Ayoub (Job and also spelt Ayyub) AS was of the progeny of Ibrahim (Abraham) AS through his second son, Ishaq (Isaac) AS. Proof of his Messengership is contained in Surah An Nisa:
Indeed, We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him. And we revealed to Ibrahim, Ismail, Ishaq, Yaqub, the Descendants, Isa, Ayoub, Yunus, Haron, and Sulaiman, and to Daud We gave the book [of Psalms](the Taurat). (Qur’an 4:163)
He was married to a Muslim woman, in a time where Muslims were far and few between. It is believed that she is a descendant of Yaqub AS.
In understanding the events that unfolded in the life of Ayoub AS, it is worth recalling that Rasulullah SAW was asked which people suffered the greatest affliction. He replied: “The prophets, then those who come next to them. A man is afflicted in keeping his religion. If he is firm in his religion his trial is severe, but if there is weakness in his religion it is made light for him. A man is continuously tried with an affliction till he walks on the earth having no sin.” (Sahih Bukhari)
What Makes His Story Unique?
Ayoub AS was different from most other Messengers and Prophets. All of them, save three, were poor: Sulaiman (Solomon) AS, Daud (David) AS and finally Ayoub AS. These three were extremely rich, while the rest of the Messengers and Prophets barely had enough to eat.
What is the wisdom behind the examples of the wealthy Prophets and Messengers? It is to let us have wisdom and steadfastness in thinking, and as a reminder for all believers of Allah’s might, power and wisdom, whether one is rich or poor.
And each [story] We relate to you from the news of the messengers is that by which We make firm your heart. And there has come to you, in this, the truth and an instruction and a reminder for the believers. (Qur’an 11:120)
Apart from these three, all Messengers and Prophets were asked by the people why they did not have money. The answer to this was simple: if the Qur’an had been revealed to the dignitaries and the wealthy, then it would conflict with the revelations which discourages the pursuit of dunia, status and material comforts.
Allah’s message to us is that He has given us the flower of this life, and if we were to cut the flower now and enjoy it, we would never be able to taste the fruit of the tree. However, if you are patient, and leave the flower untouched, it would turn into a fruit, which from which one can derive a much longer lasting enjoyment. It would be a confusing example for the rest of us if all Prophets and Messengers were immersed in wealth while simultaneously telling his people that shunning dunia and striving for the hereafter is infinitely better.
However, Ayoub AS was immensely wealthy and blessed with good health. His wife was one of the most beautiful women of his time, and he led a life which was desired by many. He owned vast amounts of land in Syria, spanning the valleys, mountains and lakes. He owned thousands of livestock – camels, cows and sheep, and was reported to be one of the richest men in this world at the time. He had slaves and servants, and it is also said that he had many children (although their exact number is unreported).
Yet, he understood that when we are given wealth and other provisions, we should demonstrate our thanks to Allah by spending it in the cause of Allah, to the maximum extent possible. Just as poverty tests our faith in Allah, so does wealth. Hence, Ayoub AS never ate alone, and he certainly would not eat if he knew of someone in need, until that person had been tended to, clothed and fed. He distributed his wealth and did not hoard it for his own personal benefit and did not let his community go hungry.
The Severe Trial
After decades of a wealthy life, his situation changed. Draught and disease killed his livestock and crops. All his beloved children died, one after another.
On top of this, Ayoub AS was struck with a strange illness, the severity of it increasing until his flesh became putrid and chunks of it fell off his body, while worms and maggots crawled out of his wounds. It seems that the stench emanating from him was so unbearable that no one, not even his relatives, could stand being close to him or even look at him.
Diseases usually have a cure, or end in death. This was not the case for Ayoub AS. His disease continued year after year, getting progressively more aggressive and severe. He must have been a repulsive sight to behold, with his diseased skin and mangled flesh. Eventually, fearing contagion, his people cast him out of their town and threw him on a dungheap.
Every single one of his friends and family deserted him to suffer alone in his sickness and agony, except for his loyal wife who continued to stand by him.
There are different reports on how long this painful situation continued, but the majority of scholars agree that this situation lasted for eighteen years. Throughout this time, Ayoub AS maintained his unwavering faith in his Lord, remained patient and continued to believe in Allah’s mercy. All these trials only made Ayoub AS stronger in faith and glorify Allah more.
His wife helped him with his daily necessities and as their resources dwindled, she was forced to seek employment to feed the both of them.
One day she was working for a family. She was not paid yet, and she know her husband was hungry. The child whom she was minding was holding a piece of bread, which he dropped when he fell asleep. She took the bread and brought it home to her husband. When he learnt where the bread had come from, Ayoub AS asked her to return it before the boy woke up and was upset that his bread had gone missing. Such a thing would have been oppressive and unjust to the innocent child. So she raced back, in the middle of the night, to return the bread. The child had woken up screaming and asking for the bread, and she managed to return it to him at the right time.
The situation became worse with the passing of time. People were unwilling to hire her, because knowing the condition suffered by her husband, they feared infection. The extent of their poverty became so critical that she was forced to sell her hair in exchange for food.
His wife’s patience at bearing the situation was wearing thin. Eventually she suggested that if he were to pray to his Lord, He may alleviate his suffering. After all, she reasoned, Allah would have cured him if he asked. In truth, Ayoub AS was too shy to demonstrate his lack of gratitude for all the bounty that Allah had given him by asking Allah for a cure.
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.
