Stories Of The Qur-ān By Ibn Katheer Part 9 `Uzair(Ezra)

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*Stories Of The Qur-ān By Ibn Katheer*

*Part 9*

*`Uzair(Ezra)*

Allah the Almighty says:

{Or like the one who passed by a town and it had tumbled over its

roofs. He said: "Oh! How will Allah ever bring it to life after its death?"

So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years, then raised him up

(again). He said: "How long did you remain (dead)?" He (the man)

said: "(Perhaps) I remained (dead) a day or part of a day". He said:

"Nay, you have remained (dead) for a hundred years, look at your food

and your drink, they show no change and look at your donkey! And

thus We have made of you a sign for the people. Look at the bones,

how We bring them together and clothe them with flesh ". When this

was clearly shown to him, he said, I know (now) that Allah is Able to

do all things"}. (Al-Baqarah, 259)

And, {And the Jews say: 'Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah, and the

Christians say: Messiah is the son of Allah. That is their saying with

their mouths, resembling the saying of those who disbelieved

aforetime. Allah's Curse be on them how they are deluded away from

the truth!}. (At-Taubah, 30)

Al-Hafiz Abu Al-Qasim Ibn 'Asakir said: He is 'Uzair Ibn Jarwah, or Ibn Suraiq

Ibn 'Adiya Ibn Ayyub Ibn Darzna Ibn 'Ura Ibn Taqyi Ibn Usbu' Ibn Finhas Ibn EI-

'Azir Ibn Hamn Ibn 'Imran. Also, he is said to be 'Uzair Ibn Smkha. Some

narrations state that his grave is located in Damascus. Then, Al-HafizIbn 'Asakir

narrated on the authority of Abu Al-Qasim AI-Baghawi after Dawud Ibn `Amr

after Hibban Ibn `Ali after Muhammad Ibn Kuraib after his father after `Abdullah

Ibn `Abbas as saying: I do not know whether Tubba` was a cursed one or not?

And, I do not know whether `Uzair was a Prophet or not? Then, he narrated the

like from the Hadith of Mu'amil Ibn Al-Hasan on the authority of Muhammad Ibn

Ishaq As-Sajizi after `Abder Razzaq after Mu`amir after Ibn Abu Dhu'aib after

Sa`id Al- Maqbaari on the authority of Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with

him).

Then, he narrated from Ishaq Ibn Bishr -whom is rejected -after Jubair and

Muqatil after Ad Dahha, on the authority of `Abdullah Ibn `Abbas (May Allah be

pleased with him) as saying: `Uzair was -while a young boy -among those

captivated by Bikhtinassar. When he was forty, Allah the Almighty granted him

wisdom. And, none was more knowledgeable than he, pertaining to the Torah,

and he was mentioned with the train of Messengers and Prophets till his name

was erased by Allah the Almighty when he asked about the Divine Decree. (This

Hadith is Weak and Rejected) and Allah knows best!

Ishaq Ibn Bishr narrated after Sa`id after Abu `Urubah after Qatadah after

Al-Hasan after `Abdullah Ibn Salam that `Uzair was the man whom Allah caused

to die for a hundred years, then raised him up again.

Ibn Ishaq Ibn Bishr said: I was told by Sa`id Ibn Bashir after Wahb Ibn Munabih:

`Uzair was a wise, pious worshipper. One day, he went out to look after some of

his properties, when he finished he passed by a ruined place where he was

scorched by the blazing sun. So, he entered that ruined place riding on his

donkey. He got off the donkey holding two baskets, one full of figs and the other

full of grapes. He sat down and brought out a bowl in which he squeezed the

grapes and soaked the dried bread he had therein. He ate thereof and then slept

on his back, relying his two legs against a wall and started to gaze at the ceiling

of the house. He saw some decomposed bones and said: {Oh! How will Allah

ever bring it to life after its death?} He did not doubt Allah's Omnipotence

to do this, but he said it in exclamation. Upon this, Allah the Almighty sent the

Angel of Death who seized his soul, and thus Allah caused him to die for a

hundred years. And, after one hundred years, Allah the Almighty sent to him an

Angel who first created his heart to make him heedful, then, he created his two

eyes to enable him to see and realize how Allah the Almighty revive the death.

