BEZAWADA Movies : The Story of Prophet Job ( Ayub) and Naboth's Vineyard

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The Story of Prophet Job

Description: The story of Prophet Job, a patient Prophet totally submitted to God Almighty.

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Category: Articles > Beliefs of Islam > Stories of the Prophets

Information about the various prophets sent by God to humankind can be found throughout the 114 chapters of Quran. The information is presented in a variety of ways. From a few short verses, to the long narrative concerning Prophet Joseph, that takes an entire chapter. Additionally, almost invariably, the prophets come to their particular people with the same message. They ordered their peoples to worship God alone, and not associate anything or anyone in worship with Him. The stories of the prophets emphasize this basic doctrine of Islam that God is One.

The Quran makes it quite clear that children and wealth are an adornment of this life and that we will be tested through our love for them. (Quran 18:46). In the stories of the prophets, we see that God tested various nations through loss of health and through the loss of wealth, even extreme poverty. God declares repentance and patience to be the keys to eternal life therefore accepting trials and even thanking God for them, denotes a high level of faith. Humankind however is in a constant struggle to accept the message of God. Many nations failed.

The story of Prophet Job is different. Through his story, we are able to view humankind’s struggle on a more personal level. God does not tell us about Job’s methods of preaching or how his people reacted to his warnings and admonitions. God does not tell us about the fate of Job’s people. Instead, He tells us about Job’s patience. He (the Almighty) praises Job by saying,

“Truly! We found him patient. How excellent a slave! Verily, he was ever oft returning in repentance to Us!” (Quran 38:44)

Christians often refer to the “patience of Job” and interestingly, Muslims refer to Job’s patience and try to emulate him in the face of relentless adversity. In the 10th century C.E. renowned Islamic scholar Ibn Kathir gathered what little information has survived about Job, therefore what follows is Job’s story based on Quran, the authentic traditions of Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, and Ibn Kathir’s Stories of the Prophets.

Job was a descendant of Noah (Quran 6:84). He loved God, worshipped Him alone, was patient, steadfast and sort forgiveness often. Satan overheard a group of angels discussing that Job was the best man of his generation and Satan’s dark heart was filled with jealousy and silent rage. His plan was to tempt Job away from goodness and have him fall into disbelief and corruption. Satan attempted to distract Job from his prayers but Job remained steadfast and prayed with commitment and concentration.

This caused Satan’s rage to grow and he complained to God saying that Job was a devoted worshipper only because God had blessed him with wealth and possessions. God allowed Satan and his helpers to destroy Jobs possessions, but Job remained true to his belief and acknowledged that God was able to give or take wealth and possessions as He pleased. Satan became even more frustrated and returned to God saying that Job only hid his disappointment because of his large happy family. Satan and his helpers destroyed Job’s home, the building came crashing down killing all of Job’s children.

Once again, Job turned to God for comfort and accepted this most heavy test without complaint. Satan disguised himself and approached Job in the form of an old man. The old man commiserated with Job and suggested that God was not rewarding Job for his devotion and prayers, but Job replied that God “sometimes gives and sometimes takes” and that he was well pleased with His Creator. Satan’s silent but smouldering anger grew. He returned to God saying that Job was fit and healthy and therefore had hopes of regaining his wealth and having more children. Satan asked permission to destroy Job’s health. God granted Satan’s third request excluding his ability to harm Job’s soul, heart, or intellect.

Satan and his helpers began to harm Job’s body, by the will of Allah. He was reduced to skin and bone and suffered severe pain. Job was also stricken with a disease that made people turn away from him with revulsion and his friends and relatives began to desert him. Only his wife remained with him. She cared for him and showered him with kindness even though they had become penniless and she had to work as a servant to provide them with a small morsel of food each day.

Throughout his ordeal, Job remained devoted to God. His lips and tongue remained moist with the remembrance of God and he never despaired or complained. He continued to thank God even for this great calamity that had befallen him. Satan was at a loss, he did not know how to entice Job away from his devotion to God so he decided to harass Job’s wife. He came to her in the form of a man and reminded her of the old days and how easy their life had once been. Job’s wife burst into tears and confronted Job saying, “ask your Lord to remove this suffering from us”.

Job was saddened and reminded his wife that God had blessed them with wealth, children and health for 80 years and that this suffering had been upon them for a relatively short period of time. He declared that he was ashamed to call on God to remove the hardship and admonished his wife saying that if he ever regained his health he would beat her with 100 strokes. Job’s loving wife was devastated, she turned away and sought shelter elsewhere. Job felt helpless, he turned to God, not to complain but to beg for mercy.

“Verily! distress has seized me and You are the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy.” So We answered his call, and we removed the distress that was on him, and We restored his family to him (that he had lost), and the like thereof along with them as a mercy from Ourselves and a Reminder for all who worship Us.” (Quran 21:83-84)

God restored Job’s health almost immediately. Job’s wife could not bear to be parted from her beloved husband for very long so she returned and was amazed when she saw his recovery. She cried out her thanks to God, and on hearing her words, Job became worried. He had taken an oath to beat his wife but he had no desire to hurt her for he loved her dearly. God wanted to ease the heart of his devoted, patient servant so he advised him to “take in your hand a bundle of thin grass and strike therewith your wife, and break not your oath”. (Quran 38:44)

From the traditions of Prophet Muhammad we learn that God also restored Job’s wealth. It is said that one day when he was taking a shower (or bath) God showered him with grasshoppers made of gold.[1] God rewarded Job’s patience abundantly. His health was restored, his family was returned to him and multiplied, and he once again became a wealthy man.

God tells us that Job’s story is a reminder for all those who worship God. (Quran 21:84) When one truly worships God with full submission, it is necessary to have patience. It is easy to worship for a few days or even weeks, but we must be consistent. Prayer at night requires patience, fasting requires patience, living with tribulations and trials requires patience. The life of this world is a test and in order to pass, and be rewarded with Paradise, we need to acquire the patience of J

1 Kings 21 New International Version (NIV)

Naboth’s Vineyard

21 Some time later there was an incident involving a vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. The vineyard was in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 Ahab said to Naboth, “Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth.”

3 But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my ancestors.”

4 So Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat.

5 His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, “Why are you so sullen? Why won’t you eat?”

6 He answered her, “Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, ‘Sell me your vineyard; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’”

7 Jezebel his wife said, “Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I’ll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, placed his seal on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city with him. 9 In those letters she wrote:

“Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people. 10 But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them bring charges that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.”

11 So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel directed in the letters she had written to them. 12 They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth in a prominent place among the people. 13 Then two scoundrels came and sat opposite him and brought charges against Naboth before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death. 14 Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.”

15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead.” 16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard.

17 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: 18 “Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. 19 Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’”

20 Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!”

“I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. 21 He says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free.[a] 22 I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have aroused my anger and have caused Israel to sin.’

23 “And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of[b] Jezreel.’

24 “Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country.”

25 (There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. 26 He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.)

27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.

28 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: 29 “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”

Footnotes:

1 Kings 21:21 Or Israel—every ruler or leader

1 Kings 21:23 Most Hebrew manuscripts; a few Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate and Syriac (see also 2 Kings 9:26) the plot of ground at

New International Version (NIV)

Book of Job

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The Book of Job (/ˈdʒoʊb/; Hebrew: אִיוֹב Iyov) is one of the Writings (Ketuvim) of the Hebrew Bible, and the first poetic book in the Christian Old Testament.[1] Addressing the theme of God's justice in the face of human suffering—or more simply, "Why do the righteous suffer?"[2]—it is a rich theological work, setting out a variety of perspectives.[3] It has been widely and often extravagantly praised for its literary qualities, with Alfred, Lord Tennyson calling it "the greatest poem of ancient and modern times".[4]

Contents [hide]

1 Structure

2 Contents

2.1 Prologue on earth and in heaven

2.2 Job's opening monologue; dialogues between Job and his three friends

2.3 Three monologues: Poem to Wisdom, Job's closing monologue, and Elihu's speeches

2.4 Two speeches by God

2.5 Epilogue

3 Composition

3.1 Authorship, language, texts

3.2 Job and the wisdom tradition

4 Themes

5 Later interpretation and influence

5.1 History of interpretation

5.2 Liturgical use

5.3 In music, art, literature, and film

5.4 In Islam and Middle Eastern folk tradition

6 See also

7 References

8 Bibliography

9 Further reading

10 External links

Structure[edit]

