Stories of the Prophets, stories of the Prophets, peace be upon them.
May Allah's blessings be followed by peace,
Upon the best of all creation.
The resolute Messengers hold a exalted status.
The story of Joseph, peace be upon him.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds,
And blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
And upon his family and all his Companions.
To proceed:
Devastating news continued to fall upon the Prophet of Allah, Jacob, peace be upon him.
After losing the apple of his eye, Joseph,
Here he was now, losing his other son, Benjamin,
Under similar circumstances.
And the accused party in both instances was the same.
They had taken Joseph and claimed a wolf ate him,
And then they took his brother, Benjamin,
Claiming he had committed theft.
Meanwhile, the eldest son refused to return to his father.
Jacob's condition was just as the poet described:
"Had it been a single arrow, I would have shielded myself,
But it is a second arrow, and a third."
The grief-stricken father had no choice but to show patience—
A beautiful patience,
Free of complaint or lamentation except to the Creator,
For He alone is able to restore all his sons to him,
And He is All-Knowing of his condition, All-Wise in His decree.
Jacob, peace be upon him, stood up from among his sons,
His deep wounds freshly reopened,
And said, lamenting over Joseph, peace be upon him:
"O my grief for Joseph!"
The light left his eyes,
And they turned white with sorrow for Joseph, his beloved heart.
His sons said to him:
"By Allah, father! You will not stop remembering Joseph at all times,
Until you become severely frail and consumed by illness,
Or become among those who perish!"
"So spare yourself!"
He replied to them in reproach:
"You do not know what I know,
So do not blame me.
I am not complaining of my state to you,
For my Lord knows best my condition and my plea.
I only complain of my anguish and sorrow to Him,
And He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy."
Then Jacob, peace be upon him, said to his sons:
"O my sons,
I truly sense that Joseph is still alive.
Go and inquire about him and his brother,
And strive your utmost in searching for them both,
“Go, O my sons, and ascertain concerning Joseph and his brother, and despair not of the Spirit of Allah. Lo! none despaireth of the Spirit of Allah save disbelieving folk.” (12:87)
For none despairs of Allah's mercy
Except the disbelieving people."
Allah Almighty says:
﴿And he turned away from them and said, "O my grief over Joseph!"﴾
“And he turned away from them and said: Alas, my grief for Joseph! And his eyes were whitened with the sorrow that he was suppressing.” (12:84)
“And he turned away from them and said: Alas, my grief for Joseph! And his eyes were whitened with the sorrow that he was suppressing.” (12:84)
﴿And his eyes became white on account of the grief,﴾
﴿For he was suppressing his sorrow.﴾
“They said: By Allah, thou wilt never cease remembering Joseph till thy health is ruined or thou art of those who perish!” (12:85)
﴿Until you become critically ill,﴾
“They said: By Allah, thou wilt never cease remembering Joseph till thy health is ruined or thou art of those who perish!” (12:85)
“He said: I expose my distress and anguish only unto Allah, and I know from Allah that which ye know not.” (12:86)
﴿"I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah,﴾
﴿And I know from Allah﴾
﴿That which you do not know.﴾
﴿O my sons, go﴾
“Go, O my sons, and ascertain concerning Joseph and his brother, and despair not of the Spirit of Allah. Lo! none despaireth of the Spirit of Allah save disbelieving folk.” (12:87)
﴿And do not despair﴾
“Go, O my sons, and ascertain concerning Joseph and his brother, and despair not of the Spirit of Allah. Lo! none despaireth of the Spirit of Allah save disbelieving folk.” (12:87)
“Go, O my sons, and ascertain concerning Joseph and his brother, and despair not of the Spirit of Allah. Lo! none despaireth of the Spirit of Allah save disbelieving folk.” (12:87)
﴿Except the disbelieving people."﴾
The sons obeyed their father's command—
Jacob, peace be upon him—
And gathered what goods they could trade,
Finding them to be of poor quality and barely sufficient.
They loaded them up and set off for Egypt.
When they entered upon their brother Joseph once again,
They said to him in a state of weakness and distress:
"O exalted minister!
Drought and hardship have touched us and our family,
And we have brought only merchandise of poor quality.
So give us full measure as you used to give us before,
And be charitable to us, honoring us by returning our brother to us.
Indeed, Allah Almighty rewards the charitable."
When Joseph, peace be upon him, saw their condition
And heard their plea, he felt immense compassion for them,
Moving him so deeply that he could no longer conceal his true identity from them.
So he confronted them, saying:
“He said: Know ye what ye did unto Joseph and his brother in your ignorance?” (12:89)
At that moment, their memories rushed back to the past,
And a dark picture flashed before their eyes.
They remembered their injustice and hatred toward their two full brothers, Joseph and Benjamin.
They remembered how cunningly they had asked their father for Joseph,
And how treacherously they threw him into the pit.
