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al-Kafaw, Ab al-Baq Ayyb b. Ms al-usayn. alKulliyyt. Beirut: Muassassat al-Risla, 1419/1998. al-Khab, Ab Sulaymn amad b. Muammad. Malim al-Sunan. Ed. Muammad Rghib al-abbkh. 4 vols. alab, 1351/1932. Muslim. a. Nas. Sunan. Qurub. Tafsr. Rghib. Mufradt. Rz. Tafsr. abar. Tafsr. al-Thalib, Ab Manr Abd al-Malik b. Muammad b. Isml. Fiqh al-lugha wa-sirr al-Arabiyya. Ed. Muaf al-Saqq et al. Egypt: Maktabat wa-Mabaat Muaf al-Bb al-alab wa-Awldih, 1403. Tirmidh. Sunan. al-Wdi, Ab Abd al-Ramn Muqbil b. Hd. al-a al-musnad min asbb al-nuzl. 3rd ed. an: Maktabat an al-Athariyya, 1425/2004. al-Wid, Al b. Amad b. Muammad al-Naysbr. Asbb nuzl al-Qurn. Ed. Kaml Basyn Zaghll. Beirut: Dr al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya, 1411/1991. Zajjj. Man. Zamakhshar. Kashshf.
See also: Acquisition; Almsgiving; Arteries and Veins; Astray; Belief; Believers; Boundaries of Allah; Disbelievers; Fear; Firawn; Generosity; Hiding Knowledge; Hope; Hypocrisy and Hypocrites; Jhiliyya; Knowledge; Possessions and Property; Rights; Spending; Squandering Wealth; Trials and Strife; W ealth and Prosperity; Z akt.

59:21); the verbal form (khashiya) of this root appears forty times. The root carries several meanings, including awe, fear, dread, dislike, hope, and knowledge (Farhd, Ayn; Ibn Fris, Maqys; Fayrzbd, Qms; Zabd, Tj; Ibn Manr, Lisn). Some linguists consider it synonymous with fear (khawf ) (Farhd, Ayn; Azhar, Tahdhb), while others hold that khawf and khashya are distinct from each other as well as from other wordssuch as wajal and rahba used to denote fear. Al-Fayrzbd (729-817/1329-1415), for instance, says: khashya (awe), khawf (fear), wajal (wariness), and rahba (dread) are close to each other in meaning, but are not synonyms.... Khashya is more specific than khawf, for khashya is [the characteristic of] scholars who have knowledge of Allah Most High. It is fear (khawf ) associated and linked with gnosis (marifa). () Khawf is movement [of the heart], khashya is cessation of movement: it is stillness [of the heart] (Bair 2:545-46). Ab Hill al-Askar (d. 395/1005) likewise distinguishes khashya from khawf: the latter, he says, relates to what one dislikes (makrh), whereas khashya is related to the one who sends the dislikeable and not to the thing disliked (al-Askar, al-Furq p. 241). Al-Rz (543-606/1148-1209) provides an extensive differentiation between khawf and khashya in his commentary on Q 50:33, the one who stood in awe of the Most Merciful:
According to linguists, awe (khashya) and fear (khawf ) are synonymous, but there is difference between them: awe is due to the augustness (aama) of the one for whom one has awe. This is because the combination of the letters kh-shy, in their various sequences, inherently carries the meaning of reverential awe (hayba). [For instance,] shaykh (which has the same root letters, but in a different sequence) is used for someone who is a lord or a person of advanced age, both of whom are imposing (mahbn). Fear (khawf ), on the other hand, is due to the weakness of one who is frightened, because the combination of the letters kh-w-f, in their various sequences, inherently point to weakness. () Allah Most High has used the word khashya in many places [in the Qurn] referring to fear (khawf ), due to the augustness of the one for whom one has awe (khashya) [examples include Q 35:28 and 59:21]. () The outcome of this discussion is that if you reflect on the usage of khashya, you will find that it is used for fear due [specifically] to the augustness of the object of ones awe; and when you examine the usage of [the word] khawf, you will find that its usage is for fear due to the weakness of the one who is afraid.