Jewish scroll of the Book of Job

The Book of Job consists of a prose prologue and epilogue narrative framing poetic dialogues and monologues.[5] It is common to view the narrative frame as the original core of the book, enlarged later by the poetic dialogues and discourses, and sections of the book such as the Elihu speeches and the wisdom poem of chapter 28 as late insertions, but recent trends have tended to concentrate on the book's underlying editorial unity.[6]

1. Prologue in two scenes, the first on earth, the second in heaven (chapters 1-2);

2. Job's opening monologue (chapter 3 - seen by some scholars as a bridge between the prologue and the dialogues and by others as the beginning of the dialogues),[7] and three cycles of dialogues between Job and his three friends (chapters 4-27 - the third cycle is not complete, the expected speech of Zophar being replaced by the wisdom poem of chapter 28):[8]

First cycle

Eliphaz (chapters 4-5) and Job's response (chapters 6-7)

Bildad (8) and Job (9-10)

Zophar (11) and Job (12-14)

Second cycle

Eliphaz (15) and Job (16-17)

Bildad (18) and Job (19)

Zophar (20) and Job (21)

Third cycle

Eliphaz (22) and Job (23-24)

Bildad (25) and Job (26-27);

3. Three monologues:

A Poem to Wisdom (chapter 28, previously read as part of the speech of Job, now regarded by most scholars as a separate interlude in the narrator's voice),[7]

Job's closing monologue (chapters 29-31),

and Elihu's speeches (chapters 32-37);

4. Two speeches by God (chapters 38:1-40:2 and 40:6-41:34, 42:7-8), with Job's responses;

5. Epilogue - Job's restoration (chapters 42:9-17).

Contents[edit]

Job's Tormentors' from William Blake's Illustrations for the Book of Job.

Prologue on earth and in heaven[edit]

The prologue on earth shows the righteous Job blessed with wealth and sons and daughters. The scene shifts to heaven, where God asks Satan (ha-satan, literally "the accuser") for his opinion of Job's piety. Satan answers that Job is pious only because God has blessed him; if God were to take away everything that Job had, then he would surely curse God. God gives Satan permission to take Job's wealth and kill all of his children and servants [9] but Job nonetheless praises God: "Naked I came out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return: the Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." God allows Satan to afflict his body with boils. Job sits in ashes; his wife prompts him to "curse God, and die," but Job answers: "Shall we receive good from God and shall we not receive evil?"

Job's opening monologue; dialogues between Job and his three friends[edit]

Job laments the day of his birth; he would like to die, but even that is denied him. His three friends Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, console him. The friends do not waver in their belief that Job's suffering is a punishment for sin, for God causes no one to suffer innocently, and advise him to repent and seek God's mercy. Job responds with scorn: a just God would not treat him so harshly, patience in suffering is impossible, and the Creator should not take his creatures so lightly, to come against them with such force.[10]

Three monologues: Poem to Wisdom, Job's closing monologue, and Elihu's speeches[edit]

The dialogues of Job and his friends are followed by a poem (the "hymn to wisdom") on the inaccessibility of wisdom: Where is wisdom to be found? it asks, and concludes that it has been hidden from man (chapter 28).[11] Job contrasts his previous fortune with his present plight, an outcast, mocked and in pain; he protests his innocence, lists the principles he has lived by, and demands that God answer him.[12] Elihu (a character not previously mentioned) intervenes to state that wisdom comes from God, who reveals it through dreams and visions to those who will then declare their knowledge.[11]

Two speeches by God[edit]

God speaks from a whirlwind. His speeches neither explain Job's suffering, nor defend divine justice, nor enter into the courtroom confrontation that Job has demanded, nor respond to his oath of innocence.[13] Instead they contrast Job's weakness with divine wisdom and omnipotence: "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?" Job makes a brief response, but God's monologue resumes, never addressing Job directly.[14] In 42:1-6 Job makes his final response, confessing God's power and his own lack of knowledge "of things beyond me which I did not know;" previously he has only heard, but now his eyes have seen God, and "therefore I retract/And repent of dust and ashes."[15]

Epilogue[edit]

God tells Eliphaz that he and his two friends "have not spoken of me what is right as my servant Job has done." The three (Elihu is not mentioned) are told to make a burnt offering with Job as their intercessor, "for only to him will I show favour." Job is restored to health, riches and family, and lives to see his children to the fourth generation.[16]

Composition[edit]

Anonymous Byzantine illustration

God speaks to Job

Authorship, language, texts[edit]

Ascribed by Jewish tradition to Moses, it is generally agreed by scholars that the book comes from the period between the 7th and 4th centuries BCE, with the 6th century as the most likely date for a variety of reasons.[17] The anonymous author was almost certainly an Israelite, although he has set his story outside Israel, in southern Edom or northern Arabia, and makes allusion to places as far apart as Mesopotamia and Egypt.[18] According to the 6th-century prophet Ezekiel, Job was a man of antiquity renowned for his righteousness,[19] and the book's author has chosen this legendary hero for his parable.[20]

The language of Job stands out for its conservative spelling and for its exceptionally large number of words and forms not found elsewhere in the Bible.[21] The 12th century Jewish scholar Ibn Ezra concluded that the book must have been written in some other language and translated into Hebrew, and many later scholars down to the 20th century looked for an Aramaic, Arabic or Edomite original; but a close analysis suggests that the foreign words and foreign-looking forms are literary affectations designed to lend authenticity to the book's distant setting.[22]

The book exists in a number of forms; the Hebrew Masoretic Text, which underlies many modern Bible translations, the Greek Septuagint made in Egypt in the last centuries BCE, and Aramaic and Hebrew manuscripts found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.[23]

Job and the wisdom tradition[edit]

Job, Ecclesiastes and the book of Proverbs belong to the genre of wisdom literature, sharing a perspective that they themselves call the "way of wisdom."[24] Wisdom means both a way of thinking and a body of knowledge gained through such thinking, as well as the ability to apply it to life; it is attainable in part through human effort, and in part as a gift from God, but never in its entirety— except by God.[25] The three books share attitudes and assumptions, but differ in their conclusions: Proverbs makes confident statements about the world and its workings that are flatly contradicted by Job and Ecclesiastes.[26] Wisdom literature was not confined to the Bible, or to Israel;[27] several texts from ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt offer parallels to Job,[28] and while it is impossible to tell whether the author of Job was influenced by any of them, their existence tells us that he was the recipient of a long tradition of reflection on the existence of inexplicable suffering.[29]

Themes[edit]

Gustave Doré,

Destruction of Leviathan

Job is an investigation of the problem of divine justice.[30] This problem, known in theology as theodicy, can be rephrased as a question: "Why do the righteous suffer?"[2] The conventional answer in ancient Israel was that God rewards virtue and punishes sin (the principle known as "retributive justice").[31] This assumes a world in which human choices and actions are morally significant, but experience demonstrates that suffering cannot be sensibly understood as a consequence of bad choices and actions, and unmerited suffering requires theological candour.[32]

The biblical concept of righteousness was rooted in the covenant-making God who had ordered creation for communal well-being, and the righteous were those who invested in the community, showing special concern for the poor and needy (see Job's description of his life in chapter 31); their antithesis were the wicked, who were selfish and greedy.[33] Satan raises the question of whether there is such a thing as disinterested righteousness: if God rewards righteousness with prosperity, will men not act righteously from selfish motives? He asks God to test this by removing the prosperity of Job, the most righteous of all God's servants.[34]

The book begins with the frame narrative, giving the reader an omniscient "God's eye perspective" which introduces Job as a man of exemplary faith and piety, "blameless and upright," who "fears God" and "shuns evil."[35][36] God is seen initiating the discussion with Satan and approving Job's suffering, a device which serves three purposes: the usual explanations for suffering, that the sufferer has committed some sin of which he is unaware or that God's actions are inscrutable, are eliminated; it makes clear that it is not Job who is on trial, but God's policy of retribution; and the reader sees that God himself bears responsibility for Job's suffering.[37] The contrast between the frame and the poetic dialogues and monologues, in which Job never learns of the opening scenes in heaven or of the reason for his suffering, creates a sense of contradictory juxtaposition between the divine and human views of Job's suffering.[36][38]

