Wealth. Family. Health. Those are the three things every single person hopes to have and maintain throughout their life; this is unarguable. Although, for us Muslims, our faith comes above all of that. There is no man or woman who has all of that to perfection. However, there is one man who, for a great part of his life, had a great abundance of wealth, a loving and big family, and fantastic health. This man was a Muslim and had a trust in Allah (SWT) that rivaled most. This man was one of our beloved prophets: Ayyub (AS). Although, he was tested by Allah (SWT) just like all of us get tested throughout our lives. Before his trials are taken into account, however, we must keep in mind that “Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear…” (Quran 2:286).

Ayyub (AS) was tested with things we let tear us down and pull us away from our Creator (SWT) every single day. In a very short amount of time, one after another, Ayyub (AS) lost his wealth, children, and his health. The two things he never lost was his trust in Allah (SWT) and his patience as he waited for Allah (SWT) to answer his duaas and rid him of his toughest struggles in life. A big problem in our ummah is our lack of patience when it comes to almost anything. We simply do not like to wait, and that drives us away from our religion when we go through hardships. We need to have trust in the power that Allah (SWT) has to fix our problems, and we need to be patient waiting for our duaas to be answered. A lot of times, when we ask Allah (SWT) for something, we tend to lose hope quickly when it is not answered within a time frame that we think is right for us. Ayyub (AS) waited years for his duaas to be answered, and when they were, he got double of what he asked for.

SubhanAllah, a lot of times we think that we cannot relate to the trials of our prophets, but looking at the trials Ayyub (AS) faced, they are struggles that the youth and the older generation face everyday, just usually not all at once. Ayyub (AS) had an extreme decrease in wealth and property, but he (AS) only let it push him closer to Allah (SWT). We, however, have people in our ummah who lose their jobs and turn to collecting their means of wealth through doing something that was forbid by Allah (SWT). We use excuses, saying that we are trying to provide for our families so maybe Allah (SWT) will accept this sin. Although, in reality, Allah (SWT) is the real provider and we need to realize that and be patient as He (SWT) provides us with wealth in the way He wants. Ayyub (AS) had that patience, and in return, Allah (SWT) blessed him with double the wealth.

Death is one of the hardest things we, as a community, go through. It is the one thing we all know is coming, but it is also the one thing that seems to surprise us every time it strikes. Death is an aspect of life that either tears people away from Islam or brings them closer; all of that depends on our patience and trust in our Creator (SWT). Only the parents will understand the patience of our beloved prophet Ayyub (AS) in a part of his life where he experienced death through his children. After losing his wealth, Ayyub (AS) lost all of his children, one after another. The loss of a child is one of the hardest tests Allah (SWT) can put us through, so just imagine losing multiple children. Every single day there happens to be a death in the community. We have parents in our community who go through the loss of their children. The only difference is that Ayyub (AS) had that patience and trust in Allah (SWT). Allah (SWT) rewarded Ayyub (AS) with more children after his test was over and all because he (AS) had the patience and trust in his Creator, even through the hard times. May Allah (SWT) grant all of us with that patience and trust when we lose somebody that we love.

Among his loss of wealth and the loss of his children, Ayyub (AS) had to face a major decrease in health. Not only did most of his major organs stop working for a while, but he (AS) also developed a skin disease. This disease repelled a lot of people away from him. People were disgusted and afraid of the diseases that Ayyub (AS) had to suffer through. Not only did our beloved prophet, Ayyub (AS), have to suffer through the physical and emotional pain of the major decreases in health, in his newfound disabilities, but he (AS) also had to deal with people drifting away from him because of it. SubhanAllah, through all of that, Ayyub (AS) did not complain whatsoever. He said Alhamdulillah through it all. He (AS) had patience like no other and he knew that, after he did his part, the only one who could truly cure him was Allah (SWT), and he (AS) had faith that he would be cured. It did not come immediately, but after a few years, Allah (SWT) did cure him with double his original health. Alhamdulillah.

Whether we take it into account or not, we have people in our community who go through these struggles. In so many different ways, a disability or health problem is very common in our community. For the people who do have to go through it directly, patience is key. From experience, I can honestly say that it is close to impossible to stay mentally sane without having that patience and trust in Allah (SWT). No matter what we go through, somebody somewhere is going through something just as bad, if not worse in its own way. If you are patient and grateful, you will get rewarded. If not in this life, then in the next inshAllah. Also, for the family and friends of the person, do not make the same mistake that Ayyub (AS)’ peers made. Do not distance yourself from them and be sure to have patience towards them. May Allah (SWT) grant all of us the utmost health, and may He grant patience to the people who do suffer.

Patience. Trust in Allah (SWT). Duaa. Those are the three key lessons we take out of Ayyub’s (AS) story. Through the loss of his wealth, children, and health, Ayyub (AS) had patience. His patience is what helped keep his iman (faith) so high. When a person expects Allah (SWT) to fix their problems the very second they occur, they are bound to be let down. Ayyub (AS) had so much patience that he did not even give himself the chance to be let down. It was easier for Ayyub (AS) to have that type of patience because of his trust in his Creator. He (AS) was confident in Allah (SWT)’s ability to help him. Through his trust came the constant duaa. “And your Lord says, ‘Call upon Me; I will respond to you.’” (Quran 40:60)  Ayyub’s (AS) duaas definitely did get answered and he was rewarded double the amount for his patience. We, as a community, need to take these lessons and apply them into our daily lives. Whether it comes to wealth, death, and/or health, like our prophet Ayyub (AS) went through, or another situation, patience is needed in every aspect of life and so is having trust in Allah (SWT). Our whole community, not just the youth, can benefit from these lessons. When we want to complain, we need to take a step back and say Alhamdulillah and make duaa. May Allah (SWT) make us among the ones who are patient for His sake and may He make us among the ones who put our whole trust in Him. Ameen.