Fatimah A hmadshah

Awe of Allah
khashyat allh

Fear (khawf ) mixed with magnification (tam) is how al-Rghib al-Afahn (d. ca.502/1108), the author of the celebrated Mufradt alf al-Qurn, defines khashya. It generally arises, he continues, from knowledge of the one for whom one has khashya; this is why scholars (al-ulam) are especially identified with it in His saying: of His servants, surely [those who] are endowed with knowledge have awe of Allah (Q 35:28) (Mufradt, sub kh-sh-y). Khashya, translated here as awe, is the infinitive noun from the root kh-sh-y and appears eight times in the Qurn (Q 2:74; 4:77 twice; 17:31, 100; 21:28; 23:57;

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This is the most common usage, although at times it may be used otherwise.
Tafsr, sub Q 50:33

While al-Zarkash (745-794/ca.1344-1392) maintains that there is no linguistic difference between khashya and khawf, he nevertheless asserts that there is no doubt that the former is higher (al) and more intense (ashadd) than the latter. When used to describe vegetation, for instance, the former denotes a desiccated shrub (shajara khashiyya), whereas the latter used to describe a shecamel (nqa khawf) denotes a creature that is parched but that has not yet died of thirst. This more intensive sense explains why the word khashya is specifically used for Allah, al-Zarkash continues, as in Q 13:21: and they stand in awe of their Sustainer (wa yakhshawna Rabbahum) and fear the most severe reckoning (Burhn, Type 46: Alf yuann bih al-tarduf, 4:78). From the Divine command to Ms, upon him peace (q.v.), to go to Firawn (q.v.) and Say: Are you desirous of attaining purity? Then I shall guide you toward your Sustainer, so that you may have awe [of Him] (Q 79:1819), Ibn Aiyya (d. 546/ca.1151) extrapolates the necessary conditions for awe: knowledge comes after Divine guidance (q.v.), and awe comes after knowledge; and of His servants, only those endowed with knowledge have awe of Allah (Muarrar). Al-Rz further comments: The verse demonstrates that gnosis (marifa) of Allah takes preference over [mere] obedience to Him, because Allah mentions guidance and makes awe (khashya) contingent upon itother examples being Q 16:2 and 20:14. The verse also demonstrates that awe cannot be achieved without knowledge, as in His saying, of His servants, surely [those who] are endowed with knowledge have awe of Allah (Q 35:28), those being the learned. The verse indicates that awe (khashya) is the root of all good deeds (al-khashya milk al-khayrt). For whoever stands in awe of Allah will do only good; and whoever has lost it, such a person will have the audacity to commit any evil (Tafsr). Al-Zamakhshar (467-538/ca.1074-1143) echoes al-Rz in his commentary on the verse, as he calls awe of Allah the determinant (milk al-amr): whoever has it, within him is all virtue; whoever does not have it has the audacity to commit any evil (Kashshf ). The Qurn uses the verbal form kh-sh-y for fear rather than awe, as in Q 18:80: And we feared ( fa-khashn) that he would bring grief upon them by his wickedness and disbelief. Al-Azhar (d. 370/980), citing al-Farr, explains this usage as meaning we knew and therefore metonymically referring to the fear such knowledge yields. In

