Hazrat Ayub AS Story The Prophet Stories in English
Assalamu Alaikum!
Walaikum Assalam!
Are you going to tell me
the story of Prophets today?
Yes of course!
You sound so excited!
I love hearing these stories Baba.
Mashallah! That’s great.
Today I will tell you
the story of Prophet Ayub (as)
Who is he Baba ?
Ayub (as) is a Prophet in Islam,
and his name is mentioned
in the Quran.
The Quran also describes the Prophet
as a righteous servant of Allah(swt),
who had to undergo the test of
Allah(swt) for a very long period of time!
Now listen carefully!
Bismillah!
The Story of Prophet Ayub (as)
A long long time ago, there lived
a man named Prophet Ayub (as).
He was one the grandsons
of Prophet Yusuf (as).
He had a wife named Rahma.
Both of them led a very happy life.
Allah (swt) blessed the Prophet
with many sons and daughters.
He was a wealthy man, and
he owned plenty of land.
He owned a large number
of cattles as well.
He was one of the sincere
worshippers of Allah (swt).
He was thankful to Allah(swt) for all
the blessings endowed upon him.
He loved the poor, and he
gave them food and clothes.
He always invited an orphan or
a poor person to eat with him.
One day it so happened
that the Angels were discussing
about Allah(swt)’s faithful servants.
“The best creature on earth
today is Ayub” said one of the angels.
“He is a man of noble character,
and he always remembers
his generous Lord.
He is an excellent model
for Allah’s followers”
Then another angel said “In return,
Lord has blessed him with a
long life and plenty of servants”.
“He helps the poor and the needy.
He also buys the slaves,
and set them free!
He is a very generous man”
Added another angel.
Shaytan overheard their conversation,
and he became very annoyed.
He decided to go to the Prophet
and tempt him to go
against his God.
First, he tried to distract him
from his prayers
by whispering about all the
good things in life!
But Ayub (as) was a true believer,
and the evil thoughts did not
tempt him at all!
When his trick failed,
Shaytan got really angry!!
Shaytan then complained to Allah
about Ayub.
He said that although the Prophet
kept praying to God,
he was not a sincere person.
Shaytan said that the Prophet
was trying to satisfy Allah,
so that God wont take his
wealth away from him!
“If you remove his wealth,
then you will find that
he will no longer mention
Your name!
He will even stop praying
to you!”
But Allah told Shaytan that Ayub
was one of His most sincere devotees.
The Prophet, He said, did not
worship Him
because of the favors he received.
Allah wanted to show Shaytan
the depth of the Prophet’s sincerity.
So He allowed Shaythan to do
whatever he wished with Ayub’s wealth.
Shaytan was very happy now!
He gathered his helpers and
started destroying
all that the Prophet owned!
He burned his farms,
cattles and he didn’t leave
his house as well!
Then he destroyed all
of the Prophet’s servants.
Ayub (as) was now left
with no possessions.
Rubbing his hand in glee,
Shaytan then approached the
Prophet disguised as an old man!
“All your wealth is lost”
He said to the Prophet.
Some people say that this is because
you gave too much to others as charity.
Some are saying that you are
wasting your time with your prayers!
“If Allah had the power to prevent
you from getting harmed,
He would have protected you”
But the Prophet’s faith was
not shaken even a little bit.
“What Allah(swt) has taken away,
belongs to Him” He replied.
“I was only a caretaker
of all of His possessions.
He gives to whom who He wills,
and withholds from whom He wills”
With these words, the Prophet
again prostrated to his Lord
When Shaytan saw this,
he felt frustrated!
So he addressed Allah (swt) again!
“I have stripped Ayub of
all of his possessions,
but still he remains grateful to You!”
He said to the Lord. “The real test
of a parent is through his children!
You will see how he rejects you,
when he loses his children”
Allah(swt) gave Shaytan the authority
to do what he wanted.
He also warned him that the Prophet’s
faith and patience will not reduce,
inspite of whatever Shaytan
had planned for.
Shaytan again gathered his helpers and
set out to destroy the Prophet’s children.
He destroyed the house in
which the sons and daughters
lived, killing all of them!
Then he went to the Prophet,
disguised as a man who came
to sympathize with him.
He said to the Prophet in
a comforting tone
“The circumstances under which your
children died were really sad.
Your Lord is not rewarding
you properly for all your prayers”
Then the Shaytan waited anxiously
hoping the Prophet was
now ready to reject Allah (swt)
But the Prophet said “Allah(swt)
sometimes gives,
and sometimes takes.
