Answer
Asalamu Alaikum,
Thank you for contacting About Islam with your question.
Dr. Shabir Ally addresses this question in the video below:
Transcript:
Aisha Khaja: Dr. Shabir, the question that we have is a clarification on chapter 9 verse 30.
And the verse says, the Jews—or part of it rather— is that Jews say Ezra is the son of God.
Isn’t this a problem given that Jews don’t necessarily believe that Ezra is the son of God?
Dr. Shabir Ally: It would seem so at first glance. But a few points have to be borne in mind. First, the Quran doesn’t say Ezra. It says Hosea. And some modern commentators try to see who’s this Hosea.
And they say it looks like that’s Ezra because the name sounds similar. But it’s not necessarily a correct identification.
Aisha Khaja: And just to clarify, who is Ezra?
Dr. Shabir Ally: Ezra is known in Jewish history as the editor of the Torah after the Babylonian exile. So, he was from about like the 4th – 5th century BC. Now, the Quranic story does not give any dates.
So, it’s not clear who exactly is Ezra— is Hosea in the Quran. But some people say it is Ezra.
The second point to notice is that when the Quran was first revealed in the Arabian context, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Muslims generally, interacted with people of other faiths who have the names Jews and Christians today.
But the particular slants or sects or trends within these wider groups of Jews and Christians have not been fully and completely identified. So, we don’t know all of their nuances of their beliefs.
Some of the classical commentaries on the Quran said that it was only a few Jews who actually had the belief that Hosea is the son of God.
So, we wouldn’t attribute that to Judaism more generally. And the fact that Judaism more generally does not regard Ezra as the son of God does not pose a problem for the verse then.
I hope this helps answer your question. Please keep in touch.
Walaikum Asalam.
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