Stories of the Prophets,
Stories of the Prophets,
peace be upon them,
Allah's blessings
followed by
peace
upon the best
of all creation—
men of firm resolve
whose station
is exalted.
The Story of Ayyub (Job),
peace be upon him.
In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds,
and peace and blessings
be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon his family and Companions,
all of them.
To proceed:
In the land of Hawran,
in the Levant,
there lived a man
among the finest of men.
Allah revealed inspiration to him
and he became a prophet;
He showered him with abundant blessings,
and he became wealthy.
He was Ayyub,
from the lineage
of Ishaq (Isaac), son of Ibrahim (Abraham),
peace be upon them.
Ayyub, peace be upon him, was
among the most handsome of people in appearance
and the strongest in physical build.
Allah bestowed upon him every
kind of wealth:
he possessed lands and farms,
livestock and servants,
not to mention
vast wealth of gold
and silver.
In addition to that, he was blessed with children;
his offspring were numerous,
and they gathered around him
as a source of support and honor.
He, peace be upon him, was
one whose supplications were readily answered:
whenever he had a need from Allah,
he would prostrate and ask it of Him,
and Allah Almighty would grant him
his request.
Above all of this,
Allah endowed him with knowledge
and wisdom,
and favored him with prophethood,
so he was among the chosen and the righteous.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"The people who are most severely
tested
are the prophets, then the righteous,
then the next best,
then the next best.
A man is tested according to his religious commitment:
if he is steadfast
and firm in his religion,
his trial is made severe;
but if there is weakness in his religion,
he is tested in proportion
to his religious commitment.
Trials will continue to afflict a servant
until they leave him
walking upon the earth
without a single sin upon him."
Thus, Allah Almighty tested
the prophets with various types of affliction,
to examine their patience
and elevate their ranks;
so they were patient
and remained steadfast.
Among them
was Ayyub, peace be upon him.
For Allah Almighty tested him
with the loss of all his family,
as he saw
his fourteen children
die before his very eyes,
one after another,
until he was left
all alone.
He also lost all of his wealth,
transitioning from a life
of ease to a life
of hardship and poverty.
Furthermore, Allah afflicted his body
with various kinds of illness,
to the extent that it was said
no part of his body remained sound
except his tongue and his heart.
And this affliction
lasted for a very long time,
until people grew weary of him
and stopped visiting him,
and no one remained
with him except his faithful,
patient, and reward-seeking wife.
She stayed by his side
for the entire span of eighteen
years—
which was the duration of the affliction endured by
Ayyub, peace be upon him.
She would attend to
his service and care,
fulfilling his daily needs,
and working for others
to sustain herself
and bring back food
for her sick husband.
Throughout this entire period,
Ayyub, peace be upon him,
never ceased
remembering Allah, praising Him,
and thanking Him, enduring patiently
and seeking His reward.
It was once said to him, "Ask
Allah to heal you,"
but he replied,
"I feel too shy before Allah to ask Him that,
until
the years of my illness equal
the years of my good health."
Ayyub, peace be upon him, had
two brothers who were among his closest
companions;
they would visit him morning and evening,
inquire about his state,
and then depart.
One of them said to his companion
one day,
"Ayyub must have committed a sin
that no one
in the world has ever committed!"
His companion asked him,
"And why is that?"
He said, "For so many years
he has been sick,
yet his Lord has not shown him mercy by relieving him!"
When they entered
upon Ayyub, peace be upon him,
the man could not restrain himself
from mentioning what his companion
had said.
Ayyub said, "I do not know [what you mean],
except," he continued,
"Allah knows
that I used to pass by two men
who were quarreling
and swearing oaths by Allah,
and I would be greatly troubled by their conduct;
so I would return to my home
and offer expiation on their behalf,
out of dislike that Allah's name should be mentioned
except in truth."
Eventually, the wife of Ayyub,
peace be upon him, grew exhausted;
she had grown advanced in age,
her bones had grown frail,
and she could no longer find anyone
to employ her so she could earn enough
to support them.
One day,
she could find no food to bring back
to her husband,
so she found no alternative
but to sell her two braids of hair
in exchange for money,
in order to buy food for herself
and for her husband.
When she was late returning to him,
Ayyub, peace be upon him, asked her
about the cause of her delay,
but she did not tell him.
When he saw that she had brought fine
food—unlike the customary meals
she used to bring—
he became suspicious of the matter,
and swore that he would not eat from this
food until she told him
where she had obtained it.
At that,
she uncovered her head
and informed him that she had sold
her braids in order
to obtain the food.
