Transliteration:( Wa Ayyooba iz naadaa Rabbahooo annee massaniyad durru wa Anta arhamur raahimeen )
"And remember Ayyub [125], when he called his Lord that distress has touched me and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful [126]."
Hazrat Ayyub (peace be upon him) was a descendant of Hazrat Ishaq (peace be upon him) and a Prophet in the land of Harran, near Damascus. He was blessed with great wealth, seven sons, seven daughters, a large number of livestock, and prosperity.
However, Allah tested him with immense trials:
All his children passed away
His buildings collapsed
His animals perished and his crops were ruined
He suffered from a grievous illness, with his body covered in wounds and worms
All people abandoned him, except his devoted wife
This intense test of patience continued for seven years. Finally, in the midst of immense hardship and loss, he raised his hands and humbly offered this beautiful prayer.
Hazrat Ayyub’s prayer teaches us that simply presenting one’s suffering to Allah is also a form of dua, and praising Allah within the supplication is equally essential.
By saying,
“Distress has touched me, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful,”
he combined humility, hope, and glorification of Allah—all essential elements of a sincere dua.
From this we learn:
Supplications should match the tone of the request—i.e., names and attributes of Allah should correspond with the nature of the dua.
One should not say, “O Vanquisher, have mercy upon me,” or “O Most Merciful, destroy the disbelievers.”
Instead, invoke Allah using the most appropriate names and attributes, showing both reverence and understanding of His mercy and majesty.
This verse serves as a timeless example of patient endurance, trust in divine mercy, and the etiquette of prayer.
83. And (remember) Ayyub, when he cried to his Lord: “Verily, distress has seized me, and You are the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy.” 84. So We answered his call, and We removed the distress that was on him, and We restored his family to him, and the like thereof along with them as a mercy from Ourselves and a Reminder for all those who worship Us.
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:
(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:
(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, Ayyub, upon him be peace, had the utmost patience, and he is the best example of that. Yazid bin Maysarah said: “When Allah tested Ayyub, 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 Ayyub, 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:
(When Allah healed Ayyub, 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 Ayyub, 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.
(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 Ayyub, 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.”
(as a mercy from Ourselves) means, `We did that to him as a mercy from Allah towards him.’
(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.
(21:83) We bestowed (the same wisdom, judgement and knowledge) upon Job.[76] Recall, when he cried to his Lord: “Behold, disease has struck me and You are the Most Merciful of those that are merciful.”[77]
76. There is a wide divergence of opinion concerning the personality, period and nationality of Prophet Job. Some commentators opine that he was an Israelite, while others think that he was an Egyptian or an Arab who lived before Prophet Moses, or during the time of Prophets David and Solomon (peace be upon them all). As all these conjectures are based on the Book of Job, which is self-contradictory and against the Quran. Nothing can be said about him with certainty, but in the light of the Book of Isaiah (8th century BC) and the Book of Ezekiel (6th century BC), which are more trustworthy works, he lived in the 9th century BC or even earlier. As regards to his nationality, the context in which his name occurs in (Surah An-Nisa, Ayat 163) and (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayat 84), it may be assumed that he was an Israelite. According to a saying of Wahb bin Munabbih, he might have been from the offspring of Esau, a son of Prophet Isaac.
77. The words of the prayer are note-worthy. Prophet Job mentions his distress but does not say anything more to his Lord except: You are the most Merciful. This is a great proof of his fortitude, noble and contented nature.
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