The history of mankind could be considered as a history of prophets. Allah has communicated His Divine Revelation to people by means of His messengers throughout history. These messengers told people about their Lord and communicated to them the words of their Creator. The struggle a number of prophets faced in spreading the message is depicted in detail in the holy Qur’an. The stories and experiences of various prophets, besides the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), such as the Prophet ‘Isa, Musa, Sulayman, Yusuf, Nuh, Ibrahim, Ayoub (A.S) and many others (peace be upon them all), are conveyed as examples. In this beautiful world around us, Allah has created many things that we like, and many things that we don’t like. There is happiness and sorrow, success and failure, health and illness. Allah has made all of this a test for us, both the good things of this world and the bad. The Holy Quran tells its readers about the stories of Prophets so that the readers get guidance and direction. Prophet Ayub (A.S) was one of the dearest Prophet of Allah (S.W.T) and his story is very inspirational. He (A.S) was a descendant of Abrahams (A.S) offspring. There is much to learn from the story of Prophet Ayyub, as he is the ideal example of the afflicted believer who remained patient and faithful to His Lord. Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) was mentioned in the Holy Qur’an four times. The Quran makes it quite clear that children and wealth are an adornment of this life and that we will be tested through our love for them. [Quran 18:46]. In the stories of the prophets, we see that God tested various nations through loss of health and through the loss of wealth, even extreme poverty. Allah declares repentance and patience to be the keys to eternal. The story of Prophet Ayub (A.S) is different. Through his story, we are able to view humankind’s struggle on a more personal level. Allah does not tell us about Ayub’s (A.S) methods of preaching or how his people reacted to his warnings and admonitions. Allah does not tell us about the fate of Ayub’s (A.S) people. Instead, He tells us about Ayub’s (A.S) patience. He (the Almighty) praises Ayub (A.S) by saying, {Truly! We found him patient. How excellent a slave! Verily, he was ever oft returning in repentance to Us!} [Quran 38:44]. He (A.S) resided in the region that is now Syria. Prior to his illness, Prophet Ayyub (A.S) was an extremely wealthy man. He possessed treasures of gold and silver, and he owned land, farms, fields, and cattle. He also had many children. A group of angels were discussing Allah’s other human creatures, how those who were humble earned Allah’s displease, while those who were arrogant incurred His displeasure. One of the angels remarked: “The best creature on earth today is Ayub (A.S), a man of noble character who displays excellent patience and always remembers his Generous Lord. He is an excellent model for the worshippers of Allah. In return, his Lord has blessed him with a long life and plenty of riches, yet he is never haughty or selfish. His family, his servants, as well as the needy and the poor share in his good fortune; he feeds and clothes the poor and buys slaves to set them free. He makes those who receive his charity feel as if they are favouring him, so kind and gentle is he.” Iblis, overhearing all this, became annoyed. He planned to tempt prophet Ayub (A.S) to corruption and disbelief, so he hastened to him. He tried to distract Ayub (A.S) from his prayers by whispering to him about the good things in life, but Ayub (A.S) was a true believer and would not let evil thoughts tempt him. This disturbed Iblis more; thus he began to hate Ayub (A.S) even more. Iblis complained to Allah about Ayub (A.S). He said that although he was continuously glorifying Allah, he was not doing so out of his sincerity but to satisfy Allah so that his wealth should not be taken away. It was all a show, all out of greed. “If You remove his wealth then You will find that his tongue will no longer mention Your name and his praying will stop.” Almighty Allah told Iblis that Ayub (A.S) is one of His most sincere devotees. He did not worship Him because of the favors; his worship stemmed from his heart and had nothing to do with material things. But to prove Iblis the depth of Prophett Ayub’s (A.S) sincerity and patience, Allah allowed him to do whatever he and his helpers wished with Ayub’s (A.S) wealth. Iblis was very happy. He gathered his helpers and set about destroying Ayub’s (A.S) cattle, servants, and farms until he was left with no