Then, the Angel continued to complete his creation once more while he was

looking. The, he clothed his bones with flesh, skin and hair. Then, he breathed

the soul into him. All this while he is looking and perfectly heedful. The Angel

asked him saying: {How long did you remain (dead)? He (the man) said:

(Perhaps) I remained (dead) a day or part of a day} that he was caused

to die in the afternoon and then was given life again by the end of day while the

sun was still in the sky; that's why he said: {or part of a day} i.e. not even a

whole day. The Angel said: {Nay, you have remained (dead) for a hundred

years, look at your food and your drink} i.e. the dried bread and the

squeezed grapes that did not alter or turn bad, {they show no change} , and

the grapes and the figs did not change as well. As if he began to deny the matter

by his heart, the Angel said: do you deny what I have said? {and look at your

donkey!} he looked at his donkey and found his bones to be decomposed and

became totally ruined. The Angel called upon the donkey's bones and they

answered his call and gathered together from all directions till he was made one

whole again –while 'Uzair was looking and he clothed them with flesh, skin and

hair. Then, the Angel breathed life into it and it roused erecting his ears and

head towards the sky thinking the Last Hour had come. That was stated in His

Saying: {and look at your donkey! And thus We have made of you a sign

for the people. Look at the bones, how We bring them together and

clothe them with flesh}. And {When this was clearly shown to him, he

said, I know (now) that Allah is Able to do all things} .Then, he rode on

his donkey back to his village where he seemed unfamiliar to the people and the people looked unfamiliar to him. Even, he did not find his own house easily.

When he reached the house, he found a crippled blind old woman at the age of

one hundred twenty years old. She was a maid owned by him in the past and he

left her while she was only twenty years old. He asked her saying: is this the

house of 'Uzair? She said: Yes, it is. She wept and said: Today, no one ever

remembers `Uzair. He told her that he was 'Uzair and Allah the Almighty caused

me to die for one hundred years then He gave me life again. She said: Glory is to

be to Allah! We lost 'Uzair one hundred years ago and never heard anything

about him. He said: Verily, I am 'Uzair. She said: 'Uzair was a man whose

supplications were acceptable by Allah the Almighty, so invoke Allah to return my

sight to me to look at you, so if you were 'Uzair, I would certainly know you.

Consequently, he invoked Allah the Almighty, then, he wiped over her eyes and

they were recovered and took her by the hand and said: Stand up by the Leave

of Allah! She stood up by the Leave of Allah. She looked at him and said: I bear

witness that you are 'Uzair. Then, she set out for the Children of Israel in their

meetings and gatherings and 'Uzair's son who was about one hundred and

eighteen years old and his grandsons, and she called them saying: This is 'Uzair

who came back to you. They belied her, but she said: I am so and so, your maid.

He invoked Allah for me and He recovered my eyesight and legs. She added: he

claims that Allah caused him to die for one hundred years and then He gave him

life again. The people rose up and went to look at him. His son said: my father

had a black mole between his shoulders. He disclosed his shoulders and they

realized that he was 'Uzair. The Children of Israel said: 'Uzair was the only one

who committed the whole Torah to his heart and Bikhtinassar burnt it and

nothing is left thereof but. what the men can remember, so (if you are the true

'Uzair) write it down for us. His father, Surukha buried the Torah during that era

of Bikhrinassar in a place known to nobody but 'Uzair. Thus, he took them to

that place and brought it out, but unfortunately, the papers were rotten and

ruined. Consequently, he sat under the shade of a tree circulated by the Children

of Israel and he renovated the Torah for them. At that time, two stars descended

from the sky and entered into his mouth whereby he remembered the whole text

of the Torah and thus renovated it to the Children of Israel. Thus, {The Jews

say: 'Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah}. (At-Taubah, 30) for the matter of the two

stars, renovating the Torah and charging the affairs of the Children of Israel. He

renovated the Torah for them in the land of As-Sawad. The town in which he

died is said to be called "Sairabadh."

'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) said: Thus he was as

said by Allah the Almighty: {And thus We have made of you a sign for the

people} i.e. for the Children of Israel. That he was with his sons a young man

among old people for he died when he was only forty and was revived on the

same age and status. 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas said: he was resurrected after the

time of Bikhtinassar. The same was related by Al-Hasan.