Then they paused and realized:
No creation knows of this
Except us and Joseph!
Could it be conceivable that this minister is Joseph?
They looked closely at his face,
Clearing the dust of time from their eyes,
And indeed, the features were remarkably alike.
So they said to him:
"Are you indeed Joseph?"
The noble and generous brother did not let the confusion linger on their faces for long,
But said to them:
"Yes, I am Joseph,
And this is my brother Benjamin.
He then called for him,
And Benjamin came forward, honored and esteemed,
Not a bondservant as they had assumed.
Joseph said:
"Here we are, the two brothers.
You did to us what you did,
And past is what transpired through your misconduct toward us.
Yet here we are, reunited once more,
“They said: Is it indeed thou who art Joseph? He said: I am Joseph and this is my brother. Allah hath shown us favour. Lo! he who wardeth off (evil) and endureth (findeth favour); for lo! Allah loseth not the wages of the kindly.” (12:90)
For indeed, Allah does not allow the reward of the righteous to be lost."
The brothers were completely speechbound,
And said in apology:
"By Allah, Allah has truly preferred you over us,
And favored you with knowledge, forbearance, and grace,
While we were indeed sinful in what we did to you and your brother.
So forgive us."
Joseph, peace be upon him, accepted their apology
And said to them:
"No blame shall be laid upon you today, nor any reproach.
I ask Allah to forgive you,
For He, glorified be He, is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy."
Allah Almighty says:
﴿So when they entered upon Joseph,﴾
﴿They said, "O exalted minister,﴾
﴿Adversity has touched us and our family,﴾
﴿And we have brought merchandise of poor quality,﴾
﴿So pay us full measure﴾
﴿And be charitable to us."﴾
“And when they came (again) before him (Joseph) they said: O ruler! Misfortune hath touched us and our folk, and we bring but poor merchandise, so fill for us the measure and be charitable unto us. Lo! Allah will requite the charitable,” (12:88)
“He said: Know ye what ye did unto Joseph and his brother in your ignorance?” (12:89)
﴿When you were ignorant?﴾
“They said: Is it indeed thou who art Joseph? He said: I am Joseph and this is my brother. Allah hath shown us favour. Lo! he who wardeth off (evil) and endureth (findeth favour); for lo! Allah loseth not the wages of the kindly.” (12:90)
“They said: Is it indeed thou who art Joseph? He said: I am Joseph and this is my brother. Allah hath shown us favour. Lo! he who wardeth off (evil) and endureth (findeth favour); for lo! Allah loseth not the wages of the kindly.” (12:90)
﴿Allah has favored us.﴾
﴿Indeed, whoever fears Allah and remains patient—﴾
﴿Then indeed, Allah does not allow the reward of the righteous to be lost.﴾
“They said: By Allah, verily Allah hath preferred thee above us, and we were indeed sinful.” (12:91)
﴿"By Allah, Allah has preferred you over us, and we were indeed sinful."﴾
“He said: Have no fear this day! May Allah forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.” (12:92)
﴿"May Allah forgive you;﴾
﴿And He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy."﴾
"There is no point in dwelling on the past now,
Nor any benefit in reproaching a sin for which its committer has apologized.
So let us begin positive, fruitful action."
Such was Joseph, peace be upon him:
He was proactive, seeking actions rather than mere words.
He asked them about their father,
And they informed him that his eyesight was lost out of grief for him.
So he said to them:
"Take this shirt of mine,
Go with it to my father,
And cast it over his face,
And Allah will restore his sight.
Then bring to me him and your entire family."
The brothers took their brother Joseph's shirt
And departed from Egypt in haste,
To convey the glad tidings to the grieving old father.
Meanwhile, Jacob, peace be upon him, in Palestine,
Hundreds of miles away,
Said to those around him:
"I truly smell the scent of my son Joseph.
Were it not for the fear that you would dismiss me and attribute senility to me,
I would declare it openly before everyone."
Such were the feelings and intuition of a grief-stricken father.
Those present with him said:
"By Allah, you are still in your old delusion regarding your love for Joseph,
And you simply cannot forget him."
They spoke to him harsh words
That they ought not to have uttered.
The caravan moved swiftly from Egypt,
Drawing near to Palestine,
As Jacob's sensation of Joseph's closeness intensified.
He smelled his scent ever more strongly,
And longing surged within his heart.
As Jacob's sons approached their father's home,
The bearer of glad tidings carrying Joseph's shirt stepped forward
To Jacob, peace be upon him,
And cast the shirt over his face.
Instantly, sight returned to Jacob's eyes,
And life returned to his weary body.
He stood up as if he had suffered no weakness or illness prior to that moment.
At this, Jacob, peace be upon him, said
To his sons and those around him:
"Did I not tell you
That I know, through Allah's mercy, favor, and benevolence,
That which you do not know?"
