Read the full story of the wife of Prophet Ayyub who did not leave her husband at the hard days but she remained patiently with him and thus Allah granted her the sweetness of faith.
Almighty Allah says,
And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient. Who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allah , and indeed to Him we will return.” Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided. (Al-Baqarah 2:155-157)
Patience is the best means for overcoming hardships and the most generous way to get Allah’s pleasure and fulfill the good hopes that please Allah, Glory be to Him. How beautiful patience is! It is the joy of the righteous and the harbor of the good.
Since patience is the mainstay of life as a whole, it is most required at the times of adversities that Allah tests His slaves with. At such a time, patience becomes obligatory upon one so as to turn the adversity into a grant and the misfortune into a gift. Ibn Al-Qayyim said, “Almighty Allah does not try His slave to destroy him; but tests him to examine his patience and submission to God.”
As we are discussing the virtue of patience, we have to talk about the wife of Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) who was a leading patient woman throughout history, who left the most positive influence upon those who have been subject to great misfortunes but they could come up with them with brave hearts and patient souls.
Her name is Liya bint Ya`qub, and it is said that her name is Rahmah bint Afrathim.
The wife of Ayyub and the life of bliss
Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) was a nob who enjoyed a very luxurious life with his wife Liya in the Levant. His wife was the first to believe in him as a Prophet from God because she saw from her husband perfect devoutness, compassion and mercy towards people. He used to give to the poor and provide for the needy, the orphans and the widows. He was very dutiful and thankful to God by offering the right of Allah upon him. They enjoyed a big family and numerous children. His wife was also a thankful practicing woman who would offer frequent praises and thanks to God the Almighty who gave her many children as well as a dutiful husband, Propeht Ayyub (peace be upon him). However, they had been subject to a divine test in all of these things that Allah had granted them.
A dutiful wife
Ayyub was inflicted with acute diseases that stricken his body and remained with him for long years. He was perfectly patient seeking reward from Allah and remembering him day and night, morning and evening, and at all his times. The disease kept with Ayyub so long until people forsaken him and nobody remained with him except his patient wife Liya. Al-Hasan said, “Ayyub was stricken with adversities followed by adversities; his money and family were ruined but he kept patient, peace be upon him. His wife, Liya, showed a pleasant patience because she used to entrust all her matters to Allah, the Almighty.” She showed him boundless kindness, care and attention. She was a dutiful wife who shared with her husband his hard times pleasantly as she shared with him his good times. Today women should take this woman as their example. They need to read her life story and take lessons from her peaceful and agreeable patience and care with her husband. Even, all of us need to learn from this truthful, thankful and dutiful woman. She deserved the highest position in truthfulness and dutifulness. She remained commendably with her husband for 18 of extreme sickness and bad conditions accepting the decree of Allah with thankful heart and faith in Him without any tiredness or boredom.
Ibn Kathir described the wife of Prophet Ayyub saying, “She is the patient, sacrificing, long suffering, truthful, dutiful and prudent woman, may Allah be pleased with her!.” Liya felt extreme pity for her husband Ayyub and deplored him. She saw that her husband was going through lasting troubles and he did not show except thankfulness, submission and patience. She asked him, according to Ibn `Abbas, “O Ayyub, you are a man whose supplication is surely answered, so ask Allah to heal you.” He replied saying, “We remained in Allah’s grace for 70 years, so let us go through adversities for other 70 years.” These words of Ayyub that manifest deep faith, submission and obedience of Allah made Liya, the wife of Ayyub, tolerably endure these difficulties and stick to him until Allah removed the harm from him and he went back sound and healthy.
Almighty Allah praised Ayyub for his patience saying,
We found him (Ayyub) patient, an excellent servant. Indeed, he was one repeatedly turning back [to Allah]. (Sad 38:44)
The gift of Allah has finally come and Ayyub was informed of a divine prescription which the Qur’an stated,
[So he was told], “Strike [the ground] with your foot; this is a [spring for] a cool bath and drink.” (Sad 38:42)
Allah commanded Ayyub to strike the earth with his leg. Ayyub did so which sent out pure water from underneath his leg. He drank from it and amazingly all the sickness in his stomach went away. Then, he bathed himself in this water and was totally healed. He would never sprinkle water at any of his organs but it returned completely sound and healthy even better than before. As his wife Liya was in her way back to him, when she saw him she did not know him at first but he informed her of Allah’s honor for him. She prostrated for Allah of thankfulness and said, “He is All-Able to do everything, He gives life to bones while they are disintegrated.”
Allah honored Prophet Ayyub and his wife and returned back to them their properties and children as they were before. It was said, “Almighty God has rewarded Prophet Ayyub and his wife for their patience and gave them generously in the worldly life instead for all that they lost.”
The wife of Prophet Ayyub was:
* An example in sincerity, obedience and patience.
* A practicing, thankful and dutiful woman.
* A woman who did not leave her husband at the hard days but she remained patiently with him and thus Allah granted her the sweetness of faith.