Was He a Prophet?

It is well known that 'Uzair was one of the Prophets sent to the Children of

Israel; he came during the interval between Dawud and Sulaiman, and Zakariya

and Yahya. At his time, none from among the Children of Israel happened to

memorize the Torah, Allah the Almighty inspired him to commit it to his heart

and then he recited it to the Children of Israel. Wahb Ibn Munabih said: Allah the

Almighty ordered an Angel to descend with light to throw on 'Uzair .In doing this,

he copied the Torah letter by letter till he was finished.

Ibn 'Asakir narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas (May Allah be

pleased with him) that he asked' Abdullah Ibn Salam about Allah's Statement:

{The Jews say: 'Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah}. (At-Taubah, 30) why did

they say so? Ibn Salam mentioned his ('Uzair's) writing down of the Torah out of

his memory, and the saying of the Jews that Musa (Moses) could not get them

the Torah but in a book, and that 'Uzair got it without a book. Thereupon, some

of them said: 'Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah. For this reason, many scholars

say: there was a discontinuation pertaining to the transmission of the Torah at

the time of 'Uzair. This is very likely if 'Uzair was not a Prophet which is adopted

by 'Ata 'Ibn Abu Rabah and Al-Hasan Al-Basri, and that was narrated by Ishaq

Ibn Bishr after Muqatil Ibn Sulaiman after 'Ata 'Ibn Abu Rabah as saying: that

period witnessed nine things: Bikhtinassar, Sanaa garden, Saba' garden, Owners

of the Ditch, Gasura, Owners of the Cave, Owners of the Elephant, Antioch, and

Tubba'.

Ishaq Ibn Bishr said: I was told by Sa'id after Qatadah after Al-Hasan as

saying: That period witnessed the issues of 'Uzair and Bikhtinassar. Moreover, it

is transmitted in the Sahih Muslim that Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him)

said: "l am most akin to the son of Mary among the whole of mankind and the

Prophets are of different mothers, but of one religion, and no Prophet was raised

between me and him (Jesus Christ). "

Wahb Ibn Munabih said: He was raised between Sulaiman and 'Isa (Jesus)

(Peace be upon them). Ibn 'Asakir narrated after Anas Ibn Malik and' Ata 'Ibn

As-Sa'ib as saying: 'Uzair was raised during the time of Musa Ibn 'Imran, and

that he asked for permission to meet with Musa (Peace be upon him), but he

refused because of his asking about the Divine Decree. He left while saying: to

die a hundred times, is easier than tasting the humiliation for an hour.

As for what was narrated by Ibn 'Asakir and others on the authority of Ibn

'Abbas, Nuf AIBakali, Sufyan Ath-Thawri and others that he asked about the

Divine Decree and consequently his name was erased from among the names of

the Prophets. It is a rejected and unauthentic Hadith that it is likely to be copied

from the tales and stories that were invented by the Israelites.

Narrated 'Abdul Razzaq and Qutaibah Ibn Sa' id after Ja'far Ibn Sulaiman

after Abu 'Imran Al-Juni after Nuf Al-Bakali as saying: 'Uzair said to his Lord: 0

Lord! You fashioned the creation, and You mislead whom You will and guide whom You will. It was thus said to him: Turn away from this! But, he returned

back. It was again said to him: Turn away from this or your name as a Prophet

would be wiped out; I am not to be questioned about My Doing, while they (all

creatures) are brought into account pertaining to what they do.

The Group, all but At-Tirmidhi, narrated from the Hadith of Yunus Ibn Yazid

after Az-Zuhri after Sa'id and Abu Salamah after Abu Hurairah; also it was

narrated by Shu' aib after Abu Az- Zinad after Al-A'raj after Abu Hurairah as

saying: Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) said: "An ant had bitten a

Prophet (one amongst the earlier Prophets) and he ordered that the colony of

the ants should be burnt. And Allah revealed to him: Because of an ant's bite you

have burnt a community from amongst the communities which sings My glory ".

This Prophet was narrated to be 'Uzair by Ishaq Ibn Bishr after Ibn Juraij

afterMuhammad Ibn 'Abdel Wahhab Ibn Mujahid after his father; also this was

narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abbas (May Allah be pleased with

him) and Al-Hasan AIBasri. Allah knows best!