In the poetic dialogues Job's friends see his suffering and assume he must be guilty, since God is just; Job, knowing he is innocent, concludes that God must be unjust.[39] He retains his piety throughout the story (belying Satan's suspicion that his righteousness is due to the expectation of reward), but makes clear from his first speech that he agrees with his friends that God should and does reward righteousness.[40] Elihu rejects the arguments of both parties: Job is wrong to accuse God of injustice, as God is greater than human beings, and nor are the friends correct, for suffering, far from being a punishment, may "rescue the afflicted from their affliction" and make them more amenable to revelation—literally, "open their ears" (36:15).[39]

Chapter 28, the Hymn to Wisdom, introduces another theme, divine wisdom. The hymn does not place any emphasis on retributive justice, stressing instead the inaccessibility of wisdom.[41] Wisdom cannot be discovered or purchased, it says; God alone knows the meaning of the world, and he grants it only to those who live in reverence before him.[42] God possesses wisdom because he grasps the complexities of the world (Job 28:24-26)—a theme which looks forward to God's speech in chapters 38-41, with its repeated refrain "Where were you when...?"[43]

When God finally speaks he neither explains the reason for Job's suffering (revealed to the reader in the prologue in heaven) nor defends his justice. The first speech focuses on his role in maintaining order in the universe: the list of things that God does and Job cannot do demonstrates divine wisdom because order is the heart of wisdom. Job then confesses his lack of wisdom, meaning his lack of understanding of the workings of the cosmos and of the ability to maintain it. The second speech concerns God's role in controlling leviathan and behemoth, sometimes translated as the hippopotamus and crocodile, but more probably representing primeval cosmic creatures, in either case demonstrating God's wisdom and power.[44] Job's reply to God's final speech is longer than his first, and more complicated: the usual view is that he admits to being wrong to challenge God and now repents "in dust and ashes" (42:6), but the Hebrew is difficult and an alternative understanding is that Job says he was wrong to repent and mourn and does not retract any of his arguments.[45] In the concluding part of the frame narrative God restores and increases his prosperity, indicating that the divine policy on retributive justice remains unchanged.[46]

Later interpretation and influence[edit]

History of interpretation[edit]

In the Second Temple period (500 BCE-70 CE) Job began being transformed into something more patient and steadfast, with his suffering a test of virtue and a vindication of righteousness for the glory of God.[47] The process of "sanctifying" Job began with the Greek Septuagint translation (c.200 BCE) and was furthered in the Testament of Job (1st century BCE-1st century CE), which makes him the hero of patience.[48] This reading pays little attention to the Job of the dialogue sections of the book,[49] but was the tradition taken up by the New Testament epistle of James, which presented Job as one whose patience and endurance should be emulated by believers (James 5:7-11).[50]

Jewish interpretation of Job was initially positive: he was seen as a righteous Gentile who acknowledged God.[51] Very early, however, Christianity began interpreting Job 19:23-29 (verses concerning a "redeemer" whom Job hopes can save him from God) as a prophecy of Christ,[52] although the major view among scholars is that Job's "redeemer" is either an angelic being or God himself.[53] With Job appropriated as a witness to the coming Christ, the predominant Jewish view became "Job the blasphemer," some rabbis even saying that he was rightly punished by God because he had stood by while Pharaoh massacred the innocent Jewish infants.[54][55]

Saint Augustine recorded that Job had prophesied the coming of Christ and Gregory the Great offered him as a model of right living worthy of respect; the medieval Jewish scholar Maimonides declared his story a parable and the medieval Christian Thomas Aquinas wrote a detailed commentary declaring it true history; in the Reformation Martin Luther explained how Job's confession of sinfulness and worthlessness underlay his saintliness, and John Calvin's Job demonstrated the doctrine of the resurrection and the ultimate certainty of divine justice.[56]

The contemporary movement known as creation theology, an ecological theology valuing the needs of all creation, interprets God's speeches in Job 38-41 to imply that his interests and actions are not exclusively focused on humankind.[57]

Liturgical use[edit]

Jewish liturgy does not use readings from the book of Job in the manner of the Pentateuch, Prophets, or Five Megillot, although it is quoted at funerals and times of mourning. However, there are some Jews, particularly the Spanish and Portuguese Jews, who do hold public readings of Job on the Tisha B'Av fast (a day of mourning over the destruction of the First and Second Temples and other tragedies). The cantillation signs for the large poetic section in the middle of the Book of Job differ from those of most of the biblical books, using a system shared with it only by Psalms and Proverbs.

The Eastern Orthodox Church reads from Job and Exodus during Holy Week. Exodus prepares for the understanding of Christ's exodus to his Father, of his fulfillment of the whole history of salvation; Job, the sufferer, is the Old Testament icon of Christ. The Roman Catholic Church reads from Job during Matins in the first two weeks of September and in the Office of the Dead, and in the revised Liturgy of the Hours Job is read during the Eighth and Ninth Weeks in Ordinary Time.[citation needed]

In music, art, literature, and film[edit]

Georges de La Tour,

Job Mocked by his Wife

The book of Job has been deeply influential in Western culture, to such an extent that no list could be more than representative. Musical settings from Job include Orlande de Lassus's 1565 cycle of motets, the Sacrae Lectiones Novem ex Propheta Job, and George Frideric Handel's use of Job 19:25 ("I know that my redeemer liveth") as an aria in his 1741 oratorio Messiah. Modern works based on the book include Ralph Vaughan Williams's Job: A Masque for Dancing, French composer Darius Milhaud's Cantata From Job, and Joseph Stein's Broadway interpretation The Fiddler on the Roof, based on an earlier Yiddish memoir by Sholem Alchem in 1894. Neil Simon wrote God's Favorite which is a modern retelling of the Book of Job. Breughel and Georges de la Tour depicted Job visited by his wife, and William Blake produced an entire cycle of illustrations for the book. Writers Job has inspired or influenced include John Milton (Samson Agonistes), Dostoevsky (The Brothers Karamazov), Franz Kafka (The Trial), Carl Jung (Answer to Job), Philip Roth and Bernard Malamud. The most prominent use[according to whom?] of the Book of Job in modern literature has probably been Archibald MacLeish's drama, J.B., which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1959. Job's influence can also be seen in the Coen brothers' 2009 film, A Serious Man, which was nominated for two Oscars.

In Islam and Middle Eastern folk tradition[edit]

Job (Arabic Ayyub ايوب) is one of the 25 prophets mentioned by name in the Quran, where he is lauded as a steadfast and upright worshiper (Q.38:34). His story has the same basic outline as in the Bible, although the three friends are replaced by his brothers and his wife stays by his side.[55][58] In Palestinian folklore, Job's place of trial is Al-Joura, a village outside the town of Al Majdal (Ashkelon). It was there that God rewarded him with a Fountain of Youth that removed whatever illnesses he had, and restored his youth. Al-Joura was a place of annual festivities (4 days in all) when people of many faiths gathered and bathed in a natural spring. In Lebanon the Muwahideen (or Druze) community have a shrine built in the Shouf area of Lebanon that allegedly contains Job's tomb. In Turkey, Job is known as Eyüp, and he is supposed to have lived in Şanlıurfa. There is also a tomb of Job outside the city of Salalah in Oman in the Sultanate of Oman.

Job in Islam

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article improperly uses one or more religious texts as primary sources without referring to secondary sources that critically analyze them. Please help improve this article by adding references to reliable secondary sources, with multiple points of view. (December 2012)

An imagining of Job from an illuminated manuscript version of Stories of the Prophjjhets.

