Prophet Ayyoub (known in English as Job) was once of the richest prophets before afflictions fell upon him. Eventually these afflictions were lifted from him.

Prophet Ayyoub lived in al-Bathaniyyah, a Hawran village in the sham area, between Damascus and Abdra^at in Jordan. God had blessed him with wide estates, fertile land, good health, money and plenty of children.

Ayyoub was thankful to God, sympathetic towards others, kind and merciful to the needy, supportive of the orphans and the widows, hospitable to his guests and helpful to those in need. However, great hardships befell Ayyoub, the Prophet of Allah. God tested him to increase this reward.

Our Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said:

أشدُّ الناسِ بلاءً الأنبياءُ ثم الأمثلُ فالأمثلُ

This Hadith means: “Those who undergo the toughest hardships are the Prophets. Next are the most pious people, then those who are less pious, then lesser and so on”.

Thus Ayyoub set an example to sufferers throughout time, that despite his high rank, he was tested and bore the burden. The demons burnt his riches, killed his cattle and slaves and ruined his land.

Ayyoub’s patience and acceptance of God’s fate and destiny filled the devil and his aids with rage. Prophet Ayyoub was subjected to many diseases and sickness, except that, and he became so sick the he was avoided by almost everyone. (However, his illness was not a repulsive one, because this does not befit the office of Prophethood. Worms did not come out from his body. The one who claims that Prophet Ayyoub had worms coming out from his body and that he would grab the worms and put them back on his body saying to them ‘eat from the sustenance Allah is granting you’ commits Blasphemy). His wife was one of the few who remained faithful to him, serving him and caring him, grateful of what he had done for her past, comfortable times.

Allah, mercifully, relieved his Prophet Ayyoub from his suffering after eighteen years of sickness, during which Ayyoub was patient and thankful despite his hardships. God had inspired him to thump the ground with his foot for two fountains to erupt. He drank from one and washed with the blessed water of the other. The first cured him on the inside and the second cured him on the outside so his flesh, skin and hair grew back as normal. He regained his initial appearance. God relieved him from his pain and suffering and rewarded him with both internal and external Health and complete beauty. God also descended for him two white pieces of cloth; Ayyoub rapped one of them around this waist and draped the other over his shoulders then he headed home. On the way he met his wife, who did not recognize him.

She greeted him and asked him: “Have you seen the suffering man?”

“Who?” he asked Ayyoub,

The Prophet of Allah. You look a like what he looked like. When he was well!” she said

“I am Ayyoub!” he declared.

Allah gave Ayyoub’s wife her youth and health back so she bore twenty-seven boys instead of those who had died. A cloud past over his wheat field and poured gold over it until it filled it. Another filled his barley filled with silver. Then another miracle happened: Allah sent a third cloud, As large as Ayyub’s house, which rained golden locusts for three days. Allah relieved Prophet Ayyoub of his suffering out of mercy and clemency and set his story as an example to other suffering belivers to be patient in obedience to God until He relieves them. After that Ayyoub lived on for seventy years calling to Islam. Unfortunately, after he died, some people blasphemed. They changed the true religion and worshiped their all hand-made sculptures.