his era falls between the times of Prophet Davidas, Prophet Solomonas and Prophet John [Yahyaas]. It is said that among the Children of Israel, no one remained a preserver of the Torah. It is said that at that time, God taught him the Torah, which he recorded and rewrote. (Ibn Kathir, Qasas al-Anbiya [Urdu], under Prophet Ezraas, p. 511)
Explaining, what is meant by “being taught” the Torah, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra states:
“True, we are told that the books were revealed. But revealed only means that God helped in their composition. It does not mean that the text, word for word, was revealed by God. We learn from Jewish history that Ezra[as] himself rejected parts of the text on the ground of unreliability, and that he left the final decision about them to Elijah[as]. The Torah as we know it today, therefore, is not the Torah which was revealed to Moses[as]. It is the Torah which Ezra[as] recorded from his memory, and about parts of which he himself was in doubt. We should even say that the present Torah is not even the one which Ezra[as] wrote, for Ezra[as] wrote 204 books, and we do not find 204 books in the Bible.” (Introduction to the Study of the Holy Quran, p. 21)
