His Du’a: The Shortest Complete Prayer (21:83)
“Rabbi innī massaniya al-durr wa-anta arham al-rahimin.” — “My Lord, indeed adversity has touched me, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful.”
This prayer is notable for what it does not say: it does not ask for specific relief. It does not list the afflictions. It states the condition (adversity has touched me) and the addressee’s nature (You are the Most Merciful) — and stops. The prayer is built on the premise that Allah, knowing all conditions and being the Most Merciful, will respond appropriately. The asking is implicit in the presenting.
This form of prayer — presenting one’s state to Allah without demanding specific relief — is considered one of the highest forms of du’a in Islamic spirituality, reflecting complete tawakkul (reliance).
What Afflicted Ayyub (38:41)
“And remember Our servant Ayyub, when he called to his Lord, ‘Indeed, adversity has touched me, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful.’ And [mention] when his Lord responded, ‘Indeed, We are with you; strike [the ground] with your foot. This is [a spring for] a cool bath and drink.’ And We restored his family for him and multiplied them, as mercy from Us.”
The Quran does not specify the nature of Ayyub’s affliction, referring only to durr (adversity, harm, distress). The hadith tradition and classical tafsir describe illness of severe duration — but the Quran’s silence is significant: the specific nature of the trial is secondary; the spiritual response is the lesson.
The divine instruction to “strike the ground” producing a spring — both healing and nourishment — is the Quranic pattern: the affliction is met with divine action in the physical world that exceeds the request.
His Connection to Bohra Du’a Practice
Dua-e-Ayyub (the prayer of Ayyub) — “Rabbi innī massaniya al-durr” — is among the most recited prayers in times of illness and distress in the Dawoodi Bohra community, along with Dua-e-Yunus (la ilaha illa anta subhanaka) — both du’as of prophets in extreme states of trial.
See also: Prophets In Islam, Sabr Wa Shukr, Tawakkul Trust In Allah, Tawbat Nasuha, Al Yunus Surah, Al Anbiya, Adhkar