accounting for the seemingly variant usage of the word, he also states that al-Zajjj held this to be a statement of al-Khir (q.v.) rather than of Allah, and that the subject of the verb may in fact be Allah, in which case the fear would be in the sense of dislike (karha) (Tahdhb). The Qurn uses the word khashya with reference to: (i) awe of Allah, and (ii) awe or fear of other than Allah (khashya m siw Allh). The former occurs in thirty-one verses: five times as the construct awe of Allah (khashyat Allh) (Q 2:74; 4:77; 24:52; 35:28; 59:21); twice as awe of the Most Merciful (khashyat al-Ramn) (Q 36:11; 50:33); seven times with Rabb (with different possessive suffixes: Rabbahum, Rabbihim, Rabbahu) (Q 13:21; 21:49; 23:57; 35:18; 39:23; 67:12; 98:8) (see Beautiful Names of Allah); twice as an exception (i.e., referring to those who have awe of none but Allah; Q 9:18; 33:39); in twelve verses in verbal form with or without a suffix (Q 2:150; 4:9; 5:3, 44; 9:13; 20:3, 44; 33:37; 79:19, 26; 80:9; 87:10); and once as infinitive noun with a pronoun (Q 21:28). The latter occurs in nine verses (Q 3:173; 4:25; 5:52; 9:13, 24; 17:31; 18:80; 20:77, 94) (for these, see Fear). According to al-Zamakhshar, correct faith requires that one have khashya of none but Allah (as in Q 33:39; Kashshf, sub Q 9:13). Believers (q.v.) are specifically enjoined (Q 5:3) to have no fear or awe of any disbeliever but only of Allah, because in doing so they recognize that He alone is the source of all benefit and harm (cf. Rghib, Tafsr and Ibn Aiyya, Muarrar, sub Q 5:3).

Awe of Allah (Khashyat Allh)

Awe of Allah is variously explained by exegetes as: to abstain from sins and the unlawful and to have fear of the painful reckoning (Samarqand, Bar, sub Q 13:21); the bridle that holds back a believer from running into the valley of passions, a rein which pulls him and keeps him steadfast on taqw (God-wariness) (Qushayr, Tafsr, sub Q 13:21); and it is the source of all blessings, stops one from committing sins, and commands one to do virtuous deeds (Ibn Aiyya, Tafsr, sub Q 98:8). In his commentary on Q 4:9 (and let them stand in awe [of Allah], those [legal heirs] who, if they had to leave behind weak offspring, would feel fear for their well-beingand let them be wary of Allah ( fal-yattaq Llh) and let them speak [to the poor] in a just manner), al-Rghib says that awe is the first stage of God-wariness (see Taqw), while God-wariness is the last stage of awe: for awe is to be wary of a thing because of ones knowledge of it (as the learned (ulm) are described in Q 35:28); and God-wariness is to guard against the object of ones awe as ones knowledge of it

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demands. Hence Allah enjoins care in all undertakings, both at the beginning and at the end, for the former is not beneficial without the latter and the latter cannot be achieved without the former (Tafsr). The passage from Srat al-Fir, part of which was cited above in elucidation of the concept of awe, reads in full: Do you not see that Allah sends down water from the sky, whereby We bring forth fruits of many hues, and in the mountains there are streaks of white and red of various shades, as well as raven-black? And of men and crawling beasts and cattle, too, there are many hues. Of His servants, it is those endowed with knowledge who stand in awe of Allah. Verily Allah is Almighty, Most-Forgiving (Q 35:27-28). Al-abar (d. 310/923) comments that those who have fear of Allah, and who protect themselves from His punishment by obedience to Him, are those who know that Allah has power (q.v.) over everything and that He does what He wills (see Will, Want, and Volition)and that whoever knows this will have fear and awe of Allah, for he will have certitude that sins incur punishment (Tafsr). Ibn Aiyya explains that the verse does not restrict awe to scholars but only specifies them without excluding others; the word innam (it is [those] who) can be used to exclude or not, the context determining its usage (Muarrar). Al-ls (d. 1270/1854) states that those endowed with knowledge, that is, the learned (al-ulam), does not allude to those who merely possess knowledge of morphology and grammar but to those who have intimate gnosis of Allah, His attributes, and His actions. That knowledge is the basis of their awe, which is proportionate to their knowledge (R). Awe of the Sustainer or of the Most Merciful is qualified in four verses by the phrase bil-ghayb (unseen) (see Manifest and Hidden) (Q 21:49; 35:18; 36:11; and 67:12). This is explained by exegetes as having two possible valences, referring either to those who have awe of Allah without seeing Him or to those who have awe of Allah even when no one is watching them (Samarqand, Bar, sub Q 50:33; Samn, Tafsr, sub Q 67:12; Rghib, Mufradt, sub gh-y-b). Ibn Aiyya elaborates the two possible meanings in Q 67:12: in the first sense, the hidden (al-ghayb) here is that about which they have been told, such as Resurrection (q.v.), the Path, the Scale, Paradise (q.v.), and Hell (q.v.). They believe in these and have awe of their Sustainer because of these. That is the opinion of Qatda. The second meaning is that they have awe of their Lord when they are hidden from the eyes of other people... In this sense (wajh), the meaning is that they have awe in their prayers and in their worship and when