When he saw that,
he became angry with her
and swore that if Allah cured him,
he would strike her with a hundred lashes;
So she turned away,
poor, broken,
and deeply sorrowful.
But when the Prophet of Allah,
Ayyub (peace be upon him), regained his calm,
he felt the bitter reality
of what his wife had been reduced to,
and that all of it
was solely for his sake.
So he raised his head toward the heavens
and cried out in supplication to his Lord:
"My Lord,
adversity has touched me,
and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful."
His unspoken state was saying:
"The affliction in my own body, O Lord,
I can bear with patience,
but
this adversity has now reached my family."
And he also said:
"My Lord,
Satan has afflicted me
with distress and torment."
Meaning: he has struck me with exhaustion
and excruciating pain.
This reflects his impeccable manners with his Lord,
for he did not attribute
the sickness to Allah Almighty,
even though Allah
is the One Who decrees sickness
and cure;
rather, he attributed the harm and illness
to Satan,
out of reverence before Allah.
So Allah answered his supplication.
Ayyub (peace be upon him)
had sent his wife
to run an errand for him,
and she was delayed.
While he remained in his place, [it was said to him]:
"Strike with your foot!"—
that is, strike the heel of your foot
against the ground.
He did so,
and a spring of cool water gushed forth.
Then Allah Almighty commanded him
to drink from it and bathe,
which he did,
and his illness vanished,
and Allah cured him completely.
When his wife returned,
she saw him after Allah had removed
all his affliction,
restored to the finest form
and appearance,
so she did not recognize him.
She said to him,
"May Allah bless you!
Have you seen the afflicted Prophet of Allah?
For, by Allah, I have never seen
a man more resembling him than you,
back when he was healthy."
He said,
"I am he!
I am Ayyub, the afflicted Prophet
of Allah."
Do not ask of her immense joy
at her husband's cure
after this
long lifetime
and beautiful patience!
Ayyub (peace be upon him) had
two threshing floors:
one for wheat
and the other for barley.
Allah sent two clouds;
when one of them stood
over the wheat floor,
it poured out gold into it
until it overflowed,
and the other poured out over
the barley floor silver
until it overflowed.
Life returned
to the household of Ayyub (peace be upon him)
anew:
Allah restored youth to his wife,
and to Ayyub,
his health and well-being.
Allah also revived for him
all of his children
after they had died,
restoring them to him in their exact persons,
and granting him the like of them in addition.
Thus Allah bestowed upon him
all that he deserved,
as a reward for his patience.
Allah Almighty said:
"And [remember] Ayyub,
when he called out to his Lord,
'Truly,
adversity has touched me,
and You are the Most Merciful
of the merciful.'
So We responded to him
and removed what was upon him
of adversity,
and We gave him his family
and the like of them
along with them, as a mercy
from Us
and a reminder
from Us
and a reminder
for the worshippers."
Yet one matter remained
weighing heavily on the mind of the Prophet of Allah,
Ayyub (peace be upon him):
the oath that
he had sworn to strike
his loyal, patient wife
with a hundred lashes.
How could he fulfill his oath,
and how could he bring harm upon her
after all she had sacrificed for him?
And was it permissible
for him not to fulfill his oath?
But just as
Allah Almighty said:
"And whoever fears Allah,
He will make for him a way out,"
the solution came
from Allah, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise,
as an alleviation for
Ayyub and his wife,
without him breaking his oath.
Allah revealed to him
to take a bundle
of thin branches,
containing small and large,
green and dry,
totaling one hundred twigs,
varying in size
and weight,
and to strike his wife with them
a single blow,
which would cause her no harm
yet fulfill his oath.
So Ayyub (peace be upon him) did
what Allah commanded him to do,
and was thus absolved
of this oath.
Allah Almighty said:
"And remember Our servant
Ayyub, when he called out
to his Lord,
'Satan has touched me
with distress and torment.'
'Strike with your foot!
This is
a cool bathing spring
and a drink.'
And We granted him
his family and the like of them
along with them, as a mercy
from Us
and a reminder
from Us, and a reminder
for people of understanding.
'And take in your hand
a bundle of rushes and strike
with it, and do not break your oath.'
Truly, We found
him patient—
an excellent servant he was! Truly,
he was ever turning [to Allah]."
Once, Ayyub (peace be upon him)
was taking a bath
naked,
when Allah showered upon him a swarm of golden locusts.
He began gathering those locusts and scooping them into his garment,
so Allah called to him:
"O Ayyub, have I not made you wealthy enough to do without what you see?"—
meaning: "Did I not fill your heart with contentment
so that you no longer care for gold?"
Ayyub (peace be upon him) replied:
"Yes indeed, my Lord,
but I can never be independent of Your blessing!"
