He used to help the needy and cater to their needs.

He used to help the needy and cater to their needs. One day God extolled Job ( ‘a ) before an assembly of angels and said, “Nobody like him can be found on earth. He is an honest and God-fearing man and keeps away from sin.”[234] Satan who was present in that assembly said in protest, if fearing God was not of benefit to him, he would not have done so. Thou hast kept Job ( ‘a ), his family and possession safe from every predator.

Thou hast multiplied his earnings and bestowed abundant wealth on him. Take away his possession from him; then Thou wilt behold that he openly blasphemes Thee.[235] In this manner, the great trial for Job ( ‘a ) commenced and Satan was granted the permission to do whatever he liked to him except exercising domination over his body and mind. As a consequence, tribulations occurred one after another. All the possessions of Job ( ‘a ) were lost. His children died.

He, himself, became afflicted with an ailment and suffered intense physical agony. He was expelled from his community. His friends forgot him and even his wife assailed him. Yet, he patiently endured all these adversities. In spite of this, three of his friends approached him and rubbed salt into his wounds. They believed that these tribulations served as punishment for the sins of Job ( ‘a ) and he was now paying for his sinful past.

They urged Job ( ‘a ) to repent for his sins so that God would forgive him. However, Job ( ‘a ) insisted that he had committed no sin and that these happenings and tribulations had no relation whatsoever to his alleged commission of sins. This dialogue is one of the most elegant and profound conversations pertaining to human suffering. It presents the diverse views on evil and its origin. In short, those three could not convince Job ( ‘a ) that he was a sinner.

God cured him; restored to him his lost properties, endowed him with other children in the place of his deceased ones, and inspired the three to apologize to Job ( ‘a ). In this way, Job ( ‘a ) recovered his lost social standing. Everybody realized that the ordeals are not the result of his sinfulness. Rather, these had been only a trial to prove the unflinching faith of Job ( ‘a ). This notwithstanding, the question of the need for good men to suffer is still open to debate.

This question and many other similar ones have been discussed for hundreds of years. Through an analysis of the nature and essence of mischief and evil [ sharr ] (as what Plato did) and its benefits (as what St.