alone. The first aspect praises them for sincerity (q.v.) and belief, the second for [their] good deeds performed in private, for to do good in private is better than to do so publicly (because of the pride to which public deeds are subject) (Muarrar). Ab Jafar al-Nas (d. 338/ ca.950) prefers the second meaning, since sins are often committed when one is hidden from others, and adds that whoever refrains from sins in private out of awe before Allah would not commit them when with others (Nas, Irb, sub Q 67:12). In his commentary on the Prophetic supplication O Allah, I ask for khashya of You in private and public ( f-lghayb wal-shahda), Ibn Rajab al-anbal (736-795/ ca.1335-1393) states that it is a common observation that people show awe of Allah when in public, but what really counts is to have such awe when out of sight of others (as praised by Allah in Q 5:94; 21:49; 50:33; 67:12). Three factors giver rise to such overpowering awe: (i) strong faith in Allahs promise of reward and punishment; (ii) continuous awareness of the severity of His power and reprisal (shiddat bashih wa intiqmih), as in the question of al-asan al-Bar (d. 110/728): O son of dam, have you the power to fight against Allah? For whosoever transgresses, fights against Him; and (iii) intense meditation on Allah: to truly believe that Allah is an all-seeing Witness to what moves in the hearts of His servants as well as what they do, and that He is with them wherever they are (see Q 4:108; 10:61; 58:7) (Ibn Rajab, Majm Rasil p. 161-165). The Qurn informs the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, that he can only warn those in awe of Allah (Q 35:18; 36:11although his mission is described as general in Q 36:6). Yay b. Sallm al-Bar (124200/742-815) says that here the warning metonymically stands for its effect (accepting the divine message) meaning that only those in awe of Allah will accept the Prophetic warnings (Tafsr, sub Q 36:6 and 36:11). Al-Rz explains that the mission in Q 36:6 is generally to warn all, whether heeded or not; but Q 36:11 specifies that the warning benefits only those who follow the admonition and stand in awe of Allah (Tafsr, sub Q 36:11; cf. abar, Tafsr, sub Q 35:18 and Ibn Aiyya, Muarrar, sub Q 36:11). Ibn shr (1296-1393/1879-1972) understands those in awe (in Q 35:18: You can warn only those in awe of their Lord unseen) to include believers as well as those ready to believe (Tarr). The reward of those in awe of Allah is the concealment of their sins on the Day of Judgment, and entrance into Paradise (Makk, Hidya 12:7597, sub Q 67:12).

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They achieve felicity in the Hereafter (q.v.) by attaining the pleasure of Allah and His protection from His just punishment (abar, Tafsr, sub Q 24:52).