He is sometimes pleased,
and sometimes displeased
with what we do.
Whatever happens, I will remain firm
in my belief and remain
thankful to my creator”
And then, the Prophet
prostrated to his Lord.
Shaytan was very angry
when he saw that.
Shaytan called to Allah again!
“Oh lord” He said.
“Ayub has lost all of his wealth,
and his children are dead.
As long as he remains healthy,
he will continue to worship You,
hoping that he can produce
more children.
Grant me authority over
his body so that
I may weaken it. He will then surely
neglect worshipping, and
he will turn disobedient.”
Allah (swt) wanted to teach
Shaytan a lesson.
So He granted his third request,
but one one condition.
It was that Shaytan
will have authority over
the Prophet’s body
but not over his soul or intellect.
Shaytan was very happy,
as he knew that the Prophet
was surely going to give
up on his God this time.
Armed with this new authority
Shaytan began to afflict the body
of the Prophet with diseases
After sometime, the Prophet was
reduced to mere skin and bones!
But the Prophet stayed strong
in his faith amidst all the sufferings.
He did not despair or turn
to others for help,
and remained hopeful
of Allah(swt)'s mercy.
His close relatives, and even
friends deserted him.
Only his kind and loving
wife stayed with him.
She showered her kindness
on the Prophet,
and cared for him in this hour of need.
Shaytan had now become desperate,
so he decided to approach
the Prophet’s wife this time.
He went to her in the form of a man,
and asked her “Where is your husband?”
She pointed to an almost lifeless
form on the bed and said
“There he is, hanging between
life and death”
Shaytan then reminded her of the days
when the Prophet was in good health,
and when he had all
his wealth and children.
She was suddenly overcome with
the pain of years of hardship,
and she burst into tears.
“How long are you going to bear
this torture from our Lord”
she asked him crying. “Are we
going to remain without wealth,
children or friends forever?.
Why don’t you call upon Allah(swt) to
remove this suffering?
The prophet sighed and
replied in a soft voice
“Shaytan must have whispered
to you and made you upset.
Tell me how long did I enjoy
good health and the riches?”
He asked “Seventy years”
she replied.
“How long have I been
suffering like this now?”
He asked her again
“Seven years” she replied
The Prophet then told her “In that case,
I am ashamed to call on my Lord
to remove the hardships.
I have not suffered longer than the
years of good health and prosperity!”
He then told her “It seems
your faith has weakened
and you are dissatisfied with our Lord
If I ever regain my health, I swear
I will punish you with a
hundred strokes”
The Prophet then ordered her to leave
the house and never come back again.
The Prophet’s wife cried bitterly
and with a heavy heart left the house.
In this helpless state,
the Prophet prayed to Allah(swt)
not to complain, but to
seek His mercy.
“Oh Lord” he prayed
“Harm has inflicted me,
and You are the Most Merciful”
Allah (swt) accepted the
prayer of the Prophet,
and turned to him with mercy.
He commanded the Prophet to
strike the earth with his foot.
The Prophet obeyed the order,
and suddenly a spring
arose from the ground!!
He took a bath in the water
as God ordered him,
and suddenly he was cured!!
Meanwhile, his faithful wife
could no longer bear to be
parted from her husband,
so she returned to him with
a desire to serve him.
she was amazed to see
the sudden change!
The Prophet was healthy again!
She embraced him and
thanked Allah(swt) for His mercy.
Ayoub (as) was now worried
about the oath he had taken.
In his anger, he had taken
an oath to punish her
with a hundred strokes,
if he regained his health.
He did not want to hurt her
but he could not break a promise
made to Allah as well!
Allah (swt), in His wisdom and mercy,
came to solve the dilemma of
His faithful servant.
God asked him to take
a bundle of thin grass,
and gently strike his wife
with the bundle.
This way the Prophet didn’t
have to break his oath!!
The Prophet soon regained his wealth,
and his children were
raised from the dead!
It is said that Prophet Ayoub (as)
lived till the age of 93 years!!
This story should remind us
that Allah (swt)
would test us in many ways.
We should, therefore,
remain strong in our faith,
and worship Him constantly
Mashallah! That was such
a wonderful story!
Now are you ready for the questions?
Yes, I am!
Alright, now tell me how did Shaytan
try to distract the Prophet,
in his first attempt?
He tried to distract him from his prayers
by whispering about all
the good things in life!
And did the Prophet get distracted?
No.. The Prophet was a true believer,
and he didn’t get distracted at all!
