Information about the various prophets that God has sent to mankind can be found in all 114 chapters of the Quran. The information is presented in different ways. From a few verses to the long story about the Prophet Joseph that spans an entire chapter. In addition, the prophets almost always came to their special people with the same message. They ordered their peoples to worship God alone and not to let anyone or anyone share His worship. The stories of the prophets emphasize the basic doctrine of Islam that God is one.
The Quran makes it quite clear that children and wealth are an ornament of this life and that we are tested in our love for them. (Quran 18:46). In the stories of the prophets we see that God has tested the different nations through loss of health and through loss of wealth, even through extreme poverty. God declares that repentance and patience are the keys to Eternal Life, so accepting the trials and even thanking God for it marks a high degree of faith. Humanity is in a constant struggle to accept God’s message. Many nations have failed.
The story of the Prophet Job is different. Through its history, we have been able to see human struggle on a more personal level. God tells us nothing about Job’s preaching method or how His people responded to his warnings and admonitions. God tells us nothing about the fate of Job’s people. Instead, He tells us about Job’s patience. He (Almighty) praises Job by saying:
“Verily, We found him patient. (He was) an excellent servant; he always turned to (God). ” (Quran 38:44)
Christians often refer to “Job’s patience” and, interestingly, Muslims also refer to Job’s patience and try to emulate him in the face of relentless adversity. In the tenth century AD, the recognized Islamic scholar Ibn Kathir gathered what information about Job has survived, so what follows now is Job’s story based on the Quran, the tradition of Prophet Muhammad, God’s blessings and peace be upon him , and Ibn Kathirs ´ (Stories of the Prophets´ stories of the prophets).
Job was a descendant of Noah (Quran 6:84). He loved God, worshiped Him alone, was patient, steadfast, and often asked for forgiveness. Satan heard a group of angels talk about Job being the best man of his generation, and Satan’s dark heart filled with jealousy and silent anger. His plan was to avert Job from good and lead him into unbelief and corruption. Satan tried to distract Job from his prayers, but Job remained steadfast and prayed with devotion and concentration.
This increased Satan’s anger, and he complained to God saying that Job was only a devoted servant because God blessed him with wealth and property. God granted Satan and his assistants to destroy Job’s property, but Job remained sincere in his belief and acknowledged that God is the one who gives and takes wealth and property as He pleases. Satan became even more frustrated and turned back to God saying that Job hid his disappointment because he had a large, happy family. Satan and his assistants destroyed Job’s house, the building collapsed and killed all of Job’s children.
Once again, Job turned to God for solace and took the hardest test without complaint. Satan disguised himself and approached Job in the shape of an old man. The old man pitied Job and suggested that God did not reward Job for his devotion and prayers, but Job replied that God „sometimes gives and sometimes takes“ and that he is happy with his Creator. Satan’s silent but smoldering anger grew. He turned back to God and said that because Job was healthy and fit, he hopes to regain his wealth and have more children. Satan asked for permission to destroy Job’s health. God granted Satan’s third demand, but on the condition that Satan cannot influence his soul, heart, or mind.
Satan and his assistants began to harm Job’s body with the will of Allah. He was only skin and bones and suffered from severe pain. Job was also struck by an illness that people loathedly turned away from him, and his friends and relatives began to reject him. Only his wife stayed with him. She cared for him and showered him with kindness, even though they were without money and had to work as a maid to provide them with some food every day.
Job remained devoted to God during these trials. His lips and tongue remained moist at the remembrance of God, and he never lost hope or complained. He continued to thank God, even for the great blows of fate that had befallen him. Satan was depressed, he didn’t know how to dissuade Job from his devotion to God, so he decided to bother Job’s wife. He came to her in the shape of a man and reminded her of the old days and how easy her life was. Job’s wife burst into tears and she approached Job and said, „Please ask your Lord to take this suffering away from us.“
Job was sad and reminded his wife that God had blessed them with goods, children, and health for 80 years, and that this suffering had only been imposed on them for a short time. He explained that he was ashamed to ask God to take the trouble away from them, and exhorted his wife by saying that if he ever regained his health, he would give her 100 lashes. Job’s loving wife was devastated, she turned away and sought protection elsewhere. Job felt helpless, he turned to God not to complain but to beg for mercy.
„And Job called to his master:“ Disaster struck me, and you are the Most Merciful of all Merciful. „We heard him and took away his disaster, and We spent his family (again) and again so many Our mercy and admonition to the (us) worshipers. ” (Quran 21: 83-84)
God restored Job’s health almost immediately. Job’s wife could not stand being separated from her beloved husband for so long when she returned and was amazed to see him recovered. We cried out of gratitude to God and when he heard their words, Job was worried. He had sworn an oath to hit his wife, but he had no desire to hurt her because he loved her so much. God wanted to lighten the heart of His devoted, patient servant, and so He instructed him: „Take a bundle in your hand and strike with it and do not become oath-breaking.“ (Quran 38:44)
We learn from the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad that God also restored Job’s possessions. It is said that one day he took a shower (or bath) when God showered him with gold grasshoppers. [1] God has amply rewarded Job’s patience. His health was restored, his family returned and multiplied, and he became a rich man again.
God tells us that Job’s story is a warning to all who serve God. (Quran 21:84) If someone truly worships God with total devotion, it is necessary to be patient. It is easy to keep worshiping for a few days, but we have to be constant. Prayer at night requires patience, fasting requires patience, living with tribulation and trials requires patience. Life in this world is a test and in order to pass and be rewarded with paradise we have to acquire Job’s patience.
Footnotes:
[1] Sahieh Al-Bukhari.
Source: https://www.islamland.com/deu/articles/die-geschichte-des-propheten-hiob