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The Prophet Ya'qub (peace be upon him) had twelve sons and one
of them was called Yusuf (Joseph) whose life is full of many
interesting: happenings. He was a handsome and smart boy with
polite habits and polished manners. He bore a sound character.
He had an attractive personality. The Prophet Ya'qub (peace be
upon him) had a deep affection for his son, Yusuf who occupied a
rank of remarkable distinction among his brothers. His brothers
began to Feel jealous of him. They became united against Yusuf
and hatched a plan to do away. with him.
Vision of Prophet Yusuf and its Interpretation:
When the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) became a teenager, he
had a special vision. He rushed towards his father to inform him
about it. He dreamt that there were eleven stars with the moon
and the sun kneeling in front of him. The Prophet Yusuf (peace
be upon him) was much excited to see this fantastic dream. His
heart was beating fast while he was breaking the news to his
father. The Holy Qur'an describes:
"Yusuf said to his father: 0' my father! I have indeed seen in a
dream eleven stars and the sun and moon making obeisance to me."
(12: 4)
On hearing about this vision the Prophet Ya'qub (peace be upon
him) whisperingly advised his son not to divulge it to his
brothers lest their jealousy should be excited. He had sound
reasons to Fear that they would plot against him. The Prophet
Ya'qub (peace be upon him) interpreted that Yusuf was destined
to become a great personality. God would give him wisdom, grace
and honour. He would enable him to read into the future. To
crown all he would become a Prophet. His eleven brothers (the
stars) and his father and mother (the sun and moon) would stand
in need of him and bow to his dignified position. The Holy
Qur'an relates:
"He (Ya'qub) said: O' my dear son! Tell not your brethren of
your vision lest they should plot against you because surely
Satan is the manifest enemy of man. So your Lord shall prefer
you and will teach you the interpretations of dreams and will
perfect His favours upon you and upon the family of Ya'qub as He
perfected it upon your forefather Ibrahim and Ishaq. The Lord is
Knowing, Wise." (7:5, 6)
Plot against the Prophet Yusuf:
The brothers of Prophet Yusuf did not like that he should become
the only centre of their paternal love. The sentiments of
jealousy burnt them inside. They decided to get rid of him. One
of them suggested that he should be put to death but the others
did not agree with him -because it was a terrible thing. Then
another brother proposed to throw him into a pit. All of them I
unanimously voted in favour of this scheme. The Holy Qur'an
says:
"One said: Slay Yusuf or drive him some other land so that your
father's favours may be exclusively for you and after that you
shall live as upright persons. One among them said: Kill not
Yusuf but cast him down into the bottom of a pit if you must do
it so that some wayfarers may pick him up." (12: 7-10))
The Plan is put into Practice:
In order to put their plan into practice the mischievous
brothers of the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) approached
their father. They persuaded the Prophet Ya'qub (peace be upon
him) to allow his affectionate son, Yusuf to accompany them for
tending the sheep. They insisted so much that their father
became quite suspicious. He feared lest the jealous brothers
should do some harm to Yusuf. The Prophet Ya'qub (peace be upon
him) was hesitant in parting with his son but his other sons
went on insisting and trying to satisfy him. They assured their
father that they would look after their younger brother even at
the risk of their own lives. As the Prophet Ya'qub (peace be
upon him) did not wish to compel Yusuf to avoid his brothers he
granted his permission hesitatingly. So the brothers got an
opportunity of carrying out their evil design of casting him
into the pit. The Holy Qur'an says:
"They said: O' our father! Why do you not entrust us with Yusuf
though we, indeed, mean him well. Send him with us tomorrow that
he may enjoy himself and sport and surely we shall take good
care of him. He said: It grieves me that the wolf should devour
him while you are heedless of him. They said: Surely if the wolf
should devour him notwithstanding we are so strong a band, then
we shall be in that case justly blamed for losing him." (12:
11-15)
They proceeded towards the hills. All of them were nervous
except the unsuspecting Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him). When
they were enjoying a trip, they pushed the Prophet Yusuf (peace
be upon him) sharply towards the waterless well He fell down
with a thud and became sore all over. There was no food to eat
and no water to drink. It was dark and scary. 'He screamed at
the top of his voice but he could hear nothing except the echoes
of his voice. He realised that a clever trick had been played
upon him.
Father is Informed:
The brothers of Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) were feeling
guilty inside because they had committed a shameful act. They
walked back slowly with dejected faces. They approached their
father crying and sobbing. They were shedding crocodile tears
while they were informing their father that the Prophet Yusuf
(peace be upon him)had been devoured by the wolf. They produced
the blood smeared shirt of the Prophet Yusuf(peace be upon him)
as an evidence. The Holy Qur'an says:
"And they came back weeping to their father at night fall and
said: O' our father! of a truth, we went racing with one another
and left Yusuf to loot after clothes and the wolf devoured him;
but we art afraid you will not believe us though we speak the
truth. And they brought his shirt with false blood upon it."
