NABI AYYOUB'S GRAVE - JOB

Pierre Assouline, author of Vies de Job, says : "The character trait of Job that I remember most is his ability to resist. Everything gathers against him, starting with his god, which is quite something! His body is martyred, he is abandoned by all, and even there, in the depths of this absolute solitude, he continues to resist. He does not give up. This is an extraordinary lesson Whether Ayyoub (Job) existed or not is not the question, because in the general opinion of Dhofarien, he is buried there in this small mausoleum topped by a dome adjacent to a small mosque. A character common to the three religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islam, he is the hero of the Book of Job, a didactic prose poem common to the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, considered a masterpiece of biblical literature. Job is mentioned in the Koran, among the 25 prophets, in the same way as Adam, Solomon, Moses or Jesus. According to the Talmud, he was one of the three advisors consulted by the Pharaoh of the Exodus before making a decision concerning the children of Israel who were multiplying in an alarming way, the one who did not oppose the elimination of newborn males. It is for this silence that God will punish him in this way. There is nothing to explain his presence in the mountains of Salalah, except the popular account of a legendary trace. The story of this prophet could make a good subject for the baccalaureate: "Is misfortune always the result of a divine punishment? Why is the innocent man also called to suffer? Satan, trusting in Job's weakness, proposes the form of a trial: "Stretch out your hand; touch his possessions, and we will see if he does not deny you to your face." God accepts the proposal. In a few hours Job sees himself stripped of everything, reduced to begging, deprived of children. Nevertheless, he does not deny God. Satan does not consider himself defeated. " Stretch out your hand; touch his bones and his flesh, and see if he does not deny you to yourface And here is the servant of God afflicted with leprosy. Then Job gets up, tears his cloak and shaves his head; then he throws himself on the ground, prostrates himself and says: "I came out of my mother's womb naked, and naked I shall return to the earth. The Lord gave, and the Lord took away; blessed be the name of the Lord." Immediately thereafter, God restores Job's wealth, giving him twice the wealth he had, and 10 children. Job lived a holy and happy life and died a beautiful death. In Salalah? How to know? In Oman, no information or reflection is offered on the intellectual work attributed to Ayyub, despite his dazzling thoughts and the exegesis made of them by some and others, believers or agitators of ideas. Of a serene banality, the place of his last rest is moreover quite modest, tiled, very simple and without any ornament. It might disappoint if the aura surrounding the man were not so great and if the access road itself, open to the vast surrounding plains, were not worth the journey by its quiet beauty.

Continuing on the main road to Jebel Al-Qara (6 km after Job's tomb), one reaches the village of Titam. Pass it, then stop a few kilometers further to appreciate the landscape. We are here at the top of the plateaus. By continuing the road until Uyun, one will be able to see trees with incense.