Awe of Allah in Non-human Creations

Non-human creation is also described in the Qurn as possessing awe of Allah. Rocks are said to crash down for such awe (Q 2:74), and Q 59:21 presents a graphic image of a mountain breaking asunder: Had We sent down this Qurn upon a mountain, you would indeed have seen it humbling itself and breaking asunder out of awe of Allah (min khashyat Allh); We produce such similes (amthl) for mankind so that they may reflect. Al-Samn (d. 489/1095) asks, If it is said that rocks are inanimate ( jimd), they do not understand (l yafham), so how then can they have awe (khashya)? We say that the people of the Prophetic Sunna (ahl al-Sunna) have explained that indeed Allah Most High has taught lifeless (al-mawt) [objects] what He has not taught others (Tafsr, sub Q 2:74; Baghaw concurs: Tafsr). Al-Shirbn (d. 977/1569) also asserts that it is the belief of ahl al-Sunna wal-Jama (lit. The People of the Prophetic Sunna and the Congregation) that Allah Most High has granted a certain type of knowledge to those who do not possess intellect (siw al-aql)inanimate objects (al-jimdt) and all living creatures (sir al-ayawnt) which He has not granted to others. Each of them has its own prayer (alt) and ways of extolling Allah (tasb). As He has said, The seven heavens extol His limitless glory, and the earth, and all that they contain; and there is not a single thing but extols His glory and praise; but you [mankind] comprehend not their glorification (Q 17:44); and as the Most High has said, Do you not see that all creatures in the heavens and the earth extol the limitless glory of Allah(Q 24:41); the Most High has also said, See you not that unto Allah prostrate all that are in the heavens and all that are on earth and the sun, and the moon? (Q 22:18). It is therefore necessary to affirm [that they have khashya], while relinquishing its nature to Allah (al-Sirj al-munr, sub Q 2:74). These exegetes cite a number of verses and hadiths that indicate an innate awareness of the Creator in inanimate objects. Qurnic verses adduced in support of this include Q 17:44 (the seven heavens, the earth, and all that they contain glorify Him); Q 22:18 (Have you not seen that all that is in the heavens and the earth prostrate themselves before Allah; and so do the sun and the moon, and the stars and the mountains and the beasts and many of mankind?); Q 24:41 (Do you not see that it is Allah that all in the heavens and the earth glorify, and the birds spreading their wings

in flight?); and Q 38:18 (We subdued the hills to hymn the praises [of their Lord] ( yusabbina) with him (Dwd, upon him peace (q.v.)) (see The Qurn and the Natural World). Various hadiths are also adduced to support this understanding, including the following two. The Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, said: Indeed, I know the stone which used to greet me before I was appointed a Prophet (Muslim, Fail, fal al-Nab all Allh alayh wa-sallam wa taslm al-ajar alayh qabl al-nubuwwa); and the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, said about Mount Uud (q.v.): This is a mountain which loves us, and we love it (Bukhr, Jihd, fal al-khidma f-l-ghazw; Muslim, Fail, f mujizt al-Nab all Allh alayh wa-sallam). The commentators conclude that such verses and hadiths establish that both the animate beings as well as inanimate objects have certain powers of speech and volition granted them by Allah (cf. Baghaw, Tafsr; al-Shirbn, al-Sirj al-munr, sub Q 2:74). The Mutazila reject these interpretations, as al-Rz reports, because according to them a certain kind of structure (binya) and temperament (itidl al-mizj) are necessary conditions to have the capacity to accept life and intellect. But they have no proof for these except their inability to grasp (istibd) the [contrary] idea; hence they do not deserve any attention (Tafsr, sub Q 2:74). Al-Nawaw (d. 676/1277) asserts that it is necessary to affirm because it is not rationally impossible for stones and the like to have been granted powers of discernment (tamyz), and since there exist proof texts (na) on the matter (Shar Muslim 3:202).

Spiritual Dimensions
Many Sufi texts treat khashya and khawf as synonyms, and the station of fear (manzilat al-khawf ) is said to encompass both awe and fear (al-Hujwr, Kashf; al-Qushayr, al-Risla). A representative passage is the section entitled Station of Fear in Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyas (691751/1292-1350) Madrij al-slikn bayna manzil iyyka nabudu wa iyyaka nastan (The stations of the traveler between the stations of You alone do we worship and unto You alone do we turn for help), a work that incorporates and comments on Abd Allh al-Anrs (d. 481/1088) Manzil al-sirn. It is reproduced here at length for the way it includes material surveyed above from linguistic and comparative genres in characterizing a station on the spiritual path.
One of the stations of You alone do we worship and unto You alone we turn for help (Q 1:5) is the Station of Fear, which is the highest Station on the Path, most beneficial for the heart, obligatory for

