Anger is a state that is considered as one of the worst thing that can happen to a man. Although anger is usually ignites a man's mind when being threatened unjustly, revoked or mislead, the resultant outburst which ranges from low to high intensity mindset can leave severe consequences if a decision is taken in that high emotional state.
In fact, taking a decision in anger or acting impulsively while in this emotional state—often leads to "blindness" where rational thinking is suppressed, resulting in poor judgment and behaviors that are frequently regretted. That is why studies after studies are being under taken on the subject of anger management to allow controlling one's emotional state that blinds a man's rational thinking.
The state is not only restricted to common man but also many a prophet who took irrational decisions affected - but later regretted and repented sincerely. The decision made in anger ad by Prophet Jonah (Yunus AS) is a case in point, already mentioned in one of our earlier posts: Prophet Younis (Jonah) and Allah's Displeasure.
Today we share yet another example of taking an oath in anger due to misfed information related to Prophet Prophet Ayyūb (Job, عليه السلام) as mentioned in the 44th verse of Surah Ṣād, in which mercy of Allah is mentioned when the prophet repented and Allah showed him a way out of fulfilling his oath.
The Verse
(٤٤) وَخُذْ بِيَدِكَ ضِغْثًا فَاضْرِبْ بِهِ وَلَا تَحْنَثْ إِنَّا وَجَدْنَاهُ صَابِرًا نِعْمَ الْعَبْدُ إِنَّهُ أَوَّابٌ
“And take in your hand a bundle (of grass) and strike with it, and do not break your oath. Indeed, We found him patient. What an excellent servant! Indeed, he was constantly turning (to Allah).”
Quick Context Recap
This verse is about Prophet Ayyūb (Job, عليه السلام). In his old age, he faced severe illness, loss of wealth and family - yet he remained patient and faithful. During his illness, his wife took very good care of him. However due to a misfed satanic whisper, he during the hardship and extreme illness, made an oath to beat his with with 100 hundred lashes when he became healthy. When Allah restored him to health and the anger of the illness was gone, he became worried as how to fulfill the oath. For if he carried out the oath, he would be inflicting pain on an innocent person, and if he did not, he would be committing the sin of breaking the oath. Allah took him out of the difficult situation by the Command: "Take a broom containing as many sticks of straw as the number of the stripes you had sworn to give; then strike the person just once with the broom so as both to fulfill your oath and to avoid giving undue trouble to the person concerned."
Prophet Job (Ayyub AS) has been mentioned in this context to impress the reader that when the righteous servants of Allah are afflicted with hardships and calamities, they do not complain of their distress to Allah but endure the tests and trials set by Him patiently and invoke only Him for help. They do not despair of God and do not turn to others for help if their distress is not removed after making invocations to God for some time, but they believe that whatever they will get, they will get only from Allah. Therefore, they remain hopeful of His mercy, no matter how long they might have to suffer the distress. That is why they arc honored and blessed with the favors and bounties with which the Prophet Job was honored and blessed in his life. So much so that if they get involved in a moral dilemma due to a state of agitation, Allah shows them a way out of it- in order to save them from evil, as He showed a way to the Prophet Job.
Core Lessons from the Verse
- Patience under extreme hardship
- Despite his ailment, Prophet Ayyūb (AS) didn’t just endure his ailment but He remained faithful without اعتراض (complaint against Allah) as mentioned the verse: “We found him patient”
- This means that True strength comes from steadiness in hardship.
- Allah provides merciful solutions
- Rather than forcing harm on his prophet, Allah accepted his repentance and gave an alternative.
- "Take in your hand a bundle (of thin stalks) and strike with it, and do not break your oath." This represents taking 100 thin, light twigs or grass stalks and hitting once, allowing each piece to touch her, fulfilling the count of 100.
- This shows that Islam is not rigid - It balances Law with Mercy.
- Intentions matter
- Oath of Prophet Ayyūb came from a moment of difficulty and being mislead and acted in anger - therefore Allah considered his sincerity to his wife whom the prophet loved dearly and was not willing to materialize his oath.
- This shows that Allah looks a hidden intentions, not just actions.
- This verse is also used in Islamic jurisprudence to demonstrate how oaths (ayman) are fulfilled in challenging situations, highlighting that the intention was to keep the vow without malice.
- The quality of being “Awwāb”
- Not only ordinary humans, even prophets turn back repeatedly: "What an excellent servant! Indeed, he was constantly turning (to Allah).”
- In this part of the verse, there is a lesson for us: Perfection is not required - Returning is.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also emulated the model of Prophet Ayyub (AS) in his decision making
Several Ahadith show that the Holy Prophet, in order to inflict the prescribed punishment on a fornicator who was too ill or too weak to receive a hundred stripes, also adopted the method taught in this verse. 'Allama Abu Bakr al-Jassas has related a tradition on the authority of Hadrat Said bin Sa'd bin 'Ubadah to the effect that a person from the tribe of Bani Sa`idah happened to commit fornication, and he was a sick man and a mere skeleton. Thereupon the Holy Prophet commanded: "Take a branch of the palm tree with a hundred twigs on it and strike him therewith once and for all. " (Ahkam al Qur 'an). In Musnad Ahmad, Abu Da'ud, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, Tabarani, 'Abdur Razzaq and other collections of Hadith also there are several Ahadith supporting it, which conclusively proves that the Holy Prophet had devised this very method for inflicting the prescribed punishment on a sick or weak person. However, the jurists lay the condition that some part of every twig or piece of straw must strike the culprit, and even if only one stroke, it must also hurt the culprit; that is, it is not enough just to touch him but he must be struck with it.
Why This Verse is Important Today
- We live in a low-patience world Today we expect Instant results and Instant relief - whereas this verse teaches patience through long, difficult trials.
- Emotional reactions and regret
- We more often than not, make harsh promises and emotional decisions - and obviously then regret them.
- The lesson is Don’t act in anger - And if you do—seek wise, gentle solutions.
- Rigid vs compassionate thinking Some today apply rules harshly - that is why this verse teaches to look for Mercy within law.
- Dealing with guilt and mistakes
- Many people feel stuck after mistakes - but this verse shows tells us that Allah opens doors of ease and redemption if sincerely turn to Him.
- Here the question also arises that if a person has sworn to do something and afterwards he comes to know that it is improper, then what should he do? Then is a tradition from the Holy Prophet to the effect that in such a case one should do only that which is better, and the same is the atonement for the oath. Another tradition from him says that one should do something good instead of the improper thing and should atone for his oath. This verse supports this second tradition, for if keeping oneself from an improper thing had been the atonement for the oath, Allah would not have told the Prophet Job to strike the broom once and fulfill his oath, but would have said: "Do not do this improper thing, and your restraint itself is the atonement for your oath."
- Maintaining faith during hardship
- Many of us go through Illness, financial struggle and personal losses. This verse presents us the role model of Prophet Ayyūb (AS).
- And that is never to lose faith in Allah and always try to keep connected to him.
A Balanced Principle from This Verse
Islam is not about Harsh legalism or Careless leniency. It is Principled and Compassionate. This verse shows something profound - Allah is not looking to trap you in your words, rather He is guiding us to Integrity with mercy
Final Reflection
Ask yourself: When I make a mistake or a harsh decision—do I double down, or do I seek a wiser, gentler path?
The Core Message
The above quoted verse shows us that the best believer is not one who never errs - rather it is he who is patient, returns to Allah, and and chooses mercy over harm.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may refer to more Selected Verses from Sürah 38 Ṣād - the letter ص already published. You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
For verses on Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an.
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
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