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"Allah" in Arabic calligraphy

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Further reading[edit]

Ibn Kathir, Bidaya wa l-Nihaya, i, 220–225

Tafsir on XXI and XXXVII

Tabari, i, 361–364

Thalabi, Tales of the Prophets, Cairo 1339, 106–114

Kisa'i, Stories of the Prophets, 179–190

Ibn Asakir, Tarikh al-Kabir, iii, 190–200

References[edit]

Jump up ^ Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary, note 2739: "Job (Ayub) was a prosperous man, with faith in Allah, living somewhere in the north-east corner of Arabia. He suffers from a number of calamities: his cattle are destroyed, his servants slain by the sword, and his family crushed under his roof. But he holds fast to his faith in Allah. As a further calamity he is covered with loathsome sores from head to foot. He loses his peace of mind, and he curses the day he was born. His false friends come and attribute his afflictions to sin. These "Job's comforters" are no comforters at all, and he further loses his balance of mind, but Allah recalls to him all His mercies, and he resumes his humility and gives up self-justification. He is restored to prosperity, with twice as much as he had before; his brethren and friends come back to him; he had a new family of seven sons and three fair daughters. He lived to a good old age, and saw four generations of descendants. All this is recorded in the Book of Job in the Old Testament. Of all the Hebrew writings, the Hebrew of this Book comes nearest to Arabic."

Jump up ^ Posted by;Sultan of Gandamatu,The Holy Qur'an:Text,Translation and Commentary in Meranau language,note:So Allah na Pitharo iyan sa qur'an;Mataan! a Skami na inilahaman Ami ska (ya Mohammad), sa lagid o kiyailahami Ami ko Noh go so manga nabi ko miyaoriyan iyan: Go inilahaman Ami so Ibrahim, go so Ismail, go so Is´haq, go so Ya´qob, go so mbawataan iyan, go so Eysa, go so Ayyob, go so Yonos, go so Haron, go so Solayman, go inibgay Ami ko Dawood so Zaboor (V4:168)

^ Jump up to: a b Brandon M. Wheeler, Historical Dictionary of Prophets in Islam and Judaism, Job, pg. 171

Jump up ^ Encyclopedia of Islam, A. Jefferey, Ayyub

Jump up ^ Ibn Kathir states in Stories of the Prophets: "Ibn Ishaaq stated that he was a man of Rum. His name was Job, son of Mose, son of Razeh, son of Esau, son of Isaac, son of Abraham."

Jump up ^ Quran 6:83-84

Jump up ^ Quran 4:163

Jump up ^ Quran 21:83

Jump up ^ Quran 38:41

Jump up ^ Qur'an 6:84

^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Ibn Kathir, Stories of the Prophets, The Story of the Prophet Job

Jump up ^ Qur'an 38:44

Jump up ^ Ibn Kathir. Stories of the Prophet. Mansura: Dar Al-Manarah. pp. 157–9. ISBN 977-6005-17-9.

PROPHET Job (AYYUB) (peace be upon him)

The Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) was one of the descendants of the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and a nephew of Prophet Ya'qub (peace be upon him). He was sent to reform the people who lived in the desert situated in the north eastern corner of Palestine.

When Ayyub (Job) was chosen to be the Prophet, he started to teach the people about God and His religion. He advised the people to do good and shun evil. As usual with all the Prophets very few people believed in him in the beginning but gradually the number of his followers began to increase.

The Prophet Ayyub was Well Off:

The Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) was a prosperous man with firm faith in Allah. He possessed vast farms, enormous wealth, many cattle and valuable property but these things did not make him arrogant. His wealth provided him with a medium by means of which he sought Allah's grace.

The Prophet Ayyub Displays Patience:

The Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) was a pattern of humility and faith in Allah. He was very patient. He suffered from a number of calamities but did not utter a single word of complaint. One day his big farm was attacked by the thieves. They killed many of his servants and carried away forcibly all his cattle. The Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) did not feel sorry at this loss and thanked Allah. After some time the roof of the house fell down and many members of his family were crushed. The Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) was much shocked but he held fast to his faith in Allah. He neither shed a tear nor heaved a sigh. He prostrated before the Almighty. He remarked that possessions and children were the gifts from Allah. If He had taken His things, it was useless to lament over their loss.

After a few years Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) suffered from skin disease. His parts of body were covered with loathsome sores. He had many ugly looking ulcers on his face and hands. The sores were full of worms. It is narrated that he picked up those worms which fell from his abscess and praised Allah for creating them. Above all, his false friends attributed his calamities to his sins. They ridiculed and looked down upon him. All the persons deserted him with the exception of his faithful wife, Rahima. She also grew tired of him in the long run and prayed for his death. She cursed her husband for retaining integrity in Allah. When Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) was in an extremely pathetic condition he prayed:

"Truly adversity has afflicted me and You are Most Merciful of all who show mercy." (21: 83)

Allah accepted his prayer. The Holy Qur'an affirms:

"Then We heard his prayer and removed that adversity from which he suffered, and We gave him his household and the like thereof along with them, a mercy from Our store and remembrance for the worshippers." (21: 84)

The Prophet Ayyub Recovers and Prospers:

Allah turned to him with mercy. He was commanded to strike the earth with his foot. He complied with the order and water from the spring gushed forth. He took a bath with the water and got cured from his evil disease. After this he was restored to prosperity. The Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) knelt and prayed expressing a deep sense of gratitude to Allah. He never forgot His favors, mercy and love.

The Prophet Ayyub (peace be upon him) was one of the celebrated Prophets. His example illustrates: that those who remain patient under the stress · of all circumstances, art never deprived of high rewards. The Holy Qur'an affirms:

"And surely we try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and crops, but give glad-tidings to the steadfast, who when a misfortune befalls them, say lo! we are Allah's (possession of Allah) and to Him shall we surely return. · Such are they on whom are blessings from their Lord, and mercy. Such are the rightly-guided." (2: 155-157)

Prophet Ayyub (a)

The Prophet Ayyub had

been a wealthy man.

He was a very good

man but he lost his family

and his wealth.

He became ill and had terrible

sores all over his body.

However he never gave up.

He spent his time praying.

He was very patient and

always kept his faith in Allah.

Eventually Allah showed mercy.

He told Ayyub to strike the earth

with his foot and miraculously

a fountain appeared.

He drank the water and used

it to wash his body.

All his sores were healed

and everything was returned

to him as before.

Allah had rewarded him for

keeping his faith despite the

terrible afflictions he

had tested him with.

http://www.al-islam.org/stories-prophets/prophet-ayyub

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Stories of The Prophets

Prophet Adam (a)

Habil and Qabil

Prophet Nuh (a)

Prophet Hud (a)

Prophet Salih (a)

Prophet Ibrahim (a)

Prophet Ibrahim (a) II

Prophet Ismail (a)

The Sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim (a)

Prophet Ibrahim (a) & Prophet Ishaq (a)

Prophet Yaqub (a) & Prophet Yusuf (a)

Prophet Yusuf (a)

Prophet Shu'ayb (a)

Prophet Yunus (a)

Prophet Ayyub (a)

Prophet Musa (a)

Prophet Yaqub (a) & Prophet Yusuf (a)

Yaqub was also

known as Israil.

Israil's children could

see that Yusuf was their

father's favourite. This

made them very jealous.

They became so jealous,

some of them actually

wanted to kill him.

The jealous brothers

finally decided

to throw Yusuf

into a deep well.

They went to Israil, their

father, to ask if they could

take Yusuf out with

them; they said they would

teach him to be a good

shepherd. Israil would

not let Yusuf go because

he thought the others

were planning to do

something bad.

One day Yusuf went to

Israil and said that he

had had a strange dream.

In the dream Yusuf

had seen the sun, the

moon and eleven stars

bowing down to him!

Israil felt that

the dream had a

message, Yusuf was

going to have a

great future. He

told Yusuf not to

tell his brothers

about the dream.

Israil's son were

still thinking of their

plan to kill Yusuf.

They pestered Israil

to let them take

Yusuf with them

to their work.

At last Israil agreed,

but he made them promise

to look after him.

They were so bad they

knew they would break

their promise.

At the end of the day

they asked Yusuf to take

off his shirt. They killed

a sheep and put blood all

over Yusuf's shirt; then they

threw Yusuf into a well.

They went home and

showed the shirt to Israil.

Pretending to be very upset;

they told their father that Yusuf

had got left behind and a

wolf had eaten him!

Israil was very

upset but he

did not believe

the story.

He knew that one

day Allah would

bring Yusuf back

to him.

Poor Yusuf spent the

night in the well.

