Lady Leah was the wife of Prophet Job (peace be upon
him). Prophet Job was a prophet of God, descended from Abraham, the father of
the prophets. His father was Moz, the grandson of Esau, son of Isaac, son of
Abraham (peace be upon them all). There is disagreement regarding her name. One
group of scholars says her name was "Rahma" (Mercy), citing as
evidence the verse in the Quran: " 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" (Al-Anbiya
21:84). Another group says her name was "Leah," based on a narration
from the People of the Book. Both opinions are neither definitively proven nor
disproven.
Our master Job, peace be upon him, was among those whom
God blessed with wealth and children. He was blessed with abundant wealth,
livestock, land, and slaves. God also bestowed upon him, through his wife Leah,
numerous sons and daughters. He was among the wealthiest of men, both among the
people and among the prophets. However, nothing lasts forever. He lost all his
wealth, livestock, land, and slaves, and was afflicted with the death of all
his children. His trials did not end with the loss of wealth and children; they
extended to his health. He contracted a debilitating illness that consumed his
entire body, leaving only his heart and tongue intact. With these, he remembered
God Almighty day and night, morning and evening, patiently and steadfastly.
The illness of our master Job lasted a long time, until
his people abandoned him, leaving him with no companion or friend. No one
remained to care for him except his wife, Leah, who was devoted to him and
stood by his side during his ordeal when the affliction befell him and his
illness intensified, lasting for many years. She was patient, showing no sign
of complaint or weariness, but rather remained steadfast and obedient, leaving
the most radiant example among virtuous women. Leah ascended to a lofty station
of truthfulness and attained a high rank among the righteous. She lived with
her husband through his trials, which lasted for nearly eighteen years, serving
as an example of a righteous, patient, devoted, and faithful wife, content with
God's decree and judgment.
As the trials that befell our master Job continued,
Leah's circumstances worsened, and her wealth dwindled. She went out to work
for others to earn wages in order to feed her husband and provide for his
needs. May God be pleased with her and grant her His favor. She did this
patiently, without complaining about the loss of her money, the separation from
her family, the calamity that befell her husband, her hardship, and her humble
circumstances, after having lived in ease and abundance, enjoying the blessings
God had bestowed upon her.
Leah asked the Prophet Job, "O Job, if you were to
call upon your Lord, He would relieve you." The patient and steadfast one
replied, "I have lived seventy years in good health. Is it too much for
God that I should be patient for another seventy years?" The Prophet Job
did not complain of his trials to anyone, and his wife Leah never despaired of
God's mercy. Life began to tighten its grip on Leah. People refused to hire her
for their homes, fearing she would infect them with her husband's illness and
afflict them with the same suffering.
As the crisis intensified, and her means of livelihood
dwindled, and she found no lawful way to buy food for Job—for the doors of his
people were closed to her—she cut off one of her braids and sold it to a
noblewoman. With the proceeds, she bought good food which she offered to Job.
He asked her, "Where did you get this?" She replied, "From money
I earned by serving people."
The next day, finding no one to employ her, she sold her
other braid and bought food with the proceeds. She brought it to Job, who swore
he would not eat it until she told him where she had obtained it. Here, Leah
had no choice but to tell the truth, so she uncovered her head. When Job saw
her shaved head, he swore to strike her one hundred times for lying to him.
One day, two of Job's friends came to visit him. When
they saw the severity of his affliction, one of them said to the other,
"If God knew any good in Job, He would not have afflicted him with this
great trial." Our master Job was distressed by what he heard from one of
his friends, and his anguish intensified, not because of his own affliction,
but because people thought that what had befallen him was a punishment from
God. So he prayed to his Lord: “And (remember) Ayub (Job), when he cried to his
Lord: "Verily, distress has seized me, and You are the Most Merciful of
all those who show mercy" (Al-Anbiya 21:83). God responded to him: "
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"
(Al-Anbiya 21:84). The manner of this response was that God inspired His
patient servant to strike the ground with his foot, and a spring of cool water
gushed forth by His permission. God commanded him to bathe in it and drink from
it. When Leah did not find him where she had left him, she went searching for
him to take him back. She found the Prophet of God in the most beautiful form
and with the most radiant countenance. She had no doubt that he was not her
ailing husband, so she asked him, “O servant of God, have you seen this
afflicted Prophet of God?” Then she studied his face and said, “By God, the
Almighty, I have never seen a man more like him than you when he is healthy.”
Job, peace be upon him, replied, “It is I, Leah.”
God restored to our master Job his health, his wealth,
and his family, and commanded him to fulfill his oath by striking his wife one
hundred lashes. God revealed to him to take a handful of twigs or grass in his
right hand, containing one hundred small branches, and strike her with it once
(according to Al-Baghawi’s interpretation). This would be equivalent to one
hundred lashes, thus fulfilling his oath and not breaking it. And God had mercy
on his patient and faithful wife. To alleviate her pain, He said, “38:44
[We said], "And take in your hand a bunch [of grass] and strike with it
and do not break your oath." Indeed, We found him patient, an excellent
servant. Indeed, he was one repeatedly turning back [to Allah]” (Surah Saad:
44). Then Allah grants him his family and twice as many with them: “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" (Al-Anbiya
21:84). This means that Allah Almighty restored his family and children to him.
He revived them and gave him a similar number along with them as a mercy, a
lesson, and a warning to the worshippers, so that they might know the
perfection of God's power (Al-Baghawi).
تعليقات