(12: 16-18)
The Prophet Yusuf is Delivered out of Well and Sold:
The Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) was quite vigorous. He
tried many times to climb out of the deep well but he could not.
Finally he sat down in utter despair beseeching Allah's help.
After some time a caravan happened to pass by the well. Some men
needed water to quench their thirst. One of them lowered his
bucket into the well but he could not hear the splash of water.
The well was dry and there was nothing except the Prophet Yusuf
(peace be upon him) who was waiting anxiously for some one to
come and rescue him. When the bucket came down, it touched the
Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him). He clung to it with his dear
life. The man pulled hard at the bucket and the Prophet Yusuf
(peace be upon him) came out of the well. He felt a great
pleasure and expressed a deep sense of gratitude to Allah Who
had bestowed favour upon him. He dusted himself off and told the
man all about what had happened to him. The Prophet Yusuf (peace
be upon him) was taken to Egypt where he was sold as a slave.
The Holy Qur'an states:
"And there came a wayfarer and they sent down a water drawer. He
let down his pail into the pit. He said: What a good luck, here
is a youth. And they kept his case secret to make merchandise of
him and Allah knew what they did, and they sold him for a petty
price, a few dirhams and they attached little value to him."
(12:1,0, 21)
The Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) was purchased by a famous
rich man. He rendered services to him and his family.
The Prophet Yusuf Overpowers Temptation:
The Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) was a handsome and an
attractive young man. He was extremely charming and
irresistible. He was a perfect gentleman whom Allah had honoured
with His love, grace and protection. He was held in high esteem
in the house of his master. As the time passed the lady of the
house put him in an awkward position. She fell in love with him.
She could hardly shake him out of her mind. One day in the
absence of her husband she approached him and desired to be very
close to him. The Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) refrained
from even casting a glance at her. He tried to get rid of her
but she chased him. She grabbed hard at the back of his shirt
and it was torn apart. Just at that time the master appeared on
the scene. He saw what was going on, He flew into a rage. The
master's wife was embarrassed beyond all limits. She cried out
after absolute frustration in her evil designs and levelled
false accusations against Yusuf, the innocent. The Prophet Yusuf
(peace be upon him) clarified his position with the moral
support of one of the maid-servants who bore witness by saying:
Look at the shirt. If it is torn at the back, the Prophet Yusuf
(peace be upon him) will be quite innocent. He should not be
blamed. In case it is rent from the front the accused will be
one of the liars. When the shirt was examined it was torn at the
back and the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) was found
truthful. The master was fully convinced of the innocence of
Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him). He appealed to him to keep
the matter in secret lest it should become a scandal. Moreover
he admonished his wife to beg pardon of Prophet Yusuf (peace be
upon him).
Banquet is Arranged:
Many people got wind of this incident. They starred to talk
about the master's wife who had been deeply affected with the
love of her slave. She wished to seduce him. The whole town kept
on talking maliciously about her.
When the master's wife heard about it, she made a special plan.
She wished to show the people that it was very hard to resist
the charm of Prophet Yusuf(peace be upon him) and his lovely
youth. She arranged a grand banquet and invited most of the
women in the town. They were talking and enjoying themselves.
The most delicious food and fruit were served before the guests.
The master's wife gave a sharp knife to every lady to peel off
the fruit. When the ladies were busy with using the knives, the
master's wife asked the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) to
enter the room. As the door opened with a squeak, there
prevailed a pen-drop silence for a few second and the Prophet
Yusuf (peace be upon him) stood calmly. The ladies looked at him
constantly and got stunned at his beauty. He was so attractive
that many of them were taken by a great surprise. They forgot
that they were using the knives. They cut their fingers in utter
amazement. The Holy Qur'an says:
"When they saw him, they exalted him? and (in their amazement)
cut their hands exclaiming: Remote is Allah from imperfection.
This is not a mortal but is a noble angel. She said: It is he
about whom you blamed me Certainly I wished him to yield to my
desires but he stood firm." (12:31,3?)
The Prophet Yusuf in the Prison:
The Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) found himself in a great
trouble. As the time passed by, the Problems became more
complicated. The Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) prayed to
Almighty Allah to grant him protection from those ladies. He
wished to be in prison rather than being indecent. He desired to
escape from the temptations of sexual instinct. The Holy Qur'an
says:
"He said: MY Lord! I Prefer the Prison to compliance with their
bidding: and if you turn not away their snares from me, I may
perchance yearn towards them (out of youthful folly) and become
one of the unwise." (7: 33)
Allah accepted his prayer to shield him from evil temptations.
