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Fatwa CenterEzra and Luqman
Question
WERE THE TWO NOBLE MEN NAMED UZAIR [EZRA] AND LUQMAN PROPHETS? BECAUSE LUQMAN IS MENTIONED IN QURAN IN SURA LUQMAN.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
The majority of Muslim scholars are of the view that Luqman 
was a Wali (pious man) not a Prophet.
Imam Al-Qurtubi wrote in the Tafseer of Surah Luqman: “Sa’eed ibn Al-Musayyib said: Luqman was a black man from the Sudan of Egypt, and his lips were very large. Allah bestowed upon him wisdom and did not give him Prophecy. This is the view of the majority of the interpreters of the Quran. Imam ‘Ikramah and Ash-Sha’bi said that he was a Prophet. This means that they explained ‘wisdom’ by ‘Prophecy’.”
The correct opinion is that he was a wise man. Allah bestowed upon him wisdom; i.e., uprightness in belief, Fiqh (jurisprudence), religion and intellect, becoming thus a judge establishing justice among the children of Israel.
As for ‘Uzayr, Imam Ibn Katheer wrote about him: “It is well known that he was a Prophet among the Prophets of the children of Israel. He was sent during the period that was between Prophets Daawood and Sulayman (Solomon) and his son Zakariyyah and his son Yahya, may Allaah exalt their mention.
At that time, when no one from the living sons of Israel was able to memorize the Torah, Allah inspired to him its memorization and Uzayr 
recited it before the children of Israel. For this reason, some of them made exaggerated claims about him, that he was the son of the Allah; far is Allah above what they claim.
Ibn Katheer narrated from ‘Ataa’ ibn Abu Rabaah and Al-Hasan Al-Basri that he was not a Prophet: A proof that he was a Prophet is this Hadeeth. But the following Hadeeth is yet another proof from the Sunnah that Uzayr was a Prophet.
‘Allah’s Apostle said: “Once while a Prophet amongst the Prophets was taking a rest underneath a tree, an ant bit him. He, therefore, ordered that his luggage be taken away from underneath that tree and then ordered that the dwelling place of the ants should be set on fire. Allah sent him a revelation: “Would it not have been sufficient to burn a single ant (that bit you)?” [Al-Bukhaari, Muslim, Ahmad, Abu Daawood, An-Nasaa-i, and Ibn Maajah]
Then Ibn Katheer related from Imam Mujaahid and Ibn ‘Abbas 
that this Prophet was Uzayr himself.
3- It is known among the interpreters of the Quran that the person who was caused to die for a hundred years, then raised up was the Prophet Uzayr. Allah Says (what means): {Or [consider such an example] as the one who passed by a township which had fallen into ruin. He said, "How will Allah bring this to life after its death?" So Allah caused him to die for a hundred years; then He revived him. He said, "How long have you remained?" The man said, "I have remained a day or part of a day." He said, "Rather, you have remained one hundred years. Look at your food and your drink; it has not changed with time. And look at your donkey; and We will make you a sign for the people. And look at the bones [of this donkey] - how We raise them and then We cover them with flesh." And when it became clear to him, he said, "I know that Allah is over all things competent.".} [Quran 2: 259]
Allah knows best.
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