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Ayah
Word by Word
فَٱسۡتَجَبۡنَا
So We responded
لَهُۥ
to him
فَكَشَفۡنَا
and We removed
مَا
what
بِهِۦ
(was) on him
مِن
of
ضُرّٖۖ
(the) adversity
وَءَاتَيۡنَٰهُ
And We gave him
أَهۡلَهُۥ
his family
وَمِثۡلَهُم
and (the) like thereof
مَّعَهُمۡ
with them
رَحۡمَةٗ
(as) Mercy
مِّنۡ
from Ourselves
عِندِنَا
from Ourselves
وَذِكۡرَىٰ
and a reminder
لِلۡعَٰبِدِينَ
for the worshippers
فَٱسۡتَجَبۡنَا
So We responded
لَهُۥ
to him
فَكَشَفۡنَا
and We removed
مَا
what
بِهِۦ
(was) on him
مِن
of
ضُرّٖۖ
(the) adversity
وَءَاتَيۡنَٰهُ
And We gave him
أَهۡلَهُۥ
his family
وَمِثۡلَهُم
and (the) like thereof
مَّعَهُمۡ
with them
رَحۡمَةٗ
(as) Mercy
مِّنۡ
from Ourselves
عِندِنَا
from Ourselves
وَذِكۡرَىٰ
and a reminder
لِلۡعَٰبِدِينَ
for the worshippers
Translation
So We responded to him and removed what afflicted him of adversity. And We gave him [back] his family and the like thereof with them as mercy from Us and a reminder for the worshippers [of Allāh].
Tafsir
So We responded to him, in his call, and removed the harm that had befallen him, and We gave him [back] his family, his male and female children, by bringing them back to life - of each sex there were three or seven along with them [other children] the like of them, from his wife, for she was made younger. He had also possessed a threshing floor for wheat and another for barley, so God sent two clouds and one of them poured forth gold onto the wheat threshing floor and the other poured forth silver onto the barley threshing floor, until they overflowed; as a mercy (rahmatan, a direct object denoting reason) from Us (min 'indinaa, an adjectival phrase) and a reminder to worshippers, that they be patient and thus be rewarded [by God].
The Prophet Ayub
Allah tells:
وَأَيُّوبَ إِذْ نَادَى رَبَّهُ أَنِّي مَسَّنِيَ الضُّرُّ وَأَنتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ
فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ فَكَشَفْنَا مَا بِهِ مِن ضُرٍّ
And (remember) Ayub, when he cried to his Lord:Verily, distress has seized me, and You are the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy.
So We answered his call, and We removed the distress that was on him,
Allah tells us about Ayub (Job), and the trials that struck him, affecting his wealth, children and physical health.
He had plenty of livestock, cattle and crops, many children and beautiful houses, and he was tested in these things, losing every thing he had. Then he was tested with regard to his body, and he was left alone on the edge of the city and there was no one who treated him with compassion apart from his wife, who took care of him. It was said that it reached the stage where she was in need, so she started to serve people (to earn money) for his sake. The Prophet said:
أَشَدُّ النَّاسِ بَلَءً الاَْنْبِيَاءُ ثُمَّ الصَّالِحُونَ ثُمَّ الاَْمْثَلُ فَالاَْمْثَل
The people who are tested the most severely are the Prophets, then the righteous, then the next best and the next best.
According to another Hadith:
يُبْتَلَى الرَّجُلُ عَلَى قَدْرِ دِينِهِ فَإِنْ كَانَ فِي دِينِهِ صَلَبَةٌ زِيدَ فِي بَلَيِه
A man will be tested according to his level of religious commitment; the stronger his religious commitment, the more severe will be his test.
The Prophet of Allah, Ayub, upon him be peace, had the utmost patience, and he is the best example of that.
Yazid bin Maysarah said:
When Allah tested Ayub, upon him be peace, with the loss of his family, wealth and children, and he had nothing left, he started to focus upon the remembrance of Allah, and he said:
`I praise You, the Lord of lords, Who bestowed His kindness upon me and gave me wealth and children, and there was no corner of my heart that was not filled with attachment to these worldly things, then You took all of that away from me and You emptied my heart, and there is nothing to stand between me and You. If my enemy Iblis knew of this, he would be jealous of me.'
When Iblis heard of this, he became upset. And Ayub, upon him be peace, said:
`O Lord, You gave me wealth and children, and there was no one standing at my door complaining of some wrong I had done to him. You know that. I used to have a bed prepared for me, but I forsook it and said to myself:You were not created to lie on a comfortable bed. I only forsook that for Your sake.'
This was recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim.
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet said:
لَمَّا عَافَى اللهُ أَيُّوبَ أَمْطَرَ عَلَيْهِ جَرَادًا مِنْ ذَهَبٍ فَجَعَلَ يَأْخُذُ مِنْهُ بِيَدِهِ وَيَجْعَلُهُ فِي ثَوْبِهِ قَالَ فَقِيلَ لَهُ يَا أَيُّوبُ أَمَا تَشْبَعُ قَالَ يَا رَبِّ وَمَنْنَيشْبَعُ مِنْ رَحْمَتِك
When Allah healed Ayub, He sent upon him a shower of golden locusts, and he started to pick them up and gather them in his garment. It was said to him, O Ayub, have you not had enough!
He said, O Lord, who can ever have enough of Your mercy!
The basis of this Hadith is recorded in the Two Sahihs, as we shall see below.
...
وَاتَيْنَاهُ أَهْلَهُ وَمِثْلَهُم مَّعَهُمْ
and We restored his family to him (that he had lost) and the like thereof along with them.
It was reported that Ibn Abbas said:
They themselves were restored to him.
This was also narrated by Al-`Awfi from Ibn Abbas.
Something similar was also narrated from Ibn Mas`ud and Mujahid, and this was the view of Al-Hasan and Qatadah.
Mujahid said:
It was said to him, `O Ayub, your family will be with you in Paradise; if you want, We will bring them back to you, or if you want, We will leave them for you in Paradise and will compensate you with others like them.'
He said, `No, leave them for me in Paradise.' So they were left for him in Paradise, and he was compensated with others like them in this world.
...
رَحْمَةً مِّنْ عِندِنَا
as a mercy from Ourselves,
means, `We did that to him as a mercy from Allah towards him.'
...
وَذِكْرَى لِلْعَابِدِينَ
and a Reminder for all those who worship Us.
means, `We made him an example lest those who are beset by trials think that We do that to them because We do not care for them, so that they may take him as an example of patience in accepting the decrees of Allah and bearing the trials with which He tests His servants as He wills.'
And Allah has the utmost wisdom with regard to that.
Ismail, Idris and Dhul-Kifl
Allah tells:
وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِدْرِيسَ وَذَا الْكِفْلِ كُلٌّ مِّنَ الصَّابِرِينَ
وَأَدْخَلْنَاهُمْ فِي رَحْمَتِنَا إِنَّهُم مِّنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
And (remember) Ismail, Idris and Dhul-Kifl:All were from among the patient. And We admitted them to Our mercy. Verily, they were of the righteous.
Ismail was the son of Ibrahim Al-Khalil, peace be upon them both. He has already been mentioned in Surah Maryam, where mention was also made of Idris.
From the context and the fact that Dhul-Kifl is mentioned alongside Prophets, it appears that he was also a Prophet. Others say that he was a righteous man, a just king and a fair judge.
Ibn Jarir refrained from making any decisive comment.
And Allah knows best.
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