The elite of the town noticed that their females were becoming
ardent lovers of the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him). Although
they knew that he had committed no crime yet they decided to
imprison the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) to avoid
disturbance in their society. He remained in the prison for
several years and developed friendly relations with many
prisoners. There he preached the religion of Allah and tried to
reform the prisoners who were greatly impressed by his
personality. One day two prisoners saw strange dreams. They came
to the Prophet Yusuf(peace be upon him) for asking the
Interpretations of those dreams. One of them said: I saw in a
dream that I was pressing wine. The other prisoner said: I saw
in my dream that I was carrying a basket of bread on my head and
the birds were eating from it. The Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon
him) asked them to wait until lunch time so that they might
become anxious and listen to him attentively. At the appointed
time the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) said: The one who was
pressing wine, will be set at liberty and he will serve wine to
his master. The other will be crucified for the crime, he had
committed. The Holy Qur'an affirms:
"O' my two fellow prisoners! As for one of you he shall Pour out
wine for his lord to drink and as for the other, he shall be
executed and the birds shall eat from off his head. The matter
is decreed concerning which you inquired." (11:40)
Soon after the interpretations of those dreams turned out to be
true. When the first man was about to leave the prison, the
Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) asked to remember him to the
master. He did so as a self-respecting man without adopting a
supplicative attitude. The man who found deliverance forgot
mentioning all about the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) to
his lord. So he had to linger in the prison for a few more
years. He continued praying and teaching goodness in the prison.
One day, the king of Egypt dreamt that seven fat cows were eaten
by seven thin cows and he also saw seven preen ears of corn and
seven others that withered. The king wished to know the
interpretation of that strange dream. Every one was puzzled
because no one could really say what it meant. Some of them
thought that it was a passing dream. The ex-prisoner informed
the king about the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) who was
well versed in the art of explaining the dreams accurately. The
king became quite curious and sent the man to see the Prophet
Yusuf (peace be upon him) in the prison. The man rushed towards
him and tendered an apology for not speaking to the master about
him. Then he asked him about the fantastic dream of the king.
The Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) said: You will sow for
seven years diligently. There will be seven years of rich
harvest in the country. It is better to store as much of the
food stuff as possible because there will be a famine lasting
for seven years. During this period of hardships the preserved
stores of grain shall be consumed except a little quantity.
Afterwards there will be a year in which the people shall have
heavy rains and bumper crops. They shall press grapes.
The Prophet Yusuf's Innocence is Established:
The man sought permission of leave from the Prophet Yusuf (peace
be upon him) and proceeded towards the king. He told him the
interpretation of his dream in the presence of many courtiers.
They were much surprised. The king was greatly impressed and
expressed a keen desire to see him in person. He issued an
immediate order to release the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him)
from the prison but he refused to leave it until he had his
innocence established beyond all doubts. He told the king about
the cruelty and injustice inflicted upon him without any fault.
He wished to clear the blot of crime on his fair name. The king
summoned the women who put the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him)
to inconvenience. They all confessed that he was quite innocent.
The Holy Qur'an affirms: "They (women) said: Allah Blameless! We
knew of no evil on his part. Thereupon the Chief's wife said:
Now the truth has become established. I asked of him an evil act
and he is surely of the truthful." (7: 50)
The Prophet Yusuf as Director of Stores:
The king was much impressed with his nobility and intelligence.
He therefore, offered him an important position in the
Government. He was appointed as the Director of Stores. The Holy
Qur'an says:
"He (the king) said: Surely from this day you shall be with us
invested with rank and trust. Then he (Yusuf) said: Set me over
the store houses of the land. Surely I am a skilled custodian
(knowing well my duties). (1:54, 55)
The Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) worked efficiently and
managed the affairs. he won a good name as an officer and became
powerful in the land.
The Prophet Ya'qub (peace be upon him)was awfully unhappy. He
missed the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) very much. He was
assured by Almighty Allah that he would see his son again. The
brothers of the Prophet Yusuf(peace be upon him) grew in age and
kept remembering the mischievous trick which they had played
upon him. It was highly shameful act. Now Palestine was also in
the grip of dreadful famine. There was an acute dearth of food.
The family of the Prophet Ya'qub (peace be upon him) was passing
through the most straitened circumstances. They heard that
Egyptians had huge stock of food stuff. They sold it at
reasonable rates. The sons of the Prophet Ya'qub (peace be upon
him) prepared a caravan and went to Egypt to purchase grain.
The Prophet Yusuf's Brothers go to Egypt and buy Food
Conditionally:
When they reached Egypt the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him)
recognised his brothers immediately and his heart was beating
violently. He did not remind them of the cruelty inflicted upon
him. He did not disclose his identity. He showed kindness to
them and furnished them with provision at a very fair price.
They felt highly obliged because of his noble behaviour. Before
their departure the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) said: If
you come back, bring with you a younger brother of yours from
your father's side. If my request is not complied with, I shall
sell you no more grain.
