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Prophet Yusuf ibn Yaaqoub
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April 10, 2025
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The prophet who pities those who wronged him
Introduction:
The Holy Quran told prophet Mohammad a lot of stories for many purposes. the Holy Quran dedicated a whole surah for the story of prophet Yusuf ibn Yaaqoub. this is to teach prophet mohammad not to be sad. it was hard for prophet mohammad that his own folks, quraish disbelieved him. therefore, the holy quran said that if quraish was stubborn to you, prophet mohammad, the brothers of yusuf treated him very badly causing him a great pain. moreover, the Holy Quran assured prophet mohammad that allah is always victorious. However, many people do not know it. In addition, the story of Yusuf includes a lot of lessons to learn.
The story begins with a dream:
One day, prophet Yusuf Ibn Yaaqoub told his father Yaqoub about a dream he had. Yusuf dreamt that eleven stars (planets), the sun and the moon fell prostration in front of himself. The wise father advised Yusuf not to tell his brothers about his dream. Yaqoub was afraid that Yusuf’s dream would make his brothers jealous of yusuf. That was what really happened. Yusuf’s brothers soon plotted against Yusuf’s life. However, they decided at the last moment not to kill their youngest brother. Instead, they decided to get rid of Yusuf by throwing him at the bottom of a dry well. They hoped some desert merchants would pick Yusuf up and sell him in a remote country. This way, they hoped to enjoy their father’s love.Allah said:
إِذْ قَالَ يُوسُفُ لِأَبِيهِ يَـٰٓأَبَتِ إِنِّى رَأَيْتُ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ كَوْكَبًۭا وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ رَأَيْتُهُمْ لِى سَـٰجِدِينَ
Yusuf at the bottom of the well:
The childish brothers had a sham plan. They went to their father begging him to let Prophet Yusuf ibn Yaaqoub come with them when they tended the sheep in the desert. The dubious father felt treachery on their part. However, the aging father was too weak to resist.they went to the pasture. They stayed till late in the evening. The brothers lowered Yusuf into the well. they just left him all alone in the desert. pretending to be weeping, they told their father the fake story. They told him that the wolf simply ate Yusuf up. Both Yusuf and Yaqub were helpless. However, Allah vowed to help both the young kid and the aging old man.Allah said:
قَالَ قَآئِلٌۭ مِّنْهُمْ لَا تَقْتُلُوا۟ يُوسُفَ وَأَلْقُوهُ فِى غَيَـٰبَتِ ٱلْجُبِّ يَلْتَقِطْهُ بَعْضُ ٱلسَّيَّارَةِ إِن كُنتُمْ فَـٰعِلِينَ
Allah is always there to your side:
like when ibrahim was all alone in the middle of the burning fire, yusuf was all alone in the complete darkness of the desert. However, neither Ibrahim nor Yusuf was alone. Allah was there with both of them. the ignorant brothers might have left Prophet Yusuf ibn Yaaqoub to his fate mocking his helplessness. they did not know that famine and drought would bring them one day to yusuf in the darkness of their ignorance. Soon, some caravan of merchants was passing by when they needed water. they sent one of them to get water. However, it was not water. It was the boy, yusuf.Allah said:
وَجَآءَتْ سَيَّارَةٌۭ فَأَرْسَلُوا۟ وَارِدَهُمْ فَأَدْلَىٰ دَلْوَهُۥ ۖ قَالَ يَـٰبُشْرَىٰ هَـٰذَا
غُلَـٰمٌۭ ۚ وَأَسَرُّوهُ بِضَـٰعَةًۭ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ
To Egypt where food and water were abundant:
Merchants sell goods. They can sell everything. As soon as they saw Yusuf, they realized that he was a good item to sell. Therefore, they sold him on the market in Egypt at a low price. Yusuf was a good bargain. Therefore, the man who bought yusuf went home happily asking his wife to prepare a good place for yusuf to sleep. They had good plans for yusuf. they would either adopt him or he would be useful to them. On the other hand and back in Palestine, Yaqoub kept lamenting his lost son, disbelieving his children’s fake story. Yusuf began to grow up equipped with Allah’s knowledge and wisdom.
وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِى ٱشْتَرَىٰهُ مِن مِّصْرَ لِٱمْرَأَتِهِۦٓ أَكْرِمِى مَثْوَىٰهُ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَنفَعَنَآ أَوْ نَتَّخِذَهُۥ وَلَدًۭا ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَكَّنَّا
لِيُوسُفَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلِنُعَلِّمَهُۥ مِن تَأْوِيلِ ٱلْأَحَادِيثِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَىٰٓ أَمْرِهِۦ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
The intrigues of the palace:
Allah gave Yusuf prophethood and chastity. Moreover, Allah gave him the beauty and handsomeness of men. Yusuf was a complete man. women at the royal palace fell in his love. The wife of the ruler of Egypt (al-aziz) wanted Yusuf madly. She did her best to tempt yusuf. Yusuf was too virtuous to respond to her attempts. Therefore, she locked the doors to be alone with Yusuf, who rejected her. The angry humiliated woman forged a false accusation for yusuf. People in charge knew she was playful. Allah said:
وَرَٰوَدَتْهُ ٱلَّتِى هُوَ فِى بَيْتِهَا عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ وَغَلَّقَتِ ٱلْأَبْوَٰبَ وَقَالَتْ هَيْتَ لَكَ ۚ
قَالَ مَعَاذَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ رَبِّىٓ أَحْسَنَ مَثْوَاىَ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُفْلِحُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ
However, they decided to send Yusuf to prison. Allah said:
قَالَ رَبِّ ٱلسِّجْنُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِمَّا يَدْعُونَنِىٓ إِلَيْهِ ۖ وَإِلَّا تَصْرِفْ عَنِّى كَيْدَهُنَّ أَصْبُ إِلَيْهِنَّ وَأَكُن مِّنَ ٱلْجَـٰهِلِينَ
فَٱسْتَجَابَ لَهُۥ رَبُّهُۥ فَصَرَفَ عَنْهُ كَيْدَهُنَّ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ دٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِي
There, Yusuf began to call people to worship Allah alone. his prison mates knew how good he was. They asked him to interpret a strange dream one of them had.