His sons said, apologizing to their father
For what they had done to Joseph and his brother:
"O our father,
Forgive us,
And ask Allah to forgive our past sins,
For we were indeed wrong in what we did to Joseph and his full brother."
He said to them:
"I will ask my Lord to forgive you,
For He alone is the Forgiving of the sins of His repentant servants,
The Merciful to them."
And he delayed doing so until the pre-dawn hour,
So it would be closer to being answered.
Jacob, his sons, and their entire household prepared themselves
And set out from their land, bound for Joseph in Egypt.
Joseph, peace be upon him, went out to receive him,
Accompanied by his retinue and soldiers.
It is even said
That the King of Egypt himself went out with them
To welcome Jacob, peace be upon him.
When Jacob met Joseph,
They embraced in a warm embrace
And he wept a deeply moving tear,
for it was the reunion of a loving father
with his beloved son,
after a long separation and absence.
Joseph embraced his father and mother,
holding them close to him,
showing them immense righteousness, honor,
reverence, and veneration,
a truly magnificent display of devotion.
And he said to them,
“And when they came in before Joseph, he took his parents unto him, and said: Come into Egypt safe, if Allah will!” (12:99)
Thus, they entered into this joyful state,
and their hardship and the misery of life melted away;
happiness was achieved,
and their joy was made complete.
Joseph, peace be upon him, seated his parents upon the throne—
which was the royal seat upon which he sat—
and his parents and his eleven brothers paid homage to him
by bowing down before him,
a prostration of greeting and honor,
fulfilling the vision that Joseph, peace be upon him, had seen
when he was a young boy.
That is why Joseph, peace be upon him, said to his father:
"This prostration of yours before me
is the fulfillment of my dream of long ago,
which I had recounted to you.
My Lord has made it come true by bringing it to pass,
and He has indeed been good to me
when He brought me out of prison
and brought you all here from the desert,
after Satan had sown discord between me and my brothers.
Indeed, my Lord is subtle in accomplishing whatever He wills;
He is the All-Knowing of His servants' states,
the All-Wise in His planning."
Allah Almighty said:
◁ "Take this shirt of mine ▷
“Go with this shirt of mine and lay it on my father's face, he will become (again) a seer; and come to me with all your folk.” (12:93)
◁ he will regain his sight ▷
“Go with this shirt of mine and lay it on my father's face, he will become (again) a seer; and come to me with all your folk.” (12:93)
◁ he will regain his sight, ▷
◁ and bring me your entire family." ▷
◁ When the caravan departed, ▷
◁ their father said, ▷
“When the caravan departed their father had said: Truly I am conscious of the breath of Joseph, though ye call me dotard.” (12:94)
◁ "were it not that you might think me senile." ▷
◁ They said, "By Allah, ▷
“(Those around him) said: By Allah, lo! thou art in thine old aberration.” (12:95)
“Then, when the bearer of glad tidings came, he laid it on his face and he became a seer once more. He said: Said I not unto you that I know from Allah that which ye know not?” (12:96)
◁ he laid it over his face, ▷
◁ and his sight was restored. ▷
◁ He said, "Did I not tell you ▷
“Then, when the bearer of glad tidings came, he laid it on his face and he became a seer once more. He said: Said I not unto you that I know from Allah that which ye know not?” (12:96)
◁ They said, "O our father, ask forgiveness for our sins for us; ▷
◁ indeed, we were sinners." ▷
“He said: I shall ask forgiveness for you of my Lord. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” (12:98)
◁ "He is the Off-Forgiving, the Most Merciful." ▷
“And when they came in before Joseph, he took his parents unto him, and said: Come into Egypt safe, if Allah will!” (12:99)
◁ He lodged his parents with himself, ▷
◁ and said, "Enter Egypt, ▷
◁ Allah willing, safe and secure." ▷
“And he placed his parents on the dais and they fell down before him prostrate, and he said: O my father! This is the interpretation of my dream of old. My Lord hath made it true, and He hath shown me kindness, since He took me out of the prison and hath brought you from the desert after Satan had made strife between me and my brethren. Lo! my Lord is tender unto whom He will. He is the Knower, the Wise.” (12:100)
◁ And they fell down before him in prostration, ▷
◁ and he said, "O my father, ▷
◁ this is the interpretation of my dream of old; ▷
“And he placed his parents on the dais and they fell down before him prostrate, and he said: O my father! This is the interpretation of my dream of old. My Lord hath made it true, and He hath shown me kindness, since He took me out of the prison and hath brought you from the desert after Satan had made strife between me and my brethren. Lo! my Lord is tender unto whom He will. He is the Knower, the Wise.” (12:100)
◁ and He was indeed good to me ▷
“And he placed his parents on the dais and they fell down before him prostrate, and he said: O my father! This is the interpretation of my dream of old. My Lord hath made it true, and He hath shown me kindness, since He took me out of the prison and hath brought you from the desert after Satan had made strife between me and my brethren. Lo! my Lord is tender unto whom He will. He is the Knower, the Wise.” (12:100)
