Tafsir of Al-Anbiya' 21:83

Regarding Ayyub, the discussion concerning him is as passed previously in the words of the Almighty: "And Dawud and Sulayman."

"When he called upon his Lord, [saying], 'Indeed, [I am]—that is, [I am]—afflicted by adversity.'" Isa ibn Umar read [the word inni] with a kasra on the hamza, which, according to the Basrans, implies an elided verb of speaking; that is, "saying, 'Indeed...'" The Kufans' doctrine is that the verb "called" (nada) is treated as "said" (qala). Al-durr (with a fatha) is common to every harm, while al-durr (with a damma) is specific to what is within the self, such as illness, emaciation, and the like.

"And You are the Most Merciful of the merciful."

That is, You are greater in mercy than anyone who is characterized by mercy, generally speaking; otherwise, in truth, there is no merciful one other than Him—glorified be His majesty and exalted be His state. It is not hidden what lies in describing the Almighty with the perfection of mercy after He mentioned Himself with that which necessitates it, thereby sufficing with this [description] instead of presenting a request, as if inviting the clouds of mercy to rain down in a thousand ways. It is narrated regarding gentleness in requesting that a woman complained to one of the descendants of Sa'd ibn Ubada about the scarcity of mice in her house, and he said: "Fill her house with bread, butter, and meat."

He—peace be upon him—according to what Ibn Jarir said, is the son of Amos, son of Razah, son of Esau, son of Ishaq. Ibn Asakir narrated that his mother was the daughter of Lut—peace be upon him—and that his father was among those who believed in Ibrahim—peace be upon him. Based on this, he was before Musa—peace be upon him. Ibn Jarir said he was after Shu'ayb—peace be upon him. Ibn Abi Khaythama said he was after Sulayman—peace be upon him.

Ibn Sa'd extracted from al-Kalbi that he said: The first prophet sent was Idris, then Ibrahim, then Ismail and Ishaq, then Yaqub, then Yusuf, then Lut, then Hud, then Salih, then Shu'ayb, then Musa and Harun, then Ilyas, then al-Yasa', then Yunus, then Ayyub—peace be upon them all. Ibn Ishaq said: The correct view is that he was from the Children of Israel, and nothing is authentic regarding his lineage except that the name of his father was Amos.

He—peace be upon him—was, according to what al-Hakim extracted by way of Samura from Ka'b, tall, with curly hair, wide eyes, good character, a short neck, a broad chest, and thick calves and forearms. God Almighty had chosen him, expanded the world for him, and increased his family and wealth. He had seven sons and seven daughters, all kinds of livestock, and five hundred farms, each followed by five hundred slaves, with each slave having a wife and children. God Almighty tested him with the loss of his children through the collapse of a house upon them, the loss of his wealth, and illness in his body for eighteen years, or thirteen years, or seven years, seven months, seven days, and seven hours, or three years. His age at that time was seventy years, and it is said eighty years, and it is said more. His total lifespan, according to what al-Tabarani narrated, was ninety-three years, and it is said more.

It is narrated that his wife—whether she was Madir, daughter of Misha, son of Yusuf—peace be upon him—or Rahma, daughter of Ephraim, son of Yusuf—peace be upon him (which is only possible according to some of the aforementioned narrations regarding his era)—said to him one day: "If you were to call upon God Almighty [for relief]?" He replied: "How long was the duration of prosperity?" She mentioned a long period, and in some narrations, eighty years. He—peace be upon him—said: "I am ashamed before God Almighty to call upon Him, as my period of affliction has not reached [the duration of] my period of prosperity."

It is narrated that Iblis—may he be cursed—came to her in a magnificent guise and said: "I am the god of the earth. I have done to your husband what I have done because he abandoned me and worshipped the god of the heaven. If he would prostrate to me once, I would return to him and you all that I have taken from you." In one narration: "If you prostrate to me once, I would return the wealth and children and heal your husband." She went to Ayyub—peace be upon him—while he was lying in the refuse dump in Jerusalem, with no one approaching him. She told him the story, and he—peace be upon him—said: "Perhaps you have been tempted by the words of the cursed one! If God Almighty heals me, I will strike you one hundred lashes, and it is forbidden for me to taste anything of your food or drink after this." He drove her away, and he remained lying in the refuse dump, with no one among the people hovering near him. At that point, he fell prostrate and said: "My Lord, indeed, I am afflicted by adversity, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful."

Ibn Asakir extracted from al-Hasan that he—peace be upon him—said this when two men passed by him, and one said to his companion: "If God Almighty had a need for this one, He would not have brought him to this state." He—peace be upon him—heard it, and it weighed heavily upon him, so he said: "My Lord," etc. It is narrated from Anas in a marfu' manner that he—peace be upon him—rose one time to pray but could not rise, so he said: "My Lord," etc. Other things have been said as well, and perhaps this last one is the most suitable of the opinions.

His suffering in his body was of the utmost severity. Ibn Jarir extracted from Wahb ibn Munabbih that he said: "Something like the breasts of women would emerge on his body, then burst." Ahmad extracted in al-Zuhd from al-Hasan that he said: "Nothing remained of Ayyub—peace be upon him—except his eyes, his heart, and his tongue; creatures would move about inside his body." Abu Nu'aym and Ibn Asakir extracted from him that a worm would fall from the body of Ayyub—peace be upon him—and he would return it to its place and say: "Eat from the provision of God Almighty." And Iblis did not affect him in his illness, as al-Bayhaqi extracted in al-Shu'ab, except for the groaning.

The cause of his trial, according to what Ibn Asakir extracted by way of Juwaybir from al-Dahhak from Ibn Abbas, was that a poor person sought his help to ward off an injustice against him, but he did not help him. Ibn Asakir also extracted from Abu Idris al-Khawlani regarding that: "Ash-Sham was in a drought, so Pharaoh wrote to him—peace be upon him—'Come to us, for you have abundance with us.' So he went, and he gave him land. It happened that Shu'ayb entered upon Pharaoh, and Ayyub—peace be upon him—was with him. Shu'ayb said: 'Do you not fear that God Almighty might become angry in such a way that the inhabitants of the heavens, the earth, the mountains, and the seas become angry because of His anger?' Ayyub remained silent. When they left, God Almighty revealed to Ayyub: 'Did you remain silent regarding Pharaoh because you went to his land? Prepare for the trial.' He said: 'My religion?' He [God] said: 'I will safeguard it for you.' He said: 'I do not care.'" And God Almighty knows the authenticity of these accounts.

Then, when he—peace be upon him—prostrated and said that [the prayer], it was said to him: "Raise your head, for you have been answered. Strike the ground with your foot." He struck it, and a spring of water gushed from beneath him. He washed in it, and no creature remained on the surface of his body but fell off, nor was there any wound but it healed. Then he struck the ground another time, and another spring gushed forth. He drank from it, and no illness remained in his interior but departed, and he became healthy. His youth and beauty returned to him, and that is His—the Almighty's—saying: "..."