This is the grave of al-‘Azar in al-Eizariya, whom Islamic tradition holds Nabi Isa ibn Maryam (AS) brought back to life by Allah’s permission. The site is…
This is the grave of al-‘Azar in al-Eizariya, whom Islamic tradition holds Nabi Isa ibn Maryam (AS) brought back to life by Allah’s permission. The site is known in Arabic as Qabr al-‘Azar (قبر العازر), while the adjoining mosque bears the closely related name Masjid al-‘Uzair (مسجد العزير). The Qur’an names bringing the dead to life among the miracles Allah granted Nabi Isa (AS) during his mission to Bani Isra’il: “How you healed the blind and the lepers—by My Will. How you brought the dead to life—by My Will.” Surah al-Ma’idah 5:110 The grave recorded by Yaqut al-Hamawi The Muslim geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi described al-Eizariya in the early seventh century AH as a village near Jerusalem containing the grave of al-‘Azar, whom Nabi Isa (AS) restored to life. His account shows that the grave and its connection to this miracle were part of the Islamic geography of Palestine by the medieval period. Al-Eizariya lies east of Jerusalem, southeast of the Mount of Olives. The town’s Arabic name developed from al-‘Azar, preserving the association between the place and the man buried here. The grave and Masjid al-‘Uzair The grave is cut into the rock and reached by steps descending from street level into an antechamber and a lower grave chamber. Its entrance and internal passage were altered during the medieval period. Churches had occupied the surrounding ground in the Byzantine period, with later construction following during the Crusader period. A Muslim maqam and mosque were subsequently established beside the grave. The larger Masjid al-‘Uzair was built during the Ottoman period, joining the grave of al-‘Azar to the continuing Islamic history of al-Eizariya and Jerusalem.