(And Job, when he cried to his Lord, "Indeed, distress has touched me,") meaning illness, (And You are the Most Merciful of the merciful.) Al-Hasan said: Nothing that people said reached Job that was more difficult upon him than their saying: "If he were a prophet, he would not have been afflicted with what he was afflicted with." So he called upon God and said: "O God, if You know that I have not performed a good deed in public except that I have performed the like of it in private, then remove the distress that is upon me, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful." God answered him, and he fell into prostration, and He showered upon him gold locusts, and he began to pick them up and gather them. (And We gave him his family and the like thereof with them) - this is explained in Surat Sad. (As a mercy from Us and a reminder for the worshippers), meaning that what Job was afflicted with was not due to his insignificance in the sight of God, but rather God intended his honor by that, and made that a consolation for the worshippers after him.
﴿وَأَيُّوبَ إِذْ نَادَى رَبَّهُ أَنِّي مسني الضّر﴾ الْمَرَض ﴿وَأَنت أرْحم الرَّاحِمِينَ﴾ قَالَ الْحَسَنُ: إِنَّ أَيُّوبَ لَمْ يَبْلُغْهُ شَيْءٌ يَقُولُهُ النَّاسُ كَانَ أَشَدَّ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ قَوْلِهِمْ: لَوْ كَانَ نَبِيًّا مَا ابْتُلِيَ بِالَّذِي ابْتُلِيَ بِهِ، فَدَعَا اللَّهَ فَقَالَ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنِّي لَمْ أَعْمَلْ حَسَنَةً فِي الْعَلَانِيَةِ إِلَّا عَمِلْتُ فِي السِّرِّ مَثْلَهَا؛ فَاكْشِفْ مَا بِي مِنْ ضُرٍّ وَأَنْتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ، فَاسْتَجَابَ اللَّهُ لَهُ، فَوَقَعَ سَاجِدًا، وَأَمْطَرَ عَلَيْهِ فَرَاشَ الذَّهَبِ، فَجَعَلَ يَلْتَقِطُهُ وَيَجْمَعُهُ ﴿وَآتَيْنَاهُ أَهله وَمثلهمْ مَعَهم﴾ هَذَا مُفَسَّرٌ فِي سُورَةِ " ص " ﴿رَحْمَةً مِنْ عِنْدِنَا وَذِكْرَى لِلْعَابِدِينَ﴾ أَيْ: أَنَّ الَّذِي كَانَ مِمَّنِ ابْتُلِي بِهِ أَيُوبُ لَمْ يَكُنْ مِنْ هَوَانِهِ عَلَى اللَّهِ، وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ أَرَادَ كَرَامَتَهُ بِذَلِكَ، وَجَعَلَ ذَلِك عزاء للعابدين بعده.
