The name of Job’s father was Amos. Esau Edom, the son of Isaac and elder brother of Jacob, was his ancestor. His mother belonged to the lineage of Lut. After separating from his brother Jacob, Esau settled in a valley of Mount Sarata, in the northwest of Arabia. According to historians, the soil of this land was red, and Edom also means red. So this dwelling was named Edom. Job lived in Basra, a place that still exists in the north of Arabia near Palestine. The Holy Prophet (PBUH), during his journey to Syria, stopped there.
In Arabic, Job is known as Ayub and in Hebrew as Oab. He was not only a prophet of God but also the chief of his tribe and enjoyed great respect and honor. He had herds of cattle, hundreds of servants, and vast lands with orchards and fields. He was a very generous person and used to help the indigent, needy, and destitute.
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. He was perfect, upright, and one who feared God and avoided evil.
(The Book of Job)
His wife, Ramah, was the daughter of Ephraim, son of Joseph. Job was blessed with seven sons and three daughters.
Job preached the teachings of the religion of Abraham and instructed his people to refrain from pagan worship and evil deeds. He taught them the difference between good and evil, vice and virtue, and explained which acts are liked by God and which are not. He taught the people of Edom about the Oneness of God, the significance of sending prophets, belief in the Day of Judgment, self-realization, and cognition of the Lord. He was a truthful and upright person, and he is well known for his extraordinary patience in adversity and gratitude for the blessings of God.
Trick of Satan
It is said that once angels were expressing their appreciation for Job’s humility and obedience. Satan overheard them and claimed that Job’s devotion was only because God had blessed him with wealth, health, and honor. He argued that if God were to test him with misery, Job would no longer be grateful.
Then the situation changed. Miseries, misfortunes, and sufferings came upon him to test his faith. His storehouses caught fire, reducing all provisions to ashes. Invaders attacked him, his servants were killed, and his cattle were taken away. His sons and daughters were enjoying a banquet when the roof collapsed and they all died. Within hours, Job was left with nothing. People came one after the other to inform him of the disasters, but he did not frown. Even those close to him could not bear to see him in such a state. Job prostrated before his Lord and praised Him.
He said, “I was born naked and will leave this world naked. God had given all this to me and He has taken it back.”
Patience and Gratitude
Although he was deprived of all his possessions, his trial had only just begun. Painful boils covered him from head to toe. He scratched himself with a potsherd and sat in the ashes to comfort himself. All his relatives and friends abandoned him. Only his wife remained by his side. She took care of him in every possible way. She began working as a maidservant to earn bread for both of them. In this state of pain and anguish, he spent eighteen years.
Once, his wife complained and said something that displeased him. He vowed to punish her with one hundred lashes whenever he recovered. Later, God forgave her, and when Job regained his health, God instructed him to take a broom of one hundred sticks and strike her with that, allowing him to fulfill his vow with mercy.
According to the Old Testament, when Job’s three friends heard of his misfortune, they came to visit him. Seeing him in such anguish, they were speechless and sat with him silently for seven days and nights.
The Quran mentions the final stage of his trial in these words:
Commemorate Our Servant Job. Behold, he cried to his Lord: “The Evil One has afflicted me with distress and suffering!” The command was given: “Strike with thy foot. Here is water to wash in, cool and refreshing, and water to drink.”
(Surah Sad, Verses 41–42)
He struck the ground with his foot and a spring gushed out. Job bathed and drank from it, and within minutes, he was completely cured. He became even healthier than before. That evening, when his wife returned and did not find her sick husband where she had left him, she grew worried and asked the healthy man sitting there about her husband. He smiled and told her that he was her husband and that God had blessed him with complete recovery.
God blessed them with renewed youth. They had more children than before, and they were given comforts and blessings far greater than what they had before the trial. The Holy Quran mentions:
And remember Job, when he cried to his Lord, “Truly, distress has seized me, but Thou art the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.” So We listened to him. We removed the distress upon him, and We restored his people to him and doubled their number as a grace from Us and a reminder for all who serve Us.
(Surah Al-Anbiya, Verses 83–84)
Youth Giving Water
The spring whose water healed Job still exists in the town of Nova in Jordan. It is known as Job’s Salon. The place where he used to live is now called Job’s Place.
It was God’s will that a spring would gush forth for His servant and its water would contain such minerals that transformed old age into youth. That water made Job and his wife so young that they lived to see four generations.
Say, “O My servants who believe. Fear your Lord. For those who do good in this world, there is a good reward. Spacious is God’s earth. Those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure.” Say, “Verily, I am commanded to serve God with sincere devotion.”
