SAEDNEWS: Title: The Extraordinary Lives of Prophets: A Journey of Patience, Miracles, and Remarkable Events
According to Saednews, Prophet Job (Ayyub), peace be upon him, is one of the prophets of Islam, renowned for his extraordinary patience and steadfast faith in God during times of severe hardship and affliction. Stories about his endurance, physical strength, and unwavering devotion appear in the Quran and Islamic traditions. This article explores the life of Prophet Ayyub, a prophet celebrated for his patience and a story filled with remarkable events.
Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) is presented in the Holy Quran as an example of patience and perseverance in the path of God. His name appears four times in the Quran, in the following verses:
Surah An-Nisa (4:163)
Surah Al-An'am (6:84)
Surah Al-Anbiya (21:83)
Surah Sad (38:41)
According to some narrations, Ayyub was a descendant of one of the believers in Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him). Other interpretations of Quran 6:84 suggest that he descended from either Prophet Abraham or Prophet Noah (peace be upon them).
According to Islamic commentary, Ayyub was given this name because he continually turned back to God in every circumstance. The name is associated with the Arabic root Awb, meaning to return.
Various accounts suggest that Prophet Ayyub lived during different historical periods. Some sources place him in the time of Prophet Jacob, son of Isaac, while others suggest that he lived during the era of Moses and Pharaoh.
These accounts vary across historical and religious sources.
Historical and Quranic commentaries mention several possible names for Prophet Ayyub's wife, including:
Lia, daughter of Jacob
Rahmat, daughter of Joseph
Rahmah, daughter of Ephraim, son of Joseph, son of Jacob
Makhir, daughter of Misha, son of Joseph
The accounts differ, and the Quran does not explicitly identify her by name.
According to some historical reports, Prophet Ayyub had seven sons and three daughters before his trials. After recovering, he was blessed with another seven sons and three daughters.
Other accounts suggest that he had three sons and four daughters.
The Quran highlights Prophet Ayyub's patience and devotion to God. Islamic traditions also describe him as possessing several admirable qualities:
Patience and perseverance: God found him steadfast, as described in Quran 38:44.
Gratitude: He remained thankful for God's blessings despite his hardships.
Generosity and compassion: He treated others with kindness and generosity.
Good character: He was known for his kindness, hospitality, and moral conduct.
Piety: He was devoted to worship and righteous living.
Care for orphans: He supported and cared for vulnerable children.
Humility before God: He was reluctant to ask for personal relief after enjoying many years of health and prosperity.
According to one narration, during his illness, people traveled from near and far to ask him to pray for them. He prayed for them, and they were healed by God's permission. When people asked why he did not pray for his own recovery, he reportedly replied that he felt too humble to ask for relief after enjoying eighty years of health and blessings, despite suffering for only a short period.
According to a narration attributed to Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, Prophet Ayyub's trials were not a punishment for ingratitude. Rather, Satan became envious of Ayyub because of his gratitude to God.
Satan argued that Ayyub was grateful only because he enjoyed a prosperous life. He asked God for permission to test Ayyub by taking away his worldly blessings.
God permitted the trial, and Satan caused Ayyub to lose his wealth and children one after another. Yet these painful losses did not diminish his gratitude. Instead, his thankfulness increased.
Satan then sought permission to destroy Ayyub's crops and livestock. After receiving permission, he destroyed the crops and killed the livestock. Once again, Ayyub continued to praise and thank God.
Finally, Satan was permitted to afflict Ayyub's body with a severe illness. According to the narration, the illness left him physically incapacitated, but his reason and understanding remained intact.
As Ayyub lost his possessions, family, and health, his devotion to God continued to grow.
Eventually, a group of religious men visited him and asked what great sin he had committed to deserve such suffering. Ayyub swore by the might of his Lord that he had never eaten a meal without inviting an orphan or a poor person to share it, and whenever faced with an act of worship, he chose the most demanding path of obedience.
Having endured his trials with patience and gratitude, Ayyub turned to God in prayer, asking for relief in a humble and respectful manner, without expressing resentment.
God's mercy then came upon him. His suffering ended, his difficulties were removed, and he received blessings greater than those he had previously enjoyed.
After Prophet Ayyub successfully endured his difficult trial, God instructed him to strike the ground with his foot. A spring of cool water emerged, providing water for bathing and drinking.
The Quran states:
“Strike the ground with your foot. Here is cool water for washing and drinking.” — Quran 38:42
According to Islamic accounts, Ayyub drank from the spring and washed himself with its water. Soon afterward, he regained his health and youth.
The Quran also describes God restoring Ayyub's family and granting him additional blessings.
In Surah Al-Anbiya (21:84), God says that He restored his family to him and gave him an equal number besides them. A similar account appears in Surah Sad (38:43).
According to a narration attributed to Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, God restored Ayyub's family and children, including those who had died before his affliction and those who had died during it.
The Quran does not specify the exact nature of Prophet Ayyub's illness. Islamic commentators emphasize that his disease was not of a kind that would repel people or prevent them from approaching him, as such a condition would be inconsistent with the dignity of prophethood.
His illness, financial losses, and family hardships are generally described in Islamic traditions as tests of faith rather than punishment for wrongdoing.
The Quran briefly recounts an incident in which Prophet Ayyub swore an oath concerning his wife. God subsequently instructed him to fulfill the oath in a way that would avoid harming her.
The relevant verse states:
“Take a bundle of grass in your hand and strike with it, and do not break your oath. Indeed, We found him patient. What an excellent servant! He was always turning back to Us.” — Quran 38:44
The Arabic word dighth refers to a small bundle of grass, twigs, or similar plant material.
The Quran does not identify Ayyub's wife in this passage or explain the precise mistake that led him to make the oath. According to some interpretations, he had sworn to discipline her, but God showed him a way to fulfill the oath without causing her significant harm.
This account is understood in those interpretations as an example of divine mercy and a way to preserve his wife's dignity while allowing him to honor his oath.
One of the best-known prayers attributed to Prophet Ayyub asks God for protection, assistance, relief from hardship, forgiveness, provision, and mercy.
The supplication begins:
Arabic:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّی أَعُوذُ بِک الْیوْمَ فَأَعِذْنِی وَ أَسْتَجِیرُ بِک الْیوْمَ مِنْ جَهْدِ الْبَلَاءِ فَأَجِرْنِی
English translation:
“O God, today I seek refuge in You, so grant me protection. Today I seek Your shelter from the severity of affliction, so shelter me.”
The prayer continues with requests for God's help against enemies, support in difficult affairs, protection, security, provision, forgiveness, remembrance, and mercy.
This longer supplication is attributed to Ayyub in the Islamic devotional work Mahaj al-Da'awat wa Manhaj al-'Ibadat.
According to one account cited in biblical tradition, after God restored Ayyub's health, wealth, and family, he lived for another 140 years and saw four generations of descendants.
Some other historical accounts suggest that his total lifespan, including the years before and after his affliction, was approximately 200 years. These figures vary among traditional sources.
According to some historical accounts, Prophet Ayyub was buried near the spring whose water he used to wash and recover from his illness.
However, the exact location of his grave is not established with certainty, and different traditions associate him with different locations.
The story of Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) is one of the most enduring examples of patience, gratitude, humility, and trust in God in Islamic tradition. Despite losing his wealth, family, and health, he remained devoted to God and continued to express gratitude throughout his trials.
His eventual recovery serves as a reminder of hope during hardship and the importance of perseverance, compassion, and faith in times of adversity.
