The Hardship and Patience of Prophet Ayyub Job

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم

Praise be to God the Creator of the world, the One Who exists without beginning, without end, without location, without a “how” and Who does not depend on time. Nothing resembles Him in anyway and He hears and sees everything without organs. Whatever you imagine, God is different from that. May the elevation in degree and preservation of his community of what he fears for it, be granted to our master MuHammad Al-‘Amin, the Honest One, who called for following Islam, the religion of truth, the religion of all the Prophets: of the First, Adam, to the last MuHammad.

The prophet, Salla-l-Lâhu `alayhi wa sallam, said:

« مَا بَعَثَ الله نَبِيًّا إِلاَّ حَسَنَ الْوَجْهِ حَسَنَ الصَّوْتِ وَإِنَّ نَبِيَّكُم أَحسَنُهُمْ وَجْهًا وَأَحْسَنُهُمْ صَوْتًا »

(mâ ba`atha l-Lâhu nabiyyan ‘illâ Hasan l-wajhi Hasna S-Sawti wa ‘inna nabiyyakum ‘aHsanuhum wajhan wa ‘aHsanuhum Sawtâ)

wich means: « Allâh did not send a prophet without him being of a nice face and a nice voice and your prophet has the best face and best voice among them. » [Narrated by at-Tirmidhiyy]

All Prophets have a beautiful appearance and they are preserved from anything that might lead to people not accepting their call. Therefore, they are never inflicted with such an illness that would lead people away from them, such as leprosy. God has absolute Wisdom and does not send prophets that would lead people away.

Thus, it is not true that the Prophet ‘Ayyûb had worms coming out of his body. The Prophets are preserved from this.

Prophet Ayyub (known in English as Job) was once of the richest prophets before afflictions fell upon him. Eventually these afflictions were lifted from him.

Prophet Ayyub lived in Al-Bathaniyyah, a Hawran village in the sham area, between Damascus and Adhri`ât in Jordan. God had blessed him with wide estates, fertile land, good health, money and plenty of children.

Prophet Ayyub Job was thankful to God, sympathetic towards others, kind and merciful to the needy, supportive of the orphans and the widows, hospitable to his guests and helpful to those in need. However, great hardships befell Ayyub, the Prophet of Allâh.

Our Prophet MuHammad peace be upon him said:

« أشدُّ الناسِ بلاءً الأنبياءُ ثم الأمثلُ فالأمثلُ »

This Hadith means: « Those who undergo the toughest hardships are the Prophets. Next are the most pious people, then those who are less pious, then lesser and so on. »

Thus Ayyub set an example to sufferers throughout time, that despite his high rank, he was tested and bore the burden. The demons burnt his riches, killed his cattle and slaves and ruined his land.

Ayyub’s patience and acceptance of God’s fate and destiny filled the devil and his aids with rage. Prophet Ayyub was subjected to many diseases and sickness, except that, and he became so sick the he was avoided by almost everyone. (However, his illness was not a repulsive one, because this does not befit the office of Prophethood. Worms did not come out from his body. The one who claims that Prophet Ayyub had worms coming out from his body and that he would grab the worms and put them back on his body saying to them ‘eat from the sustenance Allâh is granting you, commits Blasphemy). His wife was one of the few who remained faithful to him, serving him and caring him, grateful of what he had done for her past, comfortable times.

Allâh, mercifully, relieved his Prophet Ayyub from his suffering after eighteen years of sickness, during which Ayyub was patient and thankful despite his hardships. God had inspired him to thump the ground with his foot for two fountains to erupt. He drank from one and washed with the blessed water of the other. The first cured him on the inside and the second cured him on the outside so his flesh, skin and hair grew back as normal. He regained his initial appearance. God relieved him from his pain and suffering and rewarded him with both internal and external Health and complete beauty. God also descended for him two white pieces of cloth ; Ayyub rapped one of them around this waist and draped the other over his shoulders then he headed home. On the way he met his wife, who did not recognize him.

She greeted him and asked him: “Have you seen the suffering man ?”

“Who ?” asked Ayyub

The Prophet of Allâh. You look a like what he looked like. When he was well ! she said

“I am Ayyub !” he declared.

Allâh gave Ayyub’s wife her youth and health back so she bore twenty-seven boys instead of those who had died. A cloud past over his wheat field and poured gold over it until it filled it. Another filled his barley filled with silver. Then another miracle happened: Allâh sent a third cloud, As large as Ayyub’s house, which rained golden locusts for three days.

Allâh relieved Prophet Ayyub of his suffering out of mercy and clemency and set his story as an example to other suffering belivers to be patient in obedience to God until He relieves them. After that Ayyub lived on for seventy years calling to Islam. Unfortunately, after he died, some people blasphemed. They changed the true religion and worshiped their all hand-made sculptures.