(Surah Az-Zumar, Verses 10–11)
Patience is the Light of God
Patience is the light of God that fills the material senses with divine illumination and brings a person closer to the Lord. The true meaning of patience is to surrender the results of one’s efforts to God. It is to negate one’s own will and acknowledge God as the Omnipotent, and to wait patiently for the fulfillment of His Will in all matters. This practice molds a person’s mind into a state of submission and obedience to God. It helps a person experience helplessness before their Creator and opens the heart to divine light. With consistent patience, every difficulty becomes ease and one becomes truly connected to their Creator. These are the people God calls the steadfast.
God instructed the Holy Prophet (PBUH), “Be patient just as the steadfast prophets were.”
Patience enables a person to remain firm, which is a trait of the prophets and a means of learning the deeper ways of life. It is a powerful force that lifts a person from the lowest state to the exalted station of Illiyin.
Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods, lives, or the fruits of your toil, but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere.
(Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 155)
Not so do those who show patience and constancy and do righteous deeds. For them is forgiveness of sins and a great reward.
(Surah Hud, Verse 11)
Seek God’s help with patient perseverance and prayer. It is indeed hard except for those who bring a lowly spirit, who bear in mind the certainty that they are to meet their Lord and that they are to return to Him.
(Surah Al-Baqarah, Verses 45–46)
Who say, when afflicted with calamity, “To God we belong, and to Him is our return.”
(Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 156)
And We appointed from among them leaders, giving guidance under Our command, so long as they persevered with patience and continued to have faith in Our signs.
(Surah As-Sajdah, Verse 24)
Say, “O My servants who believe. Fear your Lord. For those who do good in this world, there is a good reward. Spacious is God’s earth. Those who patiently persevere will truly receive a reward without measure.”
(Surah Az-Zumar, Verse 10)
Twice will they be given their reward for that they persevered, that they repelled evil with good, and that they spent in charity out of what We provided them.
(Surah Al-Qasas, Verse 54)
You shall certainly be tried and tested in your possessions and in your personal selves. You shall certainly hear much that will grieve you from those who received the Book before you and from those who worship many gods. But if you persevere patiently and guard against evil, then that will be a determining factor in all affairs.
(Surah Aal-e-Imran, Verse 186)
God is with those who steadfastly persevere.
(Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 249)
Our Lord, pour out constancy on us and make our steps firm. Help us against those that reject faith.
(Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 250)
If any good befalls you, it grieves them, but if some misfortune overtakes you, they rejoice. But if you are constant and do right, not the least harm will their cunning do to you, for God surrounds all they do.
(Surah Aal-e-Imran, Verse 120)
O you who believe, seek help with patient perseverance and prayer. For God is with those who patiently persevere.
(Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 153)
How many of the prophets fought in God’s way, and with them fought large bands of godly men. They never lost heart when faced with disaster in God’s way, nor did they weaken in will or give in. God loves those who are firm and steadfast.
(Surah Aal-e-Imran, Verse 146)
Remember when you told the believers, “Is it not enough for you that God should help you with three thousand angels specially sent down?” Yes, if you remain firm and act righteously, even if the enemy should rush upon you in haste, your Lord would help you with five thousand angels making a fierce assault.
(Surah Aal-e-Imran, Verses 124–125)
Those who believe and do righteous deeds shall be given homes in Paradise, lofty mansions beneath which rivers flow. They will dwell there forever. An excellent reward for those who do good, who persevere in patience, and put their trust in their Lord.
(Surah Al-Ankabut, Verses 58–59)
Obey God and His Messenger, and do not fall into disputes, lest you lose heart and your strength depart. Be patient and persevering, for God is with those who patiently persevere.
(Surah Al-Anfal, Verse 46)
Be steadfast in patience, for truly God will not let the reward of the righteous perish.
(Surah Hud, Verse 115)
But truly, your Lord is most forgiving and merciful to those who leave their homes after trials and persecutions and who thereafter strive and fight for the faith and persevere patiently.
(Surah An-Nahl, Verse 110)
Therefore patiently persevere, just as the messengers of strong resolve did, and do not be in haste concerning the unbelievers.
(Surah Al-Ahqaf, Verse 35)
And remember Ishmael, Idrees, and Zulkifl. All were men of constancy and patience. We admitted them to Our mercy, for they were of the righteous.
(Surah Al-Anbiya, Verses 85–86)
When the son reached the age of serious work with his father, he said, “O my son, I see in a dream that I offer you in sacrifice. Now see what is your view.” The son replied, “O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if God wills, one who practices patience and constancy.”
(Surah As-Saffat, Verse 102)
We once sent Noah to his people, and he lived among them for a thousand years less fifty. But the flood overwhelmed them while they persisted in sin.
