Uzayr

'Uzayr is named once in the Quran (9:30), where God reports and condemns the claim that ''Uzayr is the son of Allah.' Tradition most often identifies him with Ezra, the Jewish scribe connected to the Torah. Many of the early scholars also identify him with the man God made die for a hundred years then resurrected (2:259), though that verse does not name him. Whether he was a prophet is debated.

The only verse that names 'Uzayr is 9:30: 'The Jews say that 'Uzayr is the son of Allah, while the Christians say it is the Messiah. Such are their claims, without any basis.' The Quran thus rejects this divinisation, exactly as it rejects that of 'Isa.

Who was 'Uzayr? Tradition most often identifies him with Ezra, the Jewish scribe renowned for having memorised and transmitted the Torah.

Ibn Kathir devotes a section to him entitled 'the story of 'Uzayr; was he a prophet or not?' He reports there that many early scholars (Ibn 'Abbas, al-Hasan, Qatada, as-Suddi...) identified 'Uzayr with the man God made die for a hundred years then brought back to life (2:259) — 'the most widespread view,' he specifies, while concluding 'God knows best.' The Quran, however, does not name this man.

Whether he was even a prophet has been debated among scholars.

'Uzayr is named only once in the Quran (9:30). His identification with Ezra, like his identification with the man resurrected after a hundred years (2:259), belongs to exegetical tradition and not to an explicit Quranic text: we report them as such. Ibn Kathir presents the identification with the resurrected man as 'the most widespread view' of the early scholars, while saying 'God knows best' (al-Bidaya vol.2 p.381). The attribution to 'the Jews' of the belief ''Uzayr is the son of God' has been discussed, as mainstream Judaism does not profess such a belief; exegetes generally understand it as the claim of a particular group. We report without adjudicating. Finally, 'Uzayr's prophetic status is itself debated (al-Bidaya vol.2 p.381).

The case of 'Uzayr shows that the Quran refuses any divinisation of a human being, even a great servant of God — whether 'Uzayr for some or the Messiah for Christians. The veneration of a person must never slide toward their worship.

Les juifs prétendent qu'Ouzayr est le fils d'Allah, tandis que les chrétiens affirment que c'est le Messie qui est le fils d'Allah. Pures prétentions sans aucun fondement. Ils répètent simplement ce que d'autres impies affirmaient avant eux. Qu'Allah les maudisse ! Comment peuvent-ils à ce point se détourner de la vérité.

9:30