The second dream in yusuf’s life story:
Yusuf patiently spent his days, weeks, months and years in prison. However, he went on calling people to worship Allah alone. All this while, two prisoners arrived in the prison. it seemed one of them baked the king’s bread. the other seemed to have made the king’s wine. They both were accused of plotting against the king’s life. the breadmaker dreamt he put bread on his head. birds ate the bread. the winemaker dreamt that he returned to his job, making wine for the king. They asked Yusuf for the interpretation of the dream. Yusuf abruptly said that the baker would be crucified. the baker would be innocent and return to his work. Yusuf asked the survivor to mention his name in front of the king. However, the man forgot.Allah said:
وَدَخَلَ مَعَهُ ٱلسِّجْنَ فَتَيَانِ ۖ قَالَ أَحَدُهُمَآ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰنِىٓ أَعْصِرُ خَمْرًۭا ۖ وَقَالَ ٱلْـَٔاخَرُ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰنِىٓ
أَحْمِلُ فَوْقَ رَأْسِى خُبْزًۭا تَأْكُلُ ٱلطَّيْرُ مِنْهُ ۖ نَبِّئْنَا بِتَأْوِيلِهِۦٓ ۖ إِنَّا نَرَىٰكَ مِنَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
The third dream and the final salvation:
It seemed that Yusuf forgot to ask Allah for help. Therefore, the old prison mate forgot all about Yusuf till one day. The king had a strange dream too. He dreamt that seven skinny cows ate seven fat cows. Also, he dreamt of seven green ears of wheat and seven dry ones. the king was puzzled. The king’s advisors were also in a mess. Suddenly, the prison mate remembered Yusuf. He rushed to get help. Yusuf could easily interpret the king’s dream. At once, the king asked to see Yusuf who unexpectedly refused. Yusuf insisted on clearing his name first. Consequently, the king questioned the women at the palace. The palace lady admitted her crime.Allah said:
قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُنَّ إِذْ رَٰوَدتُّنَّ يُوسُفَ عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ ۚ قُلْنَ حَـٰشَ لِلَّهِ مَا عَلِمْنَا عَلَيْهِ مِن سُوٓءٍۢ ۚ
قَالَتِ ٱمْرَأَتُ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْـَٔـٰنَ حَصْحَصَ ٱلْحَقُّ أَنَا۠ رَٰوَدتُّهُۥ عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَمِنَ ٱلصَّـٰدِقِينَ
Developments in Palestine:
While Yusuf was experiencing good times, Yusuf’s brothers were experiencing hard times. they were suffering from famine and death. their aging father kept weeping till he lost his eyesight. Yusuf’s brothers resorted to Egypt for food. Yusuf became the minister of treasury in egypt. everything was under his control. When Yusuf’s brothers arrived in Egypt, he saw them. He recognized his unaware brothers. Yusuf brought his full brother, Benjamin, closer to him and did a trick to make him stay in egypt. Yusuf made Benjamin accused of theft. To release him, Yusuf asked his brothers to bring their parents from palestine. they reluctantly did.Allah said:
قَالَ ٱجْعَلْنِى عَلَىٰ خَزَآئِنِ ٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ إِنِّى حَفِيظٌ عَلِيمٌۭ
Family reunion at last:
Yusuf uncovered his identity to his brothers who regretted what they had done to him years before. He asked them to throw his shirt on his father’s face. This was for his father to restore his eyesight. Allah said:
ٱذْهَبُوا۟ بِقَمِيصِى هَـٰذَا فَأَلْقُوهُ عَلَىٰ وَجْهِ أَبِى يَأْتِ بَصِيرًۭا وَأْتُونِى بِأَهْلِكُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ
arriving at their neighborhood, the blind father told his children that he felt the smell of yusuf.Allah throwing the shirt on the man’s face, he could see at once. accompanying their parents, they headed for egypt. when they entered into yusuf’s court, they all fell prostration to yusuf. Yusuf commented to his father that it was the interpretation of his earlier dream. This was the happy ending of Yusuf’s story. This was to assure prophet mohammad and his companions that allah is victorious in the end.Allah said:
وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَيْهِ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ وَخَرُّوا۟ لَهُۥ سُجَّدًۭا ۖ وَقَالَ يَـٰٓأَبَتِ هَـٰذَا تَأْوِيلُ رُءْيَـٰىَ مِن قَبْلُ
قَدْ جَعَلَهَا رَبِّى حَقًّۭا ۖ وَقَدْ أَحْسَنَ بِىٓ إِذْ أَخْرَجَنِى مِنَ ٱلسِّجْنِ وَجَآءَ بِكُم مِّنَ ٱلْبَدْوِ
ٱلْبَدْوِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ أَن نَّزَغَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَ إِخْوَتِىٓ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى لَطِيفٌۭ لِّمَا يَشَآءُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ
