AYOUB AS

Ayoub AS was disappointed by his wife’s reaction and said that he had already lived for seventy years in a healthy and wealthy condition, so why shouldn’t he bear the hardship for another seventy years? He also vowed to whip her with a hundred lashes for her impatience and lapse in iman if he were to ever recover from his affliction.

It is also reported that Shaitan, came to his wife under the disguise of a doctor claiming to be able to cure him, but Ayoub AS penetrated his disguise.

Meanwhile two of his close relatives speculated aloud that Ayoub AS had committed sins that had never been committed, and that is why he was punished. They said that if Allah had seen any good in Ayoub AS, He would not have put him through such a severe trial. Ayoub AS overheard this conversation, and such outrageous accusations angered him. It was not a personal anger, it was for the fear of the fitnah to be caused and the potential for the integrity of message to be damaged.

How can people stoop so low and slander a Prophet and Messenger? It is the same as our sick and judgmental society of today, where Shaitan plants negative thoughts in our heads, especially about the pious people or those who are on the path of goodness.

Hence fitnah was perilously close to descending on his household, with people making pot shots about the faith of their Messenger Ayoub AS, and Shaitan aggressively trying to deceive his wife, kith and kin.

At this time, Ayoub AS supplicated to Allah. He said : “Oh Allah, If You would have known that I never put on a shirt when I knew a place where people were without clothes, then prove me true.” He pleaded that if these accusations were untrue, for him to be cured, not for his sake but for the sake of the message.

The Relief and the Cure

And remember Our servant Job, when he called to his Lord, “Indeed, Satan has touched me with hardship and torment.” [So he was told], “Strike [the ground] with your foot; this is a [spring for] a cool bath and drink.” (Qur’an 38:41 to 38:42)

Allah caused a cool spring to gush forth, from which he was asked to wash himself with it and drink from it. Thus, Allah cured his suffering, disease and pain, and restored him to his former health and looks. It is reported that even his wife, when she had come home after trying to find food for him, did not recognize him initially.

Allah also returned his children to him, however, we are not told of whether they were the same children, or other children in the same likeness:

And We granted him his family and a like [number] with them as mercy from Us and a reminder for those of understanding. (Qur’an 38:43).

His abundant wealth was also returned to him – his land, crops and livestock.

What of his wife, who had supported him for all these years but had fallen short when she asked him to pray to Allah for a cure? Was he to whip her as he had vowed? Allah helped him out of his predicament and showed mercy to his wife, and gave Ayoub AS a license to strike her just once with a bunch of a hundred reeds as a symbolic gesture.

[We said], “And take in your hand a bunch [of grass] and strike with it and do not break your oath.” Indeed, We found him patient, an excellent servant. Indeed, he was one repeatedly turning back [to Allah ]. (Qur’an 38:44)

Allah’s reward for Ayoub’s AS patience was so abundant that His blessings literally fell from the sky:

Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet SAW said, “When Ayoub was bathing while naked, golden locusts began to fall on him and Ayoub began to collect them in his garment. His Lord called to him, ‘O Ayoub! Have We not made you wealthy enough not to need what you see?’ He said, ‘Yes, indeed, by Your might, but I still need Your blessing!'” (Bukhari)

For our Reflection:

Vows: We have to be wary when making an oath or vowing something, because once made, we have to fulfil it. We should not make vows carelessly or when under an emotional state, and avoid making unrealistic vows which we are highly unable to fulfil.

Role of Men and Women: We also learn that one of the reasons that the mission of messengership is given to men, is because women, having softer hearts, tend to succumb to their emotion and compassion. It is their emotional nature that makes them more nurturing, caring and sensitive to their surroundings. Such are the beautiful qualities of womankind. However, the path of prophets and messengers requires a high level of emotional detachment for the sake of absolute and unwavering focus on the message, regardless of personal situations. This quality is given exclusively to the males.

As a result of this, women are more susceptible to be played by Shaitan, as her naturally compassionate and intuitive state can also create vulnerabilities. In this story, Shaitan tried to play on this weakness. Similarly, in life, if Shaitan is unable to persuade a husband to evil, he will try to manipulate the wife instead to reach the husband.

Wealth: When someone has money, his obligation is to distribute it and suppress his desire to spend it on himself. Having said that, Islam is not just for the poor and oppressed. However, whatever wealth we have is a trust from Allah, and therefore we should be vigilant about this arrangement and spend it in His cause to the maximum of our ability rather than spend lavishly on ourselves.

Patience: The main reflection for all of us is the importance of patience. Patience in what Allah ordains for us bears with it humungous rewards in this life and the next. Of all good deeds, patience is the virtue where Allah’s rewards are limitless. There are reasons why it is said that patience is half of iman.

Ayoub AS suffered eighteen years of major calamity, and had everything taken away from him, even the flesh on his bones. Think of all the terminal patients you have encountered in your life: the physical agony that Ayoub AS suffered far exceeds any disease that we have witnessed. He bore all this with patience and gratitude, and even chastised his wife for her single mistake of impatience, which was considered a major one given the level of her piety.

When we read this story, imagine where we are when some calamity strikes us. Whether someone dented our car, we lost our jobs or have been diagnosed with a serious illness, how we react is indicative of the level of patience and faith we have in Allah. The lower our faith, the higher our tendency to reject and be angry at the adversities Allah has ordained for us. The higher our faith, the more we are patient with Allah’s decree and the more confident and assured we are that we will be rewarded for it. This is a promise from Allah, not just to Ayoub AS but to all the believers.

We highly recommend the book “Patience and Gratitude” by Ibn Qayyim Jawziyyah, which elaborates on these very important principles. Please do read this again and again, and you will see how adopting patience in Allah’s decree will turn your life around for the better.