Gratitude

Part I: The Hatred

The lands of green, a hundred sheep

They roamed upon its face

The sun that shone on his children

Delighted with its grace.



And in the massive palace sat

The owner of these goods

His wife on the other hand, she

Sat looking at the woods.



And bending in prostration, he

Kept thanking his good Lord

For he was blessed with many things -

And out his heart he poured.



Looking at this tranquility

And the good life of Job

Sat Satan spitting on the mud

"This peace, I have to rob"



Hastening to Job in prayer

He mumbled in his ears

"Oh look at all the gold you have",

"They should last you for years!"



"What use is this gratitude, when

All this was your hard work?

This wealth, belongs to you, my mate!"

Said Satan with a smirk.



But Job, the noble man he was

These words did he ignore

"They must be evil whispers from

The devil", he was sure.



Cursing and kicking, Satan went

Looking for a new plan

"This son of Adam listens not",

"I hate this foolish man"

Part II: The Wealth

The devil with his helpers had

Deviced a plan so sure

That Job would have nowhere to go

This piety they would cure!



His cattle, servants and his farms

They now set to destroy

"His wealth is what is keeping him"

This was their viscious ploy.



And rubbing his hands happily

Satan did now rejoice

He came to Job as an old man

And spoke in his wise voice.



"Oh Job! you gave up too much to

The orphans and the old

You spent your time in prayer when

They ate up all your gold!"



"Now look, if your Lord truly loved

You for all these good deeds

He would not strip you off your wealth

Deprive you from your needs"



But Job, with distant eyes he stood

And looked upon his lands

He said, "The Lord has taken back",

"The wealth into his hands".



"I was merely a trustee for

The time that He allowed,

Why should I grieve for what was not

Mine", he told himself aloud.



And kneeling down, he bent and bowed

Thanking his Lord for what

Was given to him for sometime

To others it was not.



The Devil, watching, fuming said

This man I truly hate

"I shall destroy his offspring now

So he will meet his fate!"

Part III: The Children

Happy faces, chuckling laughter

That spread across the room

Running around, Job's children looked

So far from every gloom.


Job and his wife, they sat and smiled

At their bundles of joy

As children ran around and tugged

For a small random toy.



But suddenly the building shook

Like never had they seen

Came crashing down the foundation

Where little ones had been.



And all the laughter was now dead

For little corpses lied

Where Job's children were playing once;

Each one of them had died.



Among the mourners sat Satan

So happy with his game

"This must have cured Job's righteousness

His faith has brought him shame."



He came upon Job patting him

In a comforting tone,

"I feel so bad your children died

Your Lord left you alone!"



With tears streaming down his sad cheeks

Job, he smiled and he said,

"God gives what he wills and he takes"

And thus, he bowed his head.



Vexed over this man's gratitude

Satan stood and he thought

"This malady must go away,

I'll make his body rot!".    

Part IV: The Health

Job and his wife now having lost

Their wealth and their children

They set upon their farthest woods

To build their lives again.

But in the night when Job came home

Fever striking his brow

He knew this was no simple pain -

His body shook and how!

His friends, they came for days until

His body developed

Maggots and leaking fluids that

His skin now enveloped.

Left with nothing but his strong faith

And his dear, loving wife

He spent his time thanking his Lord

For these blessings in life.

Now Satan, he approached the wife

And told her "Look at you!"

"Your children and your wealth are gone,

Your husband will go, too"

Overwhelmed with pain, the wife

She sat upon Job's side

"How long can we suffer this pain?

I am dissatisfied"

"Oh Love, can you not see that this,

Is just another trial

We lived, had fun for eighty years,

Your thinking is so vile!"

"Several years we had treasures

We lived a lovely life

But now few years of suffering

Have made your pain so rife?"

"I feel ashamed to call my Lord

I have not suffered long

But if your faith has weakened then,

Be free to run along"

"For I shall never eat or drink

From hands that have no faith

Leave me alone and go away

Let Lord decide my fate"

Part V: Alone with his Lord

His wife was gone, his children too

His friends had gone away

But Job, and his good gratitude

They seemed like they would stay.

Lifting his diseased hands did Job

Then call upon his Lord,

"Oh Merciful of merciful

Help me swim through this ford"    



"Indeed Satan has touched me with

Hardship and great torment,

But, my Lord, you are greater than

him; I shall not lament"

"Strike your foot against the mud"

The Lord revealed to him,

And out came a spring soft and cool

Clear water on its rim.

And when Job brought himself to bathe

In this lovely, pure stream

The locusts came as rings of gold,

Upon his garment's seam.

And just like that his family,

His wife and friends were back

It looked like there were no impact

From Satan's bad attack!

Thus was Prophet Job's story where

God praises his servant

And how Satan was smitten by

His old pride so fervent.

Where love is true and gratitude

Does rule upon the hearts

What harm can worldly losses do

Until your faith departs?    

Note:   This is my attempt at presenting the story of Prophet Ayyub(Job) pbuh. It is a story of patience - a quality I feel I have long lost. The real story as narrated in the Quran can be found at http://goo.gl/4HnIal