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all [seekers of their Lord]. Allah Most High has said: Fear them not, but fear Me, if you truly believe (Q 3:175); and the Most High said: fear Me alone (Q 2:40); and He said: Have not awe of people, but have awe of Me (Q 5:44). He has praised those who have awe, saying: Surely those who stand in awe for fear of their Lord, who have full faith in the Signs of their Lord, who associate none with their Lord in His Divinity, who give whatever they give in charity with hearts trembling [at the thought] that they are destined to return to their Lord (Q 23:57-61). It is related in the Musnad [of Imam Amad] and [Sunan of] alTirmidh that isha, may Allah be pleased with her, reported: I asked the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, O Messenger of Allah, the saying of Allah, who are faced with what they have committed with their hearts trembling at the thought that they are destined to return to their Lordis it about a man who commits adultery, drinks and steals? He said, No, O daughter of al-iddq; rather, this is a man who fasts and prays and gives alms, but who fears that these [acts] will not be accepted from him. Al-asan [al-Bar] said: they did righteous deeds and strove in the path of Allah, yet feared that they might be returned to them [unaccepted]; indeed, a believer combines excellence (isn) with awe (khashya) whereas a hypocrite combines evil deeds with fearlessness. Wajal, al-khawf, al-khashya, and al-rahba are words which are close to each other in meaning, but they are not synonyms. According to Ab al-Qsim alJunayd, fear (khawf ) is the fearful expectation of grave punishment with the flow of ones breath. It is also said that fear is perturbation (iirb) and turbulence in the heart at the remembrance of the fearful; and it is said that fear is the confirmed knowledge about how the [Divine] decree will be passed; and this knowledge is the cause of fear It is also said that fear is flight of the heart when something disliked (al-makrh) occurs. Awe (khashya) is more special and specific than fear, because awe is characteristic of those who have knowledge of Allah, for He has said: Of His servants, it is those endowed with knowledge who stand in awe of Allah (35:28). Awe, then, is fear combined with gnosis (maqrn bi-marifa); and the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, said: Truly I have the most fear of Allah among you and I have the most awe (Muslim, iym, bayn anna al-qubla f-l-awm laysat muarrama). Fear (khawf ) is movement, while awe (khashya) is stillness, gathering together, cessation of movement. Someone who comes upon an enemy or flood or something similar, has two states: one is flight, which is fear; the other is to station himself in a place out of reach, which is awe Rahba

is to run far away from something one hates... It is the opposite of raghba, which is to run toward what one loves Wajal is trembling of the heart, by remembering one whose power and punishment, or the sight of whom, one fears; hayba is fear conjoined with [the awareness of] augustness and esteem and respect; and it is often [combined] with love, gnosis, esteem and respect (ijll); it is the awareness of augustness associated with love. Fear (khawf ) pertains to the generality of believers, awe (khashya) to the learned and those possessing gnosis (marifa), hayba is for lovers (muibbn) [of Allah], and ijll is for those brought near (muqarrabn), as in the saying of the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace: I am the most knowledgeable of you about Allah, and I have the most awe (khashya) of Him. According to another narration, it is I have the most fear (khawf ) of Him. He also said: By Allah, if you knew what I know, you would laugh little and weep much. You would not enjoy women in bed and you would go out on the wide paths, imploring Allah Most High (Tirmidh, Zuhd, f qawl al-Nab all Allh alayh wa sallam law talamn m alam laaiktum qallan).
Ibn al-Qayyim, Madrij, Manzila 14: al-Khawf