“And he placed his parents on the dais and they fell down before him prostrate, and he said: O my father! This is the interpretation of my dream of old. My Lord hath made it true, and He hath shown me kindness, since He took me out of the prison and hath brought you from the desert after Satan had made strife between me and my brethren. Lo! my Lord is tender unto whom He will. He is the Knower, the Wise.” (12:100)
“And he placed his parents on the dais and they fell down before him prostrate, and he said: O my father! This is the interpretation of my dream of old. My Lord hath made it true, and He hath shown me kindness, since He took me out of the prison and hath brought you from the desert after Satan had made strife between me and my brethren. Lo! my Lord is tender unto whom He will. He is the Knower, the Wise.” (12:100)
“And he placed his parents on the dais and they fell down before him prostrate, and he said: O my father! This is the interpretation of my dream of old. My Lord hath made it true, and He hath shown me kindness, since He took me out of the prison and hath brought you from the desert after Satan had made strife between me and my brethren. Lo! my Lord is tender unto whom He will. He is the Knower, the Wise.” (12:100)
◁ between me and my brothers. ▷
“And he placed his parents on the dais and they fell down before him prostrate, and he said: O my father! This is the interpretation of my dream of old. My Lord hath made it true, and He hath shown me kindness, since He took me out of the prison and hath brought you from the desert after Satan had made strife between me and my brethren. Lo! my Lord is tender unto whom He will. He is the Knower, the Wise.” (12:100)
◁ Indeed, He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise." ▷
And when Allah completed for Joseph
the full measure of authority
in the land and sovereignty,
and comforted his eyes with his parents and brothers,
and granted him immense knowledge,
Joseph, peace be upon him, said,
acknowledging Allah's favor
and giving thanks for it:
“O my Lord! Thou hast given me (something) of sovereignty and hast taught me (something) of the interpretation of events - Creator of the heavens and the earth! Thou art my Protecting Guardian in the world and the Hereafter. Make me to die muslim (unto Thee), and join me to the righteous.” (12:101)
“O my Lord! Thou hast given me (something) of sovereignty and hast taught me (something) of the interpretation of events - Creator of the heavens and the earth! Thou art my Protecting Guardian in the world and the Hereafter. Make me to die muslim (unto Thee), and join me to the righteous.” (12:101)
◁ "Creator of the heavens and the earth, ▷
◁ You are my Protector in this world and the Hereafter. ▷
◁ Cause me to die as a Muslim ▷
◁ and join me with the righteous." ▷
Dear honorable brothers,
the name of the Prophet of Allah, Jacob, peace be upon him, has been mentioned
in the Qur'an 16 times,
while the name of the Prophet of Allah, Joseph, peace be upon him, was mentioned
27 times.
In their story lie many lessons and morals,
among the most important of which are:
Jacob, peace be upon him,
harbored a good opinion of Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He;
for he lost his son Joseph at first,
and then his brother,
yet he maintained a good expectation of Allah,
hoping that He would return all his children to him,
and Allah answered his hope.
Jacob's, peace be upon him, love encompassed all his children,
but his love for his son Joseph
was special
because of the wisdom and intelligence he saw in him,
as well as the qualifications to become one of the Prophets.
A servant of Allah should avoid the causes of harm
and conceal that which is feared to bring harm;
Jacob directed his dear child to this by saying:
“He said: O my dear son! Tell not thy brethren of thy vision, lest they plot a plot against thee. Lo! Satan is for man an open foe.” (12:5)
◁ "lest they plot against you a scheme." ▷
What matters is the ultimate outcome, not the beginning;
such was the affair of the brothers of Joseph, peace be upon him,
as they repented and sought forgiveness,
and Jacob and Joseph, peace be upon them, pardoned them;
and if a servant pardons, Allah is even more deserving of doing so,
and He is the Best of the merciful.
When a blessing is bestowed upon a servant,
he should remember his previous hardship
in order to truly give thanks for Allah's grace upon him;
for blessings, when thanked, abide,
and when unappreciated, flee.
Persisting in supplication to Allah
and asking Him for steadfastness, because the hearts of servants
are between two of the fingers of the Most Merciful;
He turns them however He wills.
Hence, among the supplications of Joseph, peace be upon him, was:
◁ "Cause me to die as a Muslim." ▷
Lastly, the virtue of patience
and its praised outcomes;
such was the state of Jacob and Joseph, peace be upon them.
The lesson will continue, Allah willing.
And Allah knows best.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
May Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad
and upon all his family and Companions.
May Allah send blessings upon our Master, the best of guardians.