The next morning, when

someone put the

bucket down the

well to get water,

he sat in the bucket.

The man had to get help

to pull the bucket up.

He was very surprised to see

a boy in it.

The man was a merchant.

The merchant decided

to take Yusuf with

him to Egypt and to

sell him as a slave.

When they arrived in

Egypt, one of the noble

families bought Yusuf.

The man who

bought him told

his wife that they

should take care of

him, as he was a

good-looking child

and they had no

children of their own.

Yusuf became one

of the family.

https://books.google.co.in/books?id=1G4OAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA46&lpg=PA46&dq=Naboth%E2%80%99s+Vineyard+Islam&source=bl&ots=uGD0fPvMLn&sig=Y347oQjBwqFRL1O_BPoLNWxF89Q&hl=en&sa=X&ei=zWv3VIiDAY6KuASn9ILACg&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Naboth%E2%80%99s%20Vineyard%20Islam&f=false

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Heemeyer

Marvin Heemeyer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Marvin Heemeyer

Marvin Heemeyer.jpg

Marvin John Heemeyer

Born October 28, 1951

Died June 4, 2004 (aged 52)

Granby, Colorado, U.S.

Cause of death

Self-inflicted gunshot

Known for Killdozer rampage

Marvin John Heemeyer (October 28, 1951 – June 4, 2004) was a welder and an automobile muffler repair shop owner most known for his rampage with a modified bulldozer. Outraged over the outcome of a zoning dispute, he armored a Komatsu D355A bulldozer with layers of steel and concrete and used it on June 4, 2004, to demolish the town hall, the former mayor's house, and other buildings in Granby, Colorado. The rampage ended when the bulldozer got stuck in the basement of a Gambles store he had previously destroyed. Heemeyer then killed himself with a handgun.

Heemeyer had been feuding with Granby officials, particularly over fines for violating city ordinances and a zoning dispute regarding a concrete factory constructed opposite his muffler shop.[1]

Contents [hide]

1 Background

2 Zoning dispute

3 Bulldozer modification

4 Rampage

4.1 Fate of the bulldozer

5 Motivation

6 See also

7 References

8 External links

Background[edit]

Heemeyer lived in Grand Lake, Colorado, about 16 miles (26 km) away from Granby.[2] According to a neighbor, Heemeyer moved to town over 10 years prior to the incident. Heemeyer's friends stated that he had no relatives in the Granby-Grand Lake area.[3]

John Bauldree, a friend of Heemeyer, said that Heemeyer was an enjoyable person. Ken Heemeyer said his brother "would bend over backwards for anyone". While many people described Heemeyer as a likable person, others told a different story. Christie Baker said that Heemeyer threatened her husband after he refused to pay for a faulty muffler repair.[4] Baker said her husband later paid Heemeyer $124 via an intermediary.[4]

Zoning dispute[edit]

In 1992, Heemeyer bought 2 acres (8,100 m2) of land from the Resolution Trust Corporation, the federal agency organized to handle the assets of failed savings and loan institutions. He bought the land for $42,000 to build a muffler shop and subsequently agreed to sell the land to a concrete company owned by the Docheff family to build a concrete batch plant. The agreed price was $250,000 but according to Susan Docheff, Heemeyer changed his mind and increased the price to $375,000 and later demanded a deal worth approximately $1 million. Some believe this negotiation happened before the rezoning proposal was heard by the town council.[5]

In 2001, the zoning commission and the town's trustees approved the construction of a cement manufacturing plant. Heemeyer appealed the decisions unsuccessfully. For many years, Heemeyer had used the adjacent property as a way to get to his muffler shop. The plan for the cement plant blocked that access. In addition to the frustration engendered by this dispute over access, Heemeyer was fined $2,500 by the Granby government for various violations, including "junk cars on the property and not being hooked up to the sewer line".

As a last measure, Heemeyer petitioned the city with his neighbors and friends, but to no avail. He could not function without the sewer line and the cooperation of the town.[6]

Bulldozer modification[edit]

Heemeyer leased his business to a trash company and sold the property several months prior to the rampage.

Heemeyer had bought a bulldozer two years before the incident with the intention of using it to build an alternative route to his muffler shop, but city officials rejected his request to build the road.

Notes found by investigators after the rampage indicate that the primary motivation for Heemeyer's bulldozer rampage was his fight to stop a concrete plant from being built near his shop. The notes indicated Heemeyer held grudges over the zoning approval. "I was always willing to be reasonable until I had to be unreasonable", Heemeyer wrote. "Sometimes reasonable men must do unreasonable things."[7]

Heemeyer took about a year and a half to prepare for his rampage. In notes found by investigators after the incident, Heemeyer wrote: "It's interesting how I never got caught. This was a part-time project over a 1½ year time period." Heemeyer was surprised that several men who had visited the shed late the previous year did not discover the modified bulldozer, "especially with the 2000-pound lift fully exposed". "Somehow their vision was clouded", he wrote.[7]

The machine used in the incident was a Komatsu D355A bulldozer[8] fitted with makeshift armor plating covering the cabin, engine and parts of the tracks. In places, the vehicle's armor was over 1 foot (30 cm) thick, consisting of 5000-psi Quikrete concrete mix sandwiched between sheets of tool steel (acquired from an automotive dealer in Denver) to make ad-hoc composite armor. This made the machine impervious to small arms fire and resistant to explosives; three external explosions and over 200 rounds of firearm ammunition fired at the bulldozer had no effect on it.[1]

For visibility, the bulldozer was fitted with several video cameras linked to two monitors mounted on the vehicle's dashboard. The cameras were protected on the outside by 3 inches (76 mm) shields of bullet-resistant plastic.[1] Onboard fans and an air conditioner were used to keep Heemeyer cool while driving and compressed air nozzles were fitted to blow dust away from the video cameras. He made three gun ports, fitted for a .50 caliber sniper rifle, a .308 semi automatic, and a .22 long rifle, all fitted with a half inch thick steel plate. Heemeyer apparently had no intention of leaving the cabin once he entered.[1] Authorities speculated Heemeyer may have used a homemade crane found in his garage to lower the armor hull over the dozer and himself. "Once he tipped that lid shut, he knew he wasn't getting out", Daly said. Investigators searched the garage where they believe Heemeyer built the vehicle and found cement, armor and steel.[1]

Afterwards, the modified bulldozer came to be known as "Killdozer", although only Heemeyer was killed in the incident.[9]

Rampage[edit]

Heemeyer used an armor-plated Komatsu D355A bulldozer to destroy 13 buildings in Granby, Colorado.

On June 4, 2004, Heemeyer drove his armored bulldozer through the wall of his former business, the concrete plant, the Town Hall, the office of the local newspaper that editorialized against him, the home of a former judge's widow, and a hardware store owned by another man Heemeyer named in a lawsuit, as well as others. Owners of all the buildings that were damaged had some connection to Heemeyer's disputes.[10]

The rampage lasted 2 hours 7 minutes, destroying 13 buildings,[8] knocking out natural gas service to City Hall and the cement plant, and damaging a truck and part of a utility service center.[11] Despite the great damage to property, no one besides Heemeyer was killed.[1] The cost of the damage was estimated at 7 million US dollars.[12][13]

According to Grand County commissioner James Newberry, Grand County emergency dispatchers used the reverse 911 emergency system to notify many residents and property owners of the rampage going on in the town.[3] Thus, many people were warned and were able to get out of harm's way.[citation needed]

Defenders of Heemeyer contended that he made a point of not hurting anybody during his bulldozer rampage;[1] Ian Daugherty, a bakery owner, said Heemeyer "went out of his way" not to harm anyone. Others offered different views. The sheriff's department argues that the fact that no one was injured was not due to good intent as much as it must have been due to luck. Heemeyer had installed two rifles in firing ports on the inside of the bulldozer,[14] and fired 15 bullets from his rifle at power transformers and propane tanks. "Had these tanks ruptured and exploded, anyone within one-half mile (800 m) of the explosion could have been endangered", the sheriff's department said; within such a range were 12 police officers and residents of a senior citizens complex.[5] The sheriff's department also asserted Heemeyer fired many bullets from his semi-automatic rifle at Cody Docheff when Docheff tried to stop the assault on his concrete batch plant by using a scraper. Later, Heemeyer fired on two state troopers before they had fired at him.[5] The sheriff's department also notes that 11 of the 13 buildings Heemeyer bulldozed were occupied until moments before their destruction. At the town library, for example, a children's program was in progress when the incident began.[5] There might have been casualties if local emergency response hadn't worked so effectively.[2]

