And We restored to him his family, and the like thereof with them, as a mercy from Us and a reminder for people of understanding. And take in your hand a bundle, and strike with it, and do not break your oath. Indeed, We found him patient. What an excellent servant he was! Indeed, he was ever turning to Allah. (43–44)

“And indeed, with Us he has nearness and an excellent return.”

His saying, exalted is He: “And remember Our servant Job, when he called upon his Lord, ‘Indeed, Satan has touched me with hardship and suffering’” means: with difficulty and harm.

Abu Ja‘far recited it with an u-vowel on both the nūn and the ṣād; Ya‘qub recited it with an a-vowel on both; while the other reciters read it with an u-vowel on the nūn and no vowel on the ṣād. All of these readings have the same meaning.

Qatadah and Muqatil said: hardship in the body, and suffering in one’s wealth. We have previously mentioned the account of Job and the duration of his trial in Surah al-Anbiya (1).

When the period of his trial came to an end, he was told: “Strike the ground with your foot”—that is, strike the earth with your foot. He did so, and a spring of water gushed forth. “Here is cool water for washing.” Allah commanded him to wash from it, and he did so; then every illness affecting his outward body disappeared. He then walked forty steps and struck the ground with his other foot, whereupon another spring gushed forth, with sweet, cool water. He drank from it, and every illness within him disappeared. Thus, His words, “Here is cool water for washing,” refer to that from which he washed, while “and for drinking” refers to that from which he drank.

“And We restored to him his family, and the like thereof with them, as a mercy from Us and a reminder for people of understanding. And take in your hand a bundle”—a handful of branches or grass—“and strike with it, and do not break your oath,” that is, do not break the oath you made. He had sworn to strike his wife with one hundred lashes, so Allah commanded him to take a bundle containing one hundred small twigs and strike her with it with a blow