Uzair; A Prophet Who Was Brought Back to Life after 100 Years
It is not just ordinary people who think about such questions. Messengers of God, who are special and selected individuals, may also have some questions about this issue.
Prophet Uzair (AS), also known as Ezra, was one of them. He was a descendant of Harun (AS), brother of Moses (AS).
Uzair and his twin brother Aziz, were born in the holy city of al-Quds. In some sources Uzair has been referred to as Ermia.
He is said to have been a prophet of Bani Isra’il and lived during the reign of Achaemenid kings in Persia.
According to the Holy Quran and some historical sources, when Uzair was young, his soul was separated from his body at the order of God. He died and was brought back to life after 100 years.
This happened when he was passing through a village all of whose inhabitants had died. On his path, he saw the bones of people who had died and wondered how God would bring the dead back to life. At the order of God, he died right there and was brought back to life 100 years later. Uzair thought he had slept for a day or less than a day.
According to some Quran interpretations, Uzair was the one who saved Bani Isra’il from 100 years of captivity and banishment and brought them back to Palestine from Babylon.
Bukht Nassar (Nebuchadnezzar), a tyrant who ruled Babylon had attacked Jerusalem al-Quds, destroyed Jewish temples, burned copies of Torah, killed many of the Bani Isra’il and captured the remaining ones and taken them to Babylon. After Achaemenid King Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon, Uzair asked Cyrus to let him take Bani Isra’il back to Jerusalem al-Quds.
Uzair is also known as reviver of the forgotten Torah. The Torah had been burned during the destruction of Jerusalem and been forgotten. Uzair, who knew all of it by heart, revived the Torah. He would read it to people and they would write it down.
The name of Prophet Uzair is mentioned in the Quran once. It is in Verse 30 of Surah At-Tawbah: “Some of the Jews have said that Ezra is the son of God and Christians have said the same of Jesus.”
The story of his death for 100 years is also discussed in Verse 259 of Surah Al-Baqarah, although his name is not mentioned.
There are different sites said to be the burying place of Prophet Uzair (AS), including in the West Bank in Palestine, Meysan in Iraq, and some places in Iran.