One officer dropped a flash-bang grenade down the bulldozer's exhaust pipe, with no immediate apparent effect. Local and state police, including a SWAT team, walked behind and beside the bulldozer occasionally firing, but the armored bulldozer was impervious to their shots. Attempts to disable the bulldozer's cameras with gunfire failed as the bullets were unable to penetrate the 3-inch bullet-resistant plastic. At one point during the rampage, Undersheriff Glenn Trainor managed to climb atop the bulldozer and rode the bulldozer "like a bronc-buster, trying to figure out a way to get a bullet inside the dragon".[2] However, he was eventually forced to jump off to avoid being hit with debris.[2] Further attempts to mount the bulldozer were hampered due to oil that Heemeyer had spread on the vehicle to hinder such attempts.[citation needed]

Two problems arose as Heemeyer destroyed the Gambles hardware store. The radiator of the dozer had been damaged and the engine was leaking various fluids, and Gambles had a small basement. The bulldozer's engine failed and Heemeyer dropped one tread into the basement and couldn't get out. The bulldozer became stuck. At this time the mayor was actually considering bringing in the United States Air Force with their Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, also known as "Warthogs", to fire an anti-tank missile at the dozer, something unprecedented at the time. About a minute later, one of the SWAT team members who had swarmed around the machine reported hearing a single gunshot from inside the sealed cab. Heemeyer had shot himself.[1] The coroner stated that Heemeyer used his .357-caliber handgun in the suicide.[citation needed]

Heemeyer's body was removed by police. It took them twelve hours to cut through the hatch with an oxyacetylene cutting torch.[citation needed]

Fate of the bulldozer[edit]

On April 19, 2005, it was announced that Heemeyer's bulldozer was being taken apart for scrap metal.[8] It was planned that individual pieces would be dispersed to many separate scrap yards to prevent admirers of Heemeyer from taking souvenirs.[8]

Motivation[edit]

In addition to writings that he left on the wall of his shed, Heemeyer recorded a number of audio tapes explaining his motivation for the attack. He mailed these to his brother in South Dakota shortly before stepping into his bulldozer. Heemeyer's brother turned the tapes over to the FBI, who in turn sent them to the Grand County Sheriff's Department. The tapes were released by the Grand County Sheriff's Office on August 31, 2004. The tapes are about two and a half hours in length.[15]

The first recording was made on April 13, 2004. The last recording was made 13 days before the rampage.

"God built me for this job", Heemeyer said in the first recording. He also said it was God's plan that he not be married or have a family so that he could be in a position to carry out such an attack. "I think God will bless me to get the machine done, to drive it, to do the stuff that I have to do", he said. "God blessed me in advance for the task that I am about to undertake. It is my duty. God has asked me to do this. It's a cross that I am going to carry and I'm carrying it in God's name."[16]

Investigators later found Heemeyer's handwritten list of targets. According to the police, it included the buildings he destroyed, the local Catholic Church (which he didn't damage), and the names of various people who had sided against him in past disputes.[17]

Leviathan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the biblical creature. For the book by Thomas Hobbes, see Leviathan (book). For other uses, see Leviathan (disambiguation).

"Destruction of Leviathan". 1865 engraving by Gustave Doré

Leviathan (/lɨˈvaɪ.əθən/; Hebrew: לִוְיָתָן, Modern Livyatan, Tiberian Liwyāṯān ; "twisted, coiled") is a sea monster referenced in the Tanakh, or the Old Testament.

The word has become synonymous with any large sea monster or creature. In literature (e.g., Herman Melville's Moby-Dick) it refers to great whales, and in Modern Hebrew, it simply means "whale". It is described extensively in Job 41 and mentioned in Psalm 104:26 and Isaiah 27:1.

Islam and the Magical World of Genies and Dragons

Sam Shamoun

The Quran says that there are certain creatures called jinn whom Allah created from fire:

And the jinn did We create aforetime of essential fire. S. 15:27 Pickthall

And He created Jinns from fire free of smoke: S. 55:15 Y. Ali

Some people seem to be of the opinion that jinn are immaterial spirit beings. Given the fact that fire is a chemical reaction between different elements, and that there is no fire without matter being present, such a conclusion is not substantiated. At best, the above verses are inconclusive as to the nature of the jinn. Since all fire needs matter they may, on the contrary, be implying that jinns were created with material bodies of some kind.

Other statements from the Quran and the hadith literature support this view since there are references which indicate that they do have physicality and actually have body parts. For instance, the following text warns against Satan, who is a jinn according to the Quran, and his children:

And when We said to the angels: Make obeisance to Adam; they made obeisance but Iblis (did it not). He was of the jinn, so he transgressed the commandment of his Lord. What! would you then take him and HIS OFFSPRING for friends rather than Me, and they are your enemies? Evil is (this) change for the unjust. S. 18:50 Shakir

And (remember) when We said unto the angels: Fall prostrate before Adam, and they fell prostrate, all save Iblis. He was of the jinn, so he rebelled against his Lord's command. Will ye choose him and HIS SEED for your protecting friends instead of Me, when they are an enemy unto you? Calamitous is the exchange for evil-doers. Pickthall

One noted commentator Ibn Kathir used this text to prove that jinn can actually procreate:

We know that the jinn procreate for Allah the Almighty asked: <<Will you then take him (Iblis) and his offspring as protectors and helpers?>> (Stories of the Prophets by Ibn Kathir, translated by Sheikh Muhammad Mustafa Geme’ah, Office of the Grand Imam, Sheikh Al-Ahzar, edited by Aelfwine Acelas Mischler [El-Nour For Publishing and Distribution and Translation Est.; 38 Al-Madina Al-Monawara St., Toryl Al-Gadida], p. xi)

Procreation is a physical act requiring sexual intimacy and therefore presupposes that jinn have certain physical anatomy allowing them to propagate their race through intercourse. In ligth of this it should not come as a surprise to learn that there are male and female devils or jinns:

Narrated Zayd ibn Arqam:

The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: These privies are frequented by the jinns and devils. So when anyone amongst you goes there, he should say: "I seek refuge in Allah from male and female devils." (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 1, Number 6)

In fact, the Quran further teaches that some jinn will go to hell or enter paradise, and that those that go to the garden will be wedded to heavenly maidens:

And surely, We have created many of the jinns and mankind for Hell. They have hearts wherewith they understand not, they have eyes wherewith they see not, and they have ears wherewith they hear not (the truth). They are like cattle, nay even more astray; those! They are the heedless ones. S. 7:179 Hilali-Khan

If We had so willed, We could certainly have brought every soul its true guidance: but the Word from Me will come true, "I will fill Hell with Jinns and men all together." S. 32:13 Y. Ali

Then when the heaven is rent asunder, and it becomes rosy or red like red-oil, or red hide. Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? So on that Day no question will be asked of man or jinn as to his sin, (because they have already been known from their faces either white or black). Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? The Mujrimun (polytheists, criminals, sinners, etc.) will be known by their marks (black faces), and they will be seized by their forelocks and their feet. Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? This is Hell which the Mujrimun (polytheists, criminals, sinners, etc.) denied. They will go between it (Hell) and the boiling hot water! Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? But for him who [the true believer of Islamic Monotheism who performs all the duties ordained by Allah and His Messenger Muhammad SAW, and keeps away (abstain) from all kinds of sin and evil deeds prohibited in Islam and] fears the standing before his Lord, there will be two Gardens (i.e. in Paradise). Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? With spreading branches; Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? In them (both) will be two springs flowing (free). Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? In them (both) will be every kind of fruit in pairs. Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? Reclining upon the couches lined with silk brocade, and the fruits of the two Gardens will be near at hand. Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? Wherein both will be those (maidens) restraining their glances upon their husbands, whom no man or jinn yatmithhunna (has opened their hymens with sexual intercourse) before them. Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? (In beauty) they are like rubies and coral. Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? Is there any reward for good other than good? Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? And besides these two, there are two other Gardens (i.e. in Paradise). Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? Dark green (in colour). Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? In them (both) will be two springs gushing forth water. Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? In them (both) will be fruits, and date- palms and pomegranates. Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinns and men) deny? Therein (gardens) will be fair (wives) good and beautiful; S. 55:37-70 Hilali-Khan