possessions. Rubbing his hands in glee, Iblis appeared before Ayub in the guise of a wise old man and said to him: “All your wealth is lost. Some people say that it is because you gave too much charity and that you are wasting your time with your continuous prayers to Allah. Others say that Allah has bought this upon you in order to please your enemies. If Allah had the capacity to prevent harm, then He would have protected your wealth” True to his belief, Ayub (A.S) replied: “What Allah has taken away from me belongs to Him. I was only its trustee for a while. He gives to whom He wills and witholds from whom He wills” With these words, Ayub (A.S) again prostrated to his Lord. When Iblis saw this, he felt frustrated, so he again addressed Allah: “I have stripped Ayub (A.S) of all his posessions, but he still remains grateful to you. However, he is only hiding his dissapointment, for he places great store by his many children. The real test of a parent is through his children. You will then see how Ayub (A.S) will reject you”. Allah granted Iblis authority, but warned him that it would not reduce Ayub’s (A.S) faith in his Lord nor his patience. Iblis again gathered his helpers and set about his evol deeds. He shook the foundation of the house in which Ayub’s (A.S) children were living and sent the building crashing, killing all of them. Then he went to Ayub disguised as a man who had come to sympathise with him. In a comforting tone he said to Ayub (A.S): “The circumstances under which your children died were sad. Surely, your Lord is not rewarding you properly for all your prayers?” Having said this Iblis waited anxiously, hoping Ayub (A.S) was now ready to reject Allah. But again Ayub (A.S) disappointed him by replying: “Allah sometimes gives and sometimes takes. He is sometimes pleased and sometimes displeased with our deeds. Whether a thing is beneficial or harmful to me, I will remain firm in my belief and remain thankful to my Creator”. Then Ayub (A.S) prostrated to his Lord. At this Iblis was extremely vexed. Iblis. Again called on Allah: “O my Lord, Ayub’s (A.S) wealth is gone, his children are dead, but he is still healthy in body, and as long as he enjoys good health he will continue to worship you in the hope of regaining his wealth and producing more children. Grant me authority over his body so that I may weakne it. He will surely neglect worshipping You and will thus becomes disobedient”. Allah wanted to teach Iblis a lesson that Ayub (A.S) was a devoted servant of his Lord, so He granted Iblis his third request but placed a condition: “I give you authority over his body but not over his soul, intellect, or heart, for in these places reside the knowledge of Me and My religion” Armed with this new authority, Iblis began to take revenge on Ayub’s (A.S) body and filled it with disease until it was reduced to mere skin and bone and he suffered severe pain. But through all the suffering Ayub (A.S) remained string in his faith, patiently bearing all the hardships without complaining. Allah’s righteous servant did not despair or turn to others for help but remained hopeful of Allah’s Mercy. Even close relatives and friends deserted him. Scholars say that the illness overtook Prophet Ayyub when he was seventy years old. The illness was so severe; historians have written that not a single limb of Ayyub (A.S) was free from disease except his tongue and his heart, which he used for the remembrance of Allah. He lost his children and his whole family except his loving wife who remained devoted to him. In his hour of need, she showered her kindness on him and cared for him. She remained his sole companion and comforter through many years of his suffering. Iblis became desperate, consulted his helpers but they could not advise him. They asked: “How is it that your cleverness cannot work against Ayub (A.S), yet you succeeded in misleading Adam (A.S), the father of man, out of paradise?” Iblis went to Ayub ‘s (A.S) wife in the form of a man. “Where is your husband?” he asked her. She pointed to an almost lifeless form crumpled on the bed and said: “There he is, suspended between life and death.” Iblis reminded her of the days when Ayub (A.S) had good health, wealth and children. Suddenly, the painful memory of yeas of hardship overcame her, and she burst into tears. She said to Ayub (A.S): “How long are you going to bear this torture from our Lord? Are we to remain without wealth, children or friends forever? Why don’t you call upon Allah to remove this suffering?” Ayub (A.S) sighed, and in a soft voice replied: “Iblis must have whispered to