Dear noble brothers,
the name of the Prophet of Allah, Ayyub (peace be upon him), is mentioned four times in the Qur'an,
and his story is recounted twice across two surahs.
It contains an abundance of lessons and profound insights,
among which is,
first:
whatever Allah Almighty decrees for His servant,
all good resides entirely within it,
and He, Glorified is He, is the Most Merciful of the merciful,
and ever Gentle with His servants;
Affliction was not sent down to torment His servants,
but rather to test them;
whoever shows patience gains,
and whoever despairs loses.
Second:
Allah's decrees come to pass upon all human beings,
regardless of their varying ranks,
from prophets and the truthful,
to leading scholars and reformers.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"The most severely tested of people
are the prophets,
then the righteous,
then the next best, then the next best."
Narrated by Muslim.
Third:
The elite of Allah's servants—
who are His prophets and messengers (peace be upon them)—
have their hearts devoted entirely to Allah alone,
in supplication and hope,
as well as reliance and repentance,
just as Allah Almighty said recounting about Ayyub (peace be upon him):
“And Job, when he cried unto his Lord, (saying): Lo! adversity afflicteth me, and Thou art Most Merciful of all who show mercy.” (21:83)
"and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful."
Fourth:
Showing proper etiquette with Allah Almighty in supplication,
as when he called upon Him saying:
"Adversity has touched me,"
and likewise his saying:
“And make mention (O Muhammad) of Our bondman Job, when he cried unto his Lord (saying): Lo! the devil doth afflict me with distress and torment.” (38:41)
for he used the word "touch," meaning something slight,
and he did not say, "The disease has destroyed me," or "harmed me,"
even though the illness afflicted him for eighteen years,
to the point that companions shunned him and familiars grew weary of him.
Fifth:
Allah Almighty answers the supplication of the desperate,
as He said:
“Is not He (best) Who answereth the wronged one when he crieth unto Him and removeth the evil, and hath made you viceroys of the earth? Is there any Allah beside Allah? Little do they reflect!” (27:62)
And as for Ayyub (peace be upon him),
Allah answered his supplication,
cured him of his illness,
and restored his family to him, and the like thereof along with them.
Allah Almighty answers the supplication of the desperate,
even if he is a disbeliever,
as Allah Almighty said:
“And when they mount upon the ships they pray to Allah, making their faith pure for Him only, but when He bringeth them safe to land, behold! they ascribe partners (unto Him),” (29:65)
“And when they mount upon the ships they pray to Allah, making their faith pure for Him only, but when He bringeth them safe to land, behold! they ascribe partners (unto Him),” (29:65)
Sixth:
Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, made Ayyub (peace be upon him)
a source of solace for the afflicted in whatever hardships befall them,
as He said regarding him:
"and a reminder for people of understanding,"
and He said:
"and a reminder for the worshippers."
Thus, in Ayyub (peace be upon him) there is an exemplar,
as he was tested with the greatest trials a human being can face,
yet he was patient and sought Allah's reward,
until relief came to him.
Seventh:
The words of Allah Almighty to Ayyub (peace be upon him):
"Strike the ground with your foot,"
despite the severe illness he was enduring,
demonstrates the importance of taking material means,
which is a divinely legislated requirement we are commanded to fulfill,
while maintaining reliance and trust in Allah.
For Allah Almighty was fully capable of bringing forth the water for him
without him having to move his feet,
but He wanted him to take the necessary means toward healing.
Eighth:
Between the blink of an eye and its reopening,
Allah changes things from one state to another.
For Allah healed Ayyub (peace be upon him) from years of illness
in mere moments,
as if nothing had ever happened.
The poet said:
"O bearer of sorrow, sorrow will surely dissipate;
rejoice in goodness, for the Reliever is Allah.
Despair sometimes severs a person's resolve;
do not despair, for the Sufficient is Allah.
Allah brings about ease after hardship;
do not be distressed, for the Ordainer is Allah.
So when you are afflicted, trust in Allah and be content with Him;
indeed, the One who removes affliction is Allah.
By Allah, you have no one besides Allah;
so Allah is sufficient for you in everything, and Allah is with you."
Expiation for an oath was not legislated in the time of Ayyub (peace be upon him);
therefore, he had no choice but to fulfill his oath,
and Allah had mercy on the Ummah of Islam through the expiation for oaths.
Tenth: The permissibility of seeking an abundance of the lawful.
For Ayyub (peace be upon him) said:
"O Lord, I cannot do without Your blessing."
The rest of the discussion will follow, if Allah wills.
And Allah knows best, and all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all worlds.
May peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon his family and all his Companions.