وَخُذْ بِيَدِكَ ضِغْثًا فَٱضْرِب بِّهِۦ وَلَا تَحْنَثْ ۗ إِنَّا وَجَدْنَـٰهُ صَابِرًا ۚ نِّعْمَ ٱلْعَبْدُ ۖ إِنَّهُۥٓ أَوَّابٌ 44
Translations
[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 Allāh].
Transliteration
Wa-khudh bi-yadika dighthan fa-idrib bihi wa-la tahnath. Inna wajadnahu sabiran. Ni'mal-'abd. Innahoo awwab.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah concludes the story of Prophet Ayub (Job), where Allah commands him to strike his wife with a bundle of grass as expiation for his oath, while assuring him that this light punishment fulfills the oath without causing real harm. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari note that this demonstrates Allah's mercy toward Ayub—allowing him to keep his oath while preventing him from committing a grave sin against his wife. The ayah then praises Ayub for his exceptional patience and constant repentance, establishing him as an exemplary servant of Allah.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the narrative of Prophet Ayub in Surah Sad, a Meccan surah. The story illustrates divine testing and the reward for steadfast patience; Ayub had sworn an oath against his wife in a moment of distress during his trials, and Allah provides him with a merciful solution to fulfill his oath. The context emphasizes how Allah honors those who endure trials with patience and maintain their relationship with Him through constant repentance (awwab).
Related Hadiths
Hadith in Sahih Bukhari (3:50:891) mentions the story of Ayub's patience and Allah's response to his supplication. Additionally, hadiths emphasizing expiation for oaths (kaffarah al-yamin) are relevant, such as those found in the chapters on oaths in Sunan Abu Dawud and Sunan Ibn Majah, which detail how believers can fulfill oaths without transgression.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that Allah provides solutions that honor both our obligations and our moral responsibilities, especially when we turn to Him with patience and sincerity. For modern readers, it demonstrates that endurance through difficulty combined with constant repentance and reconnection to Allah is the pathway to divine favor and relief.
Related Ayahs
وَلَا يَأْتَلِ أُو۟لُوا۟ ٱلْفَضْلِ مِنكُمْ وَٱلسَّعَةِ أَن يُؤْتُوٓا۟ أُو۟لِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَـٰكِينَ وَٱلْمُهَـٰجِرِينَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَلْيَعْفُوا۟ وَلْيَصْفَحُوٓا۟ ۗ أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
And let not those of virtue among you and wealth swear not to give [aid] to their relatives and the needy and the emigrants for the cause of Allāh, and let them pardon and overlook. Would you not like that Allāh should forgive you? And Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
يَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَيُدْخِلْكُمْ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ وَمَسَـٰكِنَ طَيِّبَةً فِى جَنَّـٰتِ عَدْنٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
He will forgive for you your sins and admit you to gardens beneath which rivers flow and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence. That is the great attainment.
وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا ٱلْقُرْءَانَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ
And We have certainly made the Qur’ān easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
And We have not sent you, [O Muḥammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.