you and made you dissatisfied. Tell me, how long did I enjoy good health and riches?” She replied, “For eighty years” Then Ayub (A.S) asked, “How long am I suffering like this?” She said, “For seven years” Then Ayub (A.S) told her: “In that case I am ashamed to call on my Lord to remove the hardship, for I have not suffered longer than the years of good health and plenty. It seems your faith has weakened and you are dissatisfied with the fate of Allah. If I ever regain health, I swear I will punish you with a hundred strokes! From this day onward, I forbid myself to eat or drink anything from your hand. Leave me alone and let my Lord do with me as He pleases.” Crying bitterly and with a heavy heart, she had no choice but to leave him and seek shelter elsewhere. A man of weaker faith would have started complaining to Allah, and would have started having dark thoughts about “bad luck” and “misfortune”. Any person who did not understand the real purpose of this life would have started asking: “Why me? What have I done to deserve this?”— because such a person would not understand that this world is really like an examination hall, a place where the things that happen, good or bad, are a test to see if a person is thankful or not (for good things), and is patient or not (for bad things). Prophet Ayub (alayh as-Salaam), being a man of tremendous faith and trust in Allah, passed this test with flying colors. Just as he had been grateful to Allah in his happier days, he was now continuously patient at this time of difficulty. He bore all the disasters, including his long illness, with great courage.
In this helpless state, prophet Ayub (A.S) turned to Allah, not to complain but to seek His mercy: “Verily, distress has seized me, and You and the Most Merciful of all those who show Mercy. So We answered his call, and We removed the distress that was on him, and We restored his family to him (that he had lost) and the like thereof along with them – as a mercy from Ourselves and a Reminder for all who worship Us” (Quran 21:83-84) All these things put together still could not turn Ayub (A.S) away from Allah or decrease his faith. Instead, he prayed to Allah with sincerity and with trust. He begged his Lord for help, and his Lord responded. And how significantly did his Lord respond! Allah, The Exalted, The Wise, ordered him to strike the ground with his feet. Upon doing so, a spring of water miraculously burst forth from the ground. Prophet Ayub (alayh as-Salaam) drank and bathed with the water of this spring, and it cured him of his illness. Meanwhile, his faithful wife could no longer bear to be parted from her husband and returned to beg his forgiveness, desiring to serve him. On entering he house, she was amazed at the sudden change: Ayub (A.S) was again healthy! She embraced him and thanked Allah for His mercy. Ayub (A.S) was now worried, for he had taken an oath to punish her with a hundred strokes if he regained health, but he had no desire to hurt her. He knew if he did not fulfill the oath, he would be guilty of breaking a promise to Allah. Therefore, in His wisdom and mercy, Allah came to the assistance of His faithful servant, and advised him: “And take in your hand a bundle of thin grass and strike therewith (your wife), and break not your oath. The companion, Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas asked, “O Messenger of Allah, which of the people are most sorely tested?” He said, “The Prophets, then the next best and the next best. A man will be tested in accordance with his level of religious commitment. If his religious commitment is strong, he will be tested more severely, and if his religious commitment is weak, he will be tested in accordance with his religious commitment. Calamity will keep befalling a person until he walks on the earth with no sin on him.” Truly we found him patient. How excellent a slave! Verily, he was ever oft-returning in repentance to us” (Quran 38:44) Not only that, but Allah also blessed him with more children, twice the number that he had lost. By having patience and turning to Allah for help, prophet Ayub (alayh as-Salaam) was successful in the test. This is a great lesson and a great example for all of us, showing us the way to live life if hardships or difficulties come our way. The collective Muslim community is being tested in these times, may Allah grant us patience and tolerance.
(The author is Associate Professor-Statistics at S K University of Agriculture Sciences & Technology-SKUAST Shalimar Srinagar. Views are his own)
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