Prophet Ezekiel – His Life In Islamic And Biblical Sources

(Cite: Hamdani, Mufti Shah Rafi Uddin & Khan, Dr. (Mufti) Imran. (2018), Prophet Ezekiel , Encyclopedia of Muhammad , Seerat Research Center, Karachi, Pakistan, Vol. 1, Pg. 278-280.)

Ezekiel , also spelled Ezechiel, Hebrew Yeḥezqel (flourished 6th century BC), is a famous prophet in all three great religions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Ezekiel, whose name, Yehézq'el signifies "strong is God", or "whom God makes strong", was the son of Buzi, and was one of the priests who, in the year 598 B.C., had been deported together with Joachim as prisoners from Jerusalem. With the other exiles he settled in Tell-Abib near the Chobar in Babylonia, and seems to have spent the rest of his life there. In the fifth year after the captivity of Joachim, and according to some, the thirtieth year of his life, Ezekiel received his call as a prophet in the vision which he describes in the beginning of his prophecy (it appears that he prophesied during at least twenty-two years. ¹ This is narrated in the Bible as:

١ كَانَ فِي سَنَةِ ٱلثَّلَاثِينَ، فِي ٱلشَّهْرِ ٱلرَّابِعِ، فِي ٱلْخَامِسِ مِنَ ٱلشَّهْرِ، وَأَنَا بَيْنَ ٱلْمَسْبِيِّينَ عِنْدَ نَهْرِ خَابُورَ، أَنَّ ٱلسَّمَاوَاتِ ٱنْفَتَحَتْ، فَرَأَيْتُ رُؤَى ٱللهِ. ٢ فِي ٱلْخَامِسِ مِنَ ٱلشَّهْرِ، وَهِيَ ٱلسَّنَةُ ٱلْخَامِسَةُ مِنْ سَبْيِ يُويَاكِينَ ٱلْمَلِكِ، ٣ صَارَ كَلَامُ ٱلرَّبِّ إِلَى حِزْقِيَالَ ٱلْكَاهِنِ ٱبْنِ بُوزِي فِي أَرْضِ ٱلْكَلْدَانِيِّينَ عِنْدَ نَهْرِ خَابُورَ. وَكَانَتْ عَلَيْهِ هُنَاكَ يَدُ ٱلرَّبِّ. ²

On the fifth day of the fourth month of the thirtieth year, I, Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, was living with the Jewish exiles by the Chebar River in Babylonia. The sky opened, and I saw a vision of God. It was the fifth year since King Jehoiachin had been taken into exile. There in Babylonia beside the Chebar River, I heard the Lord speak to me, and I felt his power.

Ezekiel gave warnings before the destruction of Jerusalem, and hope afterwards. His prophecies are remarkable for their symbolic, visionary quality. Among them are the throne of Yhwh ("the Lord") with its four living creatures. The symbolism of Ezekiel's visions greatly influenced later apocalyptic literature, for example, the New Testament book of Revelation. ³

His prophet hood is mentioned in the Bible as: Mortal man, stand up. I want to talk to you.” While the voice was speaking, God's spirit entered me and raised me to my feet, and I heard the voice continue, “Mortal man, I am sending you to the people of Israel. They have rebelled and turned against me and are still rebels, just as their ancestors were. They are stubborn and do not respect me, so I am sending you to tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them. Whether those rebels listen to you or not, they will know that a prophet has been among them. ⁴

Like all the Hebrew prophets, Ezekiel's main concern was to bring God's people back into alignment with the principles of monotheism and biblical ethics. He was particularly concerned with these countrymen's lapses into idolatry, which he equated with the sin of fornication. He also decried their moral and sexual corruption, defilement of the Shabat (Sabbath) day, oppression of the weak and fatherless, bribery and usury, and the practice of infant sacrifice. ⁵

These verses establish the fact that Ezekiel was sent as a prophet towards the people of Israel so that they may attain guidance. These verses also prove that the people of that time had turned rebels against God.