Ibn Kathir writes:

<Qasirat At-Tarf> chaste females, wives restraining their glances, desiring none except their husbands, seeing them as the most beautiful men in Paradise. This was said by Ibn ‘Abbas, Qatadah, ‘Ata’ Al-Khurasani and Ibn Zayd. It was reported that one of these wives will say to her husband, "By Allah! I neither see anything in Paradise more handsome than you nor more beloved to me than you. So praise be to Allah Who made you for me and made me for you." Allah said, …

<whom never deflowered a human before nor Jinn> meaning they are delightful virgins of comparable age who never had sexual intercourse with anyone, whether from mankind or Jinns, before their husbands. This is also a proof that the believers among the Jinns will enter Paradise. Artat bin Al-Mundhir said, "Damrah bin Habib was asked if the Jinns will enter Paradise and he said, ‘Yes, and they will get married. The Jinns will have Jinn women and the humans will have female humans.’" (Source; bold and underline emphasis ours)

Moreover, the Quran implies that jinn can die:

(Allah) will say: "Enter you in the company of nations who passed away before you, of men and jinns, into the Fire." Every time a new nation enters, it curses its sister nation (that went before), until they will be gathered all together in the Fire. The last of them will say to the first of them: "Our Lord! These misled us, so give them a double torment of the Fire." He will say: "For each one there is double (torment), but you know not." S. 7:38 Hilali-Khan

And We have assigned them (devils) intimate companions (in this world), who have made fair-seeming to them, what was before them (evil deeds which they were doing in the present worldly life and disbelief in the Reckoning and the Resurrection, etc.) and what was behind them (denial of the matters in the coming life of the Hereafter as regards punishment or reward, etc.). And the Word (i.e. the torment) is justified against them as it was justified against those who were among the previous generations of jinns and men that had passed away before them. Indeed they (all) were the losers. S. 41:25 Hilali-Khan

The ahadith explicitly say that jinn do indeed die:

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:

The Prophet used to say, "I seek refuge (with YOU) by Your 'Izzat, None has the right to be worshipped but You Who does not die while the Jinns and the human beings die." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 480)

Ibn 'Abbas reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) used to say:" O Allah, it is unto Thee that I surrender myself. I affirm my faith in Thee and repose my trust in Thee and turn to Thee in repentance and with Thy help fought my adversaries. O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee with Thine Power; there is no god but Thou, lest Thou leadest me astray. Thou art ever-living that dieth not, while the Jinn and mankind die." (Sahih Muslim, Book 035, Number 6561)

The Quran even says that Allah pelts the jinn with shooting stars and meteors!

And indeed, We have put the big stars in the heaven and We beautified it for the beholders. And We have guarded it (near heaven) from every outcast Shaitan (devil). Except him (devil) that gains hearing by stealing, he is pursued by a clear flaming fire. S. 15:16-18 Hilali-Khan

We have adorned the lower heaven with the adornment of the stars and to preserve against every rebel Satan; they listen not to the High Council, for they are pelted from every side, S. 37:6-8 Arberry

And indeed We have adorned the nearest heaven with lamps, and We have made such lamps (as) missiles to drive away the Shayatin (devils), and have prepared for them the torment of the blazing Fire. S. 67:5 Hilali-Khan

And (the Jinn who had listened to the Qur'an said): We had sought the heaven but had found it filled with strong warders and meteors. And we used to sit on places (high) therein to listen. But he who listeneth now findeth a flame in wait for him; S. 72:8-9 Pickthall – cf. 55:33-35

After commenting on the composition of meteors and meteorites, Dr. William F. Campbell rightly asks:

The difficulty here is obviously not with the science and composition of meteors and meteorites. The difficulty is how to understand what the Qur'an can be talking about. The word "rajm", usually translated as "cursed" in modern translations, comes from the verb meaning "to stone", and Hamidullah translates 67:5 which is quoted above with the words,

"and We have designed them (the lamps) as a means of stoning the devils." (translation from French mine)

What shall we understand when it says that God throws meteors, whether made of carbon dioxide or iron-nickel, at non-material devils who steal a hearing at the heavenly council? And what are we to understand when the meteors come in showers and are traveling in parallel paths? Are we to understand that the devils all lined up in rows at the same moment? These are not easy questions. (Campbell, The Qur'an and the Bible in the light of history and science, 3. SHOOTING STARS - METEORS AND METEORITES; online edition)

The hadith literature provides further support that jinn have physicality of some kind. For example, stars and meteors are not the only material objects that can harm the jinn since water can as well!

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, "If anyone of you rouses from sleep and performs the ablution, he should wash his nose by putting water in it and then blowing it out thrice, because Satan has stayed in the upper part of his nose all the night." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 54, Number 516)

Moreover, the hadiths claim that Satan can urinate and pass wind (fart):

Narrated ‘Abdullah:

A person was mentioned before the Prophet (p.b.u.h) and he was told that he had kept on sleeping till morning and had not got up for the prayer. The Prophet said, "Satan urinated in his ears." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 21, Number 245)

Narrated ‘Abdullah:

It was mentioned before the Prophet that there was a man who slept the night till morning (after sunrise). The Prophet said, "He is a man in whose ears (or ear) Satan had urinated." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 54, Number 492)

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah’s Apostle said, "When the call for prayer is made, Satan takes to his heels PASSING WIND so that he may not hear the Adhan. And when the call is finished he comes back, and when the Iqama is pronounced, Satan again takes to his heels, and when the Iqama is finished he comes back again and tries to interfere with the person and his thoughts and say, "Remember this and that (which he has not thought of before the prayer)", till the praying person forgets how much he has prayed. If anyone of you does not remember whether he has offered three or four Rakat then he should perform two prostrations of Sahu while sitting. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 22, Number 323)

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, "When the call for the prayer is pronounced, Satan takes to his heels, PASSING WIND WITH NOISE. When the call for the prayer is finished, he comes back. And when the Iqama is pronounced, he again takes to his heels, and after its completion, he returns again to interfere between the (praying) person and his heart, saying to him. 'Remember this or that thing.’ till the person forgets whether he has offered three or four Rakat: so if one forgets whether he has prayed three or four Rak’at, he should perform two prostrations of Sahu (i.e. forgetfulness)." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 54, Number 505)

The hadiths even tell us what diet the jinns follow:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

That once he was in the company of the Prophet carrying a water pot for his ablution and for cleaning his private parts. While he was following him carrying it (i.e. the pot), the Prophet said, "Who is this?" He said, "I am Abu Huraira." The Prophet said, "Bring me stones in order to clean my private parts, and do not bring any bones or animal dung." Abu Huraira went on narrating: So I brought some stones, carrying them in the corner of my robe till I put them by his side and went away. When he finished, I walked with him and asked, "What about the bone and the animal dung?" He said, "They are of the food of Jinns. The delegate of Jinns of (the city of) Nasibin came to me--and how nice those Jinns were--and asked me for the remains of the human food. I invoked Allah for them that they would never pass by a bone or animal dung but find food on them." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 200)

Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas’ud:

A deputation of the jinn came to the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) and said: O Muhammad, forbid your community to clean themselves with a bone or dung or charcoal, for in them Allah has provided sustenance for us. So the Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) forbade them to do so. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 1, Number 0039)

Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud

Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: Don’t cleanse yourself with dung or with bones for that is the food of your brothers from amongst the Jinn.

Transmitted by Tirmidhi, Nasa’i with this exception that he did not make mention of: The Food of your brothers from amongst the jinn. (Tirmidhi Hadith, Number 129; ALIM CD-ROM Version)

Hence, jinn feast on dung and bones!

It is rather evident from the foregoing that Muhammad actually believed that Satan and the jinn are physical beings, or have material bodies of some kind. He clearly didn’t believe that they were immaterial spirits.

