Ayyub (Job)

Ayyub, also known as Job in the Biblical narrative, was a Prophet from the line of Is’haaq (Isaac). According to the Quran (Surah (21), he was deeply devoted to God and was considered to be the most loyal servant of God who stuck to his faith even among adversities. The story goes that once Satan heard God speak about Ayyub as the most faithful man of his generation following which he took it upon himself to turn Ayyub against God. Ayyub had his wife and children for a happy family and was also blessed with riches, lots of land, and herds of animals. Satan started distracting his attention from God by causing miseries for him. He presided over the nefarious plan of plundering his fields and causing theft of his herds. He faced further misery as the roof of his house collapsed one day which killed his family members instantly. Later, he was also inflicted with a terrible disease which resulted in sores all over his body. His friends made fun of him and his wife too turned against God for all the misery brought upon him and his family. However, Ayyub never lost his patience. After Satan’s attempts turned futile, God ordered Ayyub to strike the earth with his foot. As he obeyed and struck the earth, the earth instantly sent forth a spring of water. He stepped into it to find himself cured of the disease that had infected his body badly.

This story of Ayyub’s patience and his deep faith in God corresponds quite closely with the narrative in the Hebrew Bible. He is also mentioned in the “Book of Job” in the Old Testament and “Epistle of James” in the New Testament of the Christian Bible for all these qualities of his character. In spite of this, some people still believed that he was only an imaginary being but in Judaism he is supposed to have existed in reality. According to Talmud, he was one of the three advisors of Pharaoh and that he was a generous person during his better days but resigned to his fate when he fell a prey to trying times.

Reference: Meri si tarah ishq se hota kabhi betaab/Ejaaz numa sabr ka Ayyub na hota (Hasrat Azimabadi), Kahaan se laaun sabr-e-Hazrat-e-Ayyub ai saqi/Khum aaiga, suraahi aaigi tab jaam aaiga (Shad Azimabadi).

Ayyub, also known as Job in the Biblical narrative, was a Prophet from the line of Is’haaq (Isaac). According to the Quran (Surah (21), he was deeply devoted to God and was considered to be the most loyal servant of God who stuck to his faith even among adversities. The story goes that once Satan heard God speak about Ayyub as the most faithful man of his generation following which he took it upon himself to turn Ayyub against God. Ayyub had his wife and children for a happy family and was also blessed with riches, lots of land, and herds of animals. Satan started distracting his attention from God by causing miseries for him. He presided over the nefarious plan of plundering his fields and causing theft of his herds. He faced further misery as the roof of his house collapsed one day which killed his family members instantly. Later, he was also inflicted with a terrible disease which resulted in sores all over his body. His friends made fun of him and his wife too turned against God for all the misery brought upon him and his family. However, Ayyub never lost his patience. After Satan’s attempts turned futile, God ordered Ayyub to strike the earth with his foot. As he obeyed and struck the earth, the earth instantly sent forth a spring of water. He stepped into it to find himself cured of the disease that had infected his body badly.

This story of Ayyub’s patience and his deep faith in God corresponds quite closely with the narrative in the Hebrew Bible. He is also mentioned in the “Book of Job” in the Old Testament and “Epistle of James” in the New Testament of the Christian Bible for all these qualities of his character. In spite of this, some people still believed that he was only an imaginary being but in Judaism he is supposed to have existed in reality. According to Talmud, he was one of the three advisors of Pharaoh and that he was a generous person during his better days but resigned to his fate when he fell a prey to trying times.

Reference: Meri si tarah ishq se hota kabhi betaab/Ejaaz numa sabr ka Ayyub na hota (Hasrat Azimabadi), Kahaan se laaun sabr-e-Hazrat-e-Ayyub ai saqi/Khum aaiga, suraahi aaigi tab jaam aaiga (Shad Azimabadi).