That’s correct!
Now tell me how did he test
the Prophet, the second time?
Shaytan said that the Prophet
was trying to satisfy God
so that God wont take away
his wealth from him!
He then burned down all the
possessions of the Prophet!
Mashallah! That’s right again!
And did the Prophet stop
worshipping Allah(swt) this time?
No.. The Prophet said that it was God
who gave him all his possessions,
so it didn’t really matter
when God took it back
Very good! Now tell me how did
Shaytan test him the third time?
Shaytan took God’s permission to kill
all of the Prophet’s children!
And did the Prophet stop praying to
Allah(swt) after his children were killed?
No, the Prophet did not stop praying
to God, and this made Shaytan very angry!
And how did he test the
Prophet for the final time?
Shaytan took permission from God,
and afflicted the body of
the Prophet with diseases.
And did this make the Prophet
stop worshipping God?
No.. the Prophet stayed strong in his
faith amidst all the sufferings
He did not despair or turn
to others for help,
and remained hopeful of God’s mercy
Mashallah! All your answers were
correct Amir
Very good
Thank you Baba!
Alright, I will see you again tomorrow
with another story.
Good night my son!
Good night Baba !
Asalamu Alaikum!
Walaikum Assalam!
What were you reading my son?
I was reading a book
on Prophet Yunus (as).
Is it true that the Prophet
was swallowed by a huge whale?
Yes, its true my son!
And did the Prophet
live after that?
Yes he did.
Do you want to hear
his story today?
Yes, I do!
Please tell me Baba
Alright.. Now listen carefully
Bismillah!
The Story of Prophet Yunus (as)
A long long time ago,
there was a city named Nineveh.
The people of Nineveh
were idolaters,
who lived a shameless life.
Prophet Yunus (as) was
sent by Allah(swt) to Nineveh,
to preach to them
about the true God.
“You should believe only in
Allah(swt) and obey his commands”
He told them
“Otherwise a severe punishment
will come upon you”
He warned them
But the inhabitants of the town
didn’t like anyone to interfere
in their way of worship.
“We and our forefathers have worshipped
these Gods for many years”
said an old man
“And no harm has come
to us” added another
Prophet Yunus (as) tried very hard to
convince the people about Allah (swt).
But the people kept ignoring him
He warned that if they kept
on with their foolishness,
Allah(swt) will soon punish them
Instead of fearing Allah(swt),
they told the Prophet that they
were not afraid of his threats.
“Let your God punish
us” they told him
The Prophet was
disheartened by now.
“In that case I will leave
you to your misery”
saying that, he left
the town of Nineveh.
The Prophet became
impatient and he departed
without waiting for further
commands from Allah(swt).
He knew that God must
be angry on him,
so he decided to travel
to a distant land.
As soon as the Prophet
left the city,
the skies began to
change its color.
It looked like
they were on fire!
The people were filled
by fear at this sight!
They remembered the destruction of
the people of ‘Ad, Thamud and Nuh!
Slowly faith started
penetrating their hearts.
The people of Nineveh gathered
on the top of a mountain,
and started to pray to
Allah(swt) for His mercy.
The mountains echoed
with their cries,
the people of Nineveh repented
sincerely for the sins
they had committed.
When Allah(swt) heard
their prayers,
he decided not to punish them,
and He showered His blessing
upon the people once again!
When the people realized
that they were saved,
they prayed to Allah(swt) for
the return of Yunus (as),
so that he could guide them
Meanwhile, Yunus (as) had boarded a small
ship in the company of other passengers.
It sailed all day in calm waters, with a
good wind blowing at the sails.
But as the night came,
the sea suddenly changed.
There was a horrible storm,
and it looked like the ship was
going to be split into pieces!
The waves rose as
high as mountains,
tossing the ship up and down!
Everyone in the ship
were terrified!
The captain of the ship
shouted to the crew
to lighten the ships heavy load.
The crew first threw
their baggage overboard,
but this was not enough!
Their safety lay in reducing
the weight further,
so they decided among themselves,
that one among them
will have to be thrown into the sea.
In the meantime,
a large whale had
surfaced behind the ship.
Allah (swt) had commanded
the whale to surface,
and it had obeyed.
The whale kept following the
ship as he had been commanded.
And back at the ship,
the captain told them
“We will make lots with
all the travelers names.
The one whose name is drawn
will be thrown into the sea.
Yunus (as) reluctantly
participated in the lot,
and his name was added as well.