Ezekiel In Islam

Ezekiel is recognised as a prophet in Islamic tradition. Although he is not mentioned in the Holy Quran by the name, both classical and modern Muslim scholars have included Ezekiel in lists of the Messengers of Allah. Scholars agree that Kalib bin Youfana was the guardian of Israelites after Joshua . After Kalib bin Youfana, Ezekiel was appointed as the Priest of Israelites and he is the man who prayed to Allah to raise the people from the dead. ⁶

Allah Resurrects The Dead:

Mohammad Ibn Ishaaq narrated that Wahb Ibn Munbah said that when Allah took Kalih Ibn Yofra (Jephtha) after Joshua , Ezekiel Ibn Buzi succeeded him as the prophet to the Israelites. The people at that time fled from Palestine due to the fear of the plague and settled on a plateau. This account is mentioned in the Holy Quran as:

أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ خَرَجُوا مِنْ دِيَارِهِمْ وَهُمْ أُلُوفٌ حَذَرَ الْمَوْتِ فَقَالَ لَهُمُ اللَّهُ مُوتُوا ثُمَّ أَحْيَاهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ 243⁷

Did you (O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) not see those who left their homes, whereas they numbered in thousands, fearing death? So Allah said to them, “Die”; He then brought them back to life; indeed Allah is Most Munificent towards mankind, but most men are ungrateful.

Allah said to them: "Die you all," and they all perished. A few centuries passed, and then one day, Ezekiel while passing by, stopped at this place and wondered. While, he was pondering, a voice came: "Do you want Allah to resurrect them while you watch?" Ezekiel said: "Yes." Then, Ezekiel was commanded to call those bones to join one to the other and be covered with flesh. Ezekiel obeyed, and he saw that the flesh covered the bones, and the people were alive once again.

Another account states that the dead were resurrected through Ezekiel , the narration is as follows:

‘According to Ibn Abbas, this place was called "Damardan." Its people were inflicted with the plague, so they fled, while a group of them who remained in the village perished. The Angel of Death called to the survivors: "Die you all", and they perished. After a long time, a prophet called Ezekiel passed by them and stood wondering over them. Allah revealed to him: "Do you want Me to show you how I bring them back to life?” He said: "Yes." His idea was to marvel at the power of Allah over them. A voice told him: "Call: 'O you bones, Allah commands you to gather up." The bones began to fly one to the other until they became skeletons. Then Allah revealed to him to say; "Call: 'O you bones, Allah commands you to put on flesh and blood and the clothes in which they had died.'" And a voice said: "Allah commands you to call the bodies to rise." And they rose. When they returned to the life, they said: "Blessed are You, O Lord, and all praises is Yours." Ibn 'Abbas reported that the dead who were resurrected were four thousand, while Ibn Salih said they were nine thousand.’ ⁸

Demise Of Ezekiel

Regarding his demise, no authentic details are available. A reference is found in a hadith narrated byMuhammad Ibn Ishaaq . He said:

“We do not know how long Ezekiel stayed among the Israelites before Allah took him away. After him, the Israelites deviated from the right way of life, as they usually did, and deserted Allah's covenant with them. They worshipped many idols, among them Ba'al, so Allah sent Elijah to them.” ⁹

• ¹  Schets, J. (1909), Ezekiel. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05737b.htm: Retrieved: 11-07-17
• ²  The Bible, Ezekiel 1: 1-3
• ³  Robert S. Ellwood, Gregory D. Elles, (1998), The Encyclopedia of World Religions, Facts on File Inc., New York, USA, Pg. 130.
• ⁴  The Bible, Ezekiel 2: 2-5
• ⁵  New World Encyclopedia Contributers (2010), New World Encyclopedia http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Ezekiel&oldid=947282: Retrieved: 11-07-17
• ⁶  Muhammad Bin Jareer Abu Ja’far Al-Tabri (1966), Tareekh Al-Tabri, Zikru Amara Bani Israel... Dar-ul-Turaas, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 1, Pg. 457-460.
• ⁷  Holy Quran, Al-Baqarah (The Cow) 2: 243
• ⁸  Abul Fida Ismail Ibne Kathir, Stories of the Prophets, (Translated by Muhammad Mustapha), Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudia, Pg. 137.
• ⁹  Abul Fida Ismail Ibne Kathir, Stories of the Prophets, (Translated by Muhammad Mustapha), Darussalam, Riyadh, Saudia, Pg. 138.