Job (a): Difference between revisions

'''Ayyub''' (Job) was a prophet of God, afflicted with disease and the loss of his children and wealth. He remained patient during his trial and never ceased to worship and give thanks to God.

The [[Quran]] does not mention the details of Ayyub’s trial, but the [[Bible]] and some Muslim traditions report that the people began to distance themselves from Ayyub because of his disease. According to Islamic beliefs, on the other hand, the prophets would never be afflicted with things that repelled people.  

Moreover, according to the Bible and some Muslim traditions, Ayyub failed to remain fully patient during his trial, but the Quran does not mention anything to that effect but rather praises him for his [[patience]].  

Adducing Quran 38:41, which speaks of [[Satan]]’s afflicting Ayyub with weariness and chastisement, some people have stated doubted Ayyub’s infallibility because the verse indicates that Satan was able to affect him. However, it is said in response that Satan merely affected Ayyub’s body and belongings but not his soul, and therefore it does not tarnish his infallibility.  

According to the commentators, Ayyub made an oath to strike his wife a hundred lashes but later he regretted making such an oath. It was revealed to him to strike her instead one time with a bundle of one-hundred sticks and keep his oath in this way. There is disagreement among the commentators as to the reason behind Ayyub’s oath.  

There is no reliable information as to the place where Ayyub was buried. However, there are several tombs in different countries attributed to him, such as a tomb near [[Hillah]] in [[Iraq]].  

Ayyub was a prophet of God from the descendants of Abraham, who was Ayyub’s fifth or sixth paternal great-grandfather. He was also a descendant of Lot on his mother’s side.  

According to Allama Majlisi, his wife was a descendant of Joseph, but according to some reports she was the daughter of Joseph or Jacob.  

The Quranic figure Dhu l-Kifl is said to have been the son of Ayyub, whose given name was Bishr. He was also a prophet.  

==Ayyub’s Trial==

According to the Quran, Ayyub was tried by the loss of his children and wealth and was also afflicted with a disease. He remained patient in the face of all the suffering and successfully passed this trial. He regained his health and children. The Quran mentions him by such titles as “our servant,” “What an excellent servant!” “patient,” and “penitent”.   

From the descendant of Abraham or Noah

Fulfilment of his prayer and his regaining his health and children

 

 

 

However, Allama Tabataba’i doubts the authenticity of this hadith, considering its incompatibility with other hadiths, such as the hadith in which Imam al-Baqir (a) is reported to have said that Ayyub did not have any infection, worm, or facial deformity, and the people left him only because of his poverty and apparent weakness. They were not aware of his special place in the eyes of God and did not know that he would be healed soon. The hadith is also incompatible with the doctrine of infallibility, according to which prophets are free from repulsive defects that drive people away from them, as that would make them fail in their mission.  

The Book of Job is one of the thirty-nine books of the Hebrew Bible, which describes the blessings of God upon Ayyub and the story of his trial. In the biblical account, Ayyub does not remain patient until the end and there is no mention of his oath.  

==Wisdom Behind Ayyub’s Affliction==

Ayyub’s affliction is considered God’s test for him. According to some commentators, Ayyub maintained his gratefulness to God prior to, during, and after the trial. According to a hadith, Ayyub was afflicted so that the people do not consider him divine because of the blessings that were given to him, and also in order not to despise weak, poor, or sick people and to know that it is God who afflicts whomever He wants and heals whomever He wills.  

==Ayyub’s Oath==

It is said that Ayyub made an oath to strike his wife a hundred lashes after his recovery. However, when he was recovered, he decided to forgive her, but he had made an oath and could not break it. Thus, it was revealed to him to strike her instead one time with a bundle of one-hundred sticks in order not to break his oath.  

There is disagreement among the commentators as to the story behind Ayyub’s oath. Ibn Abbas is reported to have said that Satan appeared to Ayyub’s wife and told her, “I will heal your husband if you say after his recovery that only I healed him.” Having become tired of her husband’s illness, Ayyub’s wife accepted Satan’s offer, and this was why Ayyub made an oat to flog her. Some others have mentioned that Ayyub sent his wife to do something but she delayed, and Ayyub made such an oath to punish her. It is also said that she used to hurt Ayyub by her words during his illness, and that is why Ayyub made that oath. Yet, according to a report, Ayyub made that oath after he was healed, because during his illness his wife went to the village to bring some bread, and she sold her tresses in exchange for bread. When she came back to Ayyub, he was healed and got upset with his wife for selling her tresses and then made that oath, but when he learned about the reason why she had sold her tresses, he regretted making the oath.  

Some commentators have mentioned that the verse “And remember Our servant Job [in the Qur'an]. When he called out to his Lord, ‘The devil has visited on me hardship and torment’” indicates that Ayyub was not infallible because it states that Satan was able to affect him. In response, it is said that Satan could only affect Ayyub’s body, wealth, and children, not his soul, and this does not negate his infallibility.  

A discussion on Ayyub’s infallibility can be found in the book ''Tanzih al-anbiya’'' by al-Sharif al-Murtada.  

Ayyub lived in a region called Aws in the south-west of the Dead See and the north of the Golf of Aqaba, or in Bathaniyya between Damascus and Adhri’at. There is also a cave in Şanlıurfa, Turkey, which is allegedly the place were Ayyub resided during his illness.  

It is said that Ayyub lived two-hundred years, and according to the Bible, he lived 140 years after his recovery. It is also reported that his affliction lasted seven or eighteen years and that he was buried near the spring in which he was healed.  

It is not known where Ayyub was buried, but there are tombs in various countries that are attributed to him, such as a tomb near Hillah in Iraq, which is more well-known because of its nearness to Ayyub’s place of residence.

There are tombs attributed to Ayyub near the Port of Salalah (Oman), in Garmab village near Bojnord (Iran), and in Bukhara (Uzbekistan). The latter is said to have been simply an invention of the Tamerlane.  

The movie Ayyub the Prophet directed by Farajollah Salahshour was produced in 1372 Sh and broadcasted on Iranian national television, depicting the life and trial of Ayyub.