وَخُذ بِيَدِكَ ضِغثًا فَاضرِب بِهِ وَلا تَحنَث ۗ إِنّا وَجَدناهُ صابِرًا ۚ نِعمَ العَبدُ ۖ إِنَّهُ أَوّابٌ
[We told him:] ‘Take a bundle in your hand and then strike [your wife] with it, but do not break [your] oath.’ Indeed We found him to be patient. What an excellent servant! Indeed he was a penitent [soul].
EXEGESIS
Ḍighth (bundle) refers to a handful of grass or twigs.
Lā taḥnath (do not break your oath) comes from ḥinth, meaning a great sin, as in, And they used to persist in the great sin (al-ḥinth al-ʿaẓīm) (56:46). Hence, breaking an oath is called ḥinth, since it is considered a grave misdeed.
EXPOSITION
After all his other troubles had been repelled there was only one issue left that remained troublesome for Prophet Job (a). While sick he had sworn an oath to strike his wife a hundred times when he recovered. However, she had since then shown her loyalty and faith and Prophet Job (a) now regretted his oath, but felt bound by it nonetheless since he had sworn by God.
To resolve the matter, he was then ordered to Take a bundle in your hand with as many straws, blades of tall grass, or twigs as he had sworn in his oath (one hundred) and then to strike with it once. In this way he would not break his oath. The verse does not mention who should have been struck and why.
The narrations give varying accounts. Most of them suggest it was about Prophet Job’s (a) wife, who had done one thing or another to displease him and because of that he swore to strike her a hundred times. It has been said that perhaps out of respect for her, neither she nor the reason is mentioned. The problem with the reports, though, is that they all give contradicting accounts as to what she did to deserve such harsh treatment from her husband. Furthermore, each explanation given by individual reports (see the following section) is wholly unsatisfactory and plainly unjust. We cannot attribute to a prophet of God that he would swear to beat his wife a hundred blows simply because she tarried when going out, for example. Her actions would have to be severe indeed to merit such punishment, while none of the narrations attribute such an action to her. Only in the Bible do we find such an attribution, where she tells him to ‘curse God and die’ and stop believing in one who would treat him so harshly. If she did in fact say that and then later repented and established her regret, sincerity, and renewed faith, Prophet Job (a) may have been instructed to forgive her as well.
It may also very well be that the issue is not at all about Prophet Job’s (a) wife and is about something completely different; and God knows best.
Now the ordeal of Prophet Job (a) was complete. The promise of aid from God to those who are patient was fulfilled and God declared in praise of Prophet Job (a), Indeed We found him to be patient. This statement can also be understood as a rebuttal to the Biblical passages quoted earlier that portrayed Prophet Job (a) as complaining of God and attributing injustice to Him. Certainly, Prophet Job (a) did not become impatient or lose hope. This is not in contradiction to his call and supplication related in verse 41, as even the most patient of people would long for an end to their suffering. What is important to keep in mind is that people like Prophet Job (a) may complain to God of their situation, but never of God: I complain of my anguish and grief only to Allah (12:86).
Similarly, relying on God and being patient is not in contradiction with seeking help from doctors or medical professionals, or help in other matters from other people, as long as one knows that nothing happens without the leave of God.
Prophet Job (a) is lauded with two other praises, these two being the same ones that were used to describe Prophet David (a) and Prophet Solomon (a) as well: What an excellent servant! Indeed he was a penitent.
As in the stories of Prophet David (a) and Prophet Solomon (a), this also relates to the story of Prophet Muhammad (s) rejecting the riches promised to him by the Meccan elite by saying if they put the sun in his right hand and the moon in his left, he would not abandon his call. Prophet Job (a) was similarly tested and proved himself to be a man who was not swayed by love for the world.
The repeated emphasis on each prophet – that they were servants of God – is also not accidental. It reflects on the same story that acts as the backdrop of this surah. The Meccan elite, seeped in their conceit, could not believe that revelation should come to Muhammad (s) instead of them: Has the reminder been sent down to him out of [all of] us? (verse 8). God is emphasising that it is only through service to Him that such stations can be reached.
