Is Uzair a prophet, and is he the man of the village?

The questioner:
Is Uzair a prophet or not? And is he the one who passed by the village of the arrogant people? Or not?

The Shaykh:
Uzair was one of the scholars of the Children of Israel, and there is disagreement regarding him. It was said that he was a prophet, and it was said that he was not a prophet. The correct view is that he was not a prophet; the correct view is that he was not a prophet, but rather he was one of the scholars of the Children of Israel. When the Torah was lost during the time of Nebuchadnezzar, who invaded the Jews and destroyed them, the Torah was lost. They did not find it except in his memory; he had memorized it, which was a great distinction for him. Therefore, they believed that he was a prophet. As for whether he is the one who passed by the village, Allah knows best. Allah has not mentioned this to us, or [he is] like the one who passed by the village, the one who was not named. So why are we looking for a name?

The presenter:
May Allah reward you,