Saad (The letter Saad)

43. “And we gave him his family and the like of them with them as a mercy from Us, and a reminder for those with understanding.”

44. “And (We said to him:) ‘Take in your hand a bunch of (thin) stick and strike (your wife) with it, and do not break your oath. Verily We found him patient, an excellent servant. Verily he was a penitent.”

In hardships never be hopeless of the mercy of Allah. The first and the most important Divine blessing, which was health, convalescence, and safety, came back to Job and it was the turn of returning other merits and blessings.

In this regard, the Qur’an says:

“And we gave him his family and the like of them with them as a mercy from Us, and a reminder for those with understanding.”

There are various commentaries said upon the question that how Job’s family were returned to him. It is said that they had passed away and Allah returned them again to the life of the world.

But some other Qur’anic commentators say that as the result of the prolonged sickness of Job they went away from around of him and when Job gained back his health, they gathered around him again.

This probability has also been suggested that all, or at least some of them, had also been afflicted by kinds of sicknesses. So, the mercy of Allah enveloped them, too, and all of them gained their health back and gathered kindly around the father, Job.

The additional phrase ‘The like of them with them’ refers to this matter that Allah caused his family gathering to become warmer than before and He, the Merciful, granted him some more children.

There is nothing said in these verses about Job’s wealth, but the context shows that Allah returned his properties back to him in a richer form, too.

It is interesting that, at the end of this verse, the aim of returning the Divine merits to Job is mentioned two things: one is the mercy of Allah to him, which has a personal aspect, and it is, in fact, a prize and reward from the side of Allah given to this patient servant; and the other is giving a lesson to all those who possess intellect and understanding throughout of the history, so that they do not lose their patience when facing with difficulties and terrible events and they may always be hopeful to the mercy of Allah.

The next verse indicates that the only problem that Job had was the oath he had taken in respect to his wife. It was so that he saw a wrong which she did and, at the time of his sickness, he swore that if he got his power, he would strike one hundred whips, or less than that, on her.

But after his convalescence, as a reward for her loyalties and services to him, he wanted to forgive her, but the problem of oath and the name of Allah hindered him.

Allah solved this problem for him, too, and as the Qur’an says:

“And (We said to him:) ‘Take in your hand a bunch of (thin) stick and strike (your wife) with it, and do not break your oath…”

The Arabic term /diqth/ means a bundle of (thin) stick formed of stems of wheat and barely, or some branches of date strings or bundle of flower and the like.

The name of Job’s wife, according to some narration, was Laya, the daughter of Jacob. Concerning her wrong action to Job, there have been different ideas cited among the Qur’anic commentators.

It has been narrated from Ibn-‘Abbas, the famous Islamic commentator, who said that Satan, or a wicked person, appeared to Job’s wife and said that he would treat her husband but the only condition he had was that when Job had got his convalescence she would tell him (as) that he (the one) had been the only factor of his convalescence and he would demand no other wage.

The wife of Job, who was much inconvenienced for the continuation of the sickness of her husband, accepted it and she offered this suggestion to Job. Job, who knew the trap of Satan, became very angry and made an oath that he would punish his wife.

And, finally, in the last sentence of the holy verse under discussion, which, in fact, is an extract of this story from beginning to the end, it says:

“…Verily We found him patient, an excellent servant. Verily he was a penitent.”

It is evident that Job’s invocation to the presence of Allah and that he asked Him to remove the temptations of Satan and the pain and affliction of his sickness does not contradict with the rank of patience, tolerating pain, sickness and poverty for about seven years, or according to another tradition for eighteen years and yet being thankful.

It is noteworthy that in this sentence Job (as) has been qualified with three qualifications which whoever possesses is a complete human:

1- The rank of servitude;

2- Patience and perseverance; and

3- Constant returning to Allah.

When the waves of calamities and painful events surround a person from every side, he must not become hopeless and disappointed, but he should think of it as the sign and premise for the entrance of the Divine bounties.

Amir-ul-Mu’mineen Ali (as) says:

“At the extremity of hardship comes relief, and at the tightening of the chains of tribulation comes ease.”1