When the lot was drawn,
the paper had “Yunus”
written on it!
Since the crew knew that the Prophet
was the most honorable man among them,
they didn’t want to
throw him into the sea.
Therefore they decided
to draw a second lot.
And when they drew the
lot for the second time,
the name of the Prophet
appeared again!!
The crew decided to give one
final chance to the Prophet,
and drew a third lot.
But the Prophet’s name appeared during
the third and final lot as well!
The Prophet realized that Allah(swt) was
involved in what was going on.
He realized that Allah(swt)
was punishing him,
because he had abandoned the
mission without Allah (swt)'s consent.
It was decided that the Prophet
should throw himself into the water.
Yunus (as) stood at
the edge of the ship,
looking at the furious sea.
It was night and there
was no moon in the sky.
The stars were hidden
behind a black fog.
Before jumping into the sea, the
Prophet kept mentioning Allah(swt)’s name.
He then jumped into the sea,
and disappeared beneath
the huge waves.
The whale that was following the ship,
found the Prophet floating
on the waves.
It didn’t waste anytime,
and swallowed the
Prophet in one gulp!
The whale shut its ivory teeth,
as if they were white bolts
locking the door of his prison.
It then dived to the
bottom of the sea.
The Prophet imagined
himself to be dead,
but his senses became alert
when he figured that
he was able to move.
He realized that he was alive,
and knew that he was imprisoned.
In his loneliness, he started to think
over what had happened in the town,
and realized that he should
have never left the town.
Instead, he should have stayed and
kept on speaking to the people,
asking them to return to Allah(swt)
In his despair, the Prophet started to
pray with all his heart to Allah(swt).
“O Allah, there is no
God apart from You.
You alone do I praise and honor.
I have done wrong,
if You do not help me,
I shall be lost for ever”
The Prophet continued praying
to Allah(swt),
repeating his prayers.
Fishes, whales and many other creatures
that lived in the sea, heard the voice
of the Prophet's prayers,
coming from the whale's stomach
All these creatures gathered
around the whale,
and began to praise Allah(swt),
each in its own language!!
The whale also participated
in praising Allah(swt).
Then he understood that he
had swallowed a Prophet!
When he realized this,
He felt afraid at first!
He then said to himself
“Why should I be afraid?
Allah(swt) commanded me
to swallow him”
Allah(swt) Almighty saw the sincere
repentance of the Prophet,
and He decided to save him!
He commanded the whale
to go the surface,
and eject the Prophet
onto the shore.
The whale obeyed and swam to
the surface of the ocean.
He then ejected the Prophet
onto a remote island!
The Prophet was very sick
now because of the acids
inside the whale’s stomach.
His skin was inflamed,
and when the sun rose,
the rays burned his body!
The Prophet was on the verge of screaming
with pain by now.
But he endured the pain and continued
his prayers to Allah (swt)
Allah(swt) then caused
a tree to grow behind
where the Prophet was praying.
This tree protected the Prophet from the
harsh rays of the sun,
and it gave him nourishing fruits as well!
Gradually, he
regained his strength
and found his way
back to Nineveh.
He was pleasantly surprised to
notice the change that took place!
The entire population of Nineveh
turned out to welcome him!!
They informed him that they
now worshipped Allah(swt),
the one true God.
The Prophet was very
happy to hear that,
and he lived happily in
Nineveh until he died!
Masha Allah!
That was such a wonderful story!
I’m glad you liked it my son.
Now are you ready
for the questions?
Yes I am!
Alright, now tell me
the name of the town where
Prophet Yunus (as) preached
It was Nineveh!
That was quick!
Now for the next question.
Why did the Prophet
leave the town?
The Prophet was angry at the people of
Nineveh for not listening to his words.
That’s why he left the town,
even before God told him to.
Mashallah!
That’s excellent my son.
Now tell me why did the
Prophet jump into the sea?
The ship that the Prophet was travelling
got caught in a storm.
The captain and the crew decided that they
will have to throw one person
from among them, so as to
lighten the load.
The Prophet had to
jump into the sea
because his name came up
while drawing the lots.
Excellent Amir.
Now for the last question.
How did the Prophet escape
from the whale’s stomach?
The Prophet kept praying to God
while he was in the whale’s belly
God saw the sincere
repentance of the Prophet,
and He decided to save him!
God then commanded the
whale to go the surface,
and eject the Prophet
onto the shore.
Masha Allah! You give all
the right answers today!
I will tell you another
story tomorrow,
Good night my son!
Good night Baba!