Finally, this verse leaves a lot to ponder about the spirit of the law versus its letter. On a superficial reading, it may seem at first that God is somehow condoning legal duplicity (ḥīlah sharʿiyyah), but in reality it is not about that. Yes, it was important that Prophet Job (a) did not ignore the oath he had sworn, but if that went against the spirit of justice, then he was commanded to act in a way that the spirit of justice was preserved, whilst still maintaining the integrity of his word and oath. Indeed, there is much for jurists and judges to ponder about in this verse.
When Prophet Muhammad (s) swore an oath forbidding something permissible to himself God revealed, Allah has certainly made lawful for you the dissolution of your oaths (66:2). Some scholars have questioned that perhaps in the shariah of Prophet Job (a) such a dissolution was not possible, but this seems unlikely. What is more appropriate is that God wished to set a precedent and teach a lesson, both about the importance of keeping oaths as well as about the spirit of the law.
INSIGHTS FROM HADITH
- It is reported that Yaḥyā ibn ʿIbād al-Makkī one day met Sufyān al-Thawrī who asked him to inquire from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) regarding a man who had fornicated and he was sick to the extent that if the punishment (of lashes) was carried out it was feared he would die from it. Yaḥyā asked the Imam, who then inquired if this was a question he had come up with or someone else had asked him. After confirming that it was Sufyān who had asked him, the Imam replied: ‘A man with a swollen stomach was brought before the Messenger of God (s), who was terminally ill and the veins of his thighs were protruding. That man had fornicated with a sick woman. The Messenger of God (s) ordered for a bundle of a hundred sticks to be brought to him and struck him once and then struck her once and let them go, and this is like His word, Take a bundle in your hand and then strike with it, but do not break [your] oath.’
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
The scholars are divided over the reason why Prophet Job (a) swore to strike his wife a hundred times:
- Iblīs appeared to his wife in the form of a doctor and said to her: ‘I will treat him on the condition that once he gets better he tells me that I have cured him. I wish for no other reward.’ She agreed to this. When she told Prophet Job (a) about this he swore to hit her a hundred strikes. This apparently upset Prophet Job (a) because the Devil wished Prophet Job (a) to admit that God had abandoned him and he had despaired of His mercy. This opinion also seems to be based on the premise that the Devil was the cause of Prophet Job’s (a) sickness, which we discussed as being problematic in the commentary on verse 41.
- His wife left for some errand and took a long time and he was left distressed and swore his oath then.
- Iblīs appeared to his wife and claimed: ‘If you perform one prostration to me I will return your wealth and children to you.’
- Iblīs suggested to her that her husband should drink wine so that he would be cured.
- His wife sold her forelocks in exchange for some dough for baking bread. There are different reasons mentioned by the exegetes as to why this supposedly upset Prophet Job (a).
And many others that we have not listed here. Most scholars have opted for either the first or second option. Nonetheless, these all appear to be based on speculation and it may be that none of them are correct. In any case, what specifically was the reason is not of central importance.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- His wife said to him, ‘Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!’ He replied, ‘You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?’
- As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
- In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.
[1] Tibyan, 8/568.
[2] Nemuneh, 19/298-299.
[3] Tibyan, 8/569.
[4] Mizan, 17/210.
[5] Job 2:9.
[6] Zamakhshari, 4/98.
[7] See the Introduction.
[8] Alusi, 12/200.
[9] Kafi, 7/243-244; Faqih, 4/28; Tahdhib, 10/32; Wasail, 28/28; Tabrisi, 8/746. A similar report about this practice is related in different variations, see for example Razi, 26/399; Qurtubi, 15/214; Alusi, 12/200.
[10] Tabrisi, 8/746; Ahkam, 4/1651; Qurtubi, 15/212; Nemuneh, 19/299.
[11] Tabrisi, 8/746; Razi, 26/399; Nemuneh, 19/299; Alusi, 12/200; Tantawi, 12/169.
[12] Zamakhshari, 4/98.
[13] Zamakhshari, 4/98.
[14] Zamakhshari, 4/98; Ahkam, 4/1651; Qurtubi, 15/212; Suyuti, 5/317. Some of them simply mention that she brought home extra bread.
[15] Job 2:9-10.
[16] James 5:11.
[17] Job 1:1.