They came back home after a tiresome journey. They told their
father that the custodian of the food stores in Egypt had
expressed a keen desire to see their younger brother. On hearing
this the Prophet Ya'qub's face became tense and worried. He did
not like the same thing happen to his other son. He hesitated to
allow Yusuf's brother to accompany them. Because of his previous
bitter experience he could not trust them. They in the long run
convinced him after giving him a firm covenant in Allah's name
that they would bring back the brother of Yusuf. When they
opened the sacks of grain and were much surprised to find their
money in it.
After many weeks their second caravan reached Egypt and went
directly to the main store-house. The Prophet Yusuf (peace be
upon him) greeted them with open arms. Every one was much
pleased. There was a lot of hustle and bustle. The Prophet Yusuf
(peace be upon him) took his younger brother aside and told him
that he was Yusuf who was thrown into the well. His brother was
much surprised and his joy knew no bounds. The Holy Qur'an says:
"And when they came into Yusuf's presence, he took his own
brother aside with him saying: LO I am your brother. Therefore
grieve not at what they do." (7:69)
Younger Brother is Detained:
The Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) had certain plans in his
mind. He furnished them with their provisions and asked one of
his servants to put a drinking cup in their bag. As the caravan
was about to depart, some one shouted! The king's silver
drinking cup is missing. Every one got puzzled. The brother of
the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) said: We are not thieves
and we have not come here to make mischief. One of the Egyptians
said: He who is found guilty, shall be detained here as penalty.
All of them agreed upon the awarding of this punishment. They
began to search out the sacks of the customers. They found the
missing drinking cup in the sack of the younger brother of the
Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him). It followed a great deal of
excitement. The brothers tried very hard to convince the Prophet
Yusuf (peace be upon him) not to detain their brother but he
flatly refused. He asked them not to back out of their promise.
They became upset. Their eldest brother decided not to go back
to the Prophet Ya'qub (peace be upon him) again and face him
with heart breaking news. He stayed there and sent back his
other brothers to inform the care-worn father of the whole
situation. They went back and conveyed the most shocking news to
their father. He displayed unshakeable patience and said:
"So patience is most fitting for me. May Allah restore them all
to me. Surely, He is the Knowing, the Wise." (12: 83)
Any how he directed his sons to go and seek tidings of the
Prophet Yusuf(peace be upon him) and his younger brother for
whom he used to yearn day and night. They went to Egypt again
after a few weeks. This time they had scanty money. They
requested the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) to help them in
charity. They were dressed in rags. They looked pathetic due to
poverty. The Holy Qur'an states:
"And when they came back into the presence of Yusuf, they said:
O' chief! Misfortune has afflicted us and our family and we have
brought a small amount, so give us full measure and be
charitable to us; Surely Allah will requite charitable." (12:
88)
The Prophet Yusuf Helps his Brothers and Discloses his Identity:
The Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) was well known for his
generosity. He had a tender and sympathetic heart. He took pity
on them. He helped them from the core of his heart. They had
also sinking feelings inside. Soon after he disclosed his
identity to his brothers. The Holy Qur'an affirms:
"He (Yusuf) said: I am Yusuf and this is my brother. Allah has
shown us favour. Surely who fears Allah and endures, is rewarded
for surely Allah does not waste the reward of those who do
good." (12:90)
Now every one wished to go immediately to their father to inform
him of the happy news that the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him)
was alive. At the time of departure the Prophet Yusuf(peace be
upon him) gave them his shirt and said:
"Cast it on my father's face and he will recover his sight and
come to me with all your family." (12: 93)
The brothers came home with happy spirit. They put the shirt of
the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) on the face of the Prophet
Ya'qub (peace be upon him). He regained his eye sight in the
twinkling of an eye. He took a sigh of relief when he smelt the
sweet perfume of the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) from his
shirt. The brothers of Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) begged
pardon of their father and he forgave them with an open heart.
The Prophet Ya'qub Meets the Prophet Yusuf:
They decided to settle in Egypt. They took their bag and baggage
and set out on a long journey. They were given a warm reception
when they reached Egypt. The father, Ya'qub, met his son Yusuf
after a long separation. He said:
"O' my father! This is the interpretation of my old vision. My
Lord has indeed made it to be true and He has shown me kindness.
When He brought me forth from prison and brought you all from
the desert even after Satan has sown (seeds of) dissension
between me and my brothers. Surely my Lord is tender to whom He
wills. Surely He is the Knowing, the Wise. O' my Lord! You have
indeed given me (something) of the sovereignty and taught me of
the interpretation of dreams--Creator of the heavens and the
earth! You are my Protecting friend in this world and the
Hereafter. Make me die submissive (unto You) and join me with
the righteous". (12: 100, 101)
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