(Surah Al-Ankabut, Verse 14)
They said, “O our father, we were racing one another and left Joseph with our belongings, and the wolf devoured him. But you will not believe us even if we speak the truth.” They brought false blood on his shirt. Jacob said, “No, but your souls have made up a tale. So patience is most fitting. Against what you say, it is only God whose help can be sought.”
(Surah Yusuf, Verses 17–18)
“Return to your father and say, ‘O our father, your son committed theft. We testify only to what we know. We could not guard against the unseen. Ask the town where we stayed and the caravan in which we returned. We are telling the truth.’” Jacob said, “No, your souls have contrived a story. So patience is most fitting. Perhaps God will bring them all back to me. Truly, He is full of knowledge and wisdom.” He turned away and said, “How great is my grief for Joseph.” His eyes became white with sorrow, and he fell into silent grief. They said, “By God, you will never stop remembering Joseph until you become seriously ill or die.” He replied, “I only complain of my sorrow and grief to God, and I know from God what you do not know. O my sons, go and enquire about Joseph and his brother, and never give up hope of God’s soothing mercy. Truly, no one despairs of God’s mercy except those who have no faith.”
(Surah Yusuf, Verses 81–87)
Commemorate Our servant Job. Behold, he cried to his Lord, “The Evil One has afflicted me with distress and suffering.” The command was given, “Strike with your foot. Here is water to wash with, cool and refreshing, and water to drink.” We gave him back his people and doubled their number, as a grace from Us and a reminder for all who have understanding. “And take in your hand a bundle of grass and strike with it, and do not break your oath.” Truly We found him full of patience and constancy. How excellent a servant. He always turned to Us.
(Surah Sad, Verses 41–44)
And remember Job, when he cried to his Lord, “Truly, distress has seized me, but You are the Most Merciful of the merciful.” So We listened to him, removed his distress, restored his people, and doubled their number as a grace from Ourselves and a reminder for all who serve Us.
(Surah Al-Anbiya, Verses 83–84)
Point to Note
In the story of Job, it is elaborated that Job exercised patience purely for the sake of God. Patience is not only a way of life but the foundation of the thinking pattern of the prophets of God. It is the hallmark of prophets that they bear pain and anguish with steadfastness and believe that God is their closest companion. In trials, they remain attentive to the divine wisdom behind events. They feel gratitude for the favors that God has blessed them with and associate all their wealth and states of being with God alone.
Wisdom and prudence can be observed in how Job endured his hardships and sufferings. This story establishes that when a person develops complete dependency on God and perfects their faith, they do not utter a word of complaint. Through the examples of Ishmael, Idrees, Zulkifl, Noah, Jacob, and Job, God commands His Beloved Prophet (PBUH) to be patient and persevere just as the steadfast prophets did.
God addresses the believing men and women, saying:
Those who believe and perform righteous deeds shall dwell in the high places of Paradise. Beneath them will flow rivers. What an excellent reward for the good deeds of those who persevered and trusted in their Lord.
Meanings of Patience
In Arabic, “Sabr” means to withstand and to endure. Every command of God is essentially a program to help man become aware of his inner nature and instincts. God has highlighted human weaknesses such as disobedience, hastiness, quarrelsomeness, ignorance, cruelty, and transgression. These weaknesses, from which no one is free, are rooted in ignorance, the fragility of conscious awareness, and the attraction of worldly illusions.
Ignorance implies lack of knowledge, yet life itself is nothing but knowledge, constantly pouring into us through information. Information and knowledge represent continuous movement, and movement is the Will of God. The Will of God is that when He intends something, He says, “Be,” and it is. His Will is command, and that command is sovereignty, which means He has the power to do whatever He wishes, whenever and wherever.
God is Sovereign
Sovereignty means that not a single moment escapes His grasp, and everything is within His capability. All the information that takes shape as feelings, sensations, thoughts, and emotions manifests through various stages of creation.
It is an established reality that a body of light, known as the astral body, surrounds the physical body. This body of light feeds the physical body. When the nourishment of this body of light ends, the physical body perishes and is referred to as dead. Since the entire creative process depends on the astral body, it remains fully aware of the records of the past, present, and future. With this knowledge, the astral body continues to inspire patience and perseverance within the human consciousness, constantly reminding it that hardships are temporary and will pass.
This understanding gives man courage and strength to face challenges and helps in building inner resolve. Worries disturb the balance of these lights, while patience helps maintain that balance.
Job was a great prophet of God. Through his experience, God gives us the message that He is with those who persevere and exercise patience. When a person bears trials patiently and believes wholeheartedly that God loves him and is his true well-wisher, then God opens the doors of comfort and ease. He provides means of happiness and delight just as He gave Job a spring of healing water. Through it, both Job and his wife became youthful again and lived long enough to witness the growth of four generations.