Punishment of the Grave

According to the hadiths Muhammad believed that unbelievers are tormented in their graves. Believers, however, are given respite:

Narrated Masruq:

‘Aisha said that a Jewess came to her and mentioned the punishment in the grave, saying to her, "May Allah protect you from the punishment of the grave." ‘Aisha then asked Allah’s Apostle about the punishment of the grave. He said, "Yes, (there is) punishment in the grave." ‘Aisha added, "After that I never saw Allah’s Apostle but seeking refuge with Allah from the punishment in the grave in every prayer he prayed." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 23, Number 454)

Narrated Al-Bara' bin 'Azib:

The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, "When a faithful believer is made to sit in his grave, then (the angels) come to him and he testifies that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Apostle. And that corresponds to Allah’s statement: Allah will keep firm those who believe with the word that stands firm . . . (14.27). (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 23, Number 450)

Narrated Shu’ba:

Same as above and added, "Allah will keep firm those who believe …" (14.27) was revealed concerning the punishment of the grave. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 23, Number 451)

Narrated Asma’ bint Abi Bakr:

Allah’s Apostle once stood up delivering a sermon and mentioned the trial which people will face in the grave. When he mentioned that, the Muslims started shouting loudly. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 23, Number 455)

We can more fully appreciate why these Muslims started shouting when we see the kinds of punishment awaiting the dead in their graves:

Narrated Anas:

The Prophet said, "When a human being is laid in his grave and his companions return and he even hears their footsteps, two angels come to him and make him sit and ask him: What did you use to say about this man, Muhammad? He will say: I testify that he is Allah’s slave and His Apostle. Then it will be said to him, Look at your place in the Hell-Fire. Allah has given you a place in Paradise instead of it." The Prophet added, "The dead person will see both his places. But a non-believer or a hypocrite will say to the angels, I do not know, but I used to say what the people used to say! It will be said to him, Neither did you know nor did you take the guidance (by reciting the Quran). Then he will be hit with an iron hammer between his two ears, and he will cry and that cry will be heard by whatever approaches him except human beings and jinns." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 23, Number 422)

Narrated AbuHurayrah

Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: When the dead body (of a Muslim) is buried in the grave there appear before him two Angels, both having black faces and blue eyes. One is called Munkar and the other is called Nakir and they say: Say what you have to say about this person and he will say: He is the servant of Allah and His Messenger. I bear testimony to the fact that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger and they both will say: We already knew that you would say this. Then his grave will be expanded to the extent of 4900 square cubic feet and it will be illuminated, then it will be said to him: Go to sleep and he will say: I intend to go to my family in order to inform them and they would say: Go to sleep like the sleep of a newly wedded bride whom no one awakens but one who is dearest to her amongst his family members. Only Allah would resurrect him from his resting place. If he (the dead) were a hypocrite he will say: I heard people making a statement (pertaining to the oneness of Allah and the apostlehood of Muhammad) and I said the same but I do not know. And they would say: We already knew that you would say this and the earth will be told to press him and it will press him till his ribs are clasped together and he will not be relieved of the torment till Allah resurrects him from his resting-place.

Transmitted by Tirmidhi. (Tirmidhi Hadith, Number 44– ALIM CD-ROM Version)

If being hit with hammers weren’t bad enough Muhammad also taught that literal dragons would torture unbelievers!

Narrated AbuSa’id

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: There dominate NINETY-NINE DRAGONS over the unbeliever in the grave. They (constantly) bite him and sting him till there comes the hour (of resurrection). (These dragons are so poisonous) that if one of them exhales on the Earth, no verdure will ever grow upon it.

Reported by Darimi, Tirmidhi transmitted something similar but he said seventy instead of ninety-nine. (Tirmidhi Hadith, Number 46– ALIM CD-ROM Version)

Narrated AbuSa’id

When the Prophet (peace be upon him) went out to the prayer and saw the people looking as if they were grinning he said, "If you were to keep much in remembrance death which is the cutter-off of pleasures, it would distract you from what I see. Keep much in remembrance death which is the cutter-off of pleasure, for a day does not come to the grave without its saying, ‘I am the house of exile, I am the house of solitude, I am the house of dust, I am the house of worms.’ When a believer dies the grave says to him, ‘Welcome and greeting; you are indeed the dearest to me of those who walk upon me. I have been given charge of you today and you have come to me and you will see how I shall treat you.' It will then expand for him as far as the eye can see and a door to Paradise will be opened for him. But when the profligate or infidel is buried the grave says to him, ‘No welcome and no greeting to you; you are the most hateful to me of those who walk upon me. I have been given charge of you today and you have come to me and you will see how I shall treat you.’ AbuSa'id told that Allah's Messenger indicated it by interlacing his fingers. Then he said, "SEVENTY DRAGONS will be put in charge of him of such a nature that if one of them were to breathe on the earth it would produce no crops as long as the world lasted, and they will bite and scratch him till he is brought to the reckoning." He also reported Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) as saying. "The grave is one of the gardens of Paradise, or one of the pits of Hell."

Tirmidhi transmitted it. (Tirmidhi Hadith, Number 1429– ALIM CD-ROM Version)

It is one thing to depict spiritual realities in a materialistic or physical manner or to use the metaphor of mythical creatures to describe spiritual entities like Satan:

"In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea." Isaiah 27:1

"And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world -- he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." Revelation 12:9

"Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended. After that he must be loosed for a little while." Revelation 20:1-3

Or even of wicked rulers like Pharaoh:

"speak, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lies in the midst of his streams, that says, "My Nile is my own; I made it."’" Ezekiel 29:3

It is quite another thing to speak of dragons literally coming to torture disembodied souls while in their graves!

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Vineyard of Naboth[edit]

Elijah encounters Ahab again in 1 Kings 21, after Ahab has acquired possession of a vineyard by murder. Ahab desires to have the vineyard of Naboth of Jezreel. He offers a better vineyard or a fair price for the land. But Naboth tells Ahab that God has told him not to part with the land. Ahab accepts this answer with sullen bad grace. Jezebel, however, plots a method for acquiring the land. She sends letters, in Ahab's name, to the elders and nobles who lived near Naboth. They are to arrange a feast and invite Naboth. At the feast, false charges of cursing God and Ahab are to be made against him. The plot is carried out and Naboth is stoned to death. When word comes that Naboth is dead, Jezebel tells Ahab to take possession of the vineyard.

God again speaks to Elijah and sends him to confront Ahab with a question and a prophecy: "Have you killed and also taken possession?" and, "In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick up your own blood" (1 Kings 21:19). Ahab begins the confrontation by calling Elijah his enemy. Elijah responds by throwing the charge back at him, telling him that he has made himself the enemy of God by his own actions. Elijah then goes beyond the prophecy he was given and tells Ahab that his entire kingdom will reject his authority; that Jezebel will be eaten by dogs within Jezreel; and that his family will be consumed by dogs as well (if they die in a city) or by birds (if they die in the country). When Ahab hears this he repents to such a degree that God relents in punishing Ahab but will punish Jezebel and their son—Ahaziah.

Ahaziah[edit]

Russian icon of the Prophet Elijah, 18th century (Iconostasis of Kizhi monastery, Karelia, Russia).

Elijah continues now from Ahab to an encounter with Ahaziah. The scene opens with Ahaziah seriously injured in a fall. He sends to the priests of Baalzebub in Ekron, outside the kingdom of Israel, to know if he will recover. Elijah intercepts his messengers and sends them back to Ahaziah with a message. In typical Elijah fashion, the message begins with a blunt, impertinent question: "Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron?"(2 Kings 1:6). Ahaziah asks the messengers to describe the person who gave them this message. They tell him he wore a hairy coat with a leather belt and he instantly recognizes the description as Elijah the Tishbite.

Ahaziah sends out three groups of soldiers to arrest Elijah. The first two are destroyed by fire which Elijah calls down from heaven. The leader of the third group asks for mercy for himself and his men. Elijah agrees to accompany this third group to Ahaziah, where he gives his prophecy in person.

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Thursday, 5 March 2015

The Story of Prophet Job ( Ayub) and Naboth's Vineyard

The Story of Prophet Job

Vineyard of Naboth[edit]

Ahaziah[edit]

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