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vols. Beirut: Dr al-Kitb al-Arab, 1416/1996. Ibn Rajab al-anbal, Ab al-Faraj Zayn al-Dn Abd alRamn b. Amad. Majm rasil al-fi Ibn Rajab al-anbal. Ed. Ab Muab alat b. Fud al-ulwn. 4 vols. Cairo: [Dr] al-Frq al-adtha, 1424/2003. Makk. Hidya. Muslim. Sa. Nas. Irb. Nawaw. Shar Muslim. al-Qushayr, Ab al-Qsim. al-Rislat al-Qushayriyya. Ed. Abd al-alm Mamd and Mamd b. al-Sharf. Cairo: Mabi Muassasat Dr al-Shab, 1409/1989. Qushayr. Tafsr. Rghib. Mufradt. Rghib. Tafsr. Rz. Tafsr. Samn. Tafsr. Samarqand. Bar. al-Shirbn al-Khab, Muammad b. Amad. al-Sirj almunr f-l-ina al marifat ba man Kalm Rabbin al-akm al-Khabr. 4 vols. 2nd ed. Bulq: Dr al-ibat al-mira, 1299/1881. abar. Tafsr. Tirmidh. Sunan. Yay b. Sallm al-Bar. Tafsr Yay b. Sallm. Ed. Hind Shalab. 2 vols. Beirut: Dr al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya, 1425/2004. Zabd. Tj. Zamakhshar. Kashshf. Zarkash. Burhn.
See also: Allah; Beautiful Names of Allah; Black Stone; Fear; Manifest and Hidden; Mountains; Parables of the Qurn; The Qurn and the Natural World; Righteousness and Virtue; Taqw; Will, Want, and Volition.

Al-Jawlq (465-540/1072-1145) maintained that, like all but four Prophetic names (dam, li, Shuayb, and Muammad), Ayyb is a non-Arabic (ajam) proper name (see Arabic) (al-Jawlq, al-Muarrab 2:61) meaning oft-returning (Fayrzbd, Qms). It is also said that the name is a Hebrew loan-word meaning one who returns to Allah in all states (Fayrzbd, Bair, bara dhikr Ayyb), which, according to al-Qurub (d. 671/1273), is the meaning of awwb in Arabic (cf. Q 38:17, 30), from ba il Allh (Qurub, Tafsr, sub Q 50:32). Ayyb, upon him peace, is one of the six prophets whose life story is only briefly narrated in the Qurn, the other five being Idrs (q.v.) (Q 19:56-57, 21:85); al-Yasa (q.v.) (Q 6:87, 38:48); Ilys (q.v.) (Q, 6:85, 37:124130); Ynus (q.v.)also referred to as Dhl-Nn and ib al-t(Q 4:163, 6:86, 10:98, 21:87-88, 37:139148, 68:48-50); and Dhl Kifl (q.v.) (Q 21:85, 38:48), who is identified in some reports as Bishr, son of Ayyb and who was appointed as prophet after the death of his father (cf. Bayw, Tafsr; Suy, Durr; and Als, R, sub Q 38:48). There are two sets of verses related to Prophet Ayyb. The first consists of the two passages where he is included in an assembly of prophets (Q 4:163 and 6:84); the second succinctly provides details of his life (Q 21:83-84 and 38:41-44) and mentions his distinct station as a paragon of patience and steadfastness (Q 38:41-44).

His Genealogy, Time, and Person

Different opinions in exegetical literature about his genealogy and time were summarized by al-Als (d. 1270/1854):
Ibn Jarr [al-abar] said that [Ayyb] was the son of Am b. Rza b. Ay b. Isq, upon him peace. Ibn Askir said that his mother was a daughter of L (q.v.), upon him peace. His father was among those who believed in Ibrhm, upon him peace, and hence he was before Ms, upon him peace. Ibn Jarr said that he was after Shuayb, upon him peace. Ibn Ab Khaythma said that he was after Sulaymn, upon him peace. Ibn Sad narrated from al-Kalb that the first prophet to be appointed was Idrs, then N, then Ibrhm, then Isml; and [then] Isq, Yaqb, Ysuf, L, Hd, li, Shuayb, Ms, Hrn, Ilys, al-Yasa, Ynus, [and then] Ayyb upon them all peace. Ibn Isq said that [Ayyb] was from Ban Isrl and nothing is certain about his genealogy except that his father name was Am.

Naseer A hmad Muzaffar Iqbal Ayym Allh

See Days of A llh

Ayyb
upon him peace

One of the twenty-five prophets mentioned in the Qurn by name (see Prophets and Messengers). His name appears four times in four different suras (Q 4, 6, 21, 38), one of which (Q 4) was revealed in Madina.