Casting Light on The Son

Does the Qur'an say Jews worshipped Ezra as the son of God?

And the Jews say, "Ezra is God's son," while the Christians say, "The Christ is God's son." Such are the sayings which they utter with their mouths, following in spirit assertions made in earlier times by people who denied the truth! May God destroy them! How perverted are their minds! (TMQ 9:30)

So what does this actually mean? Classical commentators were essentially unanimous on the basics, that this ayah indicates some groups are guilty of shirk (polytheism) despite them claiming belief in only One God. Indeed, the very next few ayat elaborate further on this matter:

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! (TMQ 9:31)

and

O you who have attained to faith! Behold, many of the rabbis and monks do indeed wrongfully devour men's possessions and turn away from the path of God. But as for all who lay up treasures of gold and silver and do not spend them for the sake of God - give them the warning of painful suffering to come. (TMQ:9:34)

More perplexing, indeed, if we are to accept a common anti-Qur'anic ascertion: 'Jews did not worship Ezra as the Son of God, therefore this ayah is false'. Now it is saying some take their rabbis and some Christians take their priests as articles of worship besides God.

Quite obviously, by reading beyond the first verse oft quoted by critics, we can see that there is a range of contexts being provided here. Firstly, the Qur'an speaks to Jews claiming Ezra as God's son, then Christians claiming Jesus as God's son, then all Jews and Christians who give lofty status to their rabbis, monks and leaders.

What is the first point being made by the Qur'an?

1) No matter how you interpret these terms, if you give an elevated status to a human being, you are heading into polytheism.

The Qur'an then clarifies, with some short examples, what such a lofty status can be. I will limit this post to the three most obvious:

1) Son of God as Christians understand it (i.e. the literal begotten son of God in the Greco-Roman-Egyptian-Babylonian understanding ofthe term)

2) Son of God as Jews understand it (see Exodus 4:22, II Samuel 7:14, Psalm 89:27-28, Jeremiah 31:8 and others) which included; king, prophet, judge, Israel & angel.

3) A Divine law maker (following rabbis and monks that cast their own judgement without Divine origin).

Is it possible Ezra could fall into any of these categories? Lets see...

The book of Nehemiah (Hebrew Bible/Christian Old Testament) gives us an account of how Ezra, after leading the people back to Jerusalem from exile, then proceeded to deliver his version of the Torah to the people, which is considered the authentic version as well as a range of laws and practices.

And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and when he opened it, all the people stood up. (8:6)

Does the Qur'an mention Ezra as a prophet? No.

So who would the Qur'an be speaking to when mentioning 'Ezra as a son of God'? Obviously not Christians, and given the context of the following ayat, obviously rabbinic Jews.

Whats the warning? Be careful listening to people that don't have authority. Certainly don't ascribe them authority they don't deserve.

What evidence does the Qur'an provide?

Such people will:

*Mislead you

*Take your wealth and resources for themselves

*Eventually receive a just punishment

The first two we can actually test. We can see multiple examples in Christian and Jewish history where monks and rabbis have been placed on pedestals and deified in the Qur'anic sense. Consider the practice of pardoning in Christianity.

An ordained priest would travel from town to town, selling rubbish which he claimed would pardon sin. Such items included milk from Mary's breasts, nails inserted into Jesus, wood from the true cross, wine from the wedding at Cana and other fanciful items. Eventually, this practice lead to the Reformation, but not before countless innocents had lost their meager wealth (remember feudal Europe, peasants and all) trying to satisfy religious obligation.

In short, the claim that the Qur'an says Jews 'worshiped Ezra as the son of God'? No.

The Qur'an says Jews claimed Ezra was the son of God. The Qur'an in the following verses explains exactly what this means, not essentially a begotten son, but an individual that is given some form of Divine right (prophethood, regency, judgement) when they should not be. The Qur'an also explains the human cost of such status being applied to a person incorrectly and illustrates why it is comparable to polytheism.

In short, no need to consider the evidence about some Arab Jews worshipping Ezra. It is one interpretation that can be considered, but the Qur'an is often the best evidence of itself. Moreover, we merely need to look at the understanding the